Great Wall

@Linerberry: Thank you Linerberry - it was a special day, I still remember - and was so fortunate be able to distract myself on a weekend while traveling internationally. Usually my business trips don't even allow a few hour distraction, but I found the time to see this icon.

@Jason Kravitz: I wasn't aware entry was restricted there (other than some tough Visa requirements). I am glad I did go, especially now. I am watching the restrictions on Cuba carefully: perhaps someday I can visit there.

I did have to work with the image a little to bring up some contrast and interest on the great wall: was shooting an olympus camera, that creates a JPG file: and there was quite some haze in the sky (misty rain from time to time). I found the frame, with some emphasis on the reds, to be a strong option when I looked at my few photos from that trip. Glad you think it's a workable photo.

@Dulcie: Thank you Dulcie. It was a spectacular site (and a grueling hike).

@Magda: I did punch up the contrast for the mountains, and selectively toned mapped the frame and the pagoda to emphasize the reds : but starting from a 800 kbyte jpeg didn't give me much to work with.

@Sarito: I personally would have preferred a clearer day, but hey - if the community thinks the misty look adds to the photo - I guess it just shows the wide variation of art there is in the world: thanks for the kind words...

@jamesy: Thank you Jamesy. I am glad you found it amazing, I found the great wall (and the climb/hike) quite a highlight of my travels.

@P J W Miller: P J W - it's hard to capture the expansive feeling you get when you see the Great Wall: and appreciate how old it is, and how difficult it must have been to fight a battle against it so long ago. I am happy that UNESCO has recognized it as a major heritage item for restoration and preservation.

@sawsengee: I guess it's our challenge to take a tough photograph, and work with it - glad you liked this.

@dkc: thank you dkc

@Evelyne Dubos: Thank you Evelyne - your specific comments help me continue to improve my photos - thank you for your help!

@Marie-Hélène Ammor: Thank you Marie-Helene : I brought up all the detail I could with the image I had in the distant mountains in the mist.

@Linda: I am glad it's a unique perspective of something that is so commonly photographed. I am slowly being convinced that the haze may have worked in my favor for the day!

@Mathilde Collot: Thank you Mathilde, that's a very nice thing to say -

@Mariana: It didn't feel real the day I was there - the contrast was lousy, full of moody and misty rain - and I had a good camera, but not great: so the image I had to start from took some effort with my limited skills in PS to bring up some interesting detail. I think I made it workable with the framing, and the few spots of red in the photo. Thanks for the kind words. And, as for your Jean Genie, you should drop a note to Levi Strauss and see if they have a need for your image: it drew me in with your natural talent of revealing just enough.

@Ana Lúcia: Thank you Ana Lucia

@Didier DE ZAN: Thank you Didier. Your specifics inspire me to keep looking, reframe, and think before shooting!

@dj.tigersprout: Thank you DJ - coming from a master of light and composition, like yourself, I'm flattered you like this and actually used the word "majectic". I don't want to make you blush, but you made my day with that kind comment. I don't know if any photograph can really capture the impact of the Great Wall of China: it's an amazing feat of architecture from days long ago.

@Picture Box: Thank you for the specific feedback in your comment - it helps me think more and shoot less to know what works for others.

@Yvon: Thank you Yvon - (Merci Yvon). It was a grand spectacle. A fantastic location to visit.

@john4jack: Thank you Jack - the light was tough because of the haze, but with some contrast was able to pull out some of the details from the wall.

@B. Thomas: I think that I was fortunate to be using digital - and I spent nearly forty minutes in photoshop playing with this - being true to the original composition and what I saw: but also using contrast and tone mapping to make the image be as strong as I could make it within the limits of what I had to work with. It must have been fantastic to spend a month in China! I hope that was all vacation?

@B. Thomas: You should do both: revisit in Photoshop to whet your appetite, and then find a slow boat back to China to enjoy it some more. No doubt that China will have a large impact on US in the coming decades: and the more we each learn about each other - the better those decades will be. My children are learning Mandarin - as it's likely the next real language we need to succeed in business in the coming years (after all, China has a large amount of US T-bills right now: in a sense, they own a fair bit of the US government).

@dj.tigersprout: again, you're the best. or as my wife says, it must be great to join such a mutual admiration blog! I like your stuff, and you always have a guest bedroom in the bay area if you come back out this way - love to meet you someday!

@Sugata: That's high praise - thank you for your kind words. I guess the haze was the mother of invention!

@Ajay: Thank you Ajay. I took a handful of photos from that day, and this one was my favorite as it showed a unique point of view. Glad you liked it as well.

@starCosmosBleu: glad you liked the framing of the great wall, and the resultant image. yes, I've been fortunate to travel some with business.