Woefully behind on my commenting (yours is the oldest shot in my "to do" folder, and gosh, that goes back to April!) - but belated congrats on your strong finish. The negative effect carries most of the punch of course, but the fact that it is also a well-composed shot makes this one a standout.
Catherine - That is one weird looking Peacock - they don't look like that around these parts! Great job taking a wonderful image and making it even more dramatic.
Wow! I was feeling a little disappointed because I actually took a shot for this challenge and I forgot to enter it. So I thought I would stop in and vote just to see how well my picture might have done in this challenge. This is only the 3rd picture I’ve seen so far. I’m just getting started, but this is already my pick for the blue ribbon. Hehehe it’s simply stunning. I might come back here after voting and let you know how many 10s I gave away in this challenge. This one will be hard to beat. Congratulations on a great shot.
_Update: I'm amazed at the quality of some of the shots in this challenge. I wasn't expecting this challenge to produce the kind of quality i found in so many shots. I gave out ten 10's and I will still expect to see this one on the front page. Good luck!!!