Apologies for the delay in our judging, but we've finally chosen the monthly winners of our Photo of the Day contest for November, 2008. Here's a look at November's winners, along with some comments from the judges:

The judges loved the dark, moody composition and stark contrast in this shot. It did a great job of evoking bygone days and the harsh, steel-on-hot-steel feeling of a blacksmith's shop. We also liked how artfully the photographer burned-in (darkened, for those who don't remember the days of darkrooms, enlargers, and chemicals) parts of the image to contribute to the moodiness of the image as well as to remove distracting details and concentrate more attention on the primary subject. It can be tricky to dodge or burn in ways that look natural for the scene, but Goran did a great job on this shot. Congratulations!

This is a very simple composition, but simplicity in images is a good thing more times than not. The water droplets on top of the leaves added good depth to the image, while the meniscus around the leaves caused by the water's surface tension nicely framed and called attention to the main subject. The softness of the surrounding (reflected) background is also great, contrasting nicely with the sharp detail in the leaves themselves. (Deanna may have used some post-capture blurring in Photoshop to soften the background, but if so, it was subtly done, and the transition from soft to sharp is very natural-looking.) Nice job!

We see a *lot* of bird photos here at the IR POTD, but really good bird shots are awfully hard to capture. Don Holland's shots of large waterbirds often grace our daily winners page; this time, he makes it into the monthly winners circle with this superb shot of a much smaller subject, a small hummingbird. Perfectly posed, tack-sharp detail in the bird's plumage, and excellent isolation from the background make this real prize-winning photo. (We suspect Don may have blurred the background or substituted a different one entirely, but that's perfectly fine in this contest. The key is that nothing interfered with the subject or looked unnatural in the final image.) Congratulations, Don!

Indirect Lighting	High Society	A perfect day in Grand Canyon
by Marius Sabo	by David Apeji	by Graeme Chow KY

There you have it: 30 great Photos of the Day, with 3 exceptional ones capturing top honors - so what are you waiting for? That could be your photo up there this time next month! Dig through your digital shoe boxes, pick your best and join the fun!