First off I would like to thank David again for the honour in hosting this week's challenge.

Secondly, I would like to thank those of you have entered this week. There were a lot of entries and tonnes of great photos, which made it very difficult to judge.

Thirdly, this weeks contest is very subjective to my tastes. That being noted, I am sticking to the three guidelines that were set forth at the beginning:
1.) Bokeh that compliments the photo.
2.) Bokeh that isn't distracting to the main image.
3.) Bokeh that isn't overbearing to the image.

Without further adieu...here are the honourable mentions (in now particular order) - and a lot of 'em:
_________________________________________________________________
Daacon

A very cool photo that is definitely outside of the box thinking and interesting to look at. I really enjoyed this entry.

rparmar:

You have got to be kidding me...what a spectacular image! I love everything about this image. I ultimately didn't choose this image for the top 3 because I find the bokeh to be a little overbearing...and the challenge specifically noted this. A winning image for sure though.

Gooshin:

What a fabulous image. The bokeh is very good, the scene is very interesting to look at, and the "filmy" look is ideal.

Damn Brit:

What a gorgeous shot. I love the colours, I love the bokeh...and the subject matter. Again, I personally found this bokeh to be a little bit overbearing (for my tastes), but I love the shot.

gazonk:

This is just beautiful all around shot. I love the colours, the bokeh, the lighting, the crop - everything. This is a shot I would be proud to hang in my home.

atupdate:

A gorgeous shot where the insect and flower are complimentary and the bokeh is all in the same colour palate. This one narrowly missed out on the top three (by a thin hair). Great shot!

SouthShoreRob:

Another stunning image. This is another image that I had to mull over for quite some time. Beautiful!

Timbo13:

Although the shot is simple the use of earth tones and beautifully rendered fore and background is stunning. Another difficult choice.

legacy:

You guys are killing me here. Of all the shots submitted this one is most along the lines of how I shoot. Gorgeous reds with wonderful rich bokeh. Sigh...another tough decision.

gawan:

There are tonnes of very talented photographers on this site. Of everyone's work that I see gawan's photos impress me each and every time. I love his eye for work and find him very inspiring. A beautiful example of a simple selection photo whose bokeh tells you a story without having to speak. Wonderful!

arpaagent:

Nothing needs to be said about this one - it's so obvious. Rule of thirds, tight crop, great colour, contrasting photo of smooth bokeh and sharp spines. Lovely!

J.Scott:

Not including this one in the top 3 almost makes me cry. A stunning image!

Drum roll please....

Here are the top three images:

3rd Place:

virgilr:

This has winning image written all over it. To not include this in the top 3 would be a complete crime. Although the bokeh borders on being a touch overbearing (for what the challenge asked), it is of a musical instrument and not a flower (which makes it a standout), is high key with deep blacks beautifully married into a very pleasing photo. Very well done!

2nd Place:

Schmikey:

This photo is smoother then glass. The bokeh is extremely well controlled, the colours/lighting are stupendous, the very complimentary OOF area just sets the tone. The crop of this image sets it apart and makes it a true winner. Great shot Schmikey!

1st Place:

Seamuis:

Interesting subject matter - check!
Controlled focus - check!
Does the image as a whole stand out from the rest - check!
Beautiful bokeh - CHECK!
Couple all this with a bokeh shot in black and white (no less), wonderful lines that make your eyes dance all over the image...and you have our winning entry.

What a beautiful shot! Congrats Seamuis...and thank you for sharing!

------------------------------
Thanks to everyone for a wonderful challenge that was full of so many winning shots. It was very difficult to judge, but I hope everyone enjoyed participating and enjoyed seeing all these beautiful bokeh shots in one thread!

c[_]

[David Whiteley]

Sooooooooooooooooo many great shots this week. A very good theme for soliciting a collection of consistently good entires. Picking winners must have been agonizing! Well done all around.

[virgilr]

Wow! Very honored to be in the top 3- what a fantastic bunch of shots that really show the talent and enthusiasm that all Pentaxians show! Thanks coffee for the challenge, and congrats to Seamius- I knew you had the winner there!

[schmikey]

Thanks so much for the 2nd place standing! This was a shot I took with my FA 35mm/f2.0 - a great lens and I had to focus manually - hadn't done that in a while....

Congrats to Seamuis - a great shot! and to ll_coffee_LP for choosing the topic and judging!

Mike

[maxwell1295]

No way I could've judged this one...they're all winners! I'm also glad I didn't enter because this was some tough competition to hang with...

Great shot Séamuis, the decision for B&W was inspired.
Congratulations everyone, every one was a winner this week.

Coffee, great work on the judging, must have taken you a while, thanks on behalf of everyone.

[daacon]

Well done all thanks for the HM - excellent choices all around and a very tough contest to judge. Congrats Séamuis

[Bramela]

Must agree, a very worthy winner. I think every shot could have been a winner. Well done all.
And well judged!

[J.Scott]

Congrats to the winners! Thanks 'coffee' for the honourable mention of my humble entry. I need to try more non-floral type bokeh shots like two of the winners. Good job Coffee!

[gawan]

Coffee, thank you very much for taking time to write such thorough reviews to these many entries! Personal thanks for the kind words!

Difficult to judge for sure, but well deserved winners, congrats to Virgil, Schmikey, Seamuis, superb work!

[Gooshin]

What a fabulous image. The bokeh is very good, the scene is very interesting to look at, and the "filmy" look is ideal.

thats because it was taken on film

[timbo13]

congrats to the winners and to coffee for the great job of judging, what a tough contest
to judge!

and thanks for the kind remarks about my entry

[ll_coffee_lP]

Thanks for the kind remarks everyone! It did take a bit of time to pull together, and most of the day for me to mull over the shots, however the quality of the entries deserved no less - so that's what it got. I enjoyed the process.

c[_]

P.S.
Gooshin - I was aware that you took that shot with film. My comment was meant to indicate that the film look (i.e. grain) in the image enhanced the overall look of the shot.

[Gooshin]

Thanks for the kind remarks everyone! It did take a bit of time to pull together, and most of the day for me to mull over the shots, however the quality of the entries deserved no less - so that's what it got. I enjoyed the process.

c[_]

P.S.
Gooshin - I was aware that you took that shot with film. My comment was meant to indicate that the film look (i.e. grain) in the image enhanced the overall look of the shot.

really? i never really though of it that way.

meaning, i never think of the film look being an enhancement, or a digital look (less grain) being an enhancement. Just a given property of a photo, and i usually enjoy both, haha.

[séamuis]

well that is certainly surprising to say the least! thank you for the top honors. and thank you everyone for the wonderful comments. this means I host the next challenge? I have never won any of these before