Thanks for taking the time to respond
#1 and 2 were first attempts at ICM, recognise I've still got a long way to go before I achieve
http://www.panachallenge.com/forum/images/ImpressionismExpert/Eva_Polak_3s.jpg
The blankness of 1 was intentional, but when working on photos that were taken recently (a couple of days ago) I find it hard to separate the pure aesthetic value from the experience of taking the picture. Suspect I'll look back on this one in a couple of months and realise I wholeheartedly agree with you.
#3 is taken from a very similar position to #1, but agree the composition is much easier to view. Again, suspect it's an image I'm pleased with at the moment but will look at again in a couple of months and think it's just about OK
I really like #4, the way the fungus comes in from blurry corners to a sharp focal point in the centre works for me. Probably would have tried some with more DOF, but was already struggling with light at f8 and ISO 800. Would have been interesting to see what it looked like.