Blacklight hand painted daisies
by DCrest01

Comment:
An interesting construction - very much in the genre of abstract impressionism and in particular in the style of Jane Frank a noted artist who worked in several modalities of this impressionist style. As this reviewer certainly appreciates the tonality and style of this image and while it doesn't appear to exactly match the challenge subject, who cares. Well done.

Out of the Darkness Comes a Light
by JimiRose

Comment:
There is an interesting effect here that can be viewed two ways. One, that it's a flaw and two, it's a direct reflection of the title vs the image. Given that the image is effective, if not overly powerful from an emotional or artistic standpoint, the second impression is more likely the right one. There is also a rather intriguing anomaly in this image - the right side forhead is squared off which is in direct contradiction to the rather nicely formed and exposed curve on the left. In one way, the rather squared forehead is very Frankenstein's monster in effect. Given that there are several ways to view this image, the fair thing is to rerate it from a 7 to an 8.

When I am Awake
by AnnaXT

Comment:
When first viewed, there was a vague feeling that something wasn't right. On the third look, it became apparent that the head and throat were moving creating a slightly out of focus look that wasn't complimentary to the rest of the image by comparision to the detail of the still tree. Additionally, the lighting isn't the best, but that is probably the result of a overly bland indirect instead of direct lighting.

Silent dark
by fiona

Comment:
The impression given by the title does not equal the impression given by the image. The image itself is well lighted, there is a massive amount of detail available to look at in the marina and the sky is on the edge of night which is in direct contradiction to the concept of "dark". It's still a competant image, but not terrible effective given the title and the challenge subject.

Mourning
by MaryO

Comment:
The soft focus and lack of precise detail hurt this image which would have been a very natural entry into the challenge. A little more precision would have made this a naturalists dream as the expression on the dove is very complimentary to the nature of the challenge.

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend
by csick

Comment:
A little more light on the subject as this image is much too dark to have true dramatic or emotional impact. This is probably an artifact of the viewing proccess - the longer the image is viewed, the more details come out and the better it looks - which is odd, but true - the eye becomes adjusted to the image over time and becomes a diffeent image with different impact. There are some schools of psychology that use a similar technique to gain some insight into the personalities of prospective practitioners. That being said, this probably isn't what the author intended, but that's the way it comes across.

The Shadows Close In
by MsAmbrosia

Comment:
A good entry into the challenge, it lacks any significant point of interest to recommend a higher rating. The over use of shadow for effect is largely ineffective - a little more detail in the dark areas would have been a huge plus. The ship heading toward harbor is a good detail, but with no running lights, it fails to give an impression of dusk, evening or night and, in truth, the whole image just appears flat. While there are hints of color in the sky, it's ineffective and gives the impression of having been a color image post processed into an evening image.

Love in the darkness
by mitcsenkov

Comment:
Dropping out of third person mode for a single image, I'm always fascinated by the compare/contrast of title and image. In this case, the immediate impression was it's a good title, but a better one would have been "Isn't it Romantic". :>) Ahem - anyway, this image is very artistically impressive for several reasons. The partially lit faces, vague details, soaring staircase leading up, the foot against the wall - it's a perfect set piece that has all the appearance and feel of a candid portrait. The use of light and dark in addition to subtle color is sound, although the deep background could use a little more saturation. It's only natural to offer a suggestion and if the author has the chance to revisit this scene, a little (very little) foreground light would enhance the romantic effect. Originally an 8, it has been rerated to a 9.

Night Light
by scooter97

Comment:
Astrophotography is always appreciated by this reviewer and this is a perfect example of a subject that is not always captured properly. In this sense, the title and subject, while fairly common in several recent challenges, perfectly fits the challenge subject of darkness and is a inventive way to look at same. Normally, this reviewer has issues with over use of space, but, no pun intended, the space in this image is well used and very effective. Originally rated an 8, it has been rerated to a 9 for technical excellance if not artistic impression.

night
by dsh

Comment:
A nightmareish image of running in place is conveyed in this image very effectively and is a perfect expression of the dark and foreboding. The soft focus, direct side lighting and threatning background conveys a sense of dread and threat which meets the challenge of darkness. Originally rated an 8, it is rerated to a 9 due to a mistaken impression on the part of the reviewer. Well done.