Thanks again to all of you who entered this challenge. I was pleased by the variety of interpretations of the theme and by the quality of the entries.
Here are my impressions of each entry. My apologies in advance for anything that may seem obvious, tedious or pointless. These comments reflect my tastes, my knowledge (and/or lack thereof), and my preferences. I hope you will find these helpful. Your mileage may vary.
MadMathMind Hiroshima Peace Park
Wonderfully framed symmetry at an internationally important site. I like the point of view. The flowers add color but I suspect the scene would be even more effective without all the flowers in the foreground (not that you had any choice there). Good shot!
Atupdate I was framed...
I enjoy this shot a lot. The gorilla is well-photographed and he indeed gives the impression of feeling framed. The bars of the fence don't really seem to create much of a visual frame for the gorilla, but they do create a metaphysical frame that helps distinguish the gorilla's boundaries fromthose of the viewer. The background is somewhat distracting. But still this is a shot with some great attitude.
Ramseybuckeye View from the Ohio Statehouse
Great shot. The window frames the outside view nicely and the distinction between older architecture and modern architecture does shoe through. What is special to me is what is going on with light and shadows, lines and shapes, and textures - especially within the room. The ultra-wide angle perspective seems to be very effectively deployed here.
Arnold Airport at Whitehorse
The scene is well-framed by the cockpit window. There's a lot of nice detail although there seems to be some graininess that obscures the sharpness of the scene. A very good depiction of an airport at a relatively remote location.
Tessfully Framed Family Moment
A very fun framed family moment. Nice sharpness, color, detail, and attitude. From the standpoint of the theme, this is interesting because the subjects are protruding through the frame toward the viewer. Very imaginative. My inner worry-wart hopes that nobody got stuck.
Nicolas514 The Eagle that Once Framed the Moon
Wonderful composition. The interplay of light and shadow on the statue of the eagle is very nice. The blue of the sky complements the golden colors of the bird. The wisps of cloud in the sky also add to this. Great point of view. Interesting in terms of the theme is that the frame (the semicircle of the bird's wing and head) does not completely encircle the moon (but it no less effectively frames it). Very simple and effective (though not necessarily easy or simple to implement) photograph.
Hattifnatt Through a Glass, Darkly
A very complex photo, but certainly an arresting image. I happen to like the burned, grungy, ruined appearance of the windows which contrast with the alive and warily hopeful (or perhaps hopefully wary) face peering about from the lower right hand windowpane.
Weevil Wide-Angled Framed Flowers
The Jardins de Metis (where this was taken) looks like a wonderful spot for a photographer. The frame is certainly colorful and frames the subject (the flowers) very nicely. This photo does hold a surprise: the natural impression would be that this photo was taken looking down on the planter and flowers - but clearly what we can see at the left side of the frame is that the planter is positioned more or less upright facing the viewer and camera head on. In my opinion, this would be better illustrated from a different perspective, but this here perspective is very good in terms of the actual theme of frames.
Arjay Bee Saibai Dancer
A beautifully dark photo which seems to be taken in ultraviolet lighting and which powerfully reflects the white paint and feathers. The dancer's face is well framed by the headdress and the dancer's hands and forearms, but this powerful photo does not seem to be so much about the dancer's face as it is about the mystery and magic of the ceremony in which the dancer is about to participate.
Charliezap - I was framed but its not all that bad
Interesting use of a window to frame the background behind it as well as the critical reclining legs/feet in the foreground. This is a photo about relaxation and enjoyment and it exudes a feeling of fun. All this is conveyed through just a pair of lower legs and a glass of wine.
Scomatic Ghostly Cloister Balcony
Thematically interesting use of multiple receding frames leading to the key-hole shaped wall indentation at the end of the corridor. I love the textures of the bricks and mortar and the detail of the brickwork. I love the golden and reddish hues. I suspect that the photo is somewhat over-exposed and many parts of the photo appear to have a washed out appearance (from too bright a light). But a very effective composition.
Parapetman Building Reflected in Windowpane
Welcome to the Pentax Forum. I very much enjoy the composition here in the framing of a building (presumably on the camera's side of the street) in the window of a building on the opposite side of the street. Adding to the effectiveness of this photo is the contrast between the colors of the reflected building contrast with the white/gray/neutral tones of the building and the perspective. There is some ghosting of the brown building that obscures detail and the wide aperture creates a soft focus of the light building. Perhaps you were seeking this effect, though I think a lower aperture setting (say, about f8) and a cleaner view of the brown building would make for a more effective photo.
ChristianRock A Bench Framed by Leaves
This photo has a great mix of colors, textures and light. To me this photo is not so much about the bench (my vision is more attracted to the glass window surfaces and windowpanes behind the bench -which are also framed by the leaves) as it is about a sort of urban sanctuary defined by the interplay between the plants (including the beautiful leaves in the right foreground), the rock wall on the left foreground, the cement walkway and the building. Very nice job.
SpecialK Getty Center moon-people
You can clearly from this photo why the period just before and after sunset (and/or sunrise) is so often referred to as :the golden hour. The moon and the people are very well framed and the texture and hues of the wall are magical.
Noelcmn Aquarium
Interesting choice. The window in the side of the aquarium is a very effective frame for the view of the fish within. The grouper in the right foreground, the shark in the mid-ground, upper left and the shark in the background, middle right come out very nicely but the grouper on the left and the shark on the right are not cooperating with the photographer. A difficult shot that still comes out fairly well.
Dieterson Framed Alpine Meadow
I really like the way that the fencepost and leaves and branches in the foreground frame the view. In terms of composition, the tree on the right at the top of the hill, middle ground seems to blend into the branches and leaves in the upper right foreground, and the tree smack in the middle seems to be at tension with the scenery and greenery behind it (they appear to be competing for the viewers' attention, at least to me). But the colors of the leaves and sky are wonderful, the general view is very beautiful and you have caught these well.
StephenHampshire Selfie Once Removed (?)
Very imaginative perspective and clever use of the viewing screen of a camera as a frame for what seems to be a selfie taken by the camera on whose viewing screen the photo is displayed. Pretty mind-blowing, at least for me.
Beardedclam The curvature of the Earth...
The gully (perhaps a small gorge) in the middle of the bottom foreground does appear to frame the view of the valley below, although this seems to be very subtle. The real payoff of this photo seems to lie in the gradations of sky from the light on the horizon to the layers of clouds to the gradient blue of the sky above.
Robjmitchell Convenient Cave Framing
The mouth of this sea cave does indeed make a frame for a nice view of the beach. Nice colors and textures. Really like the details of the cave mouth lower right and upper left.
Now for the really hard part.
I happen to think that there are several special photos among a field of photos that are uniformly very good. There are 4 photos that especially stood out to me and 2 others that are not far behind. Perhaps, I have overlooked some that merit more attention, and perhaps I have over-valued some. It would be a mistake to fall too easily for claims that one photograph beat some other photograph, just because I (or you or anyone else) said so. Not that all photographs are equally good. But some speak more clearly and directly to us than other photos do. This is partly a matter of the photographer's ability to create images that clearly communicate, but it is also a function of the viewer's ability to understand and appreciate any given image.
So these images spoke most clearly to me:
Honorable Mentions: Scomatic and ChristianRock
3rd Place (tie): Ramseybuckeye and Arjay Bee
2nd Place: Nicolas514
1st Place and Next Week's host): Hattifnatt
Congratulations to you all.
Originally posted by noelcmn 
Post #10 by Hattifnatt
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