This is an image for a sample CD cover I did as an exercise. I challenged myself to go for photorealism, since it was such a simple composition. It's for a band that might be called "The Red Pill" (name is undecided, hence the "sample" part). The resolution is only 360x360, but it took almost 12 hours to render... Print size (1500x1500 for a 5" sq., 300dpi print) would take over 2 days! Going for the photo look, I used everything: a volumetric spotlight, soft shadows, blurred reflections and transparancies, and depth of field. So how did I do? Feel free to comment on the overall look as well as details like composition. I did everything in the scene by hand except the marble texture for the ground; that's a preset. If I ever do this for a final version, I'll probably switch that to a fine wood grain, like a polished tabletop. (more blurred reflections and longer renders, yay!) sigh... oh for a faster machine.