I like the fragility seen here on this dragonfly. Nicely placed off center we also see his environment in soft bokeh. Natural, in good focus on the eyes (where it really matters) . Exposure is well rendered , contrast is fine and the whole image has good initial visual impact.

Oh my goodness. I can't imagine walking peacefully along a path and then finding this "beast". How absolutely beautiful he is and you caught him with your lens! He is sharp and easy for us to see with a nicely chosen dof you softened the background and serendipitous that the background is colour co-ordinated. I like your crop and compositional style and the diagonal slant on which this prince sits! I wonder where this was taken...in Costa Rica perhaps? Nice one.

(big smile) hope he made it safely across the street!

This is a great close up of rusted wire. I love the grunge and feel it could even be more grunged without killing the shot. You have found that little upturned piece, something to catch our eye and it does and it does and brings a smile to our face. Look behind that upturned wire....see it? ....that bright white "hair" (for lack of a better word). The natural pathway of the eye is to always gravitate to the brightest pop on the canvas. So we see the upturned wire but then our eye gets pulled into the white pop behind it....you could clone it out...I do believe that is allowed in the rules and then nothing at all would be competing with that wire. I love the full frame presentation...one can feel this shot. Very clever.

What an absolutely sweet shot. Nicely comoposed on the frame, sharp as a tack and the colour palette is natural. I would not mind a tighter crop at our left as that leaf seems to be stealing some attention away from the butterfly saying "look at me, look at me" and we do. A strong line like that on the frame also takes our eyes and leads us out of the photo. The anchor, that butterfly, however, is sharp and beautifully patterned which you caught and I know they are not easy to photograph. I think this is a well taken image.

Hi I like your sweet bug (grasshopper). Placed nicely on an angle he is looking at you (and therefore us). The detail is well seen even in his wings, the colour saturation is natural and the exposure is good rendering a very pleasant image. I like spotting these wee little "beasts" whenever walking though the forest they are like the exclamation mark to my day.

I can imagine you hiking and finding this and it would stop anyone in their tracks. There is something to be said about taking photos without long exposure, I feel too many photographers forget about the beauty of freezing the water droplets...I like your photograph for the simple reason that not only can we see it ....see the details...but I can hear it as well. Personally, I would not have minded a bit more brightness (exposure) on this to pop it out more, to make it "louder" but that is just me. I think you did well to only compose into the photograph that what matters...the surrounding bush and the waterfall. I also enjoy reading your description...we get to know you a bit better through this narrative you put up. Nice one.

A well executed long exposure image with great sharpness on rocks, showing us the grunge. The dof is good also with trees in the distance in focus. Although you have hot spots on the photograph, sometimes in life they are there, so why not in the photograph! The diagonal lead line of the tree takes us inside of the photo and your compositional style by using the horizontal cut rule of photograhy works. This rocks (pun intended).

I like many things about this photograph. Your filter is excellent (posterize?) shows up the grunge and highlights it artistically. Also, the crop, is nice and tight holding our eye on the focal pops which are easy to see, clear. The colour palette rocks in black and engine hot hot red. WEll saturated is this photograph and is a pleasure to review.

I gravitate to images like this showing the power of nature. With your photograph you show us the wonder beneath our feet and remind all of us to not only look up or forward but looking down one can find a photo. Your image is well exposed and shows good tonal ranges, it is exposed well and is not overcooked at all but is honest and easy to see and grasp. I like the grungy feel and even more grunge would not have been a bad idea. Thank you for teaching us with your upload.

I like your comment on the ocean and how it infuses peace. As I almost drowned, it does the opposite, infuses fear and more importantly respect. This image is beautiful in colour palette, warm and cool, powerful. I think your compositional style is very good giving strength to the ocean and you caught the wave coming in at us. There is a lot of good movement here. The rays of the sun nicely caught and the photograph is well exposed with good tonal quality. I feel the power with your upload, the power of the ocean and that is the main purpose of photgraphic art...to pull out an emotion. Thank you.

This is really sharp and clear...sharp as a whisker, the off center composition works and the chiaoroscuro effect divine. Congrats to you...well done.

I love the creativity here. It is simple and strong and very effective for bringing a smile to the viewer. The colours are rich, the background doesn't compete, it is a sharp photograph, well exposed, nicely contrasted and good marginal space. When you have round objects, try using perfectly square format, the reason for this is because the equidistant sides of the square help keep our eye within the frame...the pathway of the eye goes around and around but bounces off the 4 walls....try it, see if you find the image becomes stronger. Top notch work here.

Top notch work here. Love the repeat patterns and how the eye gets pulled in not only by them but also by the colour. You have a background that does not compete but supports and the image is crystal clear, sharp, well exposed, the tonal ranges are excellent, the photograph is unpretentious, not overcooked and follows the KISS principle and I am a sucker for KISS. Also, I find it inspirational.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. At least your entry makes me want to try.

When I look at your entry I think "now why can't I do that!"

I was inspired by your minimalistic post. The softness of colours and shapes really takes this over the top. It feels fragile and the compositional style to the side with explosion of petals visually delights viewers. This one, I feel, will be hard to beat. Congrats

Woaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, inspirational or what! LOVE IT what a statement, blew me away. Top notch work, congrats.

I know that feeling. I feel the same way about the Galapagos Islands, want to go back badly! Have never been to the Taj Mahal....maybe one day.

I think this is really well done in that grunge filter, not overcooked, but all details nicely highlighted. The colours really grab the eye and your considered composition works to make this top notch.

I am happy to find this unique presentation of this very familiar structure. You have it off to the side and not the usual cliche image and that makes it extra interesting. The minimal colour palette is also very becoming. A pleasure to view.

