The Guardian!
by Ecce_Signum

Comment:
(This post may sound stupid or redundant, but I like to comment -before- I read other's comments. Keeps me non-biased)
I must say, for luck you sure hit this one on the nose! If the judges saw what my wife & I both saw, you would have made blue! The flame shape looks so much like a small humanoid figure (in flowing robes) standing on top of the coins, adding or tabulating on some kind of device or pad. (Probably a tax collector.) The figure is facing forward to the left looking down at his/her hands. I would say that the image carries a message about the burden of money.

Second D.Q.
by KDO

Comment:
JelloPhotog,
I agree with some of the posters here that this was an unfair DQ. I have been nothing more than an observer here DPC for some time, and have had a chance to extinguish my own bias for many of the challenge entries. From what I have read of most of the rules @ DPC, it seems to me that while these are 'digital' photo contests, the council is attempting to 'challenge' the photographer/artists by using only the simple/classic darkroom techniques. With this particular image, there are masking & "light painting" techniques used in standard darkrooms that produce this same effect by overexposing targeted areas of the film. Many of the old "photo-frauders" used this technique to create UFO's on film images. I apologize for such a long post. In closing, I will say again this entry was unfairly DQ'd as I believe the council overlooked this classic technique.