Author, try merging your brackets in PS first then tonemap it in photomatix. You'll notice a huge difference in the tonal quality.

you should have called this "dirty thirty" lol

Hey, leave the smoke and mirrors to the magic guys will ya!

It may be repetitive but I think it's far from boring bartoszwozniak. Just because we see something repeatedly doesn't mean that it's bad, did you think this was boring the first time you saw it? I've seen this before too but I've also seen 10,000,000 shots of refracted water droplets, and countless sunsets over the ocean but if it's done well than it doesn't matter how many I've seen before it. Yes originality is nice, and needed but can you honestly say you've never seen a photo you liked and reproduced it later? That's all the author has done here, and they did it well in my opinion.

This seems a bit oversharpened

Oh you bastard... lol

Oh ok, makes sense

Author, I'm not saying this is off theme but what exactly is the "fail" here?

Very nice Author, I love the colors and the way it's beautifully backlit, that in combination with the excellent framing makes this a superb shot!

I love wasabi, but on a burger?! Guess I might have to try that

I think the intentional blown out highlights are a nice touch, it really draws your eye to the dark lashes, and the slight blueish tint around the lashes really helps focus your attention even further. Great job Author

I'm not real sure what Craigers meant, but I think this is nice. As far as undeveloped goes, I don't know what else you would do with it. I'm not sure where you got the idea for this Author but I applaud your out of the box thinking, don't let anyone rain on your creativity parade

Is this a fencing mask?

I love it

Creepy, nice idea though

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwi_%28people%29

Her last name is Friis and she's from New Zealand. And in case you don't know New Zealanders are nicknamed Kiwis.

I think think this is a superb example of what this contest is about! Friiskiwi may be right but this is still awesome.

On another note I've been on this site for almost a year now and it wasn't until your comment Author that I realized what Friiskiwi's screen name meant! Wow do I feel dumb

I think it needs to be YOUR eyes Author

Ory, maybe the zebra is hidden behind the huge GIRAFFE

Gotta love the $1500 lens on the $500 dollar camera lol

I keep coming back to this one, I really like everything about it. It's simple, she seems relaxed, the soft colors work very nice together. Good job Author, high marks from me!

Flash my dear, flash

This looks a little flat you might want to play around with the curves a bit

I wouldn't suggest rubbing this ones belly. The one you rub for luck is Budai or the laughing buddha, completely different guy

very very nice

I'll just be putting my camera away now.....

Whoa, I don't know how I missed this placing. Awesome job man. well deserved

This is an awesome composition but I think it could benifit from a bit more contrast.

My that's quite the handsome model you've got there Author!

Come on Josh, I'm not the only photo masochist around here

I recognize this mountain range like I've said before author I love you're landscape photos, it brings me back to me days as a boy when I spent my summers out there!

I remember the shot that came just after this one

This is quite nice!

I think it would look nice with the horizon straightened, but it doesn't look bad like this. So that makes it one of the cases where it's up to the artist, sometimes the horizon HAS to be straight but in this case I think its fine. My only suggestion would be to brighten it up a bit, it's a nice day at the beach, with it being this dark it looks kinda muddy.

I was wondering when you would enter this! Although the composition is different than I expected, I think it works great. The flower is a nice touch.

Now now author don't let that crotchety old geezer get ya down. I've had several entries that were deemed incorrect by the professor and still had them come out on top. Plus he didn't say you were wrong, just that those weren't the lyrics he remembered. But cut the poor guy some slack it was a loooong time ago that he was taught it and you know how old peoples minds get kinda hazy at times

Ok I have to admit, this is awesome Great job Author!!!

I prefer CMYK

This is incredible!

Author thats what this site is all about, to help you get better and have fun. Your photos are actually quite nice, but remember that no matter how much you know, you can always learn more!

Very nice Author. With a photo like this you should definitely upload a hi-res for 2 reasons, first to show off what a nice shot you made and two you will certainly get a higher vote.

It's funny that you say that Author, because as I go through you're portfolio I see that almost every one of you're previous entries have a high-res attached to them...

Absolutely beautiful Author! Is this a single 1 1/2 hour exposure or a sequence over an hour and a half? I only ask because I plan on doing some star trail shots soon and am trying to learn a bit more about them.

This is nicely done, I like the color, but I think it would be a bit better if you included the entire truck in the shot, or cropped it in closer. As it stands right now it looks a bit off. Still a nice image though. GL

nope? lol You're beginning to disappoint me old man

This is very nice but I think it would look better if you hadn't cut off the top of the tree.

Your right Kyricom, it is a saying, and I say it all the time so the Author must be quoting me

What a view! Nicely done author, and nice quote to go with it

Not bad author, one of the biggest issues with HDR is the amount of noise you get but sometimes you can't help it. Also I've found that what camera your using can effect it a lot more than you'd think! How many shots did you use for this?