Early To Bed
by GolferDDS

Comment:
This will likely seem obscure to most viewers but this is an interesting concept. Voters will ask why it includes one and only one darkened egg. Most folks will have difficulty understanding your central theme and you may suffer at the ballot box as a result.

It looks like the black is not solidly black and that you might need to adjust black higher under a selective color adjustment. What is good about it is there is no distracting background elements showing through.

Focus is a little difficult to judge. It appears that it was focused on the front of the carton but that the DOF was not great enough to keep the back row of eggs as in sharp of focus as the ones in the front. A smaller aperature and longer shutter speed would take care of that.

Secrets of the Dark
by Xilebo

Comment:
The lighting perspective and composition (except for inclusion of the top of the pot at the bottom) is the strength of this image.

On the technical side the lighting is too strong for the exposure so the petals of the blossoms are overexposed in several places. That is to bad, this is really a nice shot. It might be improved with a shorter exposure time that would not only cure the overexposed petals but provide a darker and less distracting background that would better fit the challenge theme.

On an interesting side note many cactus open their blossoms at night to be pollinated by bats and other night creatures and then close again forever within 18 to 48 hours. This is true of the Saguaro Cactus in Arizona. I've spend a agood deal of time photographing those blossoms over the last month or so but never photographed it after dark. Maybe I should have. :) My blossom shots are here:
//www.pbase.com/azleader/saguaroblossom

Darkness on the Water
by ArtK

Comment:
Nice perspect close to the surface of the water. Light reflected off the ripples is the strength of this image. Simplicity is it's virtue.

The horizon might be just a touch low on the left side. Though it is common at DPC for skies to have blow out, overexposed areas like you have here and some place very high in challenges it is not a good practice. You should always strive to prevent or correct it unless there is a powerful reason to include it.

The image is low contrast and needs to have a black point properly set.

Porchlights
by mikala

Comment:
This is dark all right nd fits the theme but needs some interst added to it, like one or two people siting in the chairs doing something out in the evening air.When a screen door and doorbell occupy prominent positions in the composition you have to question what you have captured and thing of ways to make it more interesting.

On the technical side it looks like the white balance may be incorrect or thatyour camera is just incapable of handling the lighting conditions. A dirty yellow hue is common in digital night images. The focus is not strong in this image and it does not appear level to the horizon. Looks like it is a couple of degrees off.

Night Life
by BKerr

Comment:
Nice twist. This could be interpreted both in a positive fun way or as a bright manifestation of a dark addiction - gambling.

The overall general quality of the image is good. Lighting works well. Most viewers will search for a central place to focus their attention but will not find one. The will also wonder why the crane on the right side of the frame is included. The casino with lavender lighting in the foreground occupies a prominent place in the image but is the least architectually intersting building in the scene. It would have been better to have a more intersting building occupy such a prominent place. All that will contribute to lower scores.

Loss
by LadeeM

Comment:
What better theme for a darkness challenge than an image of despair and hopelessness? Well done B&W. Including the bright window is perfect contrast to your subject's despair. That gives the feeling she has given up on life.

This may have been intentional but the focal plan is in front of your model and on her legs rather than her face. Focusing on the face would be worth consideration. There are two tiny items, one on the far laft side of the screen and the other on the far right. Since the viewer cannot tell what they are they act as a distraction and probably should be removed from the composition through a framing change or cloning.

dark company
by kingfisher27

Comment:
Alchoholism is a very dark and appropriate theme for this challenge. You have captured it exceptionally well. B&W and grain works good in this image. The way your model is positioned leaning against an uncomfortable wall and the way he is holding the glass and bottle says it all! Kudos for a great capture.

Tools of the trade
by _Io_

Comment:
Strong blue is a great color for high scoring images. Just review past ribbon winners and you will see that it crops up frequently.

At first glance it is not immediately apparent what this image is about. In most, but not all cases, viewers should instantly recognize what the image is and make a connection to it. That is probably difficult for most male voters.

Though not particularly creative or unique the composition of this image is fine. The focus perhaps is too soft. It needs a stronger and more apparent central theme.

into the darkness...
by riley

Comment:
Good attempt to convey darkness. There is a fine line between artistic soft focus and just plain being out of focus and this image flirts with that line. It likely will not work with many voters. Use of some type of luminosity filtering might convey the concept a little more concretely and make it more acceptable to viewers.

verall this image has very low contrast and that was probably done on purpose as well. But in the concept of darkness a good solid black point is probably advised.

A great artistically altered image always starts out with a great image to begin with. Ask yourself, "Is this a great image to begin with?". Is is an image that stands strong on it's own before adjustment and outside the concept for this DPC challenge? This image probably does stand strong on its own but adjusting it for the challenge degraded it's appeal.

When taking picture if you find yourself thinking "If I just do this and this and this it will be great" then the image is probably not right in the first place.

Commute to Obscurity
by Strikeslip

Comment:
Technically well done image. Good capture of a subway tunel and well within the concept of darkness for most viewers. Generally speaking the use of selective desat for images at DPC is gratuitous in most cases, but it works very well here to add considerable interest to the composition. The bright red light just plain works well!