A lot of good entries this week, and as I am typing I'm still not sure who the winner will be. I'm pretty new to photography, so forgive me if I overlook a superior pic. I'll give a brief description of each image before announcing the winners.
GrimWolf: Stunning shot of - pinecones! The background bokeh with blue-green-brownish dots plays a strong supporting role in the composition. The bright segments in the upper left may be a little distracting, could they be toned down in PP?
Scomatic: I like the blur of the table grain as it sharpens and turns toward the camera. The bright background bokeh adds an element of mystery to the image - "what is causing those reflections". Well done!
DoctorX: Nice hummingbird shot - if you had taken that last week you could be judging now. The creamy bokeh with shades of green makes a nice background.
ChristianRock: I am not sure what I'm looking at, but it has some nice bokeh effects. I especially like the bokeh in the lower left part of the image.
Noelcmn: I just enjoy looking at this image. The blur on the window frame works perfectly with the sharpness of the flower. If the window was in focus the image wouldn't work - and if the image was way out of focus it wouldn't work either. The bokeh effect on the bottom panel balances the image as well.
Dieterson: The blending and blurring of the red to dark red to black gives a really neat effect. I like it.
SolarCat: The link got removed - I did see it a couple days ago but I don't recall any details of the photo.
Mtux: I have never seen a fly with blue wings like that! I like how the leaf blurs as it expands.
Bill2849: Nice color in the background bokeh, it looks like it has a hint of blue which contrasts well with the yellow flower.
Mholford: Bokeh is the star of this image, love the creamy nature of the purple flowers while still being able to identify the different parts of the flower. The colors are wonderful.
CristiC: The blur works well to emphasize the plant in the foreground. I wonder how it would look if a flash was used on the foreground plant, while the rest of the image was in silhouette?
In choosing the winners I am looking at overall image quality with bokeh playing a strong role in the image. I have four pics in mind - and I go back and forth on the order. I don't know how to get other peoples images into this post - so I'll just list the winners.
Honorable Mention: noelcmn
3rd Place Winner: scomatic, very well done still-life image - like the lighting and DOF
2nd Place Winner: mholford, I wish that I could get some flower shots as good as this
1st Place Winner: GrimWolf, great pic!
Here's second place winner
Third place winner
Honorable mention,