rover clover
by daisydavid

Comment:
My favourite photograph in the challenge. I think it's a photograph that can only be taken with a cell phone camera. I know that's not literally true; any clever manipulator could make a 'real' photograph look nearly this good in post, but this one just has the honesty of the real thing. It's a question of attitude, and your photograph has it. Plus it's a terrific composition and a very good, simple idea about the incidental relationship of one thing with another. Nice dog, too. Please give him (her?) this Order of the Thumb, and a biscuit. Thank you.

madame butterfly
by jmritz

Comment:
I like this because it's so witty (in part via the title), and because it's such an original photograph, so perfectly composed and cropped to suit that whimsical reference. I also like the lightness of the rendering, where strength and assurance comes from apparent weakness and understatement: very Japanese! So it's the Order of the Thumb for you, and a thank you for the fascinating photograph.

water drop
by posthumous

Comment:
Best water drop photograph for ages! Such a good idea to use the cell phone to do a low-fi version of this familiar banality. And it's far more interesting and has way more energy than the dreadful exemplars of which it is a wicked parody. 8 for you, and thank you.

Brahminy Kite
by aznym

Comment:
Beautifully composed photograph presents an unfamiliar point of view to great effect; it actually makes the Kite look like a kite. 7 and thank you.

A Seasonal Account
by raish

Comment:
I wondered what the best example of photography in the challenge might look like. And this is it. Pointless picture beyond that demonstration (I like photographs, but I can rarely care much for photography), but this really is beautifully executed. In my 7+ picks. Thank you.

29 September 2014
by Tiberius

Comment:
This is the kind of photograph with which cellphones are changing the world. It's being there. Although this does look like you being there just a bit late. Still, it's good to see someone go for the documentary shot. It makes it a cell phone photo that's actually about cell phone photos as much as it is about events in Hong Kong. 7 and thank you.

In front of the window
by angelo75

Comment:
The graphic blocks of this picture are interesting. Tones, shapes and proportions are all very nice, very collected. It gives the photograph two identities: one the literal subject, and the other with a more emotional feel. In fact it seems like a reverse abstract, where a realistic representation can, with a bit of imagination, be resolved backwards into a figurative one. You probably didn't mean any such thing, but I don't care at all about that. It's in my 7+ selections whether you like it or not. Thank you.

Explorations
by bohemka

Comment:
This is pretty blunt and pretty delicate at the same time. Which is how cellphone photographs can sometimes capture and convey a broader emotional range than regular, 'proper' cameras (which can very often be too smart for their own good). This photograph is a nice example of elegant negligence. In my 7+ picks. Thank you.

We all need an escape route
by markwiley

Comment:
Nicely judged. Tones, composition, balance; everything really. It's a photograph about photography, but I'll forgive you for that because it's pretty good anyway. In my 7+ short list. Thank you.

Bones don't float.
by RKT

Comment:
Oh, you'll never get away with this. Flouts every rule, ticks none of the boxes; what were you thinking?

I know what I'm thinking. That it's thrilling to find this photograph in this challenge. Please collect your Order of the Thumb at the cloakroom. 10. Thank you.