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02/24/2026 09:07:21 PM · #1 |
When we talk about art in photography, what do we mean, exactly? What is it about certain images that makes them scream, “Art!” (to quote the challenge brief)?
I think it’s fair to say that answers to this question vary widely among the members of this online community--and, indeed, among the members of this jury. But as the comments below will reveal, none of us feel that art hinges on particular techniques, subjects, or stylistic choices. We each have our individual preferences about such things, but we broadly view an artful photo as one that stops us, nudges us, or outright unsettles us enough to command a second look. Maybe a third or fourth. Perhaps it reveals beauty in the ordinary, invites a story where none is obvious, or uses mood and atmosphere to emotional effect. It’s an image that doesn’t just show us something, but one that says something--sometimes loudly, sometimes in a whisper, but always with intention.
As a jury, we were consistently drawn to images that carried emotional weight. Many of those mentioned below accomplished this through subtle storytelling, evocative processing (or intentionally restrained processing), and the elevation of everyday subjects into something profound or unexpected. Some blur the line between realism and imagination, using things like grain, tone, or abstraction to create lingering moods. Others embrace imperfection or use thoughtful framing of candid moments to generate pieces that feel alive, sincere, and open to multiple readings. In settling on our five finalists, we gravitated above all to photos that rewarded a second look and invited us to participate in the meaning-making of the frame.
Of course, any conversation about art is necessarily subjective--and potentially contentious. What resonates deeply with one person’s aesthetic may grate against another’s, and what connects emotionally with one viewer may leave another feeling cold or unmoved. Our jury represents a broad range of aesthetic preferences, artistic backgrounds, and critical sensibilities. While we didn’t have the bandwidth to engage extensively with every image that was nominated, we’ve attempted to offer thoughtful commentary on our five consensus picks, along with a few honorable mentions, as a way of highlighting those qualities that stood out to us. Another jury might easily have arrived at an entirely different set of images, and we hope no one treats our opinions as anything more than a celebration of intentional artistic expression.
Having said that, we present our FIVE CONSENSUS SELECTIONS below, in no particular order or ranking:
Farm Road by  glad2badad
kanaj: Great art invites--or provokes--a perspective I might not otherwise bring to the world. In photography, this often means composing an image that arrests attention and elicits a response. This image does exactly that. On the surface, it’s a well-timed, well-processed shot of a puddle on a country road. But at a deeper level, it exists because the photographer noticed what might otherwise be overlooked: not just the puddle, not just the reflected structures, but the inversion of reality and the fleeting, unexpected beauty of a found moment. I don’t know precisely what the artist intended to communicate, but that seems secondary. What matters is that this photograph enables me to share the artist's unique perspective on their world.
Melethia: Well seen and captured, this photograph has a bit of a gloomy feel to it. In one sense, it could be interpreted as commentary on the state of the country in the US at the moment. But it can also be seen as a moment of clarity and clearing after the storm. And to me, if your photograph can evoke differing emotional reactions from your viewers, you’ve done a pretty good job.
KristjanUnnar: Beautiful framing, the image feels like a snapshot from a dream. The fact that the image has been flipped upside down is not immediately obvious. Beautiful post-processing highlights the photographers skill.
roz: brilliantly seen and edited .. and perfect in black and white ..
i love the way the dirt road is like a frame to the silos reflected in the puddle .. reminding me of clouds .. dirty and angry .. excellent work .. :)
mariuca: This is a kind image taken on a trodden road in a place that is in no travel guides. And yet, the eyes are searching for a resting point. When everyday looks the same, in a day without sun, in another cloudy day, in another old puddle, suddenly appeared two towers in all their ignored, majestic nobility. At least this is what I thought of this image that did not claim to be more than it is. A sincere shot that doesn't need any enhanced processing.
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glitch by  Tiberius
kanaj: The title suggests imperfection, or perhaps an interruption in the orderly nature of things. Visually, the composition registers as deliciously imperfect, too: Hints of something mundane made profound by the circumstances of the seeing. A water-smudged lens and grainy processing which enable us to see what the artist sees. It's a study in abstract geometry and garish artifice that interrogates as much as it exalts. Is the human feat represented by the subject a crowning achievement or a questionable adulteration of reality? As any good piece of art does, this image leaves that up to the viewer to decide.
