I vote for this one every day because I think it is worthy...I don't think this photographer has to cheat because the work speaks for itself...I don't know who this photographer is, I just like this photo...I would never vote for a photo that is not deserving just to help someone win..because that would only hurt the photographers reputation...I will keep voting on this one until the voting is over.

Wow! Thank you very much everyone for all the support and voting, its greatly appreciated! Its so difficult to get any recognition for ones work without unfair or excessive self promotion, even as a professional. Thats why Im still stuck in here Charlotte. Thank you all again. Warmest regards.

Great Shot

Hi Michael, I'm surprised that you weren't accused of cheating as well, but I apologize to you too. I voted for this photo to get it back up above the floating head photo that had been voting itself to the top. I noticed its been deleted since I last logged on. I was voting on this photo, brittany's photo, and cherokees rose photo, trying to get them back to the top where I thought they belonged.

Stunning B&W!

just so everyone can see how often everyone has appeared in the top 12 in the contests that have ended this far. numbers on the lesser amounts will change as they have photos in contests that are still open zepherillas, 18 times. kateri12 11 times, georgedelouche and kathrynreynolds each with 10 times, cherokee 6 times, nvimages 4 times, abrick 4 times, girlk 4 times, micheal church, 3 times, athenamarie 3 times in one category, shiro 2 times and lacy 2 times.

Folks, vote-stuffing is not cheating, its allowed. VH1 could block it entirely with a simple line of code, but they dont. And while you can be eliminated for breaking the Official Rules, the line about one-vote-per-day is not in the Official Rules. Its in the FAQs. What follows is a fast and effective way to vote-stuff, but there may be better ways. First, create a Critic account with a fake email address and a very simple password. A good password is five quote-marks in a row, since the quote-mark key is right next to the Enter key on your keyboard. Login to your new account, being sure to Copy your email address so you can Paste it later. Go to your photo of choice and repeat the following over and over -Step 1 Click on VOTE NOW.-Step 2 Click on LOGOUT.-Step 3 Click on your browsers back-arrow.-Step 4 Click on LOGIN.-Step 5 Paste your email in the email field.-Step 6 Type in your password, and then hit your Enter key.-Return to Step 1.Sometimes youll be thwarted by pop-up ads, but simply click on your back-arrow and then forward-arrow to avert them. If youre quick you can crank out 5 votes per minute, close to 300 an hour. Realize that Critic profiles show their last 12 votes. So when finished voting for your photo, vote for 12 of the other photos in the contest to keep your competition from finding your trail and viciously pouncing on you.This is crazy, but this is whats happening at the Top5 level of this competition. Ive out paced several of the Top5 regulars using this method in click-sprints against each of them. So if you have a great photo, be prepared to do a lot of clicking to reach and remain in the Top5. Then be prepared for really nasty critiques and verbal abuse from stealth critics, who are actually your competitors and their friends in disguise. And have a sense of humor when you see contestants fain ignorance about all the votes they receive and act humbled by all the attention. These contestants are the real masters of the game. If attention is what you crave, welcome to the rat race!

You are funny Smith, yet I also think it's sad this contest has resorted to the tactics you described. Perhaps I stand corrected, maybe the photogs I left comments for about their photos really did 'stuff the votes', I don't know. You are so right, with respect to the pouncing of 'stealthy critics' and their abusive antics. I hadn't considered the 'fain ignorance' and humbled acting by the attn, you are dead on there as well. Guess I 'd like to believe in the honor system, that people actually got to the top, because their peers voted them up there. That would be the ideal...but who said this world was ideal any way. Best wishes and Seasons Greetings

This is a nice little discussion we've got going on, but remember, there's nothing fair about the world we live. In fact, these days you almost have to cheat to get ahead or win, look at all the steroid use in professional sports. In a competitive industry, getting to the top is no longer about talent and hard work, it's about constant self promotion and brand recognition. You don't have to be better or more talented than the next photographer, you just have to be better at marketing yourself and getting your work seen by who matters. What's been happening with this contest is exactly what is going on in the professional world all the time, manipulating the system for your on benefit. Trying to play the game fair doesn't really get you anywhere, take it from me. I've spent a great deal of my life developing my talents and conducting myself with integrity, and it has not gotten me noticed. Talent isn't what gets you to the top, it's what keeps you there. I don't like it either, but that's the reality of the creative world. Best regards.

This is a very beautiful piece. It so very surreal.