Mary Radike Smith says:
Wes has been my contact for a good while now, long enough for me to know how clever he is, and how he often bravely acts out a part in his own photo scenarios, and how he started doing HDRs, and how superior he seems to be at doing them. This is a perfect example of that superiority. This place is wonderfully unusual AND typically American, full of interesting and rustically picturesque details, with lovely light and color. But it his HDR processing which has brought this so much to life that I feel like I can step right into the picture! So Excellent!
Mary Radike Smith says:
Trond has only been my contact for about six months, but he often makes my jaw drop with the sheer beauty of his photographs. It is his technical skill which brings out the beauty and magnificence of his surroundings. This photo is a perfect example of that skill. The way the water is shot with a slow shutter, yet the looming cliffs and trees are dark shadows, except for the white.. or shining tree trunks at the upper right. The building has just enough detail showing to make it intriguing as I ponder its age.
All in all, this seems technically perfect to me, making this scene resonate within me, and making me marvel at its exceptional beauty.
Mary Radike Smith says:
Jeff is an amazingly versatile British photographer, who has a special knack for macros... among other things. This photo of a Columbine is so perfect, with the perfect focus, the perfect background, the perfect pose for a Columbine, a perfect composition, and that amazingly perfect glow of the back petals, that I had to include it in this gallery. It just couldn't be any better than this! Perfection!
Mary Radike Smith says:
Trond brings his land of Norway to life for me. This photo with the water holding the sky, yet so clear we can see the unusual and colorful rocks underneath, with the summer flowers in the foreground and the hills turning to mountains as the distance fades into a white cloud... how perfectly this has been photographed. Perfect composition, perfect exposure. Such talent.
Mary Radike Smith says:
Aaron is in my other galleries, and this photo would fit in one of those galleries just as well as in this one, but it is the technical know how that really stunned me while gazing at this beautiful masterpiece.
Although everything Aaron does seems amazing to me, this one, with the perfect exposure to show the sun in both its halves, all the color, the clouds, the water both where it was sparkling and where it was not... wow, that is good.
Besides the sheer beauty of this piece, I like it because he managed to take a beautiful moment and emphasize all the best bits so perfectly.
Mary Radike Smith says:
Wow, here is Aaron again! I guess you can tell I think he is a very impressive photographer!
This photo of the dew-lit spider web, with the wonderful focus, the unusual point of view, and the rainbow colors just blew me away.
I've tried taking photos of spider webs, so I know how difficult it must have been, and how much expertise Aaron must possess to achieve this amazing and beautiful result.
Mary Radike Smith says:
Alison has been in my galleries before, but one thing she is an undisputed expert at is taking photos of dragonflies. Here is a fine example of her genius at this sort of shot. Look at the metallic blues in the eyes and body, and the wonderful focus. She knows their names too. This example of her dragonfly art just grabbed me and wouldn't let go until I put it into the gallery!
Mary Radike Smith says:
Here is Aaron again! This must be worth... I don't know... an Oscar or something!
This photo took my breath away with its beauty, its incredible lighting and color, the amazing stop action flight, and the grace and wonder of the image itself. Just SEEING this sight in person is so unusual. Knowing how to find something like this to photograph is unusual. And then, actually having the presence of mind to get the photo, with the light limning the edges of the head and wings, and the light shining through the flight feathers, and the feet held behind... wow. That is really really phenomenal.
Mary Radike Smith says:
Aaron strikes again. This is such a expert example of what you can do with a panorama. It knocked my socks off! It is so unusual and very beautiful, perfectly processed, rich with color. I completely love the universal focus, and the columns comprising the foreground are perfect, and as perfectly in focus as the farthest leaf.
I am nearly always in awe at Aaron's work, and this is no exception.
Mary Radike Smith says:
Michael is an airline pilot, the owner of rabbits, a dad, a fast worker on garden-remodeling projects, a lover of challenges, and a very very fine photographer. I enjoy his work always, but when he takes his camera up in the air, I find his images to be utterly magical. I have sighed in awe at his photos of clouds and sunsets and the land or sea far below. But this image. This one is so outstanding, and so beautiful, and so fascinating, and so perfectly done that I could do nothing but immediately put it into this gallery! Wow. Such a photograph.
Mary Radike Smith says:
Alison takes all sort of photographs, and one thing she is really good at is macros. This example of a very fine macro shows why I find her work so admirable. I have take photos of helleobres before, and I swear I have never noticed all these exquisite details even when gazing through my closest lens! It is perfectly in focus and perfectly sharp. I see she removed it from its background... probably the background was distracting, and this worked so wonderfully well that when the photo came up on my screen, my jaw dropped. Wow!
Mary Radike Smith says:
Mark is a photographer who always seems to take perfect photos. He is an expert at putting foregrounds or main subjects against new and different backgrounds... photographed separately. He is so good at it, I can't tell when he is doing it, unless his photo is telling a story so unusual that you are SURE the image must be manipulated!
