Dark matters

An interesting set-up - the back view silhouette of the gallery visitor puts us into the same position, as if we, too, were there to look at Robert Frank's great work. The very subdued palette is appropriate for Frank's monochrome masterpieces. Generally, making a photograph of someone else's work of art can make it difficult to transcend being more than a record of a moment, but in this case, the positioning of the spectator within the image makes her a bridge to the viewer. The subject of the picture is NOT Frank's work, but rather the respect generated and impact created by his seminal "The Americans". Of course, Frank's work was very much "dark matters" recording a divided, difficult view of the USA that had a very hostile reception more than half a century ago. Is there STILL a world of inequality out there? We know there is; Frank's work remains relevant, as the absorbed pose of the girl in the gallery shows. Incidentally, I don't agree that the hat is visually "great" - but it's helpful to emphasis the focus is on the experience of Frank's vision, not on his actual work.

There were plenty of submissions that offered an expanse of water at sunset; this one also offers a narrative, a mini-drama. The cross occupies a large part of the image, with a strong diagonal force, balanced by the man leaning into it who, in his turn, is balanced by the child, so there is a pyramid shape to that set of silhouettes. Opposed to that are the two horizontals of land and a line of rocks, bringing both a contrast to the verticals but also a unity, bridging the whole image. So, a very satisfactory composition. And, placed on the vertical Golden Section, in a perfectly graduated sky, is the crescent moon. In a composition of balance and harmony, we have the cross and the crescent, symbols of two major world religions. This image suggests a spiritual harmony, signalled by the unity of composition in a peaceful landscape.

A number of submissions took up the theme of people fishing - not surprisingly because, as we see here, an expanse of water is an excellent way to frame an individual. This particular image works well because we do feel this IS an individual, not a picturesque "typical fisherman." The profile suggests concentration, so reminding us of the skill being shown; we see clearly the foot working to control the boat as the hands gather the line and nets. Sky and water merge to give a bright ground that focuses all our attention on the fisherman. The geometries of composition - the diagonals and horizontals - narrate his control and skill. And the view point is close - and he is a little above our eye-level, so we are looking up to him: in BOTH senses!

A colourful image of a much-loved spot, with the climber able to rest and gaze over the landscape - and the viewer is placed near enough to share that gaze. But it's not entirely clear what this picture is about. The landscape is hugely interesting - there is enough light for me to want to examine that, and my attention is drawn away from the climber. When I look at the seated figure, captured at a moment of thoughtfulness and dignity, the landscape becomes the distraction. I think if the landscape had been darkened, this would have been a more powerful image. The sky is caught at a good moment, not so busy that it dominates the image, and the drift of small clouds on the left echo the shape of the central expanse of water, which increases the sense of harmony - man at peace with nature. "Dark matters" - is there enough interpretative response here?

We have here an image that follows the visual style of Edward Hopper. There is a sense of an unexplained narrative, the body language indicates some unknown tensions - and including the reflections extends the horizontal composition. Also, because the reflections are, necessarily, broken, we pick up the suggestion of something fractured between them. This is framed in light, like a little theatre scene, with the figures unresolved and enigmatic . The cool palette gives a controlled, filmic feel, and again, suggests the ambivalence of the relationship. The muted colour control is attractive, drawing us towards this mysterious scene.

This generally well-composed shot of the Brandenburg Gate is a suitably stripped out image for this historic site, that was one of the visual tells when the Berlin Wall was removed. Its strong political associations constitute the "dark matters" of the subject - a triumphal arch celebrtaing military might when first built, but now seen as a symbol of peace and unity in Europe. Using the silhouette means we can see it is indeed a gateway, but to what, exactly, remains uncertain, as the method usefully strips out so much detail. I'm not sure the white mark in the sky above the gate is helpful - could have been removed - that's one of the blessings of digital! And I think the image is strong enough to not have needed the app that makes it look like some wet-plate collodion effect.

This photograph has made an interpretative approach to the assignment very successfully. A simple enough image is given a pleasing complexity by the shadow that echoes the boxer. And, the light area on the wall, meeting his left hand, looks like a huge arm, greater than his own. It's a well-established trope, that the shadow is an outward sign of the human soul; this image suggests that beneath the bright and well-lit surface of the boxer himself, there is a shadowed self. What is he fighting? His inner world, to which the anxious angle of his eyes directs us. The shadow boxer is his own enemy... This is well-composed, the eyes are on the Golden Section, and guide us to a troubled interior world, symbolised by the shadows that are taller than him.