Dear Heart,

I am new here so do not enter any contests after speaking with me because I may guide you incorrectly. This is just advice for you to do at home. Take the photo, go into photoshop, go up to "ARTISTIC" filter and choose anyone and monkey with that photo until something comes out that you really like. There is something our teachers in photography used to say "try to bring the photo a touch above normal" try to make it better somehow, not ordinary...it's just about creativity and listening to your artistic angel sitting there on your shoulder. Most importantly have fun.

Sincerely,

Still26

Both (big smile)

You are on a roll. Is that some cloning error on the green grass in the lower aspect of the image? Good idea to tilt and you have your shutter speed calibrated well giving good focus on car and action all around. The tilt works!

Thumbs up to this creative post. Yes to the diagonal slant. Lately this has become the fad to tilt and it works in this upload. Yellow is the focal point, it is rich and nicely saturated. Tonal ranges deep and contrast is great. Love the blur on this with the focal point being sharp as a tack!

Cool. This car is sharp "as a woman's tongue" and your dynamic range is very lovely giving a crisp view. I would not have minded a different compositional style by giving a tad more room for the car to "flow" into and I think that would have given more oooomph to the image. Still this is artistic license and I bow to your prerogative!

I like the post processing on your piece, the soft edges accentuate the curves of the noodles...good creative thinking. The fork on a diagonal gives movement and that thin line of curve of dish (highlight) is causing this photograph to be transformed into photographic art.

No, I tried....I saw that there that Filter library...but my computer doesn't accept it ...it says "address unknown" or some such nonsense. Ahh well.

I like the dark hues surrounding this monk. The story is that meditation is not easy and the path to enlightenment is long. Nice one.

This is an interesting concept of an explosion, or and energy coming from the monk.

Love the detail, the shadow effect, the fact the mod. helped you. What a great site. I also like your border addition as it ties up the whole into a nice enlightened package.

Any filter at all. I think this photo would lend itself to some good manipulation, it is a goood shot with minimal colour palette. Just a suggestion for you....to play with during these cold winter months!

Have you tried changing this to b/w high contrast? I think you could have a lot of fun with this photograph in filters as well...try the "stamp" filter if you have one, just to give you an abstraction.

I thought he looked familiar....he he he he he. You did a nice job with it. I don't have the same filters as you do. I have one more submission ...maybe I ought to find a dragon for you. Thank you for communicating with me.

This works really well in HDR the tonal ranges you have caught through post processing really give a great visual sparkle. Because the colours are bright and luminescent the image becomes exciting. It could easily be called "visual candy". Nice cropping style as well and although I'm not partial to the border (it's me, not you ) I do feel it holds the image in too tightly for this car needs to fly and not be bound by the border. I do see tho' that with the border our eyes dare not venture out. A great shot.

I like what you did, those headlights work well. After all we say photography is all about "painting with light" and you show this well. I think that child is very hardy to be outside in that blizzard with just a t-shirt! Nice movement here and we can really engage with the image. Also,that off centered compositional style suits the "movement" feel. Brrrr, nice!

Di mak mak. Since I live in the land of dragons I have to say this one took my breath away. Love the point of view, looking up, noble, regal. Very lovely.

Well if you come back we are here and will take you on a walkabout through Talat Worort.

WHAT WHAT WHAT....now how did you know that ( ha ha ha ) is 555....did I already say that somewhere or are you in Chiang Mai as well? Are you part of the Photo Group...tomorrow is our meeting. I am going to tell everyone about this site...it is great and you have just made it more mysterious and more FUN.

Hi, I'm having a look through your portfolio and really like this one. I am a sucker for KISS principle and you have nailed it with this. The dof is used to your benefit, it is "sharp as a woman's tongue" on the main focal point. .....and of course the colours are soothing.

ha ha ha...Some days I amaze myself and other days I put the keys in the fridge.

I feel like giving you a review on this upload. I wish more people would do critiques. Here it goes:

The one thing with your upload that struck me was the colour palette. As carbon based bipeds we are always affected by colour, it draws emotions out. I find the colour of your work to be very soothing in muted shades of earth tones. To add a peeling paint filter which also has muted shades further supports your overall image. I like the brown frame but a bit larger thicker frame would have been nice as well. Then there is the story component...that little lamb looking up to us...this shows his fragility in this world...we are the stewards of life here on earth and we do love all "beasties" as cleary shown by your well considered upload. Wishing you luck in the contest.

I'm really enamored with this site. My eyes are crossing from concentrating on filter forge and manipulations. What a great hobby, ay!

You are very helpful. I hope this site gives you THE MOST HELPFUL award....mind you, so far, all the people I've contacted for help have been really kind .

Ahhhh, it's you....I should've known.

Oh this is so artistic and magical. When you do your filter forge steps do you have to do one layer, apply, then go out and then go back in to do the next step? I have to go out, then restart FF and try the next effect. Thank you for your time.

Forgive me....I'm new, and partially lobotomized.

Dear Author,

I think this contest asks that you put up the original beside the filter forge manipulated image. If you would include the filters used that would help us all to learn. I really like the effect of peeling paint and the fact this sheep is eyeing me.

Your encouragement is so appreciated. I think your kids and grand kids are lucky to have you to guide their creativity!

10 layers...gulp...you are a genius. Love it.

KAPOW, Wayne, this is quite inspirational and I am now going to look at grasses a different way. Thank you for posting this beautiful image. It is so full of wonderful patterns that cause our eyes to dance across your canvas. The format is good as well, large rectangle and that really pulls us into your shot.