Stranger to the Ground
by JPR

Comment:
No No No. What's WRONG with these voters man? I knew it had elements that pdc would hate, but to score under 5 with such an atmospheric shot is a shambles: there should be a minute's silence. My highest rated shot of the challenge - and you should take comfort in the votes from people like crabappl, Catherine and magnetic.

Ed

Bringin' Home the Bacon
by ScottK

Comment:
Like the idea - something lets it down though photographically. Not that there's anything specifically wrong with it technically, but I think perhaps the composition is too arbitrary: why not show all of the wallet? Why have the driver licence so prominent? Actually you've ended up with the bacon dead centre of image - I can imagine this much stronger if you had the entire wallet in shot, opened symettrically toward the lens, with the bacon sticking out at exactly the same angle. Nice effort though.

You Mark My Words!
by train

Comment:
The barrel distortion is ruining this for me: if you shoot from so close in it's very difficult to avoid - but if you get just a little further away and then crop closer in editing, or use some of the zoomrange of the camera (if you have any), it'll lessen it enormously. Contrast on the lettering is fine, but the arrangement of the pens, and the lighting there is a bit weak - particularly the way the tip of the black pencil disappears into the background. Good thinking though.

"Put on Your Game Face!"
by RiderGal

Comment:
Never heard the expression, but happy to believe in it. Cool photo - excellently lit, composed. Captured some meanness, and some dynamic (the shading around the eyes is masterful. There've been some real gems in this chllenge, and this is one of the top six for me. Good luck.

Tighten Your Belt
by sher

Comment:
I think you might win with this - I have , er, six shots that I find more intersting, but there's something very dpc about this. Contrast between the pattern of the jeans and the texture of the shirt is well brought out, and of course it absolutely nails the idea. Good luck - but I hope you don't beat my fave (if that isn't rude).

Dim Bulb
by adine

Comment:
Not sure this is a phrase I know, but who cares when the photography is this good? Absolutely perfect. Might even be the first print I buy, if you'll put it in dpcp.

Later ... just gets better every time I see it. Reminds me of some of the early photographic experiments, guys like emerson and Goodall, or Fenton even perhaps. It's that strange un-worldly shading around the edge of the bulb of glass, the way the thickness of the glass produces a dark ring and almost a halo. Would I be right in guessing this isn't actually a blaxk and white shot, but rather a heavily de-saturated full colour image? Seems to have tints of purple, and amber in it. The only way to portray such depth on computers that I know of ... good luck, I hope this wins.

''Ice Fall'' by Shannon O'Cork
by kiwiness

Comment:
Clever approach to the title, technically excellent shot too. I like this because it relies on the reflection of light, rather than the refraction that so many stopped motion water shots do. There's still somethnig not quite gripping about it for me - it may only be that I've played with such effects so much myself :-)

Stranger to the Ground
by JPR

Comment:
Intersting effect of light - is this taken through a window? The graininess, and the bleeding away of light in the corners helps the mystery of it, though the white pentagon is weird. Intersting stuff, thankyou for submitting it.

Left out in the Cold
by Nazgul

Comment:
Nailed it, absolutely. Great dark, indutrial kind of photo.

Can of worms
by kiwiness

Comment:
Don't even want to think about setting this up :-) Good solid clean photography, technically perfect. Not quite as haunting as a couple of images here, but I think it puts you in with a very good chance.