General POTM December Discussion Thread

[paradise]

Our official last General POTM of the year has come to an end. Congratulations to Jay and his DAMN monkeys for doing it again. I saw this shot a while ago, and it blew me away instantly, I can't NOT smile when I look at it.

http://aquatic-photography.com/forum/contests/1205n/09.jpg

Congrats to Rich also, for taking both Second place spots this month in both general and aquatic photography contests.

Now, we have gotten away from it in the last few month, and this thread has become a pale imitation of what it was originally INTENDED to be. I feel that JUST congratulating the winner is something that happens on "fish" sites. We ARE a photography site, and I hope we can openly and honestly discuss the contest entries and what made them stand out to YOU, and what made you vote a certain way or other.

So, please take your time to elaborate more, AFTER you congratulate Jay and the rest...

I will chime in after a couple of other posts, I dont want to do it all in this initial post.

[Obliviou$]

I knew this would win, I knew it was Jays.
Great colours jay, but next time, do some noise removal on the bokeh!
I almost downgraded you to a 9 because of the noise....almost.....

[jjtink]

Well done Jay, a clear winner.
For me, what set this one apart from the rest of the animal shots was that it showed some great context (parent and child) rather than just a tightly cropped portrait. A beautifully reflective shot.

[Ibn]

I knew Jay was sandbagging! :)

Another great shot out of the series. The bokeh is very nice and the DOF is tack on to get a very clean separation of the mother/child. Beautiful lighting also.

Good month overall and the quality of the other pictures were very high. Makes it that much harder to win this contest and forces everyone to post their great works up. Keep it up folks!

[JerseyJay]

Our official last General POTM of the year has come to an end. Congratulations to Jay and his DAMN monkeys for doing it again. I saw this shot a while ago, and it blew me away instantly, I can't NOT smile when I look at it.
Ed,

Thank YOU.

You are too much. I really enjoy this picture myself. I'm ready to send this one out and get a nice 16x20 print for my private collection.

Now, we have gotten away from it in the last few month, and this thread has become a pale imitation of what it was originally INTENDED to be. I feel that JUST congratulating the winner is something that happens on "fish" sites. We ARE a photography site, and I hope we can openly and honestly discuss the contest entries and what made them stand out to YOU, and what made you vote a certain way or other.
I agree very much so. I think we, individually and forum as a whole, developed huge interest in general photography. I think we are as strong as aquatic part of this forum.

Well done to ALL. This month was again and excellent month with some amazing submissions. Thank you for participating.

[JerseyJay]

I knew this would win, I knew it was Jays.
Great colours jay, but next time, do some noise removal on the bokeh!
I almost downgraded you to a 9 because of the noise....almost.....
Alex,

Thank you for your feedback. Noise really doesn't bother me nowadays. Infact all my B&W and "retro" looking shots have additional noise to "spice up" the overal feeling.

[JerseyJay]

Well done Jay, a clear winner.
For me, what set this one apart from the rest of the animal shots was that it showed some great context (parent and child) rather than just a tightly cropped portrait. A beautifully reflective shot.
Thank you Jason.

I see that we are on the same page. I was even thinking about doing even tighter crop and presenting only both parent and child hands / fingers. I think that would be also interesting.

[JerseyJay]

I knew Jay was sandbagging! :)

Another great shot out of the series. The bokeh is very nice and the DOF is tack on to get a very clean separation of the mother/child. Beautiful lighting also.

Good month overall and the quality of the other pictures were very high. Makes it that much harder to win this contest and forces everyone to post their great works up. Keep it up folks!
Eric,

Sandbagging .... :)

Thanks for your feedback. Everytime I look over my pictures from that session, I get an itch for 400mm 2.8. You know exactly what I'm talking about !!!!!!!!!!!!

[paradise]

Jay, judging from his emails and AIM he knows it too well :) :) DO IT , Eric :)

[tlemetry]

Soon as I seen that *ahem* monkey I knew I didnt stand a chance! Though this one is my favorite of your *ahem* monkey shots. I love the interaction and tenderness this portrays.

[squidfish]

Congratulations Jay..another great monkey shot. What stood out for me with this shot was the the capture of a tender moment between mother and young which was very well complimented by the lighting. Thanks for all those that voted for my entry but to be honest I am surprised it received such a high placing.

The colours and reflection in Alex's shot were very striking.

Three other entries really stood out for me. Firstly Lisa's lion shot, what a superb looking animal. I think this shot may have benefited from some tigher cropping as I found elements around the edge of the shot slightly distracting. Alan's shot I also thought excellent with great expression and exposure control. I also liked the fantasy element of jusophines shot which was different and imaginative and very reminiscent of a scene from Alice in Wonderland.

I also liked the contrast between the orange stone tower and the blue sky in Ron's entry. Opposites on the colour wheel will always produce a dramatic result but thought that it would have benefited from straightening of the tower and prehaps being set further back in the picture.

Overall an interesting collection of entries this month.

Cheers

Rich

[jusophine]

I'd like to congratulate Jay, Richard and Alexander for producing such consistantly excellent work that has inspired me at least, to 'try harder next time'!

Jay, your sympathetic 'take' on the animal kingdom is technically stunning and emotionally moving. I love your photographs! This was a definate for the top and I'd love to see that crop of the mother and child's hands together.

Richard, you are a brilliant photographer that shows skill, flare and creative style, and you are also very generous with your encouragement for others. I for one really appreciate your words of support. Your cheeky Meer cat posed perfectly for you and the overall composition of the shot was fab.

Alexander, the photo's of 'your world' make me want to jump right into them. The colours and angles of this shot were a visual treat and I couldn't take my eyes off them.

Congratulations Lisa on coming 4th, no mean feet with this lot. Loved that magnificent lion.

I'm looking forward to next years contests, keep up the good work 'chaps'.

[Obliviou$]

Alex,

Thank you for your feedback. Noise really doesn't bother me nowadays. Infact all my B&W and "retro" looking shots have additional noise to "spice up" the overal feeling.

Well, monochrome grain is hot! I usually do it myself on B&W.
But green bokeh, I preffer it butter smoooooth.
I do see a lot of pros not caring much for the noise, or dust specs for that matter.
I'll probably never be on of them:-D

[alanhill]

Of course it's a lovely shot - I like the way that the mother is falling asleep while the baby is alert and looking for action.
It's not just because they are monkeys, those Javan langurs are specially photogenic. Remember that my shot of a male's expression won POTM too. That red hair and pink skin disconcert us and so they seem more human than other monkey species.

Alan

[JerseyJay]

Jay, your sympathetic 'take' on the animal kingdom is technically stunning and emotionally moving. I love your photographs! This was a definate for the top
jusophine,

Thank you for such positive feedback. I really appreciate it !

[RazorBlade]

Congrats Jay. You've got a winning pose - I believe it's the KEY factor of the win. Exposure's good, great details. I did find the noise distracting though.

I loved Richard's photo of the meerkat - the details were crisp & clear, expecially the fur. And yes, no noise too (No offense Jay).

Alex's shot of the building & sky also did it for me. Though there were some exposure (hotspots) & colour-balancing issues, the perspective & colour was ... awesome.

Can't wait for the Annual contest to start. :)