The fashionism of...
by Aron5109

Comment:
The great quality of this for me is its very cleverly disguised complexity. First glance shows a very fine, contemporary-looking glamour shot of an appealing model. Second examination, however, reveals a sly quality of subtle parody about the main subject. Her pose, her facial expression, and even her odd wristband all suggest a whiff of satire. Then there's the sharp and confident composition, which once again turns out to be only the surface layer ... beneath it lie some wicked little details, such as the reflected legs and the puzzlingly impossible 'reflected' multiple images of the model. The lighting and the processing are terrific, too ... just bold enough to be avant-garde, but not so over-the-top as to become surreal. I think this is the most artistically ambitious and the most intellectually challenging image in the challenge, and I therefore like it the best. 10.

Shadow Of Light
by gsal

Comment:
Terrific composition of light, texture & colour. It's simple at first glance, but actually has a charm and harmony that the thoughful viewer cannot dismiss easily; it really rewards a few moments' study, which I think is a sure sign of a very fine photograph. 9.

Metropolitan Museum of Art 6:00AM
by JPR

Comment:
Somehow, the fact that this is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art lends this image a bittersweet complexity that would not be so poignant if it was shot instead at some undistinguished pile of bricks. What it would still be, however, is a very good and interesting candid photograph. 9.

Fanelli's Cafe, Soho
by pawdrix

Comment:
There's something very welcoming and even comforting about this, Steve. It takes the viewer on a nice tour, starting from the couple at the kerb, reaching up to the neon sign, sliding across the awning, tumbling down the light-coloured column next door, then slipping along the top of the SUV to the walking guy, who directs us in through the window with nothing more than a glance! I like it; it makes me think 'neighbourhood'. I also like the fact that the walking guy, although not immediately visually prominent, is actually a very important element of the image. I agree with Sher ... this is really good street photography.

Pen-Y-Fan
by nordic

Comment:
Beautiful juxtaposition of the three tufts in the stream with the massif. And the contrails are terrific, too. Reminds me of the "fan dance" ... know what that is?

Life Passing
by muur88

Comment:
Quote: I'm hoping at least 1 person, other than myself, will appreciate the triptych squared.
It's cubed.
Also very good.

Blown Away
by aznym

Comment:
I didn't look at this challenge at all - I was busy & also I really couldn't imagine myself liking a triptych. I was wrong. This is a visual haiku .... simple yet elegant, free yet structured, and a complete universe within itself. Beautiful.

Breakthrough
by owen

Comment:
Congratulations, Owen ... on another top four finish (damnit!) and also on the clever idea, convincingly executed. Several people have remarked on the technical skills required to pull off this illusion, but I'd like to compliment you on also capturing the three most interesting instants of the athlete's jump.

A Living
by JPR

Comment:
Ha! Reminds me of that old story about if a tree falls & nobody's there, does it make a noise? ..... Is beauty there if we don't look at it? - that's what I'm thinking this is about. This guy can't afford the time to stand and gape at this beautiful scene right now, but the beauty's still there & he knows it, and that's just fine for him today.
Another interpretation is that our world is a wonderful place, but it is that way, and more importantly it stays that way, not because of the gushings of greenies and mystics and environmental activists, but because of the efforts of regular people who are prepared to quietly get on with making a living ... these people make it possible for the rest to stand and gape (and later complain because this guy drives to work in a truck rather than a solar-powered rickshaw).
This photograph invites all sorts of allegorical interpretations like that, as so much of your work does.
That's what makes it so terrific for me; it's a beautiful image, masterfully processed, but it's also so much more than that; it's also ABOUT something. Something thoughtful and important that the viewer cannot ignore. And that viewer has to do some thinking, too. The viewer's not a spectator, the viewer is a participant in your work. And that's what separates art from mere pretty pictures. Bravo.

Sunset, Wellfleet — November 2005
by Bear_Music

Comment:
Nice to see a really high quality landscape in a 'portrait' format. This is a very fine composition; lovely lines & proportions. Beautiful colours and light ... spectacular but not strident. Also some interesting textural contrasts. All things considered, it's an image that is so unpresumptuous at first glance that it might be easy to overlook just how effortless and harmonious it actually is. I hope it isn't overlooked in favour of more flashy models! 9.