whispers and giggles
by ursula

Comment:
This is a GREAT PICTURE! It should have won 1st Place!!!

I will no longer fear the future nor will I regret the past
by byshen

Comment:

Originally posted by Konador: Congrats on your ribbon :) I was just wondering, why did you use a TV, and not just print the picture and sellotape it to the mirror? That would have been a lot simpler by the sounds of what you went through :P

I actually thought of that. The problem with that idea is it was much too dark in the car for the picture to show in the mirror. I would have had to shine a light on to the mirror for it to work. The additional light on the mirror would then spill over to the mirror frame window etc plus it would not look as real as a reflected image in the mirror. The TV on the other hand was a real reflection of light and therefore looked more realistic.

Gold Rails: I Resolve to Keep On Track to A Brighter Financial Future
by TechnoShroom

Comment:
Beautiful picture! Congrats on the win! This was the picture I was worried would beat my second place pic. ;)

I will no longer fear the future nor will I regret the past
by byshen

Comment:
Thanks for all the great comments! It was a lot of work but the end result was worth it! Glad you guys & gals liked it!

There were several suggestions about cropping out the clock at the top and the antenna on the right side of the picture. Actually it is not a clock. It is the temperature and compass. SE stands for southeast. The temperature I did not really care about but the compass I wanted in the picture. The idea was although I do not know where the future will take me I will not fear it because I believe I am headed in the right direction now despite the past. I am now guided by faith, belief, God, higher power, a moral compass etc which the compass at the top symbolizes. It was a sub idea but I guess in the end it proved to be more of a distraction.

The antenna was an oversight. Should have removed it before the shoot but luckily I can remove it post challenge via Clone brush. ; )

Where two worlds meet....
by byshen

Comment:

Thanks for everyone's comments! The great thing about this site is it challenges us to be creative and to take pictures we wouldn't normally think of taking. Even if my picture did not do well in the contest I still would have been happy because I took a picture that I really liked that I would not otherwise have taken. That said I am THRILLED at winning my first ribbon!

I woke up in the middle of the night with the idea. I got up, got out the camera/tripod and took some test shots in the dresser mirror and thought....hmm....this could work. The next day, I got out the screw driver, removed the dresser mirror (quite heavy....my wife said YOU BETTER NOT BREAK MY MIRROR) and put it in the back of my pickup. Drove around town trying to find a good background and finally decided on the fence and hill line. I thought it would give the picture a feeling of depth and also I could line up the fence and skyline in line with my hand placement.

There were several comments about the ring on my hand, yes I could have removed it but then my wife would have KILLED ME! Actually it was an oversight. I was too busy worrying about the composition that I didn't even notice the ring until I uploaded the picture at home.

Thanks again for the comments, Happy New Year to Everyone!

Fragranced
by sahko

Comment:
Great Picture! My pick for the Winner Hands down! Excellent use of lighting and shadows. I like to hear you set up the lighting and what kind you used. 10 in my book!