First of all, thanks for everyone who participated with a photo or just his like - in this challenge!
I started the challenge later, I choose the winners later... Sorry but the reason for this is the same why I'm not that active on the forum: too much work, not enough time for anything else...

This is the first challenge I've been managing, and I have to say it was tough to judge... I hope I did not make big spelling mistakes - as English is not my native tongue... I've been trying to explain myself in the best way I can, and I have to tell you It was not that easy for me

We have some very nice and inspiring entries, each of them worth having some feedback, so here we go:

jmschrei #2
Great color, nice idea well done photo - something out of the ordinary! Good interpretation of the subject!

arnold #3
Maybe it's a lava lamp, as you stated , but it can be anything from ocean surface to wet window... definitely fits to "Art in ordinary things"

rbefly #4
Unluckily this season we did not have a proper winter, and I like winter so it was good to see what we've missed at least on your photo Nice "pillars" for the gutter (do you say gutter for that?)

atupdate #5
Your winter pine tree looks more like an angry hedgehog I like hedgehogs On the other hand your photo has a nice 3D effect - good use of the DA 10-17

daacon #6
I like the minimalistic approach in photos and yours definitely is in this category - very nice grazing light on the snow!

slowpez #7
Your "... just a shot of beach grass" looks great, and has a nice washed color impression - I like it very much. Hard to compose a good photo out of so many different "lines" - but you succeeded!

charliezap #8
If you take such photos while sitting in the car I'd be pleased to see your gallery with photos when you're out! It is like a movie scene, or looking to it from other point it's like a painting...

burzum #9
It looks yummy! I wonder how those M&M's look out of the owen

Clou #10
Someone interpreted the chess in a wrong way :/ But you took a nice composed photo of it.

Tamia #11
Safty first! But how the alien get into the googles? I'm not sure I could see and take this shoot this well! Not to mention the scientific approach in execution. I can't even spell "photoelasticity birefringence"

ramseybuckeye #12
Is this taken from air? Or it is the print of a leaf? - I couldn't figure out - but it is a good interpretation of the theme!

wullemaha #13
Sticking with the crowd doesn't help in taking original or different photos. You have chosen the "unbeaten path" which is the best way in my opinion.

SpecialK #14
Wow! Good eye for details and for composing a PHOTO from the mess... I like the framing and the composition as well

Bruce Clark #15
Playing around with water droplets is rewarding! Love the colors and the mood!

DeepThrob #16
I have to be honest - I don't get the point - probably because American English is not my native tongue (nor English) - please forgive me! If I choose the most matching (for me) explanation found by searching on the web for "scratch" and combine it with your title: "Self explanatory" then I understand the humorous part Thanks for your submission!

noelcmn #17
What a wonderful and minimalistic photograph! Looking at it I can forget what is up and what is down, it gives me a floating, calm feeling...

K David #18
I have to admit I get lost on your youtube channel watching one video after the other... You do some amazing stuff! If you do some cropping to get rid of the frames and props (?) you could make a whole collection of wonderful abstract photos worth exhibiting!

Mike L #19
You're saying that this is "Just a dried puddle" - well, it was probably - when you observe it. But after taking this shoot it became a well framed wonderful photo! I like the texture, the light, color - everything!

smf #20
Winter minimal theme at its best! Lovely composition and framing - a photo worth printing and hang on a wall...

Arjay Bee #21
I like your play with the shapes, shadows and lights! If I wink while looking at the photo I can see all kind of shapes and forms - other than the obvious flower...

NaClH2O #22
It is hallucinogen! That can be a form of art I didn't make too many suggestions on how to change anything on the submitted photos, but on this one I suggest to make a tight crop, to have just the "ball" without the edges and the surroundings... that could result in something out of ordinary!

photolady95 #23
Lost in search or perhaps bored of rules and growing just for fun Anyhow, it is nice and green and well framed - Maybe it could benefit from a little bit more DOF - but I like it anyway!

mecrox #26
Art in ordinary things - literally! At first sight I was wondering if you've submitted it in the wrong challenge

lukulele #27
Wonderful reflections of the autumn woods... it's painting-like!

dunerunner #28
Great texture on the smooth/rotten wood which brings out the contrast with the barbed wire...

comprock #29
I like bikes, and this one is no exception - even if it's not in perfect focus.

tessfully #30
What a wonderful photo of four little nothingness! Powerful composition, I love it...

