First and foremost I would like to thank everyone for submitting images. I wracked my brain for a topic that was specific enough to constrain submissions thematically but yet open enough to allow for a multiplicity of interpretations. I am gratified that so many of you
rose to the challenge. I only wish I could mount this as an exhibit so the results could be seen on some lovely gallery walls.
Please take any comments in the most generous way possible. Ultimately this is a subjective exercise. But after all the work that went into the photos I think it only fair I should think a bit about helpful critiques. This is as challenging to me as it is for you!
dantuyhoa: I have a fondness for monotone and duotone images. This one is tantalizing but I think the dark foreground should be cropped out. What I want to see more of is the tree in the background and the cactus, the relationship between them and the fence.
djm: I remember once being at a stock car race and the noise was so intense I was seriously ill all the next day. That is likely not what you meant to convey here! I find that in this shot the barrier gets in the way of the subject rather than being a part of the subject.
dave kitson: Children behind bars is a theme all its own. What that says about us I leave to the psychologists! A little cutie for sure and nice vivid colour.
mingdie: The contrast between the in-focus wooden slats and the out-of focus model is disconcerting... to good effect. I would have preferred the crop to not cut off the hands grasping the bars as that conveys the drama to me. And to nitpick, the wrist watch should have been removed. This is a forceful image that could have been more so... it almost made the final cut!
Oldschool: What looks fairly pedestrian is actually a difficult shot to get right, especially the metering. But perhaps the Spanish light is more favorable to you than the Irish. I like the spaces this illustrates... the difference between the Spanish approach to domestic architecture and that from other countries.
MrApollinax: Thanks for the caption which helps make sense of the scene. I have seen some dramatic photos of the aftermath of this structural failure, but perhaps getting a powerful shot requires going where members of the public are not really allowed.
Bramela: Washed out to sea... yikes! The thought chills me but here the rusted poles look rather placid. I am not sure if greater DOF would help to emphasise the waters, or if we should send you out there to capture the image in a storm. :-)
ve2vfd: Everyone hates power lines getting in the way of their compositions but there is one thing that intrudes more: cars. I think to convey this scene you need to find a center of interest for the shot.
daacon: Did I mention power lines? The mountains and fog appeal to me but the concrete bridge-side does not. Though I see that is one of the barriers.
NaClH2O: Another challenge. How to convey the perimeter designed to hold in children, without including lots of extraneous elements in the shot? I had a similar problem a couple weeks back (shooting an enclosed garden) and could not solve it to my satisfaction. I agree though that the loose sign is a key to making the shot work.
mtnbearhug: A familiar position for a proud parent... behind the barrier watching their child play. I would have focused on the batter and not the fence, but beyond that I cannot think of much to write.
ftpaddict: I think slightly greater DOF and a wider tonal range would have made this B&W more vivid, but I certainly like the way it is going.
roentarre: This has a real film look thanks to the askew colour balance. I can see why you kept the horizon crooked. This illustrates to me how one can make the most of almost any scene.
JCSullivan: "My imperfect entry for the fun of it" is just the right spirit, methinks! If you did a reverse colour process curve this might turn out like one of those lost family snapshots from the seventies.
Finn: Though some might find the subject banal, I really like where this photo is going. For me the strength comes from the relationship between the tree in front of the wall and the light standard behind. What if the building was omitted from the left and the bottom was cropped so the wall extended to the bottom of the frame? That would heighten the symmetry and simplify the structure. A crisp capture.
gawan: I agree a landscape format might suit this better, and also a closer examination of the wood textures through reduced contrast / more mid-tones... something to highlight the interesting weave pattern.
Stratman: More mid-tones would help here too. I think this is one of those shots where HDR, or at least exposure layering, can really help get the scene looking as it would have appeared to the human eye.
xs400: Dramatic. Nice close view with perspective given by the included road and distant water. I like the sense of a tunnel through the wire, but I would have tried to find a different point of view.
KungPOW: A nice capture of colours and tonality and at ISO 1000? What great cameras we have!
Mallee Boy: Another fine image captured by the kit lens. And who can argue with the Great Wall as an archetypal barrier?
hhays: This is why I like captions: I might not have thought of the two different barriers represented here without the tip-off. I find I don't know where to rest my eye, maybe because the focal plane is not exactly settled on any given object.
user440: A different and equally valid interpretation of the theme. The face mask is *almost* looking like it's floating in space. To enhance this, I'd GIMP out the little bit of the stand at the bottom. (Hey, if Photoshop is a verb...)
gpaual: "Burners"... took me a moment to grasp what that meant. Yuck! I wonder how the charred remains could have been clearer? Maybe it's just a focal plane issue.
leadbelly: A nice abstract, though I definitely needed the caption to get the thematic import of the rainbow. An inventive interpretation.
Fritz: A nice straightforward shot -- can't think of too much to say here, sorry!
schmikey: Nicely controlled DOF. The useless lock on a chain-link fence is somehow iconic. I know I've seen this a hundred times and now wonder why people do this?
OK, now for the two runners-up. bbpa103: You know I am sure there are technical reasons why this image sucks but I deny it... I really like the dreamy snapshot feel! Reminds me of Ontario camping for sure. Though I would crop a little closer, at least to get rid of the wooden object in the left. Some creative colour curve work here might enhance the faded-Polaroid feeling. The barrier I feel here is one of time... of happy summers long past.
J.Scott: Superb capture that conveys both the texture of the rusted metal and the tension explicit in its structure. Uses the rule of thirds in an intriguing way. And though perhaps obvious in interpretation, it does address the theme head on.
This week's winner... atupdate: Amazing colours, great detail and a quintessential moment captured through the so-true poses of the children and outfielder. The framing is also perfect. These sorts of shots look easy, but they are not. Some of us pay to be on the inside, while the rest are happy just to get a glimpse from beyond the cheap seats. Who is closer to the game?
So Tim will judge the Weekly Challenge #56. I hope you have as much fun as I did!
oh well.. lol.. 
Congrats!
You rock!
Originally posted by gawan 
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