Leaf Litter
by glad2badad

Comment:
Bump. Love the layered construction.

r e f l e c t i o n s
by Ja-9

Comment:
Joining the "shoulda done better" club. What I really, really like is the choice of including only the reflection of the woman observing the monument. That makes the image for me.

BTW, the monument, which was met with intense controversy at the time of its creation, has become for me THE most powerful, evocative place in Washington to stand and contemplate history. The "ghost" of a woman reading the wall reflects much more than captured light on granite.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower
by ArnaMarie

Comment:
In response to your post-challenge comment request:

I gave this a 5. In my scoring, this means a decent entry that just doesn't resonate for me. Specifically I'd agree with earlier comments about lack of central subject. I'd add support for cropping the tree on the left, but not sure I'd put the foreground log back in - it's lying at too much of a horizontal angle to lead into the scene.

For me the positives includes the restraint in your color processing. It's perfectly saturated for my taste, which tends to eschew the current preferences for exaggerated color and vibrance.

The biggest negative for me is the band of darker exposure and empty content that sits along the critical horizontal line defining the bottom third of the image. In particular, the pond which reflects the tree line above it is dark enough to lose some possibly interesting detail. You might consider reworking it with increased exposure and attention to the yellows in the reflection (which is sitting at a well-placed rule of thirds intersection).

l'arbre noir
by Ecce_Signum

Comment:
This was my hands down favorite for the challenge. A terrific blending of fluid movement and compositional strength. Not to mention a wonderfully subtle color palette. Bravo!

Forgotten Summer of 2015
by insteps

Comment:
Although, a bit late to the party, please count my admiration for the cover photo and the essay itself. I'm delighted to have discovered this corner of DPC and the captivating essays on display. I hope to find time to explore earlier postings. In the meantime, about the Maine Avenue Fish Market - Forgotten Summer of 2015 ...

For me, the essay combines text and image to tell parallel stories. The soon to be forgotten summer and the encroaching gentrification. As we've seen in San Diego, San Francisco and Portland, the fish markets can remain and continue to thrive, but never in the pure form from which they first came. I suspect the same will be true at Maine Avenue. You've documented a critical summer, I suspect.

Beyond the powerful cover, I also enjoyed the full set of photos - there's not one I don't want to linger upon.

The face you make when
by jgirl57

Comment:
Hi jgirl57:

I'm a cat lover so I find this appealing as a subject. A clever juxtaposition. I, too think a square crop of the left portion would improve the overall composition. the expressions are engaging, but there's too much els going on. The crop might focus the subject better. Given the light the way it is, I would have tried to amplify the white values. As it is there's an overall greyness that dulls the impact.

I didn't vote in this challenge (traveling and purposefully disconnected for a while), but think it would have been a 5 from me. I do think the raw material for a stronger image is here, though and could see different processing choices improving the impact and score.

equilibrium
by jagar

Comment:
Bravo, John.

Clearly the best of an overall strong set. Delightful composition to boot!

Jack takes a walk
by GeorgesBogaert

Comment:
Impressive effort and effective results. Congrats!

The flower fades that is not looked upon.
by KMcC

Comment:
Nice processing choices and aspect ratio. Effective use of f/8 in close-up range creates a nice balance of sharp and soft through the foreground/background planes.

Flow
by Alex_Petrini

Comment:
Whether intended or not, the implication of a cross just to the left of the hill's apex adds a dimension to an already powerful scene.