Merry Christmas everyone!
I hope everyone was treated well by the big man in red, were able to spend some quality time with family, and most importantly - had a safe and happy holiday this year.
Once again, I'm honoured to be this week's judge and have been put to the task of selecting a best image from this week's contest.
So...without further adieu:
Notables: DanLoc78 
Love this image! Great DOF and very humourous. This one fought to get into the top 3, but was narrowly squeezed out.
DWS1117 
This image is a tonne of fun and meets all the bonus criteria for the challenge. This image also was a contender for the top 3. I ultimately didn't choose this image as the more I look at it the more I want to see more of the surroundings.
Here are the winners! 3rd Place by atupdate: 
A great interpretation of the theme. Bright/bold, DOF, and interesting framing are all there. Great capture!
2nd Place by Seamuis 
Love this shot! I love the colour that is bright and bold (not quite over the top), the DOF is very tight, the framing is excellent, - but the show stopper is the dramatic lighting. This is an excellent image.
WINNER! by xs400 
What a fabulous image! The warm tones, the simple but effective reflections on the game pieces, the subtle but alluring lighting, the DOF emphasizing the white Queen. The image is bright/bold in a simple/clean manner that suits the photo very well. For me, the icing on this cake is the very effective FOV/framing. It isolates the image very well. xs400 is fast becoming one of my favourite shooters on this forum!
Excellent shots everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the challenge and had fun.
c[_]
Similar Threads 
