I should say upfront that I’m not into vegetable gardening like some are (too much hard work), but I am into vegetable eating (especially as I’ve gotten older)! And of course, I’m into photos, so I guess it makes sense that these two passions would be combined at some point.

Anyway, on to the photos. The first one is a top down shot looking on some vegetables in crates on what appears to be a marble floor:

by marcp_dmoz (license)

Loads of yummy vegetables (leeks, onions, garlic, carrots, cauliflower, tomatos, cucumbers), but it’s the floor really makes this shot for me. The arrangement of the vegetables is nice, with different textures and colors working well, but the floor adds a surreal element. If the same shot was taken with a plain concrete floor, I probably wouldn’t have looked twice at it.

The second photo is of a ‘cartload’ of vegetables laid out in Avignon, France:

by val’sphotos (license)

A mound of vegetables, looking like they have just been tipped out of a cart, although I’m sure they’ve been very carefully arranged in this position. It’s not just vegetables – there’s some fruit in there as well. There are bright colors and rustic colors (the pumpkins). Once again, the photo needs the prop – take away the cart and this one would be much less interesting.

The third photo is a close up of some carefully arranged vegetables on display in Madrid:

by marcp_dmoz (license)

There can be no doubt that this one was carefully coreographed, but that doesn’t lessen it’s impact for me. The color and textures are extremely enticing. Actually I now have a fruit fly buzzing about my computer (no joke). Out of the three photos, this is the one that most makes me want to eat vegetables.

Well, that said, I think I’m off to the kitchen to see what paltry vegetables I have in the regfrigerator!

by Christopher Chan (license)

This is a great photo – although I have trouble putting my finger on what makes it stand out for me.

Perhaps it’s the colors: the bare branches on the trees, the almost reddish ground to the right of the picture. Perhaps it’s the starkness of the picture: once again, the bare branches, combined with the barren hills in the background. I’m not sure.

The wall itself is great, bending and twisting through the picture. There are a lot of photos out there of the Great Wall, but most of them don’t quite capture the majesty of the wall. This one does.

The Great Wall is an amazing construction. I love history, so I love finding out some of the facts about the Great Wall of China, such how long it is, when it was built, why it was built, etc. Just amazing (I know I’m using that word a lot, but it is!).

Anyway, I strongly recommend that if you get the chance to visit the Great Wall of China, you jump at it – and take your camera with you!

by romap (license)

The hamster is so cute and looks really … clean. Or maybe pure. By that I mean that it’s fur is just about perfect for this shot with it’s stark use of color. Most of the photo, including the hamster, looks like it’s black and white, offsetting the color coming from the Heineken bottle.

There are a lot of hamsters out there that just wouldn’t have fitted in with this shot. This one does so perfectly, wonderful fur, great marking and the shine in his eyes just sets it off.

I actually stumbled across this by accident, searching for images of those new electronic pet hamsters, called the Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters. It’s looking like my kids may be needing some of the Zhu Zhu Pets range around Christmas time. Personally, I’d rather go for the hamster in the photo (along with the Heineken!)

Anyway, I’d sort of forgotten this site for a while, and stumbling across this photo reminded me I need to post here more often.s

by gnislew (license)

So what makes it surreal (for me)? Well, I know that it’s a ride and I know the sort of ride it is, but the fact that you can’t see anything of the ride (except for the cables) allows me to suspend my belief that the rest of the ride is in fact there.

Also, every time I’ve seen a ride such as this (and I’ve been to Chessington World of Adventures, so I’ve probably seen this very one), it’s in motion. The fact that the people are suspended, in time as well as in the air, adds to the feeling of surrealness.

With so many people, all in line, but frozen with so many different angles etc, it can’t help but be an interesting shot.

Finally, the water spout shooting into the air adds another dimension, without which the photo may seem much more pedestrian.

by Photo Giddy (license)

I’d seen it before, but when I saw it again, I thought it would be a candidate for this series. I know the election is long over now, so the photo has lost a little relevance, but it’s unique enough and creative enough to feature it here. I’m also a bit of a fan of Dancing With The Stars, so that helped twist my arm.

