I think this takes up too much of the frame to fit the theme.

i like this picture-but do not believe it meets the theme

this could fit in DOF theme.
perhaps a different crop.

For me as well,it will be better in "DOF" topic

I like the photo. Something about it keeps my eye on it.

Thanks Christophe,yes it's recolororized :)

Impressive subject

Thanks Roberto ;)

Great photo! What else is there to say?!

Thanks Ashley, very kind :))

Cute image and great expression, however i wish the eyes were more in foucus.

a very nce capture-i like the reflection too.

So cute, but I also wish the eyes were a bit sharper.

thank you all, points taken, but still don't know how to sharpen the eyes part.

velu, i'm using photoshop, put 3 layers in this picture. send me an email if you need the details.

the blure in the face is great...a little bit sharpen to the eyes and the photo ist magic.

A little washed out, but I guess that is a vintage look.

for me it's abit too much. but the composition is ok. Is it the big buddah from samui ?

IMHO, Nice composition but this one is over processing, cannot really see the contrast of the picture.

I tend to agree it is a little too washed out and would like to see more contrast.

nice composition and great lighting, love it

I really like the way this one is lit. It's so pleasing to look at. Beautiful shades of green too.

Yeah I really like this photo too - good color, good sharpness, good composition. very nice.

It's the shadows that make this stand out.
It reminds me of a wallpaper pattern from the 70's.
Excellent shot and only a matter of time before being featured.

i love the way the shadows and the lit areas combine.

Very good use of patterns here.

congrats, peter :-)
well deserved.

thanks Vernon

wow, this is superb, i love it. great background composition.

I love this picture, especially the hand movement, but i think the picture is imbalance, the empty part in left side is too big.

The hand movement is great, maybe just a tighter crop on the left side.

Hey Kim,

I think the background is just too much in focus. The man and his work in the foreground is competing for my attention with all the stuff in the back.

A change of angle might help with that. If you could get higher, you could isolate the pizza making area, though you wouldn't see him as well. Going in the opposite direction and shooting from a lower angle would give us a more straight on shot at the man's face, though it might lose some of the action in the foreground.

If you don't mind the photoshop work, you could just blur the back a bit and see if that helps.

Thanks everyone. It's great getting feedback on this.

By the way, this is real Italian pizza. Naples, Italy is the birthplace of pizza (or so they claim) and Neapolitans love their pizza. If you've not ever had true Italian pizza, especially from Naples, you're missing out. I really don't miss Pizza Hut since I've been in Naples. This pizza only took one minute to be fully cooked (in that big round wood burning pizza oven behind the man) and it was delicious.

Im with kadenajack. I think you should change the angle and shooting technique.

hmmm... Well... (I hope this doesn't break rules) but if people wanted to see two versions of this photo next to each other they could do that here.

www.nightthink.org/blog/pivot/entry.php?id=75

I'm thinking along the same lines as Paul. The first thing I see is the shiny spot then I kind of have to look for the focus. Although I do like the shot.

I second paul and laurie, that shiny part was the first one that I spot.

nice concept. but i would've liked it more if the point of focus is even sharper.

nice tones but a bit too dark in the sharp parts

great capture!

I would've liked it more if the origin of the fumes wasn't EXACTLY at the bottom left corner .. just a little bit off. But that's just me :)

I agree with the rest.
Should be feature, the crop(with fumes dead on the corner) does make it seem a bit contrived. That said perfect geometrical symetry and balance does make for a certain artistic statement that shouldn't be ignored.

Thank you, All!

Brilliant.. Really like this!

wooooow ... great shot. well done. did you post processing the cloud? how could you do that?

This is incredible. It reminds me of Annie Proulx's novel, Shipping News. Wonderful photograph.

beautiful & simple

This image is perfect! If I were painting, I would not change one hting. Beautiful.

Lovely photo. As a Canadian, I've always heard that the praries are beautiful, but I'm stuck in Ontario. Gotta catch the train out there ones of these days!

Dramatic and Stunning......it really gives the viewer the scale of isolation & quietness of the prairies.

The majestic cloud formations serve as a wonderful backdrop for the lonely church.

....an outstanding piece of work.

And a word to thoughtdujour?....as a Torontoian who just recently took a 52hr Bus trip (in order to photograph along the way) to Calgary, DO IT!........You won't regret the experience.