Melethia: Grainy, black and white photographs have always appealed to me, perhaps because they create a mood rather than simply providing a record. Here it imparts a bit of a rainy afternoon sadness. The water spots and vignetting nicely balance the lines of the structure, too.
KristjanUnnar: A gorgeous mess perfectly framed. Love the texture and filmlike frame.
roz: a standout in the challenge .. something that takes the viewer to places they may not have otherwise gone ..
i do like titles most of the time .. they give another perspective .. so its not just the photo .. they often tell me what the photographer was trying to convey ..
this was one of those images for me .. the title gave it impact .. although it was both the title and the image that took me down roads i’ve gone in the past and also quite recently ..
i absolutely loved the editing on this .. the grain .. the black and white .. and the way the oof droplets give this an almost ethereal feel ..
and the vignette and border work so well .
the electrical wires going off in different directions and the way the structure is standing makes me think of how we can all be pulled in different directions … do i satisfy my need or someone else’s .. and that can create glitches in our lives ..
mariuca: Books have titles, poems have titles, even music needs a certain connotation or a name. Paintings and photographs can stand anonymously if so decided by the artist. I like titles in general - sometimes they become a distant voice of the artist to introduce his work or to play a trick on the viewer and annoy with another riddle. Sometimes they can be misleading as I thought in this case. The title "Glitch" took me on a too common reality. For me this image was an AHA moment. A fraction of a second when looking indifferently from a speedy train, a lost idea, a clue of an unsolved mystery appeared clear in the mind and the eyes saved the moment. Saved as a slide for further reference.
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bye by  kichu
kanaj: I truly love this image. Never mind the base aesthetics which appeal to me--the use of grainy, lo-fi processing that hints at an era of "found" moments and casually grabbed exposures that are accidentally profound. Let's talk instead about the way that even if this was 100% an accidental exposure--which it honestly could have been--its curation and digitally realized presentation demonstrate the artist's attunement to things which the casual eye might otherwise ignore if the bird's face and body were in perfect rule-of-thirds composition within the frame. What I see here is an invitation to contemplate the story that precedes this moment. The negative space is a blank canvas on which I'm allowed to project my own idea of what came in the moments before the shutter exposed this scene--and to imagine the possibilities of what is happening outside the frame to provoke the sudden flight. Above and beyond all of that, I find in this composition an interrogation of the conventions that define what makes an image "pretty" and a gentle suggestion that perhaps the backside of a pigeon is equally as worthy of consideration as its frontside.
Melethia: First of all – pigeon! I adore photographs of pigeons. It’s a thing – can’t really explain it. Not just any pigeon, though – this one is most definitely on a mission and can’t be bothered to stay in the frame. To me, it’s a lovely, light-hearted snippet of life. I really like how the processing lends itself to the “je ne sais quoi” feel of this, too. ‘Tis a great example of how an “out-of-balance” photograph can be perfectly balanced after all.
KristjanUnnar: Tremendously funny photograph. Makes me think of Henri Cartier-Bresson cursing his camera for being too slow. The cropping decision has transformed this from being something completely mundane into something that provokes feeling.
roz: i struggle with not making everything perfect in my photos .. show the catch light in the eyes .. make sure the ‘horizon’ is horizontal .. keep the important elements in focus .. etc etc etc ..
so when i see something like this where the imperfections become the main story .. i find myself wishing i could embrace those imperfections in my own photos ..
this is cute and funny .. and of course there’s a story behind it .. did the photographer feel gipped because that silly bird walked out of their shot .. or did the photographer see its potential .. i love your editing and how the longer i look at this the more i like it .. :)
mariuca: I first thought that I saw this bird before, still running like a busy mother hen, impossible to be captured in one shot. A clip of a flip book which create the illusion of animation when flipped rapidly. I like the sepia tone as if in the frantic movement of the bird the dust got into our eyes.
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Cold day by LevT
kanaj: Art tells stories. Or at least it suggests them and lets the viewer fill in the narrative gaps. Of all the images in this challenge, this one most appeals to me for its storytelling. It wonders, "Where is he headed? What important life matters have compelled him to get out in this weather? The darkness at the vanishing point of the frame is deliciously open-ended--as if this could be a man marching resolutely to his own certain demise...or maybe just to the dentist for a routine check-up. The viewer projects his or her own story on the proceedings, and that's to this image's credit.