Honorable Mentions:
slowpez - Grass
Tamia - Lab Safety Goggles
SpecialK - untitled
Mike L - Just a dried up puddle
tesfully - Winter's Grip

3th place:
charliezap - Rain drops and neon

2nd place:
noelcmn - Floating feather at dusk

1st place:
Bruce Clark - Water drops (Alien)


One more time thanks to all who contributed and thanks for your patience .
Now Bruce Clark has to find a theme and came up with the new weekly challenge! Good luck!

Best regards, Caver (alias Bela Nagy)

[arnold]

Well done winners.

[Tamia]

Congratulations Bruce on top place with your beautiful photo.Well done also to Noel, Charlie, and the other HMs. Thanks for the honorable mention, Bela, and for your excellent theme choice and for commenting on everyone's pictures. Your English is very good! An inspired theme and entries.

[daacon]

Nice job on judging thanks for the comments. Congrats Charlie / noeclmn and of course our winner Bruce.

[noelcmn]

As I said before, what a bunch of stunners we have had here! Great stuff everyone! A veritable feast for art lovers like me! And congratulations to Bruce on a stunning worthy winner, besides the already noted color and mood, they are also like a set of eyes-somewhat unnerving at first viewing. And congratulations too to Charliezap and all the HM's, and that funny guy noelcmn . Thanks for the 2nd spot Bela, I am deeply honored to have that spot, among such a stunning lineup. And you did really well in judging this one, and the English is not bad at all! Thanks for taking the time out to comment on all entries, its always helpful and appreciated. So glad you noticed that American English is different from all other English its when we get to words like photoelasticity birefringence that I want to rather learn Hungarian. which I am told (when I was there a few years ago) is the 2nd most difficult language to learn after Chinese!

[Bruce Clark]

Wow. Thanks Caver for hosting the challenge and for the vote of course. It was an interesting exercise to turn an image that did not turn out quite the way I expected, into something my peers thought worthy. Many of the other images submitted were highly rated by me as more than worthy of being selected. I guess I now have the task of selecting a topic for the next challenge. In fact I have pretty much already decided. I do wish to check back a little way to see if this have been included in the recent past. If clear I will proceed to the next stage.

What I am dreading is the prospect of judging the submissions as I know the will be a great many high quality submissions.

[Tamia]

... its when we get to words like photoelasticity birefringence that I want to rather learn Hungarian...

[atupdate]

Congratulations to Bruce and all those that placed and had HM's. I'm glad I didn't have to judge this one, as I probably would have had to flip a coin or two among my top 10 to 20 entries.

Thanks for the great comments Carver on every entry. It's not as easy as it looks and take considerable effort by the judge.

Tim

[mecrox]

What a great subject for a competition. Many thanks for judging such a large and various field, and congrats to the winners for their superb entries!

[tessfully]

Wow... great line up of entries, and an amazing 1st place choice. Congrats Bruce, that is a very special, surreal and beautiful capture. Also, Noel and Charlie for seriously amazing work! Thanks Bela for hosting and commenting. Your topic stirred me from a long winter's sleep.

[charliezap]

A wonderful fun challenge to be sure.A great job of judging with all the great entries.Looking forward to Bruce's challenge.--charliezap

[photolady95]

Congrats Bruce!! Had I seen yours before I entered, I'd have left mine off. Excellent Art in ordinary things photo.
Congrats to the HM too.

photolady95 #23
Lost in search or perhaps bored of rules and growing just for fun Anyhow, it is nice and green and well framed - Maybe it could benefit from a little bit more DOF - but I like it anyway!

This was shot with the infamous Pentax kit 18-55mm lens. DOF was much as I could give it.

[slowpez]

Great theme and I thank you for a wonderful job of judging this one. So many great entries. Congrats to Bruce on first place, that was a well seen and photographed shot and also congrats to Noel and Charlie on 2nd and 3rd and to all the HMs (I am honored to be among that group.)
Can't wait for the next challenge.

[smf]

Congratulations, everyone! Thanks very much, Bela, for your selection of the theme, for your judging and for your generous comment on my photo.

[ramseybuckeye]

Congratulations Bruce, that's a great photo! Well done Noel and Charlie too!