this withering flower of dreams
by posthumous

Comment:
the flower of sleep ...

Beautifully elegiac. The only one. 10. Thank you.

untitled
by bspurgeon

Comment:
Wonderful faces, all the more eloquent for their nearly negligent representation here. Very satisfying composition, all triangles, lines, connections and disconnections, but never formulaic (you'd hardly know the 'composition' was there, it's so unforced and natural). Brilliant tonal palette. And grain that a film photographer would adore. All in all, there's nothing better in the challenge. 10, and a big Thumbs Up from me
.

Untitled
by aznym

Comment:
In my top three because it's such a wonderfully interesting and restless picture. There's no way a viewer can just glance at this and be satisfied; it demands more engagement than that! Does the grain enhance that effect? Yes, of course. So does the fact that it's (unusually) in colour. As does the part-concealed face. As does everything, really. It's a superb, durable, marvelously open photograph! You've made the photograph (rather than the thing being photographed) the champion. That's a lamentably rare thing at DPC. Thank you. And please accept an Order of the Thumb:

the dog in the man
by jmritz

Comment:
Epic human landscape. So here's a Thumb in your eye!

cheeky
by Giles

Comment:
Excellent picture where the grain plays a supporting rather than dominating role. You've used a piccolo rather than a tuba, and so the effect is light, beautiful and melodious - rather than just a loud and dissonant fart. Thank you.

3
by RKT

Comment:
Good thought you had to use grain in a context where perfection of rendering is the norm. And to such very good effect, too! It's lovely. Thank you.

The cat who was enjoying the view, until I came along
by Neat

Comment:
Lovely, rebellious, anti-photography kind of photograph. What a relief! Thank you.

Transit Thought
by Magnumphotography

Comment:
Beautifully constructed picture. All the lines, smears and vapors make strange connections, as if we're seeing things here that are normally not visible. I'm moved to imagine a guardian angel in the form of a long-deceased grandmother, or something along those lines. And the oblivious fellow on the right is perfect; he's there, but this small scene is not for him. He doesn't even know it's happening. An absorbing photograph. Thank you.

The Awful Rowing toward God
by tnun

Comment:
Awwww, I didn't look at the Free Study till now, so I missed out on getting full surprise value for this gorgeous 3-dimensional-2-dimensional paradox. What a beautiful thing it is, and how perfect for the irreconcilable madness implied by the title. But at least now I can make my first approach to Anne Sexton full of an eager hunger. Thank you.

Edit to add:
In a recent forum thread posthumous reflected on the fact that, inter alia, the interaction between title and image was often an opportunity for experiencing a heightened appreciation. This picture and title is a signal example of that. There are many folks who insist that every photograph must be able to stand without its title, presumably taking the view that a 'proper' photograph needs no words to achieve its potential. This picture exposes that view for the dismal bloody defeatism that it is. Without the titular nudge, it's an interesting and lovely thing. With it, the veil is lifted and the viewer is irresistibly invited inside.

Message edited by author 2011-11-10 00:17:38.

The Fall of the House of Usher
by mariuca

Comment:
Beautiful, complex and absorbing. And, for all of its apparent simplicity, a very sophisticated vision. 7. Thank you.