Ok, the ones I voted for were:
jgda9rs (of course
)
LdS
jacoja
alex & TW (I just couldn't decide which shot to vote, and would feel really bad to vote for one of these and not the other)
Here are my thoughts on every shot on this poll.
Beerz - It's me.
jgda9rs - Like I summarized before, it's a great shot.
The entire cleanup work on the car must've taken many hours and it's almost flawless, retaining a very good control over the lighting. Not an easy task, especially with a racing car, with its sponsors and in this case, green patterns all over. 👍
The only down points I can see are the dirt (which should be more subtle, by lowering the opacity a bit), and the shot's tilt (maybe a bit too much), coupled with the fact that the front is closer to the frame's edge than the rear, making it appear it's escaping the frame itself. Not a big deal, considering all he's done on this one.
LdS - Probably the best shot I've seen from you so far, mate.
The entire scenery, in either the blur and the tones, is extremely well achieved, and the car itself stands out greatly from the surroundings (still, thecar cutout appears to have something "weird" about it), looking pretty much alive while having a slight colour desaturation.
Also, the light shining on the car's panels looks very realistic to me, and the lines you reworked fit in nicely.
NTX - As alex said, it has some exaggerated blur on the image, which hides many of the car's details. Pity, because the shot itself had quite a potential for being really powerful and in-your-face, namely with the choice of track, which provides in this angle a nice spray on the back that would really make the car stand out on the whole image.
Also, great car choice and the tone of blue is very well depicted.
jacoja - Holy crap! Seriously, man.
The way you reworked the lines is jaw-dropping, executed in perfection. I'm not so sure about the big dodged line separating both reflection tones on the rear as it doesn't look as natura as the rest, but I guess it still was a good move because the back of that car is a bit empty, and it would probably look weird without it. Well played.
But it's the lower part of the car's back that takes the cake. The way you reworked and dodged the light's 'dishes', the subtle glow and especially the tailpipe, are ultra-top notch.
Only things I'm not quite fond of are the road's colour (seems to clash a bit with the blue, as it has some green on it) and the rims, that look almost stock, with highlights almost too subtle to be noticed, making them look flat.
GT Pro - It's a good shot, with a well cleaned car and a nice blue tone matched by the cones, but I found the car's back being blurred and the blur on the road (not quite pointing at the "right" direction) were a bit of a throw off.
Still, a good effort on his shot and some hints of natural talent emerge from the shot. 👍
alex - I've got to pick your brain to find out how the hell do you do certain stuff.
The ultra-realistic lighting on the Astra, and the dodging you do, which is done to the slightest detail and with major perfection just leave me speechless. Those rims look the part, and you even highlighted the back tire and the rear light of the car.
Also, the way you exposed the rollcage inside the car is so good that makes me want to slap you silly. Seriously.
another strong point is the blur you used, especially on the track, which gives it a very distinct feel. 👍
Minuses for me on that shot are the blur on the trees on the farther side of the track, as they seem to be moving faster than the track, which is closer, and, to a much lesser degree, the fact that I always saw this theme as a "fight", and this shot has the Astra slaughtering the poor FTO.
(same photoshoot as the one with the Astra - lights on - and the FTO on the air?)
TW - As Mr. burns would say: "eeexcellent..."
Who would say that a monotone image could look so good? The road looks perfectly blurred, plus, you reworked two cars for this one.
The 280 looks fantastic, with the reflections done on a very subtle and controlled way, adding to the realism of the pic, and the car really shows much work went into it, either on the reflections or on the lines all around.
Nice touch with the sharpen on that chromed vertical pilar-thing, also adding to the detail of the pic, but you could've used some (more) also on the "big" headlight, to make it more glassy.
The Cappucino is also pretty damn good, with an excellent and more subtle light over it, as to not detract from the 280.
All in all, a very well thought-out shot, and executed almost flawlessly.
Plus, it's just perfect for this theme, imho.
(and you haven't forgotten to blur through the windows, which is always a good thing.
)
__________________________
So that it's clear, I voted on both shots on the last duel (first time I ever did that - ever) simply because I couldn't decide on which to vote. And believe me, I tried. I even picked up a piece of paper putting the pros and cons of each, and still couldn't make a decision on which one was better.
And I certainly wasn't going to pass up on voting on those, they both deserve it.