Melethia: There is a quiet determination and grace in this photograph. The exposure and toning contribute to the overall feel, but my favorite part is you can “see” him walking because of those footsteps in the snow, his stride short but sure. This capture of a simple everyday moment in time is one of the reasons I love photography.
KristjanUnnar: Perfect moment. A millisecond sooner or later, both feet would be on the ground and the umbrella wouldn't be almost perfectly vertical, making it a less interesting photograph. The visible raindrops are the magic ingredient, making the whole thing sing.
roz: this was the only photo in the art challenge that went straight to my heart ..
the reality of a photo is irrelevant .. its how it speaks to us that counts ..
and it spoke to me on many levels .. some quite difficult to put into words ..
but something along the lines of loneliness .. loss .. and the passage of time ..
i see the old man’s wet footsteps on the concrete .. and know that when he’s gone they’ll linger for just a while ..
which makes me think of the mark we all make on the world .. will our mark be a soft whisper or a shout .. will it speak of joy or sadness .. or both ..
i see the darkness he’s approaching and wonder if it could be seen as a metaphor .. will his declining years be fraught with illness, pain and being invisible ..
he looks ragged and unkempt .. it makes me feel sad .. :(
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Falls Memory by Art Roflmao
kanaj: Good art stirs something in the viewer, and when I first loaded this image, I had to admit that I felt something. Something I struggled to articulate, but something very real and pleasantly evasive. A catch in the throat. A second-take wondering at whether what I was seeing was real or imagined. A pause to study the individual pixels to identify the seams separating the fantasy from reality. The gray boundary between ultra-real and surreal is deliciously explored in this scene, which for me is stimulating at a multisensory level. I "hear" the distant roar of the water. I "smell" the woodsy-fresh aroma of the environment. And--most of all--I feel connected to the reality of the moment even as I feel transported by its painterly presentation.
Melethia: Lovely processing of a scene you can hear; water is the most powerful force on earth and it's elegantly captured here in full. I do like the gloomy sort of tone, too. And I think I've been here? I have a memory of these falls...
KristjanUnnar: Like a cover on a book, a Stephen King book most likely. Cold and misty, mysterious and creepy. Good decision to keep the foreground vegetation, to frame in the waterfall.
roz: this was one of my top picks in the challenge .. not only because its a stunning image .. but also because it takes me somewhere i may never go in this life ..
your editing is absolute perfection btw ..
and when i look at this i can almost feel the soft spray of the water reaching me from the waterfall .. and i can almost hear its thunder .. there’s a sombre feeling to this that reminds me of the power of water at its most ferocious ..
talk about bringing me .. sight, sound and feeling .. into your image .. just brilliant .. :)
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We also wanted to highlight a few additional images that connected with us, even if they didn’t quite make the final cut:
Window Sill by  Barroness
kanaj: I know I'm looking at a compelling photo when my initial impression is better described using "feel" words than "think" words. This image immediately evokes warmth, softness, and contemplation. With its low-key, Rembrandt-like palette and gentle lighting, it invites the viewer to slow down and notice the subtle beauty even in the quiet, overlooked corners of everyday life.
roz: a photo that evokes an emotion .. and you don’t get much better than that . . i’m taken to an old dilapidated cabin in the woods .. abandoned .. the timbers are becoming eroded by time ..
and then there are the leaves .. also dying like the cabin .. broken and damaged .. the cabin and the leaves speak of time passing .. how everything organic will eventually pass away .. and become decrepit .. dust to dust if you will ..
i like the message .. why fight the inevitable .. our lives here are not the final frontier .. !! .. :)
mariuca: Just a window sill but treated like a cartoon for a future tapestry. The image did not need more sharpening or fancy processing like we favor since the digital age, filters, photoshop. Though if any was used here, it remained in the realm of a painterly form.
