this is as on theme as any others in this contest. from what I can gather, hdr is not all about blowing things out, or not blowing things out, it is also about the careful use of tones and contrasts etc.

I wasn't knocking your effort, just asking what it was. I am no hdr expert, in fact, I am not even really a fan, but I just like to ask these questions in order to find out what happens in the process, and how it is cured.....

what is the big 'smudge' above and left of the car

did you have this in another contest somewhere author....

the contest guide says biological brothers......... if they are brothers, then it is on theme.

Sorry author, I do tend to agree with Josh. Even though it might not have had the desired impact, it is not like it is a difficult shot that you have to do it form the hip. In a crowd like that, you could have been shooting anything.

what's the betting some of the offenders were 'brits'......

excellent effort. what prog did you use for it, how many images, and what settings for them...... I am interested, as it is different to most of the entries here, in that it is sort of high key

Perfectly on theme, nice find and well presented.

a nice result.............very striking

I am assuming you just upped the saturation levels on the red background....

this is superb............ one of the best, if not the best here yet......... perfect execution, well done author.

mmm, I wonder who this might be................

NIce job........very subtle.

how many images were used to make this?

also josh, I think the angle in this adds to the feel of the image......... that macabre feel might not be there if the image were straightened.

these ladies look like they are not frightened of tasting their own cooking..........

perfectly on theme, and perfectly shot. well done.

an amazing capture.............very well done author.

That extra leg is a hand, but you are right, it should have been cropped out. Great capture otherwise.

leaving................

a nice landscape, but the signpost is a little insignificant imo.

lol........... this is kool. nicely executed too.

is this black and white done in camera?

excellent capture author, well done.

me too.......... as long as I can have one of those young ladies in blue two piece to go with it...........

clever or stupid............. I never know! good catch though.

it is indeed the nest of some kind of wasp.

ok, nice concept...... thanx for the explanation.

a friend of yours author?...... not any more with a title like that...........

author, this is clever, but I am having a little difficulty in understanding your idea of minimalism. The eye is immediately drawn to the smoke, which does not really suggest the theme, imo.

author, you used a shot of this building in a previous contest, was it done on the same day?

even that fact does not stop some people here............

I never said it was a complaint...... and yes, you are right, there are a number who use the same 'model' over and again.

why you say that, do you not get these in your christmas crackers...........

this young lady is becoming a bit of a star here author. she is starting to give your anonymity away.

so what is the smudge about then author, as in the hi res, it shows as different to the rest of the image.

bear in mind author, that reducing noise in an image can also change it's sharpness! I don't know what camera you use, or what settings, perhaps you might need to address this first.

nice capture of an antique............ I didn't think there were any of these in use any more.

author, you do not need sbs for this contest.

Either something has been removed from the image, or there is a nasty smudge on your lens in the top left corner. As the noise in this part of the image is different from the rest, imo, something has been removed.

re crop the shot in your editor suite, then go to 'my contests' / 'edit entry'........ then upload the new entry here as you did before.

out of focus and flat................ some contrast in your shots would help with this.

author, this is a great shot, but needs to cover at least 80% of the frame, according to the guide.

good effort author, but it could be sharper.

And I thought I was good at shooting bugs............. how we s'posed to top this, it is simply awesome.

awesome capture................ hi res a little grainy though.

excellent capture author..............

that's scary........ lol. I hope this 'guy' is a good friend of yours.

nicely executed shot, well done author.