Hi Ivan

I've been out with a bad flu the past few weeks so i see i've missed a few nice posts from you, but now that i'm ok i checked your gallery and this image really captured my eyes right away!
It was both the image and the title, actually, that provoked my curiosity :)
Your photo is very nice and the note is excellent, helping anyone interested to identify the sexes of this lovely species.
The details on this Broad-bodied Chaser are exceptional and the light you had here made sure you would retain all those wonderful colors from its abdomen.
The BG is equally great - very blurry and neutrally colored - making the subject stand out a bit better.
Very nice work, my friend.

Bravo and TFS
Horia

Hi again :)

This too captured my eyes and i had to compliment you for it!
The Greater blue-eared starling is not something we see everyday here, especially not in this terrific setting. It stands so well out from the ground and the vegetation and is so well places in this composition that it's extremely attractive.
The tones and colors are equally terrific and the depth is again superbly chosen.

Bravo and TFS
Horia

Hi Annick

I hope you are ok, my friend...it's been quite some time since we "chatted", but let me just tell you that, to me, it's always a bit pleasure to visit your gallery here :)
This is a gorgeous shot in which the symmetry works SUPERBLY!
The frontal POV is just outstanding and the side lighting on the giraffe really does give it a good depth and saturation for the colors.
Lovely work, my friend!

Bravo and TFS
Horia

Hi Markus

I've been out with a bad flu the past few weeks so i see i've missed a few nice posts from you, but now that i'm ok i checked your gallery and this image really captured my eyes right away! It's an abstract, yes, but not something i've seen you usually take. However, judging after how great this looks, it would appear that you take such shots for many years :)
This is a delicate balance of color, texture and depth of field that truly evokes autumn. I really love the soft light on the central branch and the lines that create this beautiful composition.
The title also works very well and i understand your choice and feelings.

Bravo and TFS
Horia

Hi Anna

Still waiting to see your first cool shots with the new equipment...but until then i really wanted to compliment you on this beauty!
I've been out with a bad flu the past few weeks so i see i've missed a few nice posts from you, but now that i'm ok i checked your gallery and this image really captured my eyes immediately! The look in the leopard's eyes is just fantastic and makes you want to stare at this picture for minutes. The pose in which you've captured it is just lovely and on top of everything, you have it in this gorgeous warn light that brings out such a wonderful atmosphere.
Technically, this is also a very nice shot. The sharpness is great and the depth is very well controlled. In fact, thanks to that great depth, i quite like the blurry grass in front and behind the subject...it integrates it so well in the setting.
Overall, lovely work!

Bravo and TFS
Horia

Hi Emma and my warmest welcome back!!!
I hope all your health issues are behind you now and soon the computer ones will be as well :)
Sorry for getting to this so late...i was out with a bad flu, too, for the last few weeks. But i'm happy to be ok now and finally get to congratulating you :)
It's very nice to see something new from you and i hope to see more in the future, too. I understand perfectly why you deliberately underexposed this scene - otherwise only with an HDR you could have retained those amazing rays...and i don't think you're a HDR kind of photographer either :)
I like this scene a lot. It's full of atmosphere and it's composed very very well. I like the silhouettes of the hills in the FG as well as that patch of blue sky in top left corner...that's such a great bonus in my eyes, but i don't know why really :) I just feel it is.
Anyway, lovely work!

Bravo and TFS
Horia

Hi Way

Sorry for the late "comeback" to your gallery...i was a bit offline the last few weeks having had a bad flu. But now it's over and i'm all ok :)
This is a superb post from you! A truly inspiring shot, that to me evokes optimism.
The lonely tree there, on that gorgeous cliff, overlooking the entire coast and this great sunset creates such a strong impact and a beautiful composition!
I really love all the colors in this scene, the texture of both the cliffs and the vegetation in the foreground, the foam of the waves and the subtle gradient in the sky.
Everything is just how it should be and they all fall in their place i this epic shot.

BRAVO and TFS
Horia

Hi Mate

Great to see you're going out still and getting accustomed to your new toys :)
This is a lovely seascape from you, as always! The mood is terrific and that break-through the clouds, with the light rays coming down, is just bliss! Very well seen, worked with and captured!
Also, the rocks in the FG are great and definitely add some more color to an otherwise almost monochrome scene.
Very nicely done and keep them coming ;) Hope to chat with you some more soon, too.

Cheers and TFS
Horia

Hi Niek

Very nice series of this gorgeous sea lion! Indeed you appeared to be very lucky but you also knew right on the spot how to work with this luck and got some really terrific shots! I've seen them on your website and i said to myself then that "boy, this had to have been a cool encounter!" :)
Superb pose captured here and excellent exposure control. The foamy waves create a lovely BG for this scene and make the sea lion stand out even better.

Bravo and TFS
Horia

Hi Niek

A very nice close-up from you, my friend! I t was definitely worth changing your mind in the last minute and taking your camera :)
You did a really stunning job here - especially in terms of POV and exposure. The POV is excellent since it gives you that brighter sea and foamy waves as the perfect BG for this scene while the exposure is absolutely perfect in my opinion because it retains excellent details from the the darkest shadows and the highlight. I'm guessing this was metered evaluatively?
Further more, the pose of the sea lion is gorgeous and the fact that you have nothing else than fine pristine sand in the FG also helps concentrate all you attention on the subject, without any distractions.
If i were to be nit picking, i'd say that the head of the seal is a bit too centered and it would have probably looked a bit better if it were on the right...but this is a little element and i'm also guessing you left it there for better focus purposes (this lens not being that accurately as your 70-200 most likely).
Anyway, this is a lovely shot and i'm very much looking forward for the ones to come :)

Bravo and have a great week
Horia