It was an excuse for a weekend get away with my wife. This photo was taken on the Friday of that weekend. The crowds (and traffic) were terrible on Saturday.

Jerry

It was a little wet to go "tip-toeing" through. Photo from Spring of 2015. Image was taken from 3 shots handheld, combined with ICE, post processed with LightZone. Final image is 22.5 MB, so if it doesn't do good, I will resize and repost.

Jerry

(Download)

Agreed. Quiet (flat smooth) water will reflect items in the scene straight below (plumb with?) the item. While this is a very cool image in all other aspects, it would be better if it was rotated to the point that a point on the bridge is reflected vertically straight below in the water. This is nearly as important as getting the horizon level in a landscape scene.

Jerry

Agreed. It is possible the flaw in the original is an issue with the finish (gloss, matte). The process that created the original probably had some sort of rollers feeding the image at some point.

Jerry

Neither image says "Christmas" to me.

The first one is a old scene common to the northern portion of the country during some point in the winter season, which might include Christmas, but given the absence of anything specific to Christmas (lights, decorations, etc.) it is probably not Christmas time. It is a nice image about old-time outside family activity.

Regarding the second one, it could have been taken anytime during the year. It is a cold reminder of industrial ugliness, appears to have been once decorated for something. There are sockets without bulbs that says neglect. This image could have been part of a theme of images, which would give reason for its existence. It could be part of a larger message. However, by itself it is nothing more than a snapshot that could have been taken by a kid.

Jerry

While I like panoramas and often create them, they are usually more of a reminder to me of the overall scene I saw, rather than being a good photograph. If the photo is about the massive wide sky/horizon, then it is ok. The colors are good and the placement of the sun is fine in the panorama, but the curve in the horizon is distracting. This might be related to the stitching of images for the panorama. Generally, unless one is located high above the earth where the curvature is noticeable, then the horizon needs to not only be level, but flat.

The main problem I have with this photo is that it has a lot of nothing in it and everything of interest is so small. The people are so small that they cannot be a part of the subject. If it is about people watching the sunset, then it needs a much tighter crop. Also, a much tighter crop would eliminate the curve of the horizon. Maybe a good crop would be about 1/4th the width with the sun on the left and the people on the right.

It would have been nice to enjoy that evening on the beach, so it captures a certain feeling.

Jerry

Like the others have said, #4 is very good photographically and by far the best. If one needs a bike in the photo, then #1 is the best of the rest. #2 and #3 have a problem with the subject not being isolated enough from the background objects (vehicle, other bikes). I know that at Sturgis and the crowds there, that there are always bikes and other activities along side the road/streets so the background is difficult to control. On the other hand, the bikes on the street are pretty easy to photograph because they "cruise" at about 5 mph. One possibility that might help some is to use a more open aperture (lower f stop) when taking the photo to blur the background more.

5

Here is one more....

(Download)

2

Yes, that was interesting. A link in that page ( https://www.benefits.va.gov/PENSION/wartimeperiod.asp ) showed the following:

Mexican Border Period (May 9, 1916 – April 5, 1917 for Veterans who served in Mexico, on its borders, or adjacent waters)
World War I (April 6, 1917 – November 11, 1918)
World War II (December 7, 1941 – December 31, 1946)
Korean conflict (June 27, 1950 – January 31, 1955)
Vietnam era (February 28, 1961 – May 7, 1975 for Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period; otherwise August 5, 1964 – May 7, 1975)
Gulf War (August 2, 1990 – through a future date to be set by law or Presidential Proclamation)

Currently, the oldest living vet is 111 years old and served in WW2, so the first 2 "wars" don't matter in this qualification list. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Arvin_Overton )

Jerry

My first thought was along the same lines that Heather commented on. But then I read all the other responses.

If it was my image, I would crop the top half off and feel that it still conveys the story. Would that "improve the image"? Probably not. The thing I feel is missing for the story is the horizon. The puffin is looking out somewhere. But then I do not know if that would bring other distracting items into the image. The simplicity of the two contrasting aspects (massive rock and little puffin) is hard to beat.

If I was you, I would leave it just the way it is.

Jerry

If it was Arizona, the claim would be, "... but it is a dry heat."

There are "dof calculators" out there. I have one for my android phone (from the Android Play store). It bases calculations on camera and lens information.

Are we allowed to ask photography questions in this section?

I think Bing translator more accurately translates that word. The web page (http://translate.bing.com) says it is "Crap". The app on my phone returns the less polite word for it.