BMX Sunset

Uploaded: August 20, 2005

Description

This photo was entered in the digital darkroom catagory because the background on this image was replaced. The photo is a composite of two images within a few minites of one another. The sun of the sunset is what is actually lighting the boy from the frount. The Sunset was taken as I rotated myself to the left of the boy and did not have the boy in the image at all. The lighting is very similar in this image because I used the same light to light the boy and then replaced the background with the photo that was actually lighting the boy. I should also mention that the rays of the sun are actual rays and not digitally rendered.

Comments

Leanne M.E. Boyd August 20, 2005

Cool image, Melissa! This would make a great advertizing campain. #297265

Paul Sikora August 20, 2005

Melissa, I like this composition. Very appealing image #1737679

Donna Dunbar August 20, 2005

Great Image Melissa I think this is one we will see again!! #1737773

John Matthews August 20, 2005

this is awesome Melissa. great picture. #1737854

Bonnie C. Lackey level-classic August 20, 2005

Bet this is hanging of this child's wall in poster size! #1737903

Mary L. Graham August 20, 2005

Very Cool Shot Melissa!! =) #1738131

Tammy Scott August 20, 2005

This is such a cool shot, Melissa!

CJ (my daughter who just walked up while I was opening the shot)said she liked the lighting! She said it was neat! #1738186

Kerby Pfrangle August 20, 2005

Melissa well put together image.

Love the colors, comp and lighting.

Job well done. Kerby #1738486

Ermanno Radice August 20, 2005

Fantastic image, gorgeous shot, Melissa! #1739535

Shelly A. Van Camp level-classic August 20, 2005

Very nice ..love the colors as well :) #1739552

teresina m. wheaton August 20, 2005

Melissa great composition on this one. My little boy loves doing stuff like this. The colors are just wonderful and I love the way the light is. Just a great job all around. #1739570

Lynn Crawford August 20, 2005

WOW this looks great :) #1743037

DiAnna F. Paulk August 21, 2005

Wow, Melissa!! I'm sure we'll see this in the winners' group for August!!!

#1745077

Olivia Navarro August 21, 2005

AWESOME shot, Melissa!!!!!! The lighting is fantastic! #1745296

Barbara Helgason August 21, 2005

Love this one, great capture Melissa! #1745429

Johnny Santoso August 21, 2005

Stunning... I am speechless.. simply one of the best.. thanks for sharing Melissa.. regards,
johnny santoso. #1745440

Jenny Bosmans August 21, 2005

Terrific image, Melissa!! Fantastic lighting and composition!! Love this! #1747084

Alisha L. Ekstrom August 22, 2005

WOW Melissa...FANTASTIC image...I LOVE this!! GREAT lighting...Great comp....I bet we see this one again!! FANTASTIC..BEAUTIFUL!!! LOVE IT!!!:):) #1752842

Cathy Stancil September 23, 2005

Congrats on this excellent finalist Melissa !! #1872692

Jill Flynn September 23, 2005

Congratulations on this terrific finalist Melissa! Way to go! #1872781

LJ Corliss level-classic September 23, 2005

Congrats :) #1873054

Jenny Bosmans September 24, 2005

Congratulations on your super finalist, Melissa!! #1874439

Donna K. Kilcher level-classic September 24, 2005

Congratulations #1874538

Linda D. Lester level-classic September 24, 2005

Congratulations and good luck in the next round! #1874776

Susana Ms Heide September 24, 2005

This is absolutely STUNNING Melissa!!!! That amazing sunset makes your boy and his bike look like a star!!! CONGRATS!!!! #1875334

Barbara Helgason September 24, 2005

Congratulations Melissa, I loved this the first time, I'm thrilled to see this as a finalist, now I want to see it one more time!! #1875600

KHAWLA Haddad September 24, 2005

Congratulations on this wonderful finalists, Melissa such wonderful work on it hope to seee it again reall soon!!!! #1875852

Mata Patan September 24, 2005

This is a gorgeous finalist! #1875948

Sue L. Cullumber September 24, 2005

Melissa, Very cool. Congrats on being a finalist! #1876376

Terry R. Hatfield September 24, 2005

Congratulations Melissa!The Sunset And Colors Are Beautiful,Well Done:-) #1876631

Sandy Landon September 24, 2005

This is incredible Melissa!!! Congrats!!!!! #1876637

Deb Holmes-Hatfield September 24, 2005

Awesome finalist Melissa, way to go! #1877395

Chris M. Rembold September 24, 2005

Was the boy lit with a wireless off camera flash? Amazing comosition in this sunset! #1877558

