Love it.

"Out of the dark and into the light
When the morning comes I will be alright "

Viva Chromasia

I love this picture! , the water , color , people EVERYTHING , this picture is pefrect! then again , almost all of your pictures are perfect. VERY NICE! I LOVE IT!

yes matt! VIVA CHROMASIA!

!!!!

I think it's truly a fun and enjoyable shot. Definitely one i would print and frame. Beautiful Dave...great work.

I can understand why.

Finally you've put up a shot that I can say I'm bowing my hat and dropping my jaw for you David...now I'm inspired to put up one of my beach shots too....Thanks!!!

How do you get this excellent tone? Amazing!

Outstanding. I found myself staring at this photo for quite a long time. I suddenly realized I wished I was running into the water with them.

A dramatic comment to say, you captured some magic in this photo.

As far as technically, I have said it before and I will say it again, your monochrome work is top notch and has set a standard for photographers like myself.

I hope all of the vignetting comments yesterday did not scare you away from using it!

An instantly likeable shot - and I am always in envy of your skills with toning, which seem to compliment the pictures so well.

I couldn't go without commenting on the coincidence that one of the last shots I posted on flickr had exactly the same title. If it weren't for the additional boy on the right of your shot, it would have fitted the numbers too. :-)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattp/194233989/

Another cracker

It looks like they're running off to heaven, if such a thing exists.

Brilliant

This might be one of my favorite Chromasia entries ever.

This a quite simply one of the best photographs that I have seen in a loooong time. Composition, toning, title.... they all combine to create a shot that will stay in my mind for a long time.

brilliant

i agree. this is my favourite for at least 2 months. your work lately has seemed limited and confined. quite narrow. but this. this just sings summer happiness. carefree and timeless. longtime visitor provoked to comment on only the best!

I think that this photo and the one from two days ago (http://www.chromasia.com/iblog/archives/0607222027_clean.php) have a real sense of nostalgia about them. I don't think it's just the toning (which is the obvious culprit), but rather the content. Both show beach scenes devoid of the trappings of modern life - there are no radios, coolers, gaudy umbrellas, jetskis, surfboards or anything. I think they imply a better relationship between people and their natural environment. I can see why this is one of your favorites - I think it has a level of emotional content above and beyond many of the other shots posted here.

Everything in the right place at the right time, including - crucially - the photographer. The toning is just right also.

summer fun! excelent.

Excellent shot and great toning (as always)

Wonderful summer shot! Seems like a great evening for a dive in the ocean. Makes me want to go on vacation!

This is perfect Dave. The colour and compostition and the fun of it all, makes a lovely picture. Your shot of the summer?

Great composition with the triangle of figures

Haven't commented for ages, but this shot prompted me into action. Everything about it works fantastically well together including the colour, composition and choice of aspect ratio.

One for the Portfolio maybe? ;-)

Captures the current weather and season perfectly. Another Chromasia classic. - [Chuks]

"the shots I've put up in recent weeks" is rather a vague description but I know what you mean, and yes, it is very good. I don't think there's any point analysing this tbh but I do like how one of the kids (I assume they're kids) is out on his own, on the right.

Aww man... I wish I'd said something interesting now. Ok so... The golden colouring of the mono on this works really well and adds to the already happy mood. The panoramic crop makes you feel like they've got their whole lives ahead of them (which is a truism, but you know what I mean). The sky is really peaceful and doesn't "steal the show" with dramatic clouds, it allows you to concentrate on the figures without feeling as though you're missing something up top. And the fact that the sun is out of shot, but you've got that tiny star shape right at the top is genius but I've no idea why.

There. that's slightly more befitting the occasion, I hope. Here's to the next million. Well done us blabbermouths.

Jamey: :-)

This is a really nice shot. It reminds me of Lord of the Flies. The composition shows a lot of depth, and the silhoettes invoke mystery and spark the imagination. Very compelling.

Brilliant!

In addition to the other points others have made, I like the symbolic aspect of having a group of 4 which in asian cultures is a symbol of death -- Very clever.

Great picture. Great use of light.

