very lovely perspective and very well taken dear Man...thanks for sharing with me about your boys yesterday...actually i ahve the same thoughts as you!I have been dreaming of a third kid just to relive their cute bubbly baby-toddler moments!haha..But whether i should return to workforce and when i should do that have been at the back of my mind for many days...i am sure you will be missing Ethan when he goes to school,sigh,i miss caleb so much,even though it is just 3 hours!

9 Jan 2008 7:06am

Andrew Gould from Sydney, Australia

A very creative approach to composition here, Mandy, and it's worked out very well. The little you show here of the subject and the beach, suggests the whole picture.

9 Jan 2008 7:20am

kairospix from Singapore, Singapore

very cool shot!
love the blur in the back and how it contrasted and brought up the foreground!

9 Jan 2008 8:09am

Michael Skorulski from Cigel, Slovakia

So interesting. Like a visit to a South African beach. Your title almost has religious overtone. Love the composition.

9 Jan 2008 8:47am

sangram from mumbai, India

nice perspective

9 Jan 2008 9:17am

Ondro "n_c" Miklas from Brezno, Slovakia

nice soft picture :)

9 Jan 2008 9:59am

eddy from Tehran, Iran

could be sharper with better focus

9 Jan 2008 10:15am

Viewfinder from Bradenton, United States

For me, the great depth of this photo goes beyond the excellent and sharply focused on the individual's feet surface image, to the title and the baptismal implication. This is a masterpiece Mandy, and you are definitely a people-photographer who can use the surroundings to make strong, positive visual statements. Bravo!

9 Jan 2008 12:21pm

@Viewfinder: Hey Vf - THANK YOU SO Much!! That's exactly what I had in mind when I titled the shot - the continuous washing of the waves reminds me of how God just continues to wash our sins away each and every day.

Thank you for the great encouragement my dear friend - it was so GREATLY appreciated, it has encouraged me to try more of these types of shots! :)

Morris J. Chisholm from Thunder Bay, Canada

Oh! This looks so good and so warm. It's minus 20°C where I am. I miss summer.

9 Jan 2008 3:14pm

Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada

LOL that's exactly where my feet feel like being lol ;)

9 Jan 2008 3:45pm

Ina from Krugersdorp, South Africa

Excellent capture!

9 Jan 2008 8:02pm

Michael from Wuppertal, Germany

This is GREAT!
This picture will go very well with the following poem. I think you will know it
and I love it so much...

One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand:
one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him
he looked back, at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life
there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it:
"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied:
"My son, My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you,
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

9 Jan 2008 8:25pm

@Michael: Hey Michael.

Thanks so much for that!!! You're right it actually fits perfectly and while I was uploading the picture I was actually juggling two titles for the image - Footprints in the Sand (after the poem above) or Washed Clean!!! hahahah.

Thanks so much for stopping by! :)

standley from brou-sur-chantereine, France

Very nice capture Mandy. I like the focus and the DOF

9 Jan 2008 9:38pm

Brian from West Lafayette, United States

This is an especially poignant picture for those of us in the US Midwest who are battling our way through another winter. Thank you for the reminder that there are still places where the sun shines and the air is warm!

9 Jan 2008 10:04pm

Rebecca from Leicester, United Kingdom

Absolutely Beautiful, dear Mandy. I love this so much, and VF and Michael have expressed so well the thoughts that come to my mind too as I gaze at this utterly sublime image. Truly heartfelt Bravo, dear friend.

9 Jan 2008 11:36pm

Rags from Plano, United States

water can have such symbolism. I love the image. I hope that the persons feet were cleaner than they were before the person went to the beach.

10 Jan 2008 1:23am

Ryan from Brisbane, Australia

Another great pic Mans. You managed to capture beauty & simplicity of the beach. Not only do I love the contrast of colours, but also the contrast of the potentially powerful waves in the background and the delicate remnants of the sea on the sand before it disappears back into the ocean

10 Jan 2008 1:54am