It's always nice to get a postcard from Blackpool...the last time I saw this place was from an aircraft at 20,000 feet on the way back from the US. I can feel that freezing water lapping around your feet - it's also fun to imagine you with your trouser legs rolled up and a knotted handkerchief on your head...
Seriously though, I was trying to see if there were any visual cues that tell me this is January. The lack of people is all I can come up with. The contrasting warm and cold colours are nicely balanced. It's a very serene scene.

Beautiful shot. I really like the colors, especially in the sky. I also like how you were able to include the bird in the upper right of the frame.

great colours, really nice tones, a lovely compostion overall. to be honest, i think that i prefer yesterdays, the texture and lighting really made that one for me. did you see the bbc series blackpool? the drama wasn't always to my taste, but some of the cinematography was great - did it inspire you at all?

It's a very, very good. :) I love your photos... :)

This foto have got very really colours and composition. BTW, I speak English very, very small... ;) I'm from Czech Republic and go to the grammerschool.

YOu know what? I have to go back to Blackpool...every time I see one of yours pictures from there I have the feeling I went to other place and they told me it was blackpool! Superb pic Dave, make me feel : Wish I was there!!

fraxinus: thanks. As for the knotted handkerchief: I can remember my granddad and great-grandfather taking us to Blackpool when we were kids, and at least one of them wore one, but I don't think I've ever done it myself.

justin: yesterday's was my least favourite but I have a suspicion that it may well be the one that quite a few people prefer. I like tomorrow's best - it's more surreal/alien than these two, but I'm not sure what other people will make of it.

As for the Blackpool series: I'm afraid to say that we didn't see any of them. I did here the photography was spectacular though.

tark: thank-you, and for what it's worth your English is considerably better than my Czech ;-)

Maxine: I suspect you were really in Morecambe ;-)

It's lovely, but I prefer the duotone one from yesterday, both because of the human element and also because the golden tint gave it alot of (creamy smooth) class.

I think this one would look better in a duotone, because the colors are a bit weak and don't cover enough of the frame to really hold it up. The reflections in the sand are promising though -- more of that and the color would have a better case for itself, and the tower would look awesome as well, making the 50/50 horizon look more balanced. Oh, and I find the bird a little distracting.

btw., while this might sound overly negative, it's only intended to be constructive. I'm pretty sure I couldn't have done better myself, but amateurish nitpicking is more useful than a professional pat on the back, right?

as displayed, somehow this one doesn't seem as sharp to me as some of your other landscape shots. otherwise, a superb shot. the sky, bird, clouds, buildings, and water are -- perfectly -- balanced.

like justin, i liked yesterday's shot a bit better.

a-daily-fan: I just put up a slightly sharper version as I agree – the original was a bit soft.

helgi: thanks. As for your points: I could have boosted the colour, or warmed it slightly, but I was trying to capture how the shot felt. The fact that it was windy doesn't come across, but I do think that it captures some of the winteriness (if that's a word) of the day.

Also, the decision to do this one in colour was mostly for the sake of balance. There are four shots going up, two toned, two in colour. I will try a toned version of this one though.

And how can you not like the seagull, I was really pleased that it flew into the shot ;-)

Lovely lovely lovely. ;) I like the horizon and the sky a lot in this photo. Good work!

I'm glad you didn't use a polarizer to darken the sky as it's perfect with the pastel colours running through it. I can see why some are disliking the seagull as it is quite distracting, but I like it as it adds a sense of depth to the photo. But it appears to me that living near a large body of water allows you to produce better photos. Darn, how I wish I had a large body of water near where I live. Bah :(

Beautiful shot.

I use MT's future posting ability all the time -- it's a really awesome tool, especially if you go out of town for a weekend or something...your site can still get updated! :)

Ouaw... where are you !!!??? Composition is perfect with the bird in the corner is superb, that gives a dynamism.

Great shot.

S.

wow!!

First off, your photos are incredible. That said, I also prefer yesterday's shot to today's. I think it's the perspective that really drew me in yesterday. The duotone definitely did create an incredible mood, but I cn understand your wanting to mix things up a bit :-)
Both these shots are amazing, and I'm looking forward to seeing the other 2 from the series!

Really nice shot. The borough council should buy it.

I really like the line of foam leading off into the shot, but I think the pic should have been cropped so it came in to the corner.

Thanks for the thing about future posting. I'll be there at 9 this evening!

This is a pleasing shot, but I think yesterday's was significantly better - at least for me. Interesting to read the comment on softness and that this is a sharper version - my first reaction when the shot loaded was that it was oversharpened! I don't know whether you sharpened selectively, but leaving the water smooth and concentrating a little extra sharpening on the buildings would be a good approach.

Simon: ok, there's now yet another version up that's a bit softer in the foreground, and if this one isn't right I give up ;-)

The image is harsh in tone (blown out sky) and in texture (oversharpened IMHO). Consequently it feels very wintry. I can really feel the cold. The wonderful light on the buildings has a lot to do with that as well.

Regarding the bird, its proximity to the border draws your attention to the border for no good reason, and that's the real distraction. It adds much needed volume to the upper half of the frame, but I'm ambivalent about its presence--I want it there as much as I want it gone--and that is what's keeping me from fully enjoying this image.

The seas is better now it's softer

another wave of amazement struck :)

This shot is beautiful, but I think I prefer yesterday's shot. The sepia tone and the composition really made that shot amazing to me. Both are simply breathtaking however. Great job!

~jerome provides a rather direct and blunt critique, which is not w/out merit, but I must add the light (as noted) really sets the stage for me, it's the reason I remain in the frame, enjoying it's presence~

Nice shot, and getting your feet wet shows a wonderful determination to your craft. :) That said, I think I actually prefer yesterday's shot due to the wonderful lighting. This one certainly holds its own though!

nice 'scape Dave!

one for the bank ! ;-)

everything about this shot is perfect...the flight of the bird..the clouds in the sky..the pattern the water is making ...the reflection..the colors...the placement.
perfect i say.

Good shot, but far from perfect, as it's been claimed. The bird is so far to the right that it doesn't really serve any purpose in the composition.. I agree that some parts of the image seem unrealistically oversharpened, but I also agree that the colours are beautiful. Which is why I would've kept it as well..

Maybe that's your wind, Dave, blowing that bird way over there... :)

Thanks everyone.

As for the bird: I quite like it where it is, not least because there's a line between the leftmost end of the pier, the top of the tower and the bird that mirrors the line of the wave. But I take the point that it's a little close to the edge of the frame.

djn1: Czech is small, very small republic... ;)

tark: I visited Brno a few years ago, but only for a couple of days. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.

djn1: Brno is nice, but Prague (Praha -- in Czech language) is very, very nice... I LOVE PRAHA! ;)

BTW, Prague photos: http://fotoblog.blueboard.cz/index.php?tema=3 (this is not my photos)...

Hi David - just thought to stop by and congratulate you on some simply stunning photographs! This one from Blackpool is particularly effective and I'm sure you didn't half-mind getting drenched to take it...
Best wishes from Cape Town - keep up the good work!