APRIL Photo Contest FINALS

[sandnsea]

Welcome to the APRIL Photo Contest Final Round! The theme this month is STORMS! The following 10 Photos were selected by DU'ers from the Preliminary Polls. Congrats to the semi-finalists!!

The final round will run until April 29.

The winner of this contest will have the prestigious honor of hosting next month's contest (unless you can con someone else into running it for you!)

Please feel free to comment on the pictures, the photographers really appreciate comments and feedback. Help to keep this thread kicked and recommended, thanks!

If you are interested in Photography or would like to enter the contests, please visit the DU Photography Group:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=280


passing storm



Something Wicked Comes This Way



Storm break



The spirits are restless on a blustery day



Pier Closed



Into The Unknown



Come Rain Or Come Shine



Ice 11



Puddle at Sunset



Grey Sky Blue Dress Free Heart

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I don't know how I'm going to decide...

It was hard enough before, for cryin' out loud!

These are all fantastic...

I must think on it awhile.

At least giving it a rec is easy, lol!

[Tindalos]

2. I know what you mean

It's going to take me a while to choose too.

[pinboy3niner]

3. Same here

[pinto]

4. Kick

Good stuff. I voted. :-)

[barbtries]

5. loovely pictures

i voted for the spirits :)

[Webster Green]

6. Had to go with the hottie in the wet shirt.

They're all great though!

Is that even fair? :9

[rug]

14. No, that one should be in a category all by itself.

In a contest between clouds and boobs, the outcome is predetermined.

[seabeyond]

16. no. the men that cry the loudest about freakin out over naked ought to quit freaking out over

naked.

taking this girl to boobs is the height of immature. takes the picture from life, to a thing for your sexuality. it is not about sex. it is about so much more. yet men proudly come on this thread, and reduce this girl to their being serviced, dismissing the joy, and freedom, and emotion she experiences. you look beyond foolish.

[Mira]

21. +1

:fistbump:

[Skittles]

43. then they get up set when their teenaged daughters start dating

for the same reasons

[Kalun D]

61. And

people who freak out over men who are attracted to a girl in a wet dress ought to quit freaking out
I'm mature every place I want to be, I'll never be mature when it comes to a pretty woman.

the photo is sexual in that it's sensual but not quite pornographic

I think it's the best photo from a composition standpoint also not even taking the subject into account.

and it's very well titled.

[unhappycamper]

7. k&r

Great pics, Guys!

[lamp_shade]

8. Come rain or come shine.

[saltpoint]

9. I wish we could vote for all of the above, because this is some

very fine work.

[lillypaddle]

10. Great pics

The first one looks like a painting. They're all wonderful, but that one got my vote.

[a kennedy]

11. D*mn, I love this one......

Grey Sky Blue Dress Free Heart :applause:

[sendero]

12. The composition..

... of "passing storm" is just too perfect. It got my vote.

The last one would have gotten my vote if it showed less hip, I felt like my baser instincts were being expolited :)

[Mira]

13. Kick

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

15. Kick

Not you Mira, the thread! :)

[woo me with science]

17. "Passing Storm" is brilliant

color, composition...wonderful.

[NCarolinawoman]

39. It has that "Edward Hopper lighting" going on.

Love it!

[TuxedoKat]

54. I just posted the same thing

before I read your message!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

18. Kick!

:kick:

[Blue_In_AK]

19. kick

[Beaverhausen]

20. wonderful pics K&R

[fishwax]

22. k/r -- great pics

:woohoo:

[hunter]

23. I voted "Pier Closed"

That's what storms are to this California kid.

The others are amazing too.

[alfredo]

24. kick

[Schema Thing]

29. I'm offended.

[alfredo]

30. Great, I still have it!

[NV Whino]

25. kick

[femrap]

26. Before I even looked at the scoring,

I knew the woman with the 'wet dress' would be leading. I guess the boyzs still like the nip and underwear shots.

Very disappointing.

[sandnsea]

27. That's all you see in that?

If you're female and that's all you see, that's the most disappointing thing of all.

[femrap]

31. The other photographs

were so much more STORM than that. Wasn't that the purposed theme?

No, I didn't see 'Storm' in that photo at all.

Now I suppose you're going to tell me what I am supposed to see and feel, right?

[sandnsea]

32. I saw a woman caught in a down pour

and deciding to enjoy the moment and the rain on her face and just being alive.

No, I'm not telling you what you're supposed to see. I'm telling you that I think it's sad you only see what you're railing against the men for seeing. If it's all you see, then why should they see any more than you do.

On edit:

Same theme, different subject:

http://www.russelmobley.com/tint1.htm

[Mira]

36. For that link alone I'm glad you are hosting this.

Thank you!
Your excellent work is another reason

[femrap]

50. Why don't you

go ask the dudes why they liked the picture so much?

