• Members 1171 posts
    Dec. 26, 2023, 12:07 a.m.

    You have found ways to focus on these tiny dragons even when they are hiding from you. All are nice captures but the last one is my favorite, with that nice blurred background, the golden wings displayed in detail and good focus head to tail.

  • Members 1171 posts
    Dec. 26, 2023, 12:12 a.m.

    That is a pretty capture, the late rose bent over under the weight of the snow. You've caught rose and snow in lovely detail, so that we experience the texture of both. Well executed capture. I might be tempted to crop from the left, through the two brown buds, but that would move the rose more to center which many find objectionable. With that crop, though, I can more easily find and appreciate the one golden bokeh ball without getting stuck in the dark centers of those dead buds. At any rate, a lovely piece.

  • Members 1171 posts
    Dec. 26, 2023, 12:14 a.m.

    Your facial distortions are pretty interesting, though I'm not sure how you're creating these looks, as if the faces were on pulled taffy.

  • Members 1171 posts
    Dec. 26, 2023, 12:18 a.m.

    I think I may know what this one is: a knife edge? Love the title and the effect. The color toning and use of lighting works well for the "sea" motif.

  • Members 1171 posts
    Dec. 26, 2023, 12:20 a.m.
  • Members 1171 posts
    Dec. 26, 2023, 12:24 a.m.

    Nice street image that tells a story. The low rider looks as if it's been subjected to a home-made paint job with spray paint and a replacement door. The bike rider looks almost as clumsy as I do riding a bike. There is a slightly comedic element to the story, set against a background of bright colors, with the blues holding everything together and uniting the backdrop and the central characters. Nicely caught.

  • Members 1171 posts
    Dec. 26, 2023, 12:29 a.m.

    This is a beautiful minimalist landscape image. The lighting is the power player here - the delicate pastel colors touching the softly textured tops of the clouds give it the feel of a painting. The treetops puncture the clouds here and there to suggest there is ground somewhere below. A magical scene.

  • Members 1171 posts
    Dec. 26, 2023, 12:34 a.m.

    I really like this. It is one of my all time favorites of your submissions. I'm fond of upside downers anyway, I think they are a great way to capture impressionistic photos that have a bit of mystery to them. The trees, being slightly elongated in the reflection, are more delicate and ethereal than they'd be if captured normally. The other objects and shadows along the edge are impossible to identify but work well in the scene. The blue/gold color contrast is always a winner. But the effect that makes it especially pleasing is the starry effect, however it was done (and it doesn't matter). It could be real stars, or fluff floating on the water, or a filter or lens effect or something else. Whatever, it's a keeper.

  • Members 1171 posts
    Dec. 26, 2023, 12:40 a.m.

    Well constructed travel image reminding us that even in the most exotic of locations, humans do challenging work. Anyone who's moved a large object (which I initially thought was a casket) in a challenging environment can relate. And historic areas do have challenging environments. I once stood spellbound watching some men move a grand piano from the upper floor of an old building in Amsterdam: they dismantled a pair of windows, and used a construction crane to lower it to the street where a moving van and nervous owner waited.

  • Members 1171 posts
    Dec. 26, 2023, 12:41 a.m.

    Whatever is this? Looks like a tuxedo cat wearing a red satin devils' costume.

  • Members 1171 posts
    Dec. 26, 2023, 12:43 a.m.

    I'm curious what this is. It appears to be a dinosaur emerging from a forest with a Christmas stocking in its mouth, with some sort of light show running across it. An interesting creation that I'm hoping to learn more about.

  • Members 1171 posts
    Dec. 26, 2023, 12:45 a.m.

    This one has more appeal to me than the stretched face. Not sure if she's real or a mannequin but it really doesn't matter. That one intensely focused eye catches us visually and anchors our attention while we explore the rest of the frame and return to that eye. Nice.

  • Members 543 posts
    Dec. 26, 2023, 4:25 p.m.

    This is exactly what you think it is. There is a Dinosaurs Attraction in Stone Mountain Park in GA, USA. Picture taken with ISO 25,600 and than processed in LR and Topaz. I liked the result. Another one.

    Dinosaur 3.jpg

    Dinosaur 3.jpg

    JPG, 2.4 MB, uploaded by Sagittarius on Dec. 26, 2023.