Man there sure are a lot of trolls that comment on these photo contests. Bunch of creeps. I know you people are just making these comments to stir up people's blood but did you think that gee someone is taking a photo of these girls so they really aren't left unattended? Metamora is a hidden gem, love that place.

Good advice Mark. I'm out:)

What a beautiful picture of your girls, Metamora is a Michigan treasure :)
P.S. keep making happy memories with them so they don't grow to be bitter adults ;)

The Detroit pic is very nice too. Very colorful!

Good luck to both of you!

The photo is sweet & beautiful.

Wow!! And people say I'm mean. ..... It's a great picture and a great memory for your children. Ignore the negative comments.
a bog like this is a great place to fish, even without bate you would get a nibble.

It is amazing what people will say when they can hide behind a computer screen. Rude and assinine comments they would never make in person. Congratulations, Holly on a beautiful picture! No need to explain any further as these idiots obviously cannot read and are just here to be rude and inappropriate!

Furthermore, this is the first time I've commented on a photo and I notice the "pending approval" label in the right hand corner? What does that say about the approval process considering what kind of comments are posted above???

I wasn't a judge, but I actually really liked this photo and, as the photo description stated, the boat was clearly docked on shore (look at the ground in the photo). It reminds me of when I was a kid, sitting in the rowboat with a fishing pole waiting to hit the inland lakes Up North. Very peaceful photo. Great work!

I do urge everyone to refrain from personal attacks. Appreciation of photography is definitely subjective, but making it personal is another matter. The idea of this contest is to showcase your favorite "Patch" of Michigan. For this particular photographer, this photo represented one of their favorite places, which we're sure they love for their own reasons. :)

I'm not going to be as nice as you, John.

Yolanda, A.W. and Stephanie – STOP. Now. Your trolling comments are negative, accusatory, contributing absolutely NOTHING of value to the conversation, and they are clearly violating our Terms of Use (troy.patch.com/terms), which I highly suggest you read over ASAP.

This is your one and only warning to be respectful of other posters or you WILL be banned from Patch.

Thank you.

It's incredibly sad that an innocent picture of two young girls fishing can be attacked so harshly. I think it's beautiful and kudos to you for sticking up to the ignorant people who feel as if they should comment before reading any of the captions or previous comments.

I was one of the judges this week, and it is very difficult to choose. I have been amazed at the quality and variety of photos we've received, so kudos to all of you amateur photographers! One of the things I like about this contest is that we have different judges each week, so that winners are not always chosen from the same point of view.

And I like the quick version of our Terms of Use: “Keep it clean,” “Don’t try to trick people,” and “Treat others as you’d like to be treated."

Great photos. I love the fact that not every lake or pond in Michigan is a beautifully clear lake. This is reminiscent of where my dad and I use to fish here in SE Michigan. Those are Michigan menories

it reminds me of the lake channel by my parents' house, which is prone to the occasional natural patch of algae but is uber-peaceful and has oodles of natural wetland beauty, or the inland lakes up in Ludington. Those also have the best fishing spots.

People just need to chill out and tone it down. This contest is supposed to be fun and celebratory of Michigan's treasures, not negative and accusatory.

Good work, Holly. Don't worry, those people are fake and they're just flaming for fun--too bad it's fun for no one else.
Great adorable photo!

What a beautiful photo Holly.From the comments it sounds to me like someone submitted an inferior photo and lost.

Holly:

Excellent image! For a landscape or "scenic" picture you did many things spot on. Namely, a point of interest in the foreground and a defined background. The reflection of the trees in the pond/lake work nicely to fill the middle ground. You use of the rule of thirds for the foreground subjects, the boat frames them nicely and the leading lines and angles in the background work well too. As a bonus your subjects were wearing bright colors to make them pop out from the scene.

So, don't take the negative comments to heart. It's just sour grapes!

Thanks so much to those of you who took the time to post positive and supportive comments. It is very much appreciated!!!

Those little girls are having some fun together and making some good memories - that's a pretty recreation area with a small lake for swimming and fishing, you can camp, ride bikes, hike the trails etc. Nice photo.

Those little girls are so sweet.And the picture is so beautiful wish I was there fishing.
So glad you won!!

What a beautiful picture, it just says summer in Michigan.....just beautiful!!!