Melissa L. Zavadil September 24, 2005

Very good observance of light! Chris this photo was entered in the digital darkroom catagory because the background on this image was replaced. The photo is a composite of two images within a few minites of one another. The sun of the sunset is what is actually lighting the boy from the frount. The Sunset was taken as I rotated myself to the left of the boy and did not have the boy in the image at all. The lighting is very similar in this image because I used the same light to light the boy and then replaced the background with the photo that was actually lighting the boy. Thanks for noticing that! :) #1877974

Melissa L. Zavadil September 24, 2005

I am going to add that to the discription of the photo! :) Thanks Chris #1878022

Jennifer Rennison September 24, 2005

Excellent composite, Melissa! Beautiful lighting and composition! Congratulations on your finalist! #1880029

Susan Patton September 25, 2005

Beautiful Melissa..good luck! #1880704

Nobu Nagase September 25, 2005

Bravo, Melissa, and congratulations on your finalist!!!
This is absolutely fabulous work of the photo skill and the digital darkroom comibined!!!
Best of best wishes on the next level!!! #1881623

Lori Carlson September 25, 2005

Awesome work and creativeness Melissa~this is one awesome image!! Congratulations! :0) #1883950

Nicole Grimsley September 26, 2005

Another great shot of your adorable boy. Good luck and a well deserved finalist! #1887410

Laurence Saliba level-classic October 01, 2005

Congrats on your finalist and POTD Melissa!!! This is a masterpiece!!! #1905031

Leanne M.E. Boyd October 01, 2005

Outstanding Melissa! Congrats on your POTD and finalist! #1905033

Susie Peek-Swint October 01, 2005

Fabulous image Melissa ~ a well-deserved POTD ~ great work in combining the layers! #1905038

Wilson Low October 01, 2005

so nice! great shot ! #1905044

Ronald Balthazor October 01, 2005

Sensational image and great POD, Melissa. #1905109

Donna R. Moratelli October 01, 2005

Congratulations on POTD. GReat imag; Melissa! #1905163

Scott Pedersen October 01, 2005

Nice #1905214

Claudette Foote October 01, 2005

Outstanding Melissa! Congrats on your POTD and finalist! #1905218

Joy E. Cobb October 01, 2005

Amazing photo. Congratulations - you deserved the recognition! The lighting is just beautiful. #1905221

Donna W. Neal October 01, 2005

Beautiful and well deserved Finalist and POTD Melissa! #1905249

Terry R. Hatfield October 01, 2005

Congratulations On Your POTD Melissa!!Great Job:-) #1905250

Linda Proctor October 01, 2005

Congrats Melissa!! Outstanding finalist and POTD!!!! #1905252

Virginia L. Allison October 01, 2005

Congrats Melissa. I am usually not drawn to people shots but this is amazing. I could look at this and see different aspects for a long time. Beautiful! That must have been a great end to a beautiful day. #1905285

Diane L. Thomas October 01, 2005

Melissa, Great shot and PS work. Congrats on the finalist win. Diane Thomas #1905347

Joy Rector October 01, 2005

congrats on the POTD #1905424

Michelle R. Kovach October 01, 2005

Congrats on your POTD Melissa!
Nicely done! #1905435

Colette M. Metcalf October 01, 2005

Congratulations, Melissa!!! #1905491

Olivia Navarro October 01, 2005

Yaaay, Melissa!!!! Congrats on your awesome finalist AND POTD!!!! #1905511

Leonard Pierce October 01, 2005

Congratulations on your very well deserved POTD and finalist Melissa!!! Beautiful image and FANTASTIC work!! #1905549

Jenny Bosmans October 01, 2005

Congratulations again, Melissa!!! #1905552

Kimberly J. Whipps October 01, 2005

This didn't win? How is that possible? Incredible photo Melissa. Congrats. #1905694

Laura E. OConnor October 01, 2005

CONGRATULATIONS MELISSA!!! Amazing photo!! You must be SO jazzed about your POTD!!! WAY TO GO! #1905701

Wayne Nolting October 01, 2005

Very colorful and sharp image. The side lighting on the subject really made him stand out and the background is so ideal for this type of shot. The boy and his family must be ecstatic #1905703

Kara L. Hendricks October 01, 2005

Congrats on your POTD!!!!! #1905707

Wendy Stevenson October 01, 2005

Superb image and amazing PS work! Congrats on your POTD win!! Beautifully done! #1905718

Lisa Deaton October 01, 2005

What a great photo!!! I ove all the work you did and the great effect it produced. Congrats on the fantastic finalist! #1905736

Melissa L. Zavadil October 01, 2005

Wow!! I am so surprised! I can not believe I got a POTD!! This is great! I have never had one yet :o)