Also, it’s worth nothing that this photo has become quite famous in it’s own right. It’s appeared on both CNN and ABC News, been turned into an Iphone wallpaper and been downloaded all over the world. It’s almost a celebrity itself!

I was recently looking at the list of celebrities on Dancing With The Stars. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see either Obama or Palin (or the photo) in the list of candidates.

by fPat (license)

What more could you want? Snow (great backdrop), a dog (cute), wearing a dog backpack (even cuter), a mystery object on the floor (what is that!). Fantastic!

Seriously, even though I’m joking, there’s a fair bit of truth in that. Snow is a great backdrop for a photo. It’s a blank page for the subject to be drawn on – it focuses the eye on the subject (in this case the dog). There’s also a fair bit of action in this shot, with the dog running and looking where he’s going.

As for the dog backpack, I didn’t even realize that such things existed. I haven’t seen them here in Australia, so maybe it’s an idea that originated in the US. I did some research on Google and found that you can buy backpacks for dogs online (annoying popup, but great information) – but the websites I saw are US centric.

I’m sure we’ll get them here eventually. Then we’ll just need the snow!

by saracino (license)

The sun is low in the sky, causing shadows between each row of lavender. This really adds some ‘texture’ of the photo and gives it another dimension – without the shadows it wouldn’t be nearly so striking.

I remember being taken aback the first time I ever saw a field of lavender. Actually I was stunned. It was like a field of purple carpet, rippling in the wind. Sounds poetic? Well it actually was, one of those few moments in life where life is just like a movie.

Of course, I was familiar with lavender on a small scale, ie twigs (is that what you call them) of lavender sold in flower and gift shops, lavender oil and candles sold in aromatherapy shops, etc. These days you can even buy lavender online! Not surprising really, it smells great and has aromatherapeutical properities.

Anyway, although I knew lavender as a consumer product, nothing prepared me for seeing a field full of lavender in real life. Stunning! When I saw this photo, it really took me back to that moment.

by only alice (license)

I’m not into navel rings generally, but this photo works for me because it’s a closeup. It’s not hard to work out that we’re looking at navel rings, but at the same time it isn’t immediately obvious either.

We’re looking at something that has a life of it’s own, rather than just being an item of jewelry. They seem to be something more than just metal rings through someone’s navel.

The reflection also takes the photo to another level. Although you can’t see anything in it, the lighting effect animates the navel rings. The fact that there are two navel rings also greatly improves the photo, bringing a sense of symmetry to it.

On navel rings in general:

It seems that they have become more and more popular in recent years. When I was young, someone wearing a navel ring would have been a little bit shocking (although we probably would have called it a belly button ring). Not that people never had them, but they were very rare.

How time have changed! Now navel rings are very common, you can even buy them online!

by Gianni D. (license)

The lighting and the colours are fantastic – they have that real rustic earthy feel. The ‘texture’ seems rich and rough. The angles of the open windows give the photo more dimension than it would have had if they were closed and the photo was flat. And finally the shadows add contrast.

Miss any one of those elements and the photo just wouldn’t work as well. As it is, it’s fantastic. And is yet another reason why I want to go back to Rome!

by teliko82 (license)

I have to admit that I’m a Formula One fan and have been for years, so I’m a sucker for F1 photos such as this.

This is a great photo of Formula 1 driver, Sebastien Buemi. I love the intensity of his expression. It shows a little of the determination that a F1 driver needs. Also, you have to wonder what he’s thiking.

Last year’s series was the best I can remember, with the Drivers Championship decided on the final lap of the final race. This year is also shaping up to be very exciting, with a host of rule changes shaking up the order. There is one new driver in F1 this year: Sebastien Buemi who will race for Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Sorry for the diversion, but although this blog is about fantastic photos, they’ll probably be skewed to my interests and if the subject is something that I like, I’ll be writing a little about it! This time round it’s F1, next time it could be anything.