A pleasant good day to all of you talented photogs!

And hello to the non-talented ones too. Kidding! Just kidding!!

This week we had a secret guest judge @condra who dedicated his time to review every single entry and make the difficult decisions! He is a great photographer, and you should take a look at his page.

I also went through all the entries and must reiterate how many great shots we have pouring in each weekend. I mean, just look at the photographs in this post alone! Make sure you go through the #steemitphotochallenge and upvote your favourites, spread the love!

@condra has written a few sentences for each of the winners, which is a nice touch.

I agree with his picks for SPC #4, do you?

Without further ado..

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Honourable Mentions — 10 Steem Each!

@trisnawati Submission

"@trisnawati entered the contest more than 3 times so, as per the rules, we only considered her first 3 entries. Luckily, all her entries were superb. More impressive again, the fact that all her work is shot with a cellphone and “lensbong” adapter. This butterfly is simply stunning, and the sharp focus on the eye is very impressive. "

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@kristylynn Submission

"These beautiful wild dandelions are great photo subjects, and the hazy (evening/morning) light adds a sense of ethereal calmness. The shallow depth of field and side lighting give an immersive “3d” feel. "

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@rznag Submission

"The details of this lily flower are sharply captured in this photo. Composition is great, with the flower “facing” into the negative space. The colour edit is a bit on the extreme side for my taste, but it’s a great capture by any measure."

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@alexandre Submission

"This simple composition is beautifully lit and shot. The red ladybird stands out perfectly from the green leaves, especially with the water droplets and highlight across its wing. The photo submitted was very low resolution and limited technical details, which perhaps made it harder to fully appreciate."

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@emilyjane Submission

"All three of @emilyjane’s submissions were great, but the frog really caught my eye. The marriage of perfect focus, soft lighting and simple compositions were key to the brilliance of all 3 of @emilyjane’s submissions."

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@minion Submission

"The foliage of an evergreen tree might not usually make for such a compelling photo, but @minion draws our attention to a water droplet which may be about to fall off. The extra layers of foreground and background give extra depth to an otherwise simple shot. Notice there are only two main colour tones, green and brown. Simplicity is often paramount to the success of a macro photo."

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Third Place — 50 Steem!

@bebecitosfotos - The Forlorn Flower

"Both of @bebecitosfotos’s entries this week were stunning, but this “Forlorn Flower” was outstanding. Even without the clever title, the pose of the flower, along with the droplets of water give a sort of forlorn anthropomorphic sense to the subject, bringing an otherwise mundane subject to life. Composition is simple and effective with no unnecessary elements and the subtle editing draws our attention immediately to the subject. Technically and conceptually excellent."

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Second Place — 100 Steem!

@dercoco - Barney the Leopard Gecko

"Barney the Leopard Gecko is the perfect subject for a macro photograph. His striking eyes are in perfect focus, giving the photo a certain shock value. The “uplight” is unusual, and perfect to increase edge to this subject matter. Again, the background is simple. Without distraction, giving the image perfect graphical impact."

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First Place — 150 Steem!

@mweich - Bombus Ignitus

"Shot with reasonably modest kit, this stunningly colourful photo captures a bee at a flower at the perfect moment, in the perfect light. Focus at the near side of the eye allows us to see the most important details, while a shallow depth of field blurs out background distractions. A brilliant macro shot, it is very simple at a glance, yet enjoyable to study in detail. @mweich has been posting stunning photography on Steemit for the past week that has mostly gone unnoticed. Hopefully winning this contest will help get him the exposure he deserves. "

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Please give me some feedback on this challenge.
What would you change? What would you take out?
Are you all getting sick of these?!

What kind of prizes would you like to see?

Leave some feedback in the comments below so that I can know what you're all thinking about the Steemit Photo Challenge.

Personally, I'd like to see more Steemit Originals, meaning photographs that were taken specifically for the competition, with a little blurb about the day / shoot.

Thanks to @condra, @berniesanders and all the photographers that submitted this weekend!

See you this weekend for SPC #5!

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