Thanks everyone for their wonderful comments! I really appreciate all of them! :o) #1905825

Marsha S. Smith October 01, 2005

Amazing work, Melissa! Congratulations on this wonderful POTD! #1905835

Susana Ms Heide October 01, 2005

This is so exciting Melissa!!! This photo desrves every bit of this recognition!!! You know that I love this image! CONGRATS on your first POTD!!!! #1905850

Tony Gutowski October 01, 2005

Spectacular Image,Melissa. Nice work in
the digital darkroom. I bet your kids
love it!-T.G #1905867

Diana J. DeLucia October 01, 2005

One of the most stunning images I have seen in a long time. You could sell this to any BMX magazine. Awsome... #1905872

Donna L. Palmlund October 01, 2005

Fantastic! This is a sure winner! #1905898

Debra Curran October 01, 2005

Absolutely fantastic image! Any BMX org would be all over this! #1905913

Vicki Hunt October 01, 2005

Well, WOW! This is totally awesome! Congrats on POTD!!! #1905933

Jon Kolstad October 01, 2005

All I can say is WOW!, what a great capture! #1905949

Mary Clarke October 01, 2005

Many congratulations on POTD Melissa - wonderful image. #1905957

Eric Schneider October 01, 2005

IMPRESSED !!!! I dont use this word llightly. There are a lot of great photos in POTD, but this one really jumped out at me. Well done indeed !! #1905979

Danilo Piccioni October 01, 2005

A sure winner! Congratulations! #1905993

Diane Dupuis October 01, 2005

Congrats Melissa on a great shot and well deserved POTD! #1906008

KHAWLA Haddad October 01, 2005

Big congratulation on wonderful POTD Melissa great winner!!! #1906018

Luhut Napitupulu October 01, 2005

Very great work, Melissa! Congratulations on POTD! #1906032

Sharon Day October 01, 2005

Big congratulations on POTD, Melissa!!! Wonderful shot! WTG!!! #1906096

Juli Schatz October 01, 2005

I hate to throw a negative into all these great comments, but I came to the discussion to ask whether this was a "straight" shot or Photoshopped, and I see it was indeed a compilation. I think the two images individually ARE fantastic -- colors, pose, everything -- and the composition & concept are really great -- but it LOOKS doctored. #1906111

Linda Stander October 01, 2005

stunning!!! the clarity, lighting, colors are brilliant. well done on this one. congrats on the POTD. #1906144

Karen Kulin October 01, 2005

Great use of light! This is really dynamic. I don't think it looks "doctored" because we witnessed scenes similar to this on mountain biking trips to Moab.

Karen #1906148

Melissa L. Zavadil October 01, 2005

Juli, I appreciate your comment and your critique. At least it doesn't look like bad ps skills... LOL LOL LOL!! Ok, I know that there are some people that are completely and utterly not into doctoring a photo at all and try to get the best shot with the camera they have. Well, its not my style. I can value the work that the 'realists' like/do. I can also value the work that I like and do. I see great things in each of these types of work.

Anyway, I think what you are seeing is that everything is so perfectly vivid and perfectly exposed. There are a lot of photographers that smush photos together here in Colorado to get that exposed look because, the sun with the mountains makes such a splended display. So, I am more used to seeing this type of a shot, doctored or not. There are a lot of great photos that look doctored but, just because someone doctors a photo does not mean it is bad, so in all I will take your comment as a compliment.

I have to agree with Karens comment reguarding Moab. I love that place and I have spent numberous times there the place is spectacular and scenes like this are really an everyday occurance!! They have awesome riding too by the way!! :o) #1906213

Laura Clay-Ballard October 01, 2005

I love it! beautiful colors and vivid detail. Fabulous lighting. and congrats on potd #1906331

Cathy Barrows October 01, 2005

Congrats on your POTD...i love it regardless #1906334

Marsha S. Smith October 01, 2005

Melissa, I had to come back again, just to again say this is gorgeous and to say to others "DUH - IT IS IN THE DIGITAL DARKROOM CATEGORY!" The whole point of that category is to test our skills in PS and other digital manipulation programs. AND you stated up front it was a compilation. Great job, as always!
Marsha #1906381

Mary N C. Taitt October 01, 2005

Gorgeous shot, utterly gorgeous! Great work in PS, and taking the original images. Nice lighting. Congratulations, Melissa, on your finalist and POTD!

I am with the school that says the final image rocks! No matter how you got there--it was, after all, YOUR WORK!

Do you like your 20D? Can you compare it to a 10D?