I'm old and I've seen a hell of a lot in my life....and nips and underwear are gonna win every time.

Be naive. This is a patriarchy...hey, maybe next time you could put a dude out in the rain with speedos on and see what happens! I love doing experiments.

I'm done. You think I'm sad...I think you're naive and in total denial cuz you can't handle the Truth.

Now go get me a picture of a handsome dude in the rain showing his stuff....thanks...and he better be buff...no fatties.

And that link I'll pass on to the pedophiles. You are something else. I wish I lived in such a sheltered place as you. You really have no idea, do you?

I'm done with this.

[NM_hemilover]

76. maybe instead of passing information

on to "the" pedophiles, like you said, you could take a second look at how funny your post is.

I personally would much rather see a beautiful woman, soaked in the rain, than a bolt of lightning and a rain cloud. You and the pedophiles can go look at all the buff non fatties you want I'm pretty sure you know how to use the google machine.

Old, demanding hypocrites are priceless.

[elleng]

44. Right, sand, very disappointing.

[Mira]

28. kick

[CaliforniaPeggy]

33. Kick!

:kick:

[alfredo]

34. kick

[Mira]

35. Only a few days ago I thought

"I wish Alfredo would be doing his Kick illustrations again"

thank you my friend.

[alfredo]

37. I will have to use more ballet images.

I had a terrible crush on Gelsey Kirkland.

[Mira]

41. Do you know just HOW

STONED she was when she did the famous nutcracker with Nurejev?

Read her autobiography.
I love her too, but she had real drug issues.

I play the video of that performance all year, when the mood strikes me.

[elleng]

46. I had no idea!

(and I'm sorry that I do, now.)

[alfredo]

48. She was pushing herself beyond her limits. Ballet like

gymnastics takes a heavy toll on those athletes. Weight control could mean eating disorders and diet pills. Injuries could mean pain killers and steroid abuse.

[alfredo]

47. "Dancing on My Grave" I have the book here, it is next on

my reading list.

She had a rather unhealthy relationship with Balanchine. She was willing to destroy herself for his approval.

[elleng]

45. GORGEOUS!

[bridgit]

38. Grey Sky Blue Dress Free Heart

[annabanana]

40. beautiful, beautiful pics... thank you so much. .k&r. . . n/t

[ManiacJoe]

42. kick

[Blue_In_AK]

49. kick

[ceile]

51. Great work everyone!

[JeffR]

52. Kick!

:kick:

[TuxedoKat]

53. They are all so wonderful again. The first one

makes me think of Edward Hopper's paintings.

[sandnsea]

55. kick n/t

[gleaner]

56. It is still a tough choice ...

bur I'm going for Storm Break. I look at it and think of the beginning of time when by whatever means, light came from darkness and the world began.

[JeffR]

57. Kick!

:kick:

[alfredo]

58. Kick

[sandnsea]

59. kick n/t

[Mira]

60. Kick

[CaliforniaPeggy]

62. Kick!

:kick:

[sandnsea]

63. Good Morning! n/t

[alfredo]

64. kick

[CaliforniaPeggy]

65. Late morning kick!

:kick:

[sandnsea]

66. kick n/t

[JeffR]

67. Kick!

:kick:

[sandnsea]

68. kick n/t

[sandnsea]

69. kick n/t

[GreenPartyVoter]

70. So many great choices, but I went with puddle because it just pulled at something in me. :^)

[alfredo]

71. kick

[Blue_In_AK]

72. kick

[sandnsea]

73. Kick n/t

[MilesColtrane]

74. Come Rain Or Come Shine

kick

[Blue_In_AK]

75. kick

[JeffR]

77. Kick!

:kick:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

78. Wonderful work!!

Truly, I am impressed. :applause: So many great images to choose from, I had an almost impossible time picking a favorite.

I finally went with "Pier Closed" because of its incredible energy and its sense of making the viewer feel as if they are right there, hearing the waves crash.

[sandnsea]

79. kick n/t

[Blue_In_AK]

80. kick

[JeffR]

81. Kick!

:kick:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

82. Nearly done now! Last day to vote...

:kick:

[sandnsea]

83. closing soon n/t

[alfredo]

84. kick

[sandnsea]

85. kick n/t

[CaliforniaPeggy]

86. One more kick!

:kick:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

87. Dupe.

[JeffR]

88. Kick!

:kick:

[sandnsea]

89. Last Call n/t

[SusanaMontana41]

90. Easy call: Grey sky blue dress free heart

Beautiful diffused light, and the expression of joy on her face and in her outstretched arms made this an easy vote for me. Props to the photographer!

All the pics were nice. I especially liked the lightning shot (hard to get, I've tried) and the rainbow pic (focus was a little off, but the splash of color from the kayakers against the dark mountain was cool).

Great job all around!