Square Meal
by Bullwinkle

Comment:
I had a number of ideas for a Square Meal meal myself but none of them were as imaginative or as complete as this. A good idea, well executed.

Something Too Rare
by togtog

Comment:
This is a clever picture which works on a number of levels. Although the individual components are quite ordinary (boring) you've brought them together to make an interesting composition to make a statement. Definately a good example of thinking outside of the box.

Cool Vegas morning
by khanhx

Comment:
There are a host of really good photographs in this weeks competition but this is the one I keep coming back to. Excellent in every way, well done :-)

A Lunar Landscape
by Fibre Optix

Comment:
I don't know if it's right to describe a moonscape as "atmospheric" but I think its a great shot and the composition/crop works really well.

House in the Snow
by nathaliedoo

Comment:
I think this is a superb picture, full of mood, which is helped by the wonderfull colouration. I particularly like the way the top of the picture fades out into the border. However, at the same time, I feel the border is a bit of a distraction because of it's uneven proportions. This is particularly noticeable at the bottom corners. I think if you had kept the proportions even all around it would have added even more to the charm of the image. Even so - an excellent shot.

Lunada Bay
by daysez

Comment:
This is an excellent picture. I missed the people initially as they blended in with the grass, this was because my eye was drawn to the background. However, once I became aware of them, their presence adds much to the scene, both in terms of the composition and also cementing the wonderfull idyllic mood. I would love to know if they appear there by chance or if you positioned them deliberately. On the strength of the rest of the picture I'll assume the latter and add and extra point.

Surf and Turf
by hardwaybets

Comment:
A nicely constructed image - and a great title.

A little walk in the ol' country
by blind_as_a_bat

Comment:
I love the atmosphere in this picture but, for me anyway, it is let down slightly by the composition. The building on the left is what really grabs my interest and it seems a pefect focal point, in line with the general tone of the picture. However, every time I try to scan across the image, the tree in the centre just seems to get in the way and obstruct the flow, bringing my eyes back to the foreground..

Guiding Light
by io

Comment:
Well, I certainly put the cat among the pigeons with this one, didn’t I? For the record, as the questions have been asked:

No – I don’t think a sunset is artificial light. (No physics degree I here but I would guess that’s natural light).

Yes – the picture does meet the challenge. The spire is lit by a floodlight, which qualifies as artificial in my books. For the remaining doubters, a clue here is that the sun is below the distant horizon and the illuminated spire is very much in the foreground.

Yes - I agree with the theme running through the remaining comments, made by those people who could cope with the fact that there were two types of light in the picture. The spire is sidelined because of the overwhelming sunset/cloud formation and negative space. I only gave it the minimum, of 1 point, for meeting the challenge on my own score sheet. I also agree that my intended symbolism of the “light of God” pointing to the “heavens” amid the surrounding darkness was too weak, I doubt if many people saw that.

The fact is I saw the picture and took it. I submitted it, as I thought others might enjoy it and/or offer some constructive criticism (thank you to those who did). I tried various crops and, although others reflected the challenge better, I felt this one offered the best compromise between meeting the challenge and presenting a dramatic image. In an effort to retain the dark clouds at the top, which were necessary for the framing, the significance of the spire was reduced (too much). Even though I was very pleased with the result, I didn’t expect it to score highly because the artificial light was too incidental. Still, nothing venturedâ€Â¦.

Sorry for going on but now I feel better :-)

Friday Nights!
by oklahomafred

Comment:
I'm sorry but this doesn't work at all for me. There is certainly drama on the field
but there are too many distractions, such as the blur and grain, in the picture to capture my attention.
I also think the fact that there are multiple shaddows, in different directions, indicates more than a "single" artificial light source.