As others have noted, the color is excellent. Brings a fantasy element to an everyday beach.

Your site consistently amazes and inspires me...

Very insiprational! It makes budding photographers like us to crave for more!
I like your photographs and your composition. Absolutely wonderful.

In future, I wish I could take photographs as good as you! Truly an inspiration.

Good luck and all the best. Looking forwards to seeing more photos.

david, this shot is so great, i like it! :)

Dave,
Excellent capture... Very HCB indeed ! :-)

you caught the greatest moment! nice shot!

This shot reminds me of the famous picture by Martin Munkacsi, from around 1930, of the boys running into the water in Lake Tanganyika. It's the photo that triggered Henri Cartier-Bresson's passion for photography. It opened his eyes to the possibilities, to what could be done with the camera. You're in good company.

It´s my favorite too!

I like the color and the silhouettes of the boys they aspire to the light.

Very beautiful !

Wonderful. This is a great photograph all round. The reflected sunlight and silhouettes, the brotherliness of the composition, the nostalgia in the toning; you've really created a wonderful mood.

It was your photoblog that made me think "I want to be able to do that" and finally grab a DSLR and get out shooting; and it's your photos such as this that keep me working harder. Your one of the benchmarks I use when evaluating my own images, and I realise I have one hell of a way to go!

Thanks David, simply breathtaking.

A really lovely photo - very special.

You are not wrong when you selected this image tobe the best in the past few weeks. I like this too. It contains a lot of happiness and enegry.

Hi Dave,
A great shot with which to mark your millionth word count, and a very generous half-price print offer to match.
This shot reminds me of my youth, when I used to spend the long hot summers (remember 1977?) on the beach at Bournemouth with my brothers - happy memories.
Thanks

Excellent capture and wonderful toning.

Congratulations, David!

I think this shot is honestly one of the best you've taken, and it's one of my favorite so far. The tone is remarkable and the feeling is admirable. You convey such lovely thought through photos; I applaud you on that.

Congratulations :) I love the tones and colours in this shot, very nice.

Congratulations for this new record, David!

The best.
(;

Hi!!! O love your pictures!!! So i want ask you if i can take a cople of pics for make designs in my website. Im a writer, singer and designer - photografer. Obviously y will put the credit to yur flog. Ok? So, asnwer me soon. thank you. My URL is: www.nicolasmanservigi.com.ar

Oh my this is DEFINITELY my favourite picture of yours in recent weeks. The silhouettes are so full of energy. And the boys were so well spaced out that they seemed to have choreographed the act. Way to go!

Thanks everyone. I was really pleased with this one so it's good to see that you liked it too.

congratulations!! reaching for the skies... wonderful tone.. your pictures are really worth a million words...

Congrats on the million mark. I really like this shot. The silhouettes look so great against the lines of the horizon, sand, etc. Very simple but very effective. Nice!

It reminds me of Thailand. Fab shot.

This is a wonderful shot. The tones are perfect and give you that longing to be a kid again. Simply perfect! I don't comment enough, but your photos are some of the most impressive I've come across online.

Dave,

Chromasia has been my home page for almost two years now and not once have I commented. Not that your photos haven't deserved praise, criticism etc... but I took a rather voyeuristic approach.
It has been an immense pleasure for me, to gain an insight into your work and of course your life, over these few years.

This image though.... I feel I must comment.

Its simplicity is perfection. The sense of nostalgia and a wish to be part of it almost gut wrenching. But above all, it's a wonder to look at....
I'm in awe!

I'd like to personally thank you very much for all the effort you put into your photography and for making it accessable to me.

Best Regards
Stephen.

You made this look like edge of the "earth". wonderful moment to capture.

"The sense of nostalgia and a wish to be part of it almost gut wrenching...." (Yep. What Stephen said). Again it's, "Recherchez les temps perdu"....Evanescent youth. Pivotal moment in time that will linger and evoke a wistful smile in years to come.

Reminds me of that beautiful 'rites of passage' movie, "Stand by Me".

This is (possibly) another one I would buy. ;)

A lovely rendition of the exuberance of youth in a delightful setting. Beautiful.