Jim Talin, Master Bookbinder
by Bear_Music

Comment:
You know what's funny? It's really not a very striking image. It doesn't pop. It doesn't have bright flashy colors. Or crazy effects. It doesn't have some heart-stopping beauty with lips that would a blind man cry.

It's the photographic equivalent of a warm, soft sweater.

I cannot even count how many times over recent years I have recollected this image and tried to learn from it or apply it to something I am doing. It is such a clean and pure example of how to do a photo just right.

Maybe it's weird, but when I think of Bear, I think of the steamed seafood on the East Coast, I think of a guy hiking in the mountains hauling a huge-arse wooden tripod with a large format camera, only to lose it over a soft embankment, spilling noiselessly into some remote valley, but ultimately preserving that with real value. I think of a guy who loves landscapes and can work magic with a 20D and a non-L APS-C lens.

And when I think about portraits - environmental portraits. I think of Jim Talin and bear. What would be a simple snapshot for some is a carefully planned, immacculately executed combination of function and expression.

It's always there in my mind as a reminder of what I need to do to do it right.

It's something you never want to forget.

FOR SHEZ, LOVE IS CONTAGIOUS
by Dennisheckman

Comment:
After the voting was done, I came back to revisit this one.

My absolute favorite from the challenge. The flowers are practically jumping off the screen. Interesting that you managed to get such a feeling of dimension in what is essentially a totally flat scene. And the colors.... Don't get me stahhhted on the colors! :)

Had a rough day today and this one cheered me up. This will indeed be fantastic on someone's wall.

Not everyone's pics started high... mine started in the low 5's and moved up to nearly a 5.7. Go figure.

To Shez - sending you a whole garden full of them
by Neat

Comment:
The soft glow and muted tones really work for this picture. I was a little put off by the dead heads....

Not so sure that I would give flowers to anyone where 40% of them were dead. Except for the guy who almost knocked me and my passenger down, then stole my brand new HTC One 4 hours ago... heheh...

As a picture on its own merits though, it's pretty durned nice.

Lilies for you Shez
by Mark-A

Comment:
Masterfully lit and I really like the subdued yellow tones in the flowers that you chose instead of the high-torque approach. Works very well for this shot.

shezouttake
by vawendy

Comment:
I like this almost better than the yellow flower. This is more interesting, while the yellow one was just so visually powerful.

Grand capture of the critterbugs.

Weird artifacting around the edges of your flower petals... Any idea what that is? They look like blocks... I'm guessing JPG artifacting? I don't think it's sharpening though.

A Breakthrough
by Alyn

Comment:
Came back for a look at this one. One of my favorites in this challenge.

Great job. I was hoping for just a hair more detail in the flower itself and I am guessing you were too since there's a halo artifact around the blue head. Looks like either a sharpening thing or possibly a mask of some sort. So you pretty much nailed the shot except for the flower head.

Looks brilliant from 6 inches farther away though, which is a testament to your compo.

Skyseagull
by neenee1999

Comment:
N I C E!

Red/Green Show
by malski

Comment:
Whee! Good fun pic!

FOR SHEZ: WITH ALL MY LOVE! (SOME FRIENDS WANTED TO COME WITH, AS WELL.... :)
by vawendy

Comment:
Wow. Really powerful optical illusion with this one. Looks like it's jumping off the screen and moving towards me. I can barely look at it it's making me dizzy. Still, I like it for that, so high vote from me.

she dreams of flowers
by jmritz

Comment:
If this didn't have such strong digital artifacting, I probably would have voted this an 8. I like the suggested lines of a flower, but it didn't quite work.