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Church painting by toutoungi
mariuca: If a look for an unhappier and pedestrian title this takes the prize. And yet the image speaks to me and I do not find it painterly at all. More like a glance into an abyss where fortunately there is a guardian keeping us from falling. I do not speak in religious terms here - a little chapel looking like a firm rock on which we find support. There is a hopeful image in spite of the unknown
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Nothing to see here by  Neat
Melethia: All too often, tourists spend so much time trying to get people out of their pictures – but places like this need the people. The young lady in the foreground is of course the main delight here, but her person to the right, who has caught you in the act, adds a nice cautionary balance. After that, you have a little of everything; I do enjoy a photograph that invites you to explore!
roz: its often the things we don’t see that end up having more impact than the things we do .. this image evoked curiosity ..
here we have a child looking at something .. what is it .. is it a bug .. a crack in the tiles .. what ??
or is she just sad .?.
the story could be anything we want it to be … and more ..
i love the editing on this btw .. its a great image .. :)
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petty meandering jellyfish by tate
kanaj: One sign of an interesting art piece is the way it instantly makes me want to have a conversation with someone. Here, the abstruse provocation and high-contrast presentation invite a second look at the grungy subject matter to try discerning what the artist wants me to see. And here's what I see: Urban blight every bit as unwelcome as stinging jellyfish washed up on the beach where my family is trying to vacation. A metaphor for the encroaching tradeoffs of modern progress. An interrogation of who the "jellyfish" in this image really is, and a suspicion that maybe it's me.
roz: when i first saw this i actually read the title as ‘pretty meandering jellyfish’ ..
which was slightly confusing .. but i went with it and saw what i thought the photographer was trying to convey ..
then i noticed it wasnt pretty … it was petty .. and that made more sense .. although tbh both titles did in their own way ..
so going with the petty point of view .. its like a contradiction .. i dont think there’s anything petty about this jellyfish ..
it brings to mind sludge, waste and all things yucky .. especially after reading that its the chicago sewer system that’s leaking all over the place ..
after saying what might be seen as a negative comment i need to add that i really like this image for its raw gritty impact ..
not everything in life is pristine, perfect and the way we want it to be .. especially our world at the moment .. this could be seen as a comment on the state of our world .. if you want it to be .. :)
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Where the Trees Become Art by arngrimurbl
kanaj: I returned multiple times to this one, and each time it rewarded me with something richer to look at. The composition beckons me toward...what, exactly? I'm not sure. Maybe the whispery hint of a vanishing point at the end of a trail. Maybe further into the woods of a fever dream. Maybe deeper into the psyche of one trying to recall a fading memory. Whatever it might be, the choice to seat this aesthetic somewhere between meditative photorealism and painterly expressionism makes it feel as though an imaginative response from the viewer is precisely what the artist had in mind.
roz: i liked this very very much when i first saw it .. as i do love intentional camera movement photos .. and i know that creating just the right look you’re going for can be tricky ..
i think you have nailed it btw .. and your colour pallett is perfect ..
i’m loving the tiny ‘glimmer’ of green in the distance .. like something beckoning .. which makes perfect sense because being in this forest could evoke some almost nightmarish feelings .. the encroaching trees pressing in .. the ground becoming fluid and frightening .. well done on all counts .. :)
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Still Fueled by noraneko
KristjanUnnar: This photograph makes me nostalgic about a country I have never been to. As a European, I considered the US to be the land of dreams, opportunity, production and pop culture when I was young. The color palette & subject matter go well hand in hand.
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Nature’s Color Palette by tryggvimar
KristjanUnnar: Although this landscape is very familiar to me, the balance of textures and colors work wonderfully to create an abstract worthy of a wall display.
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Breaking the Ice by vawendy
mariuca: Cannot pretend that I did not guess the photographer even if we are presented here often with birds of all kinds. I am always amazed of what it takes to get a shot like this, all steps that are foreign to me or, let's say would be excruciating hard if not impossible for me: be in the right spot, carry heavy equipment, wait quietly rain or shine, take endless shots....after which there is the magic of processing, not too little, not too much. And then one is faced with the stern competition of the National Geographic. I like a lot the nod to Herr Rorschach. An idea would have been to turn the image vertically as in Breaking the Mirror. I much appreciate it anyway
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Aerie by BaldurT
mariuca: I much admire here the composition, hue and the great processing. A true photograph that did not fall into the plant engravings or deft drawing. The captured frenetic moment has a quality in itself
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02/24/2026 09:24:17 PM · #2 |
A sincere thank you to the folks that volunteered to jury the 'Art of 2025' challenge. We are very appreciative of your efforts to this event, and also to your years of experience and participation to DPChallenge overall.
This jury has an average tenure at DPChallenge of 18.5 years and collectively have entered 4000+ challenges, making the Top 5 500+ times, made over 80,000 comments, and voted 275,000+ times.
