Very Large Array, New Mexico
by strangeghost

Comment:
The VLA has appeared in numerous other movies in addition to Contact.

Sylvan
by rblanton

Comment:
Beautifully soft tones and textures. Marvelous!

Bell, Book and Candle - Darkness of the Spirit
by Riponlady

Comment:
This image won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it has a strong relationship to the challenge (IMO) and is technically a sound shot. Regarding its relationship to the challenge, some might object (or not understand) the metaphorical "darkness" to which you directly allude, and others who understand might be turned off by the apparent connection to satanism. So I'm guessing you're taking it on the chin in the voting, right? Too bad.

Technical merits, you filled the frame, chose a fairly simple setup, composed it well. I love how darkness frames your subjects. Focus is excellent and you've maintained good exposure throughout - not easy to do when you're photographing a candle. Both book and candle seem to be leaning a tad toward the left but that's probably a perspective thing.

I gave this photo a six at first pass and returned now for comments. I'm leaving it at six because it meets the challenge and is technically sound. What it lacks is punch or "wow." There's nothing there that really makes me stop and stare. In fact, if it weren't for the title of the book, there would be no obvious connection to the dark arts. Perhaps a wand or witch's hat, or something similar??

Calmness of Night
by alanfreed

Comment:
Just fantastic. I'll be back to comment later.

Darkness Is Waiting For Sleep That Will Not Come.
by mhommel

Comment:
Conceptually brilliant. The negative space is all great. The mood of this photo perfectly captures the spirit of the challenge, IMO.

Towards the Westmann Islands
by andri

Comment:
Beautifully simple and simply beautiful.

asphalt dreams
by pcody

Comment:
I'm dying to see how you achieved this effect. I've come back to this pic several times and still love it. Bumping up.

Tools
by charliebaker

Comment:
Superbly creative effort in a challenge filled with yawns. I LOVE this image. Positively gritty. My only 10 of this challenge.

House of Cards
by ChasSourek

Comment:
Wow. Awesome.

God Bless....Construction?
by cowcollect

Comment:
Hey, a fellow Madisonion! Colors seem a bit muted - could have boosted saturation a bit.