Sands of Time
by Telehubbie

Comment:
Startling. The light is absolutely brilliant ... I love the effect of the near absence of the middle ground; at first glance it makes the background dune hover in the sky. Bump: 8.

Old Friend
by L o S T

Comment:
It has a very pleasing touch of madness, or at least whimsy ... something to do with the severely symmetrical composition and the slightly manic, obsessive expression on the man's face (as if he spends hours daily in a frenetic search for new words). 9.

Old Man
by arindam_thokder

Comment:
Great face. Interesting that his positioning, facing out of the frame but looking back into it, seems to make the portrait at once more candid and more dignified than would have any of the alternative 'conventional' compositions. By that I mean that he appears to be exerting some control over the image; he's more than just a photogenic prop - he's a participant in the photograph (it's not all about the photographer). Maybe it also helps to connect him a little better and more convincingly with his environment, too. Very nice! 9.

Extinguishers
by Falc

Comment:
My first choice in this challenge, and my only 10.
It's one of those rare photographs that is all the more interesting because of what is NOT in it. No people, no props to suggest a context; it makes a lovely puzzle ... what is this place? Probably a public building. Not government, but not commercial either. Maybe an old theatre? The neglected state of the building and of the fire buckets themselves is nicely complemented by the quirky, asymmetrical composition of the photograph, and by the sympathetic processing. It's a photograph as unpretentious as its subject, yet it nevertheless manages to attain great charm and interest. Thoughtful, original and challenging, and relentlessly "anti-DPC" as well - can't ask for more than that!

Distant Gleam
by bbright

Comment:
Very nice photograph. I imagine the base image was already good, but the processing is outstanding. It has the evocative qualities more often associated with painting, and gives the viewer a great sense of location and atmosphere. 9.

Window, Ballintubber Abbey
by aznym

Comment:
What a very interesting and effective way to photograph a beautiful stained glass window! A large part of the impact of this window is the effect of its light inside the lovely mitred window surround. By tilting the image near enough to 45 degrees, you have not only managed to more easily fit it all in, but have also made it possible for the viewer to better appreciate the window in the context of its surrounding structure. Very clever, thoughtful photography. 9.

Anchor for our faith?
by JohannesFrank

Comment:
Heavily-laboured title, but I like the photograph. Very appealing and interesting shapes, tones and textures. It does have a very complete, 'connected' feel to it, so maybe the title was irresistible after all? 8.

Spent
by CalliopeKel

Comment:
Sometimes a collection of objects can have a profound meaning, and sometimes it's just a random collection of stuff. I'm not sure which one this is. Either way, I like the light, and the fact that you aren't afraid to let the highlights blow out a bit to get the effect you wanted. 7.

crib
by undieyatch

Comment:
The decision to include all the bland and muddy foreground was inspired; I'd have probably unthinkingly cropped it out and lost all the drama that you have achieved. Presumably there's a lot of dodge & burn here, as well as some creative use of USM ... in which case this is a very fine (and rare) example of when heavy post-processing is justifiable. Nice work! 8.

Curves of the Time
by bcoble

Comment:
This is nice; it's a photograph about the telephone, and not just a picture of a telephone. So much more interesting! 7.