Congrats on this win!

YAYAYAYAYA Big congrats.

Big congrats, this was a great winner, I loved the shot.

LOL that's a good one!

CONGRATULATIONS it's a great shot!

Three.

Ahhh I see, yes it's cleaner. Sometimes borders hold the image in for a reason so then it is a good thing to use them.

These guys mate for life, I love em and they make good eating. Good entry with profile however it is a bit soft and noise can be seen. I like the fact he's glaring at you and if I didn't have a phobia before this photo would instill a phobia! ha.

Holy Guacamole, this is MY phobia, which I have worked at trying to overcome. I love the depth of your post, the story of life and death. It is a well composed image with plenty of marginal space all around. You have exposed it exquisitely, no blow outs on the white. The detail can been seen, not only on the underbody of "lunch" but on that grizzly spider. Yes, on this side of the planet, not only are his eyes sharp but they are a hideous yellow clearly seen. You have used your dof wisely, his body softens. In photography, if the eyes are sharp all other sins are forgiven. Top notch work in my book. I am not liking the border, but that is just me, I have difficulty with borders, never quite know if I like them or not. Here with your border it seems to be a distraction from the main subjects, almost like a straw that is in the way, it doesn't work....however, I bow to artistic prerogative and honor yours.

Not alone at all, surrounded by masses of humanity, exactly where I would NOT like to be (hmmm is that a phobia). Yet, amidst the crowds one could feel alone. It is hard to find a focal anchor with your photo and my eyes are going hither and dither and I know that was your intention. The photo is a tad soft, perhaps from a heavy zoom.

These guys mate for life too, like the Canada goose! Hence the term "lone wolf" because if the mate dies they stay alone...this of course is critical for you to know.

Now, onto the review. Your side portrait angle works for it creates a mystery for us viewers, there is a wildness seen in his gaze which is out of the frame and that engages us as we wonder what it is he is looking at...his natural strength , his confidence and his soul have been well captured by your lens. The white background fully supports the beauty of this gorgeous animal Details are sharp , contrast is good and it feels like this photographer and his camera are best of friends. Top notch work.

A visually dynamic photograph captured with those rays coming at us through a thick forest. If one wasn't afraid of the forest one is now after looking at your upload. I love your compositional style and your pov but the icing on this well baked cake are those rays of sunshine that speak to me of hidden terror lurking somewhere deep in this forest.

What is it a fear of: toilets, paper, constipation, cylinders, emptiness. Remind me of a joke: Life is like a toilet paper roll , the closer you get to the end the faster it goes.

OK now about the photograph. I love it and you have balls to put this up. It's a well taken photograph with a focal anchor evident, simple and strong. Now I will have to run to Uncle Google to see what kind of phobia this is. Good for you for having a great sense of humour with this upload. Pictures often tell us a lot about the photographer and this one did

Wow what a great shot! The blue is really blue and I like your title. Now, have a look around the head of the girl and young man. See that very black mark? You need to use a hard brush and paint out more blue, right to the edge of her head and his head. Also there is an incongruity within the lines of the deck. Try to bring in the harmony of the background throughout the image. Yes you need to paint around those white posts and lines. I know it's a lot of work, but in the end it is worth it.

That is exciting I know you will do well, congrats!

I have been walking around town yesterday and today trying to find something like this, there are shutters but not in blue. You did a nice job with these baby blue shutters. AND you have that magic number our brains like ....THREE.

I have looked hard at your margins to see if you have bleeding of other colours, and not a drop! Good work, and a lot of it. I am also drawn to the faces staring out in dead white and how nicely this image looks with the blue frame.

You did the selective colour really well, I've looked hard for bleeding and find not a drop! Interesting historical piece too and they subjects are not even aware you are photographing them. Thank you for educating us.

Yes, if that is what you are gunning for, it is a subjective arena we are talking about... are you having this made into a card?

Ahhh photography, it opens up new worlds to us, does it not?!

I'm coming over.

WHHHHOOOAAAAAA thank you for that link. I just looked and Bucharest is just so full of stunning buildings and so much history, it is full of surprises that is why we are talking about going back there possibly next spring.

There is a beautiful story here and I'm happy to not see a mobile phone in sight. A family that reads together, very heartwarming. A well timed photograph showing the members completely oblivious to your intrusion and that makes for a great photograph. Technically strong and sharp, a bit more room at the right would not have hurt the photo, but truly, that is just a mild moan.

Holy Guacamole ! What a classy bookshop, nice shooting and nice to see this.