But the other thing about Mark is that he always achieves the most exquisite focus. Check out the focus on this photo. How perfect is that? So beautifully done, so expert, so amazing!
The entire scene is breathtaking, and perfect, and wonderful. Nearly all his photos have this effect, but this one...mmmm.... I just loved this one extra!
Mary Radike Smith says:
Aurelia has SO many friends on Flickr who are completely devoted to her. I can see that is true, but I, personally, don't know her well. However, I know her well enough to see that her photography is unique and wonderful. Very often she puts photos together or uses bits from different shots to create something new, but she is also an expert user of textures. This amazing Golden Gate Bridge photo, which is stunningly beautiful, is a great example of her talent both as a photographer and as a processer. Amazing, isn't it! Such a point of view with such a wonderful foreground. Such a perfect misty day, such perfect color, such perfect use of texture. Wow. Look how the light hits that bit of water under the bridge, and how the red of the arch under the bridge shines out. How about the reflection of the bridge in the wet sand? Oh my! It evokes wonderful feelings in me.
Mary Radike Smith says:
I know Jon well, one of my earliest contacts. This is not a man who does photoshopping. So i know this is a real capture of a real moment, done with the perfect ISO and shutter speed and aperture.
Jon is one of my favorite photographers because of how he looks at things differently than I do. I used to think I was a person who often "thought out of the box", but Jon turned out to be a person who doesn't seem to have a box.
I love this shot, this wonderful moment of a juxtaposition between the beauty of nature and the power of mankind.
Mary Radike Smith says:
And now for something completely different! This is Wes, again, whose photo above began this gallery! This time he shows his WONDERFUL talents with point of view, processing, starring in his own photos, tones, and the feelings a photo can engender in the viewer.
I think this is so marvelous.
Mary Radike Smith says:
Moshek has been my contact almost from the first day. He takes amazing nature photos all over israel, and I am often astounded by the creatures he finds, how close he gets to them, and how clear and fine his images are.
This one just blew me away. I am so amazed he even SAW this. Then to photograph it without it disappearing (which is what would happen to me, I am sure).... is amazing. Then the power of the image and its utter creepiness is amazing. Such excellent work, I am in awe.
Mary Radike Smith says:
Cheeze is from Australia.. maybe that is how he captured this creature frolicking in the moonlight, because dragons certainly don't live here!
lol
This is such a superb example of photographic manipulation, and it is so perfect and so stunningly beautiful, I had to include it in this gallery. I really enjoy the photographer's work, and this is a fine example to explain why.
Mary Radike Smith says:
Art ( I call him Art, but I am aware that is not actually his name) lives near the sea in northern Scotland, and so he has become a skilled expert at showing the beauty of the ocean in his photos (also an expert in showing the other beauties Scotland holds). This one took my breath away! What wonderful power in the waves, what fantastic light on the beautiful jagged black rocks and wild water! What a strong and perfect image of a northern ocean in almost-wintertime. It is so real and so magnificent that I can hear the waves sucking back into themselves in the foreground, and I can hear the calls of the gulls as they brave the glittering waves. Wow. So good!
Mary Radike Smith says:
Jon (originally American but now British) has become my dear friend as we shared photos back and forth across the Atlantic via Flickr. Here is a wonderful example of his art. This one is a bit unusual for Jon just because it has a classic composition, whereas Jon often comes up with wonderfully unique compositions. The light and shadows on this piece just take my breath away... SO beautiful. I LOVE the shady walkway, the glistening water, the glowing tree hanging over the river. I can just look and look at this for so long!
Mary Radike Smith says:
Steven is a big favorite of mine. He takes all sorts of photos. One of his specialties is making the most amazing creations by combining several photos and manipulating them with great skill and artistry to seduce your eye. But he also takes amazing macros, as this photo shows. This shot of a Praying Mantis cleaning its "utensils" after eating is so amazing for so many reasons. The purple stems and perfect focus of tiny translucent leaves forming a frame for the mantis. the beautiful colors, the wonderful composition... wow. Superb!
Mary Radike Smith says:
This London photo by one of my dear friends, Jon, blew me away! He only had his 50mm lens with him but he managed to approach close enough to get this sharp shot. AND he had the presence of mind to make the shot into this amazing and gorgeous London street shot, all in bokeh and light and color. Incredible work. Wow! What a pov! What a shot!
Mary Radike Smith says:
And here is Wes again, with another perfectly composed and perfectly processed shot. I think he brought out every bit of beauty this scene had to offer. The way this image grabs my eye and keeps it, is phenomenal. I love seeing what he will come up with next. And this one really delighted me!
Mary Radike Smith says:
Here is Art, from Scotland again, this time with a wonderfully luminous image. The golden light in the slanted grasses is very beautiful, and then the vivid rainbow behind, with a hint of either clouds or sea beyond that... I gasped out loud when I first saw it! SO beautiful.... I love the bit of rainbow along the right edge, and the hint of colors elsewhere in the sky. And I think the composition is genius.... I would not, perhaps, think to just show part of the rainbow. Art really picked the perfect scene out of what he saw.
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