This was a very tough contest to judge...not only due to the number of entries (I guess y'all like this sort of subject too), but also due to the quality of the shots. Sorry for the delay, but I had multiple tabs open yesterday while doing the judging, and accidently searched for something while on the results page and it wiped out my comments for the first 7 or 8 photos, so I had to start over. Doh!

Anyway, here's some comments in the order they were submitted, and though a couple stood out a little more to me today, others could also have won on a different day, so all should feel good about their entries this week.

Tamia: Your house definitely fits the bill for the theme, however, I feel it would have been better in color. The B/W seems to have left it a bit flat to me, and all the extra lines from tree branches and foreground grass seem to compete with the lines of the siding and window frames.


Saltwater: Great representation of the water etching in the detail (entry) shot. Thanks for the context shot also. Is it just discoloration or is actual etching taking place?


Bruce: I like the conversion and subject, though it seems most of the “weathering” of the car was actually man-induced via accident and scavenged parts. The shed also has some good rust and peeled paint?


Clou: I can definitely see some corrosive elements going on with your statue. Unfortunately, my eye keeps getting drawn to the red portion of the building in the background. Perhaps a tighter crop would have helped focus the attention more to the statue.


Rense: Rusted artillery shell. Were they using the burn as a way to also get rid of UXOs? The fire, though OOF, pulls my eyes away from the shell because its rusted color is too close to the ground cover to make it really stand out.


Sam: I like this shot and its processing, but the processing masks much of the weathering going on here. The color scheme is also very interesting, and combined with the high contrast makes for a distinctive appearance.


Mark: Very nice subject matter and definitely shows the effects of age and weather on the old Land Rover. I like the in vs oof choice made.


Tim: Great example of weathering on this old gas station/country store. Broken glass, dirty shades, peeling paint and good color contrasts with the red and green.


Noelcmn: Interesting example here. Is it some kind of lichen on the top off the lion’s head or is the concrete (?) flaking apart? Heavy mineral deposits from the water in the mouth too.


Kyle: Get your kicks... That service station has definitely seen better days. I would have liked to see it a little more prominent though, picking only a section of the building to feature. The tumbleweeds certainly add to the scene.


Photolady: Nature’s reclamation process. Rust and the weeds (some kudzu it looks like) as well as peeling paint. Nice find.


Serenity: Welcome to PF! Nice subject matter and appropriate to the challenge and nice composition. Seems like a peaceful place.


Joe: Nice composition and appropriate subject. Steel strips on concrete steps or are the steps fully metal and rusting out too? Nice exposure level as it seems like its in a shady area.


RXrenesis8: Interesting shot and the tones of the conversion are nice and rich. I definitely get an uneasy feeling looking at this shot...that it’s ready to collapse at any time, but not sure if some of is due to the stitching. Were there really that many angles in the roof beams, or is that due to the stitching?


Tom: Great perspective for the bridge and I find it interesting that DOT hasn’t at least put up some temporary railing where the concrete has disintegrated. I would have liked to see it a little more prominent for the purposes of this challenge, but I probably would have taken the whole bridge too had it been me shooting.


Manel: I like the rusty “8” made by this tiedown (?). Hard to tell the orientation of the ring... it looks like it’s on a wall with the rust running down, but that wouldn’t explain the rust going sideways and the upper ring. So, I imagine you’re looking directly down at it .


So....

Honorable Mention: Serenity


3rd Place: Tim


2nd Place: NaClH2O


Winner and chooser of next theme: Mark Morb

[RXrenesis8]

RXrenesis8: Interesting shot and the tones of the conversion are nice and rich. I definitely get an uneasy feeling looking at this shot...that it’s ready to collapse at any time, but not sure if some of is due to the stitching. Were there really that many angles in the roof beams, or is that due to the stitching?

Yeah, the stitching made it look way more messed up than it is. The building itself is old, but far from unstable. The ground around and area inside are pretty messed up though. You can't see it but there are train tracks under those logs! This is what the structure actually looks like:


(click for larger sizes)

[photolady95]

John thanks for the comments on mine.

Congrats to all the winners! Well, done all!!

[Mark Morb]

Wow, Thanks John, a lot of great shots in this challenge so really pleased to have come first :-)

Congratulations to all the other winners....

I'll have to get my thinking cap on now...

Thanks again,
Mark

[Tamia]

Congratulations to the winners, and I look forward to what you come up with for a challenge, Mark! Thanks for a great job judging and commenting, John. And for an interesting topic, too.

[jheu02]

Yeah, the stitching made it look way more messed up than it is. The building itself is old, but far from unstable. The ground around and area inside are pretty messed up though. You can't see it but there are train tracks under those logs! This is what the structure actually looks like:

I'm glad you posted the follow-up shot here as to the actual condition. Makes me feel a little better anyway.

[Rense]

Ah, congrats to the winners! Mark, great shot! And John, thanks for judging and the great theme!!

[ramseybuckeye]

Congrats to all the winners and nice job John, I had a lot of fun shooting this on and trying to choose the shot to use.

[jmschrei]

Thanks for a great challenge John and congratulations to all of the winners. Some amazing shots!

The stairs in my shot are cement if I remember correctly with peeling paint discoloured by rust from the metal strips.

-Joe

[NaClH2O]

Congratulations to Mark and the other winners. Thanks John for the interesting topic. It was a fun theme. To answer your question John the lines were just discoloration and not etching. Since the statue has been there since 1963 or thereabouts, I'm glad it's not etching or there would be precious little left by this time.

NaCl(but the patterns are nice and very similar to erosion patterns everywhere)H2O

[Manel Brand]

...it looks like it’s on a wall with the rust running down, but that wouldn’t explain the rust going sideways and the upper ring. So, I imagine you’re looking directly down at it .

Well done! You solved the Riddle of the Ring...

Contragulations to all wieners, specially for the "outstanding" winning shot!

[casil403]

We seem to have lost the winner here to start a new challenge.....should 2nd place instead start a new weekly challenge?

[slowpez]

It's there but hard to find. Called "Where Angels fear to tread."

[Mark Morb]

Hi,
It shouldn't be any harder to find than any other of the weekly challenges. It follows the standard naming convention, etc.
Why are people finding it hard to find? Have I messed up somehow?
Thanks
Mark

[slowpez]

No Mark, you definitely did not mess up and I am sorry if you think I implied that. I just meant that there are so many weekly contests that I find it difficult to find the one I want. I think it is my old age, the eyes just get tired of sorting through all the stuff in this area.