Thanks for the comments.

I'm bummed that overall for the 9 ratings so far, Quality is 2.78 and Technique is 2.90. The image is purposely out of focus and intended to look this way. It'd be nice to hear why those ratings were low.

Yeah, I SO know what you mean about getting low ratings and not getting comments to match them. It's very frustrating. I gave you 5, 4, 4, 4, 4 because this was obviously done on purpose, and it is wonderful. It looks best from far away, making it a great shot for a wall hangning.

Well George. I think you know why:

1. Alot of observers are amateurs so do not appreciate the choice of perspective

2. This is bucking the trend and not all people are open to experimentation.

Might I add, I meant, I could see this on a book cover, not magazine. A summer novel.

I gave you high ratings in all areas. I really think lately that people don't appreciate the artistic photographic side of some images. I like this a lot.

I understand your point George, if someone is giving you a low mark it would be nice if they took the time to explain their reasons. I also agree with what mooch and faustina said in their posts. It's easy for beginning and advanced photographers to reate a perfectly focused image, but this image is more challenging and 'artsy' which automatically means you're appealing to a smaller bunch of people.

It's a great image, so chin up.

Thanks All for taking the time to leave a thoughtful comment. I'm really impressed and motivated.

Ana: I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know how you rated the image. Thanks.

mooch: man I'd love to see this on the cover of a summer novel! Thanks for the inspiration.

faustina: thanks for taking the time to leave a follow up comment. It means a lot to me.

TheShadeReplied: your reality check is well taken. thank you for candid comment.

Congrats on the feature! See, we all liked the intentional blur :)

feels like a painting with some nice worm beach tones...i dig it

Intentional blur is good! I will beat the dead horse yet again, but an images don't need to be in pure crisp focus in order to be great to look at and compelling...this is yet another great example to illustrate that point. There's still enough detail to tell the story here.

Wow! This one turned around! I'm totally surprised cause I'd written it off based on the initial ratings. Thanks to all for the feedback and support. Muchly appreciated :)

Well deserved George. I really like this shot.

Ooh Ooh Ooh. I can't rate this because it's featured, but if I could fives across. The capture is perfect, the hues spot on and the tones are first rate. I don't think people know how hard it is to capture an image of people walking where their legs are all in sync, which adds so much to this shot. The out of focus gives the image a feel that could not be accommplished with a crisp shot. Thanks for 'taking the chance' by submitting this image. More need to do this to make this site progress from technically 'perfect' to artistic. Great job George.

way cool - love the feeling of this one. It looks like waking up lying on the beach with still sleepy eyes. Or like sitting at my desk here and dreaming of holiday... :-)