Castlerigg Stone Circles Cumbria by photofrenzy

Fabulous light and colours. One very small caveat - is there an ND grad on the sky? The cloud detail is rendered a bit mushy and could perhaps have been a tad more dramatic. On the other hand I suppose that may have detracted a little from the draw of the foreground detail. Swings and roundabouts. Still a cracking image.

Ellis by K4RL

A nice well shot image and I like the post processing for the retro feel in keeping with the TV and the decor. For me however, the dress does not fit with the period...

Hairwash day by kenp666

Quote: Excellent & beautiful image Ken. Renoir? I'd say more reminiscent of the Dutch artist Vermeer ..... master of the single point light source in intimate domestic scenes.

Excelent & beautiful (Oh, already said that )

Dave B.

Yes, I thought Vermeer instantly too - the subject, the lighting, the colours and even the ceramics all nod to Vermeer.

I can only suppose the influence is subconscious, Ken - but it's very strong.

That's not a bad thing in any way, in fact it's quite remarkable you've achieved such a striking evocation of Vermeer without consciously aiming for it. Wish I could do that...

Piazza del Plebiscito by Morgs

I've only ever passed through Naples [it doesn't have a great reputation], so I was surprised to see such a cracker of a shot - on a gloomy day at that. Superb composition and tones too - I expect it would look good in mono, but I can't help feel it would lose some of the atmosphere the blue tones are giving this.

Congratulations on POTW - well deserved.

Some road on yorkshire dales by ramki_thepower

I think you meant 3.25pm - in the afternoon (the EXIF says a 1/60th exposure!). I suppose this looks unnatural because it is unnatural - a fair bit of post-processing going on that's accentuated the dark sky against the sunlit landscape - an effect that's not so uncommon in Yorkshire. (Unless of course you've dropped in an entirely different sky...)

Unusual is not a bad thing - although I would have liked to have seen what the original was like - it may be a slight case of 'over-egging the pudding' [ie going a bit too far with the after shot processing].

time & tilt by sawsengee

I see you're not just a fan of the blue hour photography [I've never heard it called that before!] but also a wonderful exponent of it.

So I'm doubly flattered by your comment - you have a lovely portfolio of this stuff.

Wedding :) by jonathanwo

At first glance I thought it was blown [looking on a mac], but a bit closer scrutiny shows there's a highlight at the bottom centre of the dress that's considerably brighter than the body of the dress and I'm sure the detail in the dress comes out a lot more in print/larger size.

One caveat for me is the edge of the tree/flower bed at top left - I'd be really tempted to clone that out as it's a bit distracting/unbalancing.

I like it overall though and can see why the couple would be pleased.

Flyinoid by biker11

That is one hell of a shot.

I'm with the others in wanting to know all your secrets...

the jetty by deanz333

At first glance I thought 'not another jetty shot'. But there's an austere formality about this one and an evocation of stillness that elevates it above the common and makes it well worth posting.

Well done.

Olga by ade_mcfade

You got this on location???!!!!

Which speedlights were you using? Is it just backlight+ fill?

God, I have so much to learn. I thought this was damn good for studio. Under a bridge? *shakes head, sulks*

199 Steps Whitby by phil99

Yes, the light here is lovely and the exposure just right. What timing/ISO did you use for the shot?

Bronwen Thomas by tommyegan

I'd agree with Phil - the composition is very effective. It gives emphasis to the quite striking main subject and still preserves a bit of context and narrative with the gaze of the background figure.

At first I thought I recognised her face, but perhaps not - I take it she isn't any sort of celebrity in the usual sense?

Ivory Dreams by Richsr

As others have noted it's rather more usual to see this model wearing rather less [not that I'd go out of my way to look for that sort of thing, you understand].

The really remarkable thing about this photo, considering how exquisitely proportioned this young lady is, is that she does indeed look even more beautiful than usual in this photograph. I'm not sure I can quite rationalise how that could possibly happen. Perhaps I'm just getting old.

Anyway, a richly deserved POTW.

Ashley by Ossie by tudu

Sorry, but the amount of gaussian blur you've used makes this startlingly unnatural (strangely it's actually even more noticeable at the smaller size).

I can't imagine this is an improvement from your oirginal shot, which is probably quite nice...

Circle in the sand by angie44

It's a shame this is so small because I get the feeling I'm missing an awful lot in the detail. Is that a pterodactyl or dragon in the distance, for example?

That's not to say thee isn't much to appreciate at this size - the composition and colours work very nicely and I like the slightly giddy angle effect of the ground with its sigil up like a soup-plate.

Just would love to see more of it - I feel like I'm looking in through a dirty window and know there's something really interesting in there!

5 by lucieeleanor

Exudes class. A finely judged balance between polished perfection and 'keeping it real'.