Mesquite Mystique
by Frank Beckman

Comment by MaYz:
I like how the flash fills in the whole foreground.

Mesquite Mystique
by Frank Beckman

Comment by LindaLee:
An interesting shot, but I have a feeling of almost too much light. I would have preferred a more mysterious lower light level than this. I like the composition. lhall-7

Mesquite Mystique
by Frank Beckman

Comment by karmat:
I like the composition and I think this is one example where a flash (maybe a flash?) worked well. karmat

Mesquite Mystique
by Frank Beckman

Comment by alanfreed:
Interesting composition! I'm guessing you must have used the flash, and kept it open for a couple seconds longer? Unique shot, indeed.

Stairway to Heaven
by Frank Beckman

Comment by stephan:
I especially liked the telephone poles on the left and how they repeated the form of your main subject. In fact, I even would have liked to see more of them. Now, after your explanation, I also understand your intent of the negative space and I must say: well thought. Unconsciously both things (plants in the foreground and the telephone poles) did exactly what you described. I agree with the others who think the lighting is a bit dark. It looks like a bright sunny day but somehow there is not enough contrast.

Stairway to Heaven
by Frank Beckman

Comment by Frank Beckman:
This cross is 190 feet tall (19 stories) It is located in a field about 40 miles East of Amarillo, TX.
The Cross is the main subject of the picture of course and to me everything in the picture defines the Cross:
1.The telephone poles give scale to it�s size
2.The grass and weeds show that it is located in just a plain old field out in the middle of nowhere.
3.Clouds, I would have been just as pleased if the clouds had not been there that day but sense they were I decided to name the picture �Stairway to Heaven� because generally Heaven is thought to be in the clouds.

The �Wow� for me was the size of the cross and how everything around it depicted its size.

Stairway to Heaven
by Frank Beckman

Comment by lightplayer:
this shot is too busy, with the weeds in the foreground, telephone poles and such

Stairway to Heaven
by Frank Beckman

Comment by courtenay27:
Beautiful clouded day for this photo. I think it works well for this challenge because even though the sky is rather cloudy (which some may not consider negative space) the fact that our brain recognizes sky as being generally an expansive, empty space keeps our attention focused on the cross and foreground only glancing up to see the shapes in the clouds. The few telephone poles and weeds (twigs?) in the front are only very minor distractions once you start looking all around the photo and the weeds actually provide a useful element by breaking into the space of the sky, I think. Nice shot.
Score: 8
Courtenay

Stairway to Heaven
by Frank Beckman

Comment by ambaker:
Interesting pic. A smidge dark for my tastes. Not sure that it says Negative Space to me though.

Stairway to Heaven
by Frank Beckman

Comment by Yomi:
That's weird that they'd put a cross in the middle of the field like that. Great shot. 6