Curious as that greenback was the first thing that caught my eye! ...gives a sense of place. I looked at this image in hi-res and it appears much sharper than on this page. The children being absorbed engages us. A pleasant image to view.

I really like tha angle and the focal point is strong. Nice softness that makes the background whisper to us that books are here to stay.

I cannot help but feel that this is a staged photograph, not that there is anything wrong with staging images...Nat Geo photogs do it all the time. But this image gives the viewer an uneasy feeling that the attention is on the book and not on the child. Technically a nice photograph.

Shows the love this little one has for books. She is totally absorbed and we are drawn into the story. This is a good snapshot.

This really speaks of new beginnings. The fact you had to lay down on your stomach to get this shot, so close to the ground propels it to the top of the class. Your saturation and colour is natural and the blurred foreground really engages the viewer to look inward. Just lovely, a pleasure to study.

PS I was in some garlic fields yesterday and thanks to this shot I tried your technique, so special thank you for inspiring me with your image.

Ahhh for some of us, it's always a new beginning with photoshop. Like the concept of this shot and it is very well done technically speaking.

This is a very sensual image and evokes the feeling of a new life coming into bloom. Wonderful bokeh that completely supports this pod and the red and green (as you know are contrasting colours on the colour wheel) really pop this one out. Sensational image, it is sharp and really speaks to me. The pov with the pod "flying" into the shot from the side is well constructed. It is top notch work, worthy of hanging up on your wall and a small signature in the corner.

Congratulations on a well taken photograph and I have no idea how you got so close (well maybe I do). Solid image through and through with good contrast and colour, sharp, good exposure and plenty of marginal space.

Why would anyone do a shoot in front of an advertising board like that! However, your capture is a strong one and best of all there are no blow outs.

Top notch, one of the best coming from you.

You cannot get any newer than this. Great sharp focus and right in our face...your POV is perfect. I have nothing to critique just to say frame this and hang it up.

I like the framing of this shot, even with the blur of the foreground twigs. You make us feel like we are witnessing something special and we are, we see a disgruntled mother bird protecting her young. It is an intrusive image, but that aspect is it's strength.

It looks soft but in hi-res it is sharper, glad I looked there. A noble presentation of newness indeed. Strong colours with soft bokeh, and the colour palette of hot red against cold blue punches this image out. Very pleasing to study.

Oh how I miss this bread. When living in the northern hemisphere we ate this all the time, with butter. Perfect presentation. Love the natural colours, the details are well in focus, the light source easily seen and the POV although ordinary, is acceptable. Good framing all around. YUM.

Oh how I miss this bread. When living in the northern hemisphere we ate this all the time, with butter. Perfect presentation. Love the natural colours, the details are well in focus, the light source easily seen and the POV although ordinary, is acceptable. Good framing all around. YUM.

Now, how did you manage to train this threesome? Great catch, good eyes, sharp with no blow outs.

I love these Hollyhocks and they remind me of tissue paper. I think this is a well take photograph, sharp on the focal point and excellent bokeh. Rich in saturation it is a natural and unpretentious shot.

Gosh this one does feel like spring. You have some that have bloomed and some waiting in the wings to bloom, the stages of "birth" have been well shown. Are you shooting in A mode or M? Time to bite the bullet and shoot in manual you will have more creative power like being able to eliminate blow outs.

Sweet. Just today on a bus I saw a young mother with her 3 month old baby and she was kissing her child's hand, so your image brought out an emotion from me and it was Tolstoy who said that if an image brings out an emotion , then art has been created. I do see that the focus is soft and does it really matter for the subject is soft...a new baby. Personally, I would have preferred the image to be sharper and stronger.

I never knew the name of this hairy beast. Love the precise sharpness shown however the little tree gets a bit lost in the similar looking surroundings...a vignette may help to pop him out more.

This is so much better viewed in hi-res and I'm glad I looked there. Sharp, clear focus, no blow outs (good exposure) and a luscious bokeh in dark hues which really pops out this yellow new rose. The importance of the rose is clearly heard and seen.

Mr. P. that is a heavy dose of Prednisone! Love this post as it tells us a lot about Mr. P who happens to be grumpy, with all that prednisone in him it's no wonder and 60 grams of Codeine, gosh he must be constipated too, surprised there is no medication like Dulcolax around. Kidding aside, this is a well taken photograph, the book is the icing on the cake.

....as was his golf game

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Yes, to this, we get the story and your usage of dof transforms this into photographic art well worth framing. Sharp on the hand and guitar with fading into the background.

A natural presentation with good white balance evident. Sharp and clear with sensible d0f used. Cold through and through.