Welcome to the poll for our January "Food" photo contest! Please vote for the one photo that you believe is the most successful, and best represents the theme.

As always, the poll will close in one week, at which point we will announce the overall winner.


Below are our top 15 finalists:

#1.


#2.


#3.


#4.


#5.


#6.


#7.


#8.


#9.


#10.


#11.


#12.


#13.


#14.


#15.

[Kennuf]

If photos are "Stories Without Words", #13 tells a real story. The messages I get from #2-13, 14 & 15 tell of a sense of composition, efforts toward creative lighting and a lot of imagination to make dramatic, eye-popping images, but no real story.
Congrats to all for making the "Top 15"!

[Difficult Choice]

I'm voting for #3. It's the one that caught my attention when photos were being nominated. The clarity and color of the pepper, the beauty of the basket, the mirror image and the black background makes it a pic I want in my kitchen.

[Fullsail]

I like #7

[Racer X 69]

#5 Very good composition, prop work with tilting the strainer, and having the apples in such great composition. If anything, its a bit dark.

#7 It may not be such a great photo, but the work in making the props, and the concept is pretty worthy of an acknowledgement.

#9 I really like, except that it has weird stuff on the background on the left, like smoke? or some weird form that ruins the shot....so that is my 3rd option. Even #10 has too much distraction from the background.You need to learn how to isolate and create a separation of the focal point intended. Otherwise I really like them.

#15 is also kinda cool, but the green and blue are completely unnecessary and communicates negatively.

#13 Ladies sorting berries or whatever it is is nice, but nothing special, except for being there. Its a bit missing on the meaty info of the file and looks to both sides of contrasts extremes.

#12 Lemon just looks to muddy and dark with no good contrasting info

#1 Is not much of a photograph, but super cute. Toss a criter a peanut and its a easy shot, except this has a slight blur on the hand and peanut, also its not good lighting.

#2 slider burgers are nice, but it just isn't anything we have not seen daily.

#3 Peppers are really great and likely top 5

#4 Orange peeled is neeto, but lacking anything to draw the viewer in

#6 looks like pasta, and I think it is simple and one of my top 5 favorites. Just not sure if its noise or what, but its distracting.

#8 Sungold or small tomatoes is a great photo. It might be in my favs, but there is quality lacking on the tomatoes. I should see more info on them, yet my eyes get drawn to the finger nails and makes me wonder if they need a trimming. :-)

#11 Garlic is visibly exposed, but very sterile and comes out a bitboring.

A very nice breakdown of each image. Indeed there are many very nice photos in this round, some technically perfect and well executed.

But number one, because, well, Rupert (Jim Williams), may he rest in peace.

[MASTERFIRE]

I nominate number 11. It is a spontaneous response (take) to something naturally beautiful in form and it grabs attention. A very excellent exposure IMO.

[lesmore49]

# 2 is my favourite and here is my rationale for my choice.

The contest theme is 'food' and this photo makes me the hungriest. I maybe accused of being a carnivore...but those three burgers...posed side by each...stimulate...I might say 'provoke a visceral response !

Maybe I'm the dog in Pavlov's experiment...but so be it...there is nothing like really good burger and these hamburgers look far beyond the average run of the mill...burger.

Lighting is good, composition achieves what it set out to achieve...to demonstrate 'food'...in a way that makes me want to tuck into this food...that I see in image # 2.

And isn't that the whole point of this contest ? This epitomizes food...to my eye and to my palate.

The other pix are great...still life... for the most part...some wonderful 'Old Master' lighting in some. But to me a fruit/vegetable in a well lit, well composed picture...is wonderful to look at, but doesn't trigger my hunger pangs....as did Image # 2...the burger family, with apologies to A & W.

[Richardefotf]

# 3 is my choice.

[regbaron]

#12 simple, but i like the light.

[Pknot]

#2 is the only one that makes me hungry, but I especially liked the tone and the lighting on #10. #7 is a wonderful photo, but it doesn't say "food", for me.

[rschuldl]

I like #13.

[DWS1]

I voted for #2. The only one that made me very hungry and want to take a bite out of it. I like the different take on the theme in #1. All the others are wonderful works of art.

[xircoin]

Photographic Rembrandt number 9 for me.

[MiKe68]

I like #1 as it relates directly to food and does so without the human element. A photograph need not tell a story. The best ones are those that elicit an emotion or draws the viewer into the scene. If we look at much of Ansel Adams work we see the beauty in nature and that draws us into the location.

[Azzaro]

I vote for #3. Nice red and black.

[Rob'O]

All great images though I like the playfulness of #7 and that's where I'll cast my vote... Thank you.