Let me introduce the 'Art of 2025' challenge jury:
kanaj - Johnathan
KristjanUnnar - Kristjan
mariuca - Mariuca
melethia - Deb
NiallOTuama - Niall
roz - Roz
Seeing that the jurors excluded their own images from consideration of jury recognition, I'd like to highlight their fine work here as well.
kanaj -  , KristjanUnnar -  , mariuca -  , melethia - 
Again - Thank You. |
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02/24/2026 11:59:29 PM · #3 |
| Thanks to the jurors for taking this on. Congrats to the mentioned photographers. |
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02/25/2026 06:53:47 AM · #4 |
| Wonderful presentation and great selections! You guys did the site proud! |
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02/25/2026 01:40:30 PM · #5 |
| I am completely blown away with the selection and the artistic analysis from the jury. Never could I have imagined such a beautiful finish in words and images to this Challenge. Thank you all! |
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02/25/2026 04:18:51 PM · #6 |
| This is fantastic. Thank you to all of the jury members for their hard work on this. Nicely done. |
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02/26/2026 01:10:54 AM · #7 |
Huge thanks to the jurors and a huge hug from afar. Beautifully presented. Thank you very much for selecting my picture as well. Truly did not expect it. As  Bear_Music said: You guys did the site proud. |
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02/26/2026 02:03:41 PM · #8 |
Oooh, just squeaked into the top five! :) Thanks to the jury members and other commenters and organizers. Quite the competitive field! I am going to try to focus on half-pigeons this year. ;p
And yes, Deb, I believe you did visit Snoqualmie Falls when you were up here a few years back. I've lived here for 36 years and this was my first time there. Then again, last year was my first time in the Space Needle as well. You know how it is when you live in a place with lots of attractions and you tell yourself you can visit them any time ...and you never do.
Cheers.
Originally posted by kanaj:
...
Falls Memory by Art Roflmao
kanaj: Good art stirs something in the viewer, and when I first loaded this image, I had to admit that I felt something. Something I struggled to articulate, but something very real and pleasantly evasive. A catch in the throat. A second-take wondering at whether what I was seeing was real or imagined. A pause to study the individual pixels to identify the seams separating the fantasy from reality. The gray boundary between ultra-real and surreal is deliciously explored in this scene, which for me is stimulating at a multisensory level. I "hear" the distant roar of the water. I "smell" the woodsy-fresh aroma of the environment. And--most of all--I feel connected to the reality of the moment even as I feel transported by its painterly presentation.
Melethia: Lovely processing of a scene you can hear; water is the most powerful force on earth and it's elegantly captured here in full. I do like the gloomy sort of tone, too. And I think I've been here? I have a memory of these falls...
KristjanUnnar: Like a cover on a book, a Stephen King book most likely. Cold and misty, mysterious and creepy. Good decision to keep the foreground vegetation, to frame in the waterfall.
roz: this was one of my top picks in the challenge .. not only because its a stunning image .. but also because it takes me somewhere i may never go in this life ..
your editing is absolute perfection btw ..
and when i look at this i can almost feel the soft spray of the water reaching me from the waterfall .. and i can almost hear its thunder .. there’s a sombre feeling to this that reminds me of the power of water at its most ferocious ..
talk about bringing me .. sight, sound and feeling .. into your image .. just brilliant .. :) |
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02/26/2026 04:57:31 PM · #9 |
"I am going to try to focus on half-pigeons this year" Art Roflmao
Ken-Art you are a riot! Keep writing. And shooting
Message edited by author 2026-02-26 16:58:53. |
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02/26/2026 05:27:38 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by mariuca:
"I am going to try to focus on half-pigeons this year" Art Roflmao
Ken-Art you are a riot! Keep writing. And shooting |
He's not alone ...  |
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02/27/2026 10:00:38 AM · #11 |
Wow wow thank you so much, what an absolute honour! I so appreciate the time and effort taken in putting together this feedback, truly. I'm looking for nudges all over the place to keep moving forward with photography and this is definitely one of them. :) It's so interesting to read all of the analysis and see the photos from everyone's different perspectives. There's so much to learn here. I'm humbled to be included with this wonderful group of talented artists. :)
Originally posted by Art Roflmao:
I am going to try to focus on half-pigeons this year. ;p |
hahaha well for the highest chances of success, I recommend at least 3/4 pigeon :P |
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03/01/2026 06:49:46 PM · #12 |
Thanks for the recognition! ❤️🫡🤩
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