OK, I'll be the ignorant one. My camera is a 2.1 megapixel with max resolution of 1200x1600 what does that equate to in regards to your request for a 3000 px log dimension. I wouldn't bother to ask so many questions except for I'm kind of curious and my boss has an early 70s model, baby blue VW with a white convertable top that's clean and he probably wouldn't mind my taking a few shots.

Are digitals OK and if so do you need a minimum resoultion? Also, how soon?

There's nothing I can feedback, it looks great to me just as it is. The framing and composition look good. The color is greenly unique but it seems to add to the mistery and spiritualisim of the shot. I really like the out of focus foreground. The white sky blending into the roof bothered me a bit at first but I think it is right for the picture. Print it and sell a million of 'em.

You're pulling my leg, you can see that stuff? All I see is black, looks perfect to me. A member of the HI contrast league.

Interesting thread. I will have to add some of my own images. Till then, since I have to say something regardless of rather I know what I am talking about or not, there are 2 points I want to make. 1. If I take a simple color image, say a plain leaf against a solid blue sky, I get a much smaller file size than if I take a many colored busy shot. Very much smaller. If the file size is smaller, how can there be as much information in one file as there is in the other? I guess to really test this, I would need to go to tif instead of jpg, I may try that and see what happens. But, if I do and find that the b/w file is smaller than the same color file, can we assume that there is less information. So, if I take a white ball on a black background in color and the same shot as b/w and one file is smaller than the other, then the actual number of light pixels captured is less and thus the definition would, I suppose, be less? 2. Never underestimate the software element. There may actually be very different approaches in how one camera handles greyscale .vs. another and that difference may yeild significant results. Of course the final result and judgment is based on the output device. As you point out a monitor is using rgb to produce shades of black and white and differnet monitors will do that with different results. Same is true with printers or any other output device. I actually read somewhere that taking a color photo as a negative and then converting it on the computer later produced better results than taking it the normal way. I still haven't figured that one out either.

My personal and unprofessional opinion; I like the original better. The color is excellent, skin tones the shirt the hair all make for a nice realistic shot and the light makes a perfect oval frame around the face. The extra darkness on the outside edge of the picture helps the look of sadness and focuses the viewer to the desired point on the photo. I think you have a very nice shot in the original, you may play with it but I don't see how you can improve it. But, do experiment and have fun.

Tape two sticks to each side of the light box. string a black thread between them and lay the rose on the thread. OK, I have no idea rather that will work or not, I just had to come up with something cuse it sounds like so much fun. Have you tried playing with a mirror and the light box yet? Or better, 2 mirrors.

Wait for the same shot and shoot it again, assuming of course that it is a location nearby. That seems kind of crazy but I can't say I disagree with the rule. It does make it more of a challenge instead of a portfolio hunt.

Thanks for all the tips. I think I have a better understanding now. I'll post a few more examples as time goes on and try to remember to ask, legal or not for a consensus. Oh, I'll tell my two sisters everyone thinks they look like hookers on the town. Just kidding, my sisters are older than this.

Does the rule requiring that the photo be shot in the month of the challenge apply every month or was that just for last month? Sorry, I ain't from around here, trying to learn the ropes.

Wow, good work. Gee, thanks for the image, now I'm horny for spam ... with a navel orange.