===== From scooby@pld.com: Great image. I like everything about it. The ocean surface is great, as is the balloon and balloonist. ===== From roth@ens.ascom.ch: Not only did you come up with a really good idea but also with a very lively image. Only the balloon looks a bit too perfect. ===== From Sean_Hamilton@amrcorp.com: beautiful pic--all in POV? wow! ===== From gregj56590@aol.com: Wonderfully photorealistic, without being annoyingly so! ===== From nx@chez.com: Land texture and shape are just wonderfull ! I definitely applause your models of natural elements (I used your last include files in my afterain.jpg entry). I'm glad to see we use the same combination of clouds/atmosphere in our pics ! Nice figure, balloons, and splash effect. Say, perfect ! ===== From guilhem.christol@hol.fr: It's a very good picture ===== From jsaxton@folio.com: Excellent! ===== From bobfranke@halcyon.com: I think this height field is even better than the one in your last round winning image, Alexander Bay. In fact, I think it's the best I have seen. I also like the water splash with the spiraling rope. The problem in the image I see is the circular look of the clouds. ===== From gmccarter@hotmail.com: Clean image. Nice detail, focus, concept. Brilliant way to combine the "weather-" and the "4 classic-" elements. Outstanding height field work. Really good subtle sky, with the sunbeams. Flame and pilot are perfect. Interesting phenomenon: jpg compression artifacts look like wrinkles in the gas bag fabric. I keep looking for something to criticize, but finding nothing! Ok, maybe the rope is a too-perfect spiral shape... This is a dramatic moment, but the camera is rather still. Have you tried increasing the tension by tilting the camera such that the horizon is slightly diagonal? ===== From ethelm@bigfoot.com: Nice color, composition & detail. Small point but, water is a bit ambiguous. ===== From djconnel@flash.net: Very nicely done!!! This extremely dynamic image nicely combines the "elements" of the topic. This image is a worthy winner! The land texturing is also quite well done for POV-Ray, which isn't really designed for it. And the sky is excellent by any standard. Also the flame is really excllent -- the path is even right for the orientation of the balloon! Well done! One suggestion : The image suffers from excessive JPEG compression -- it is quite clear near the color transitions in the balloon. A higher quality setting might help. Still, it's an excellent piece of work! ===== From wozzeck@club-internet.fr: Interesting interpretation. There is something strange about the lighting, or it might also come from a too quiet sky. ===== From ekennedy@voyager.net: Nice concept. Beautiful balloon. Good splash but the rest of the water could have been more realistic. ===== From 101741.541@compuserve.com: Oooh, Corel Draw !! ;) The hill relief and texture is amazingly good. Nice storytelling, too. North-country ambiance is well expressed. Light falls discreetly from the sky. The only thing that disturbs me is that the bottom of objects is quite dark; you could have used either radiosity, or, quicker, a large area light from the sea pointing to the sky, to simulate indirect lightning (just a suggestion, not a critiscism). ===== From r@peso.ntu.edu.sg: quite realistic! ===== From r@cdsl246.mpls.uswest.net: good interpretation of the theme ===== From r@client8788.globalnet.co.uk: Notable for modelling ===== From r@cust193.webbernet.net: Great image. Very good interpretation of the theme. The background rocky coastline is absolutely suberb. The hf water, as is common, looks a bit too solid. A bit of rolling wave csg-ed on and/or some whitecaps would help. A transparent and glossy hf with the color layer somewhere below might help, too. The sky is very nice, the splash is great and helps the overall image immensely. The rope is a bit too thick, and the wickerwork on the basket would look better if it was 3d and more loosely woven. The balloon color pattern reminds me too much of the Corel logo. Many real hot air balloons have very creative, if not tacky and garish designs. The reflection on the water is quite good. As to the nitpicking I did in this comment, I reserve that for the work of the very best. This comment by clem@dhol.com.