And they will come for YoU next...

Beautiful picture, very rich in color and detail. Well done!

*sigh*
It's a nice photo. But why is the trend leaning towards, that there has to be garbage somewhere in the photo? In my oppinion, it would have been a far better photo, if you had removed that branch.

...actually, I take that back. It's seaweed. But yeah, same message.

Nice! This one is even better than your A Touch of Red. Great capture of an amazing sky that evening.

Nice sky, crap water..sorry. Slow exposures on moving waves just ruins it for me.

I prefer a touch of red, but this is nice. I kinda agree about the slow exposure on the water, but I imagine it'd be awfully hard to get that right.

this is fabulous and my new wallpaper for awhile ...

Could have been better without that alien thingy to be honest. But still a good picture.

What makes this wallpaper good are the colors. It's very easy on the eyes and isnt distracting.

@ debichu its easy to criticise but i dont see you doing any better, i happen to think that the seaweed add to some foreground interest rather another empty beach shot...
@ Clyde the exposure on the water give the picture a sense of movement and helps to add the the dynamics of the photograph... this is a very good shot indeed !

Nice pic, but I have a comment akin to debichu's. Why is it so trendy to post such dark pictures? I like dark and shadowy, but this needs to be balanced by light and airy. Methinks the trend toward dark is because it covers up flaws better, and most people are hesitant to say anything about somebody's hard work. Sorry, that doesn't wash and the same goes for neon grass and other over saturated colors. Doing these things are very amateurish and if this comment insults you then maybe you need to re-examine your whole process.

I agree with jman. I spend a lot of time in front of one computer or another and the darker wallpapers are much easier on my eyes. The bit of seaweed in the foreground adds balance to the overall composition.

I wish everywhere could look like New Zealand. Beautiful sunset!!!

Beatiful.

now this is a damn 5d mark ii picture...finally, something with quality. what a great example of what the 5d mark ii can produce. i don't have a dslr, but if i had the money to buy one, the first choice would be the 5d mark ii. excellent job on this piece of art.

This is really frightening. Has anyone seen Chris Gin lately ;> ??

I agree with jman as well -- the color scheme works very well as a wallpaper.

I think A Touch of Red just seems more interesting of a photo.

However, that isn't to say this isn't great -- it's very well done and the long exposure doesn't bother me at all :-)

Please excuse me ... I really enjoy this site , but has turned into a photo contest site (I like the White Tiger)

Can someone out there give me some good wallpaper sites ?

Thank you for your time ...

Wow thanks for the comments.

OK
1. Foreground kinda thought a blank beach would be boring so I included the kelp. I also liked the look of the foreground ;-)
2. Photography is about light, to light the foreground so that it wasn't a dark blob the shutter needed to be open for a certain amount of time, this affects the water. So options were dark foreground perfect (to some) water, or as I did.

This is an awesome photo, I really like it. Seriously, I don't know why people have brain explosions over what they like and don't like. Personally, I love this, thanks for sharing it, you're the man. Keep them coming, thanks.

@onis_uk So this site is ratio-based? I can't have an oppinion about something without having something to show so I've got something to have it in? I think I'm entitled to have an oppinion. But apparently you're the king of this site and everything you say is rule. You know what, actually I'm not bothered...

The colour-composition is good enough on its own. The picture tilts to the right with the seaweed in the bottom, the small islands and the black cloud. The long exposure makes the water look sort of fake or made on a pc. Or let me put it another way: the rest of the picture is lovely sharp, but the water looks blurry. I certainly don't see it as movement. It also looks like someone went nuts with the blur tool at the right side edge of the water. And as @resolution says: a touch of red on the sky wouldn't have hurt a bit.

That said, the shot is still good. Eventhough it reminds me of "Driftwood" by Macindows. But that might just be me.

@onis_uk
You see, I completely disagree with you comment that a long exposure on the water gives a sense of movement. IMO, all it does is turn the water into a one piece solid mass. A strange and very un-natural effect for something that should be raw, powerful and animated.

I agree with jman - It is really easy on the eyes and it is perfect for a wallpaper. The "Alien" is a really nice touch and makes for great composition.

I also agree with onis_uk - without the long exposure on the water - it would look horrible and choppy. Good call Auckland.

I don't understand why a few people are upset and criticizing Auckland's beautiful photo. It is a free wallpaper worth downloading! I agree - It isn't PERFECT, but it sure is a LOT better than I (and most of you) could ever do.

Nice one, stubulman. Ha!

And it's spelled "opinion" if anyone cares. Just an afterthought, really. Great photo!

awesome view man.

I want to know why everything has to be "perfect"? This world isn't perfect so why does this picture need to be? I think this picture is much better off with the kelp left in. It's truly natural. Not to mention the water looks beautiful to me. I say good job to the poster. I also find it worth noting that Clyde mentioned a picture should be "raw, powerful and animated". I think this kelp inclusion is about as raw as it gets.