Mary :-) #1906389

Melissa L. Zavadil October 01, 2005

Thanks you guys! I appreciate all the comments! :o)

Mary I can compare it with the 10D because that is what I had before my 20D. I wouldn't say it is a huge upgrade unless you want more pixels which I needed for my work. Otherwise I don't think it is worth the money to upgrade from a 10D to a 20D they are just so so similar. I do think the 20D is a much faster camera (which is great for sports-my kids do a lot) and has a little more options for artsy stuff. One of the biggest things I noticed between the two cameras was the length of time it took to turn the camera on (boot it up). The 20D pop its up, the 10D took a little pause (really not a big deal) just something that I noticed. But, for the price you can get for a 10D these days and the amount you have to spend to upgrade to the 20D--I don't think overall the swap is great from a money and feature perspective. I am happy with the camera, it is great and wonderful. If I could have waited to upgrade I would have waited for a mark 1DS to come down in price I think that that is a better swap. I am sure a lot of others will have differing perspectives so feel free to chime in! :o)

#1906469

Deb Holmes-Hatfield October 01, 2005

Congrats to you Melissa on your POTD! #1906580

Jill Flynn October 01, 2005

Way to go Melissa! Congratulations on your POTD! #1906837

Anita Taylor October 01, 2005

Well, it's all been said, Melissa! So, I'll just add another congratulations :) #1906891

Pu Chen October 01, 2005

Wonderful work, Melissa! Congratulations on your POTD! #1906953

Kathleen R. Struckle October 01, 2005

Awesome image!! Congrats on you POTD! #1907067

Juli Schatz October 03, 2005

Hi Melissa- No, I don't have anything against "doctoring" or manipulating digital photos -- it's been done since the beginning of photogtaphy, in the chemical instead of digital darkroom, on the enlarger (sandwiching slides, dodging, burning, etc.) instead of on the computer screen. As I said, I loved your concept, and the individual pictures were outstanding -- I just thought (only my opinion!) that it looked "fixed". . . . but surely a WHOLE lot better than I could ever hope to do! #1911940

Melissa L. Zavadil October 03, 2005

Hello Juli, Point taken :o)

Why don't you post a gallery so we all can see your work and have discussions!! It is a great community and we are not out to get each other. :o) We would love for you to chime in! :o)

Have a great day!! :o) #1911967

Donna La Mattino Pagakis October 03, 2005

Congratulations on your finalist and potd win!! #1912305

Lori Carlson October 03, 2005

Happy for you with your POTD recognition!!! Congratulations, Melissa!! :0) #1912311

October 03, 2005

wow very interesting photograph indeed..love the coloring ...congrats!!! #1913894

Alisha L. Ekstrom October 06, 2005

CONGRATS on your POTD!! I KNEW we would see this one again..& WE DID!! YIPPEEE for you!! I thought it was a masterpiece when I FIRST saw it & STILL do!!! LOVE IT my friend!!!!:):) #1923237

Deon September 17, 2007

Excellent composition and the lighting is incredible. Congratulations Melissa on POTD. #4802319

Jennifer A. Lambert July 26, 2008

This is amazingly beautiful. Everything in this shot screams to me: enjoyment, Dream chasing, Beauty, Fun and an accomplishment. OH and of course FAST Motorcycle Boys Dreams !! VERY NICE and very pretty as well.
Blessings, Jenny N Alabama #6234759

Jennifer A. Lambert July 26, 2008

Excuse the motorcycle part...I ment dirt bike....and was thinking Motorcycle...LOL !
Blessings, ( embarrassed ) Jenny #6234762

To discuss, first log in or sign up (buttons are at top center of page).

Get Constructive Critiques

Sign up for an interactive online photography course to get critiques on your photos.


 

Did You Know?

Discussions by Category: You can view photo discussions on various themes in the Community > Photo Discussions section of the site.

BetterPhoto Websites: If you see an orange website link directly under the photographer's name, it's totally okay. It's not spam. The reason: BetterPhoto is the one that offers these personal photography websites. We are supporting our clients with those links.

Unavailable EXIF: If there is no other information but 'Unavailable' in the EXIF (meaning no EXIF data exists with the photo), the 'Unavailable' blurb is not displayed. If there is any info, it shows. Many photos have the EXIF stripped out when people modify the image and resave it, before uploading.


 

The following truth is one of the core philosophies of BetterPhoto:

I hear, I forget.
I see, I remember.
I do, I understand.

You learn by doing. Take your next online photography class.

BetterPhoto.com Photo Contest FinalistPhotography Contest Photo of the Day


Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Melissa L. Zavadil.
Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
Log in to follow or message this photographer or report this photo.