fragmented ladder to the sky
by ritaard

Comment:
I really like this photo. There's a kind of role reversal here between negative space and subject that strikes me as being quite novel. Usually negative space exists to focus one' s attention on the subject. In this case, however, the subject is quite plain and it is the negative space that is colorful and interesting.

And, by the way, there are a number of squares one might find here. Nice.

Alien Abduction
by marinajoe

Comment:
I'm afraid I'm not completely read-up on my urban legends, so I cannot with authority say whether this fits the challenge; but it seems to me that it does. Also, I like the photo. There is motion, commotion, confusion, and it's all in a pleasant color palette. If this rated the worst in a competition, then there must have been a lot of phenomenal shots. I'm glad to see there were other photographers who liked it. And its low rating makes it a little easier to find at the site: that's how I found it. Keep taking pictures - I happen to like most of the photos I've seen at your profile.

Night Skater
by Sonifo

Comment:
This is an example of a good shot that predictably did not do well with voters on this site. It's a shame, because many of the people focussing on pleasing the voters and winning awards will never dare to take shots like this. That's a loss to us all.

The framing is perfect, the lines lead you from one end of the photo to the other. And even though it's impossible to make out what's there, the lines bring you back around and you start over, flowing through the dark with the skateboarder in the photo. Zeuszen is right, it has a strong rhythm and the theme repeats over and over in subtly different ways. Like Jazz. Thanks, Sonia for entering it.

Stroll in the Park
by connie

Comment:
This site tends to promote the kinds of photography that looks good in magazine spreads and billboards: crisp, well lit, in focus, dramatic, moody, or sentimental. Sometimes photos whose beauty is just below the surface don't fare as well as they might in other forums.

Truthfully, I don't even remember seeing this photo in the 'passing time' challenge. I see that I gave it middling marks probably because I saw it near the end of voting and was too tired to dig very far. I notice that it got a ten and a dozen 7's 8's and 9's. The way I look at it, that means it connected with more than a dozen people. If we look at the challenges as ways of connecting with people of like minds, then your photo did this. It was successful more than a dozen times. (I need to think like this because I find myself scoring badly with photos I like and it hurts.)

One of the reasons I want to encourage you is that as much as I like shiny happy photos, I think this site would be improved by having more reflective photos, photos with more depth, photos that seem a little dark and brooding, the kind of photo I see here.

Good Luck.

Lost Dreams
by srbrubaker

Comment:
I want to thank everyone who voted and especially those who left kind comments; the encouragement is extremely helpful.

bean
by empala64

Comment:
I would have loved to see how this would have done in the lines competition. I like the choice of positions, the Chicago skyline looks good in this reflected image, and it is lit with good light. I like the lines of the plaza reflected in the bean. I take it that the figure we see in the middle of the reflection is the photographer; nice choice to use a long lens. I'm finding the disembodied legs on the left side of the photo distracting, though I am impressed at how solitary this public place is when you chose to photograph it. I am an advocate of tight cropping; and perhaps this was the exactly correct thing to do; but the way the buildings on the right interact with the edge of the 'bean' bothers me in a way I can't articulate. I only wonder if a less tight crop would have fixed the problem.

Overall, I think this a solid effort.

Tower Lines
by edwalk74

Comment:
Very nicely observed

Perspective
by bruski

Comment:
I love the colors! Wow.

Foot Bridge - East of Toronto
by p3wiz

Comment:
Unfortunately they subject is so dark that lightening it to bring it alive has washed out the trees and the walkway of the bridge. It's got strong lines, but the exposure may have been too difficult.

Safe Vertigo
by GBrummett

Comment:
The graininess of this photo really bothers me.