Thanks to all your contributions in this round. You certainly gave me a hard time deciding on the winner.
There were a number of excellent images, some made in extremely challenging conditions. I wish I can have the chance to do those shots myself ! Eventually, after deliberating for half a day, Markus' submission of a garden statue hidden behind sprinkling water won my vote.
This image by Markus is awesome, especially when you look at it in its larger size. He had carefully picked a spot such that the water spray could catch the sunray, and yet let the garden statue peer through. I would say this is an excellent piece!
grompem
And the other outstanding works ...
Jojie has a knack of getting very good exposures in challenging conditions. The strong backlight would have thrown many photographers off. Yet, she managed to maintain good exposure for the couple, and capture a very unique moment in their lives.
jojie_alcantara
This image by Melamed got me thinking for quite a long time. And when that happens, it surely was among the leading contenders. The image gave me a great feeling of motion, as if I was right there!
melamed2
I have to give it to Dennis for giving us a colour splash from an alternative angle of a hot air balloon. A very good composition indeed!
fishit
As a nature photographer, I can appreciate the difficulties in making this image. The lighting, high shutter speed, anticipation, timing, and boredom while waiting. All for just one moment. And the bat even looked up to smile at the camera !
luxun54
Sandi showed us how a splash image can be made to exemplify peace and tranquility by juxtaposing a sharp and still leaf on a solid surface, with the waterfall in the background. And the other leaf at the bottom added more impact to the image.
sandiwhi
If this was shot in a real fire-fight, then hats off to Malcolm for his camera in the situation. While the splashes off the helmet were great, I wish there could be even a faint glimpse of the fire-fighter's eyes, or perhaps the equipment to show action. These elements would have made for a much stronger image.
niekirk
A HDR shot that captured all the water splashes that we could wish for! Great action and colours captured, but perhaps a flailing hand or an oar in the image could have made this image on a publication.
dacountryguy