An atmospheric and haunting image, not a run of the mill approach to the assignment. The intentional unsharpness adds to the emotive weight of the image, as does the very close point of view. The moment chosen, with the subjects eyes slightly averted, makes us share the sensed anxiety. This photograph connects strongly to the assignment; the "dark matters" here has a psychological interpretation where we see a fearful gaze emerge from the surrounding nightmare. This image has a powerful charge, an unsettling atmosphere that makes it memorable.

An elegant composition, where a well-seen picture really conveys the human experience shown - we know from this spiral of energy what it feels like to be that particular person in that particular moment of exuberance. The plumes of hair are nicely balanced by the plumes of water-drops; the lines of the composition spiral outward from the central point, then return, reflecting the person's absorption in the energy of the sea and in the intensity of the instant. There's a clear area around the profile, so we have a little more information, the palette is rich without being over-indulgent. The luminence of water droplets breaks up the dark mass of the water and the expanse of sky. The sky/sea blocks in the composition are divided horizontally in a Golden Section ratio, which sets up a very satisfying tension against the spiral element. The photographer has captured a moment of play and enriched it by balance and rhythm.

This haunting image combines simplicity and complexity. The overall composition, roughly pyramidical, offers a pool of light surrounded by the dark. Within the lit area, there are little over-lapping triangles of light and dark, human forms, some blurred in motion, some paused and clearer. Who are the walkers? Who are the two watchers in the left foreground? Darkness here creates mystery, in a well-seen moment where the inter-play of light and shadow makes a mysterious drama. The furtherest lamp gives a pool of light, with another pedestrian just visible, in the background, bringing greater depth into the framed image. This a moment of balance, with a restricted palette that throws the narrative thread onto the rhythms of light and dark. It's a romantic image, rewarding and enigmatic.

A number of entrants experimented with close-up images from the natural world. This is particularly effective - the shallow depth of field creates a veil of background colour that does not distract us from the subject. Just a small part of this fungus is sharp (is it an ink-cap?) -along the far edge the gills are sharp, and the low drip of water gathers our attention. I think that drop of water reminds us of the fairy-tale connections: poisons extracted to cause death, or a sleep of a hundred years, or a change into animal form... Folk beliefs warn us against this possibly dangerous fruit; the low angle and the pool of darkness beneath the cap give a menacing atmosphere.

A good idea that exploits the silhouette theme, but brings more than just a visual take. The child has a lowered head, and holds a protective barrier between himself and whatever he is seeing on screen. This is, of course, an approach to an issue of concern - the way so many children have unsupervised access to the "dark matters" of the internet. Whatever might be on the screen - which has been carefully withheld from us - has created both fascination and revulsion in this child. The stripped-out effect forces us to consider, through this captured moment, a troubling aspect of contemporary life. The composition could have been a little stricter; some of the clutter around could have been cleared (either in the physical world or post-production.) Maybe a little reflected light onto the hand would have emphasised the tension?

Here we have a wonderful, and misleading image! There's the elaborate classical architecture - often a powerful theme resonant with the discourses of power - with a wonderfully dramatic pool of light. In contrast to that formal stability, there's a throng of people who, from the angle of the profiles and visible feet, are moving in different directions. So, a context of stasis set against movement. The curve of the harp looks, at first glance, like the scythe that The Grim Reaper carries, in traditional iconography. That scythe was a pretty thrilling symbol to see, placed at the centre of the photograph... But no, it's a harpist - the stillness of music amongst the bustle, but not the terror of death amidst daily life. Perhaps the man on the other side of the harp needed to be cleared away, or softened, so the well-positioned harp comes into its own. The curve of the harp's structure is echoed by the architectural curve above the left alcove, thus uniting the musician to her setting.

