Best Of

Oh, a super fun topic! I currently have two kittens--an orange boy named Nacho and a calico girl names Queso. They are hilarious and constantly into mischief. I should be able to get plenty of funny shots of them. They move so quickly that I often miss the funniest scenes. Example: I heard a noise in the living room very early this morning. I went to investigate. Well, as I walked around to the Christmas tree, this cute little orange face just popped up at me from INSIDE ONE OF THE GIFT BAGS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE!! Oh, that cat! It's a good thing he's cute. Of course, as soon as I turned to grab my phone, he jumped out. For obvious reasons, I don't want him to try again, but this is the kind of thing I'm putting up with right now.

I did catch this one when we were just putting the tree up. I didn't have any ornaments on it yet, but my little Nacho was already investigating the new playground. I heard the rustling and then, this popped out:

1. Who Needs Ornaments? This is Nacho's first Christmas and his first day with a Christmas tree. Of course he had to climb it and then peek out at me, so innocently.
   

2. Got Milk? (not quite a milk mustache, but looks like a milk beard) -- This is a bear at Katmai National Park. They frequently eat the clay on the river bottom because it is rich in nutrients.
   

3. I sits and I sings. Nacho's first New Year's Eve. He really didn't like the neighborhood fireworks mainly because they woke his nap. He woke up, did a stretch, sat up like this, and looked like he would scream, but it was really just a squeaky yawn, lol.
   

Just for fun, not for consideration: Mighty Little Lion's Big Roar (aka Calling for Momma)

I'll look for some others later. My daughter and her husband are flying in today for Christmas, so I won't have time to spend on this until they leave.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone.

Sherry P.

I don't think I'll have much for this one, but I'll see if I have time to try something new.

1. The one and only time I have ever done or tried a selective color in a photo I took. This is my friend's daughter. This was very early in my photography journey. I'd only had the dSLR for a year or two at this point and was still learning.
   

2. Eclipse 2024 -- I think this one might fit! It's the last little sliver of the sun before the moon completely covered it during the total solar eclipse of 2024
   

3. Bear at Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park -- Not sure if this one fits or not. It's mostly greys and browns, but there's that splash of red on the salmon the bear caught.
   

Let me know if you don't think it fits and I'll try to find something else and swap it out.

Sherry P.

Good topic! Here are my entries:

1) Albuquerque Balloon Festival - before all balloons are launched.. This is probably about 1/2 of the balloons. Dawn Patrol starts at 4am when crews set up balloons and test firing. Dawn Patrol is beautiful, but difficult to photograph when you keep getting excited with each firing test!

2) Cool Country Equine Drill Team at Regionals, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. . Team is from Cool, Ca.

3) The Redding Kool April Nites Car show kickoff. This is the Cruise night before the car show.. Redding closes off this main drag and all four lanes are used for the huge amount of the car entries. I was ale to find a spot in the middle of the road next to a tree to get shots. The same spot was used for the next two years until the police politely told me to get my butt out of there and back to the side. Thus ending my fun on Friday night cruises.

And not an entry, but this is a Dawn Patrol test firing. When you get many of the balloons firing when it is dark, it is a wonder to see.

First off, thank you all for your entries! Great to see this much participation! Judging this challenge felt especially difficult but I refrained from flipping a coin.

@slpollett - My favorite of your entries is the yellow flower that fills the frame and offers interesting details in the center. It works very well. Your photo of the succulent is also intriguing.

@grandmaR - It would have been fun to see your photos of manhole covers but I like your photo of the sculpture made of a VW and think it works well for this theme. 

@npdemers - My favorite of your entries is the photo of Mont Saint-Michel showing it reaching upward. I also appreciate the images showing us details from two ceilings in Vienna. 

@jwear - Your falling leaf is a fun capture - especially at this time of year for those of us in the northern hemisphere.

@Cavalier - For this challenge, I am drawn to your picture of the hawk posing for you and the road in Colorado. In the composite image of the road in Colorado, the lightning draws my eye to a central point on the horizon. In your photo of the hawk, I love the contrast of the soft background with the grasses in the foreground and keen-eyed hawk. I just wish the hawk was centered a bit more.

@bfluegie - My favorite of your entries is the photo of the Little Red Houses in Norway. While there is a lot going on in that landscape, the red houses (and their reflection in the water) take my eyes to the center of the frame. 

@GSPep - All three of your entries fit the theme quite well. My favorite for this particular challenge is the pedestrian tunnel in Antwerp. I appreciate the symmetrical composition, the depth of the photo, and the way the lines pull the eye to the center. The effect is softened a bit by the concentric circles or partial circles seen above the paving. (I might feel a bit claustrophobic walking in it but that's beside the point.)

And now for the very difficult task of choosing winners...

Honorable Mention
@Cavalier - Hawk
I really like your capture of the hawk. The hawk's intense focus off to the side adds to the appeal of this image. 

Honorable Mention
@npdemers - Mont Saint-Michel
Lovely framing of Mont Saint-Michel. The walkway in front provides some depth and helps lead the eye into the picture. Fun to see!

Third Place 
@bfluegie - Little Red Houses in Norway
Lovely capture that works for this challenge and offers a variety of textures as well.

Second Place Tie
@slpollett - Yellow Flower
This is a very striking image with the flower filling the frame beautifully.

@Cavalier - Road in Colorado
I love the dramatic sky in this photo you captured near Mesa Verde - with or without the added lightning - and the terrain on both sides of the road enhance it further. While I haven't tried composite photos (apart from the occasional dgrin challenge that mandated it), I appreciate the extra effort you made to create a compelling image. I also like the dynamic of the car coming toward us as we contemplate the horizon as if traveling the other way.

First Place
@GSPep - Pedestrian Tunnel in Antwerp
The tunnel really delivers a central focus along with great depth and interesting details.

Peter, congratulations! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with for the next mini!