Obviously, trees against the sky were a popular choice for the assignment, and were offered in a variety of ways. This is a particularly successful treatment, as the elements are harmonised. The intricacy of bare branches is always satisfying - they are like the branching neural pathways of the brain, so the structures of the natural world repeat themselves on the larger and micro scales of life. The choice of monochrome means that the busy sky does not override the trees as subject; the mid-grey of the distant hills emphasises the foreground. And the isolated human figure balances by contrast the copse of trees. The image gives one moment that is also a discourse on different scales of mankind in the natural world; we might be insignificant, but the visual separation of the figure gives it a weight and dignity. We can see that the trees exist in their abundance, whereas the human element has the dimension of gaze, and contemplation.

It's enjoyable to see such thought-out and successful work. The film noir conventions have adopted effectively. The photographer has set up dramatic lighting, and worked out good angles to create maximum drama. And, though this could be a still from a Chandler movie, we can also see there was no need for an elaborate studio - the domestic simplicity of the setting makes the moment more believable and also more frightening. The sharp focus is on the hand and the gun: everything else is unsharp. Camera tilt creates strong diagonals for the ceiling and door-frame, which converge on the aggressor. So, a nightmarish Expressionist moment is achieved. We have "dark matters" of the moment of impending violence looming; the viewer is helpless. Technical control is fine - the highlights are not bleached out, but the menace of the dark is palpable.

People / pavements / shadows - a popular approach to the theme. This image is particularly successful because it not only exploits the long shadows produced by street lighting, but has managed to capture a very rhythmic moment. We appear to have two groups of five people - one group fully present with their shadows occupying the centre ground, the further group present only through the shadows. So, a satisfying composition. In fact, the front group has SIX people, one barely visible, but his presence slightly distorts the over-lapping figure, and definitely warps the shadow. It might have been a good use of Photoshop to remove that sixth character - who adds nothing. The three sets of paired arrow heads link the foreground to the mid-ground. In this image "dark matters" as - without the shadows the picture couldn't exist - they are the key element.

It's tricky to capture images of people at work without inadvertently having become part of the touristic experience - "local colour" etc. This image retains respect - in fact because the workers are above eye-level, we literally have to look up to them. There have been reports about scandalous living and working conditions for the poorest, the labourers, working in some third world countries, as well as in the Gulf states. this image balances the light and darkerer zones which, along with a delicately subdued palette, creates an atmosphere of melancholy. This image is empathic to the men working on the structures. They appear to be moving away from the light into the twilit areas, reflecting a low social status, moved away from the bright comforts of a consumer world towards the half-light of low wages and struggle.

Plenty of submissions hit on the idea of photographing shadows; this was one of the most successful as the photographer offers more than a visual trope. There's a lot to unpack here - we see an unequal relationship between animal and humans - the smaller people in a superior position above the mighty animal. The elephant not only bears the load of the people, it also bears the load of history, of a colonial past when elephant shooting was a sport and when elephants carried people out to the tiger hunt. That was part of the "dark matter" of the days of empire glory... Now, the elephant "shoot" is a photographic expedition, and the huge shadow suggests our respect for the animal world, and perhaps, in comparison, the puny value of man and his works.

A nicely dramatic composition - the shadow of the tusk echoes the shadow of the photographer's arm, and the limited palette directs our attention wholly to the subject.

This a busy and complicated image. It's a good idea to strip out the colour - there's almost too much information here, so colour would have been an overload. I liked this photograph, it's very enjoyable BUT not easy to know what the subject is... The rhythms of the people are well-seen - there are echoes across the image, elbows, knees, the angles formed by the seating. Beyond, we see the City bank of the Thames, with a pin sharp style that looks almost like an eighteenth century engraving. That is also a fascinating and rewarding vista. However, it's a restless image - my attention hovers between the foreground and the cityscape - I want to push the people aside to see the Millennium Bridge better, and yet the urban vista distracts me from the subtle gestures of the five people. Human vision isn't sharp, overall, the way this image is - it's a problem to think about...

This image balances the perfect gradations of the sky against the blocked forms of industrial agriculture, the delicacy of trailing cloud against the solidity of the cylinders - are they silos? The contrast of the natural world and human intervention is made dramatic here, with enough light on the metallic surfaces to give them some dimension. Quite a few submissions looked at the contrast between nature and industry; this image works as there is delicate detail both in nature, through the clouds and , and in the man-made structures where the gantries create a filigree against the sky line.