Opposites and contradictions

This photo of a boy alongside a heavy gun immediately jumped out amongst other images in the Opposites and Contradictions' contest.

First, I really loved the range of tones we have here, varying from solid blacks through a wide grey tonal range through the billowing clouds and into bright whites.

Stark against the bright white clouds at the center of the image is the boy and the barrel itself, both of which contrast in tone against the white clouds, but also in their demeanor. The softness of the clouds and the innocence of the boy are pitted against the hardness of the weapon and against the concept of war.

A really beautiful photo.

I found this image of be oddly alluring. I kept coming back to it and trying to figure of what I like so much about it.

I think what works here is the triad of the two people and the statue. The distance of the man and the woman is then contrasted agains the fact that that man and woman have their back to each other and the man and the statue are facing each other.

It's a deceptive photos - and for as minimalistic and simple of a image as it is, my eye is constantly pulled around the image - back-and-forth, up and down, in-and-out.

I would like to see some of the empty space of the sky filled in a bit by bringing the whites down a bit, and bumping the blue saturation, but overall, this is a very engaging photograph.

I really love the simple artistic qualities of this picture.

It is a simple study of form, line and materials.

The lines and shading of the shipping container flow into the similar lines of the trees, yet it's all in contrast to each other. Man against nature. Metal against wood.

This one one of my favorite images that I did not award.

The complimentary shapes ere are just marvelous - the stark architecture of the glass tower reflecting the sky and the shape of the lavender.

What I would like to see if a bit better exposure and range of tones. I find the image falls a bit flat in terms of tone and color.

The shapes are spectacular, but I want to see a bit more definition on the texture of the flowers and in the black lines of the building.

With some brightening in the blacks and a bit of a bump in saturation - primarily the blues and purples, I think this could be a very brilliant image.

I love the simplicity here - the timelessness.

We have the hard versus the soft. Swooping curves of the sand versus the hard, straight edges of the structure.

There's a notion of ancient history, collapsed civilization, and the power of nature to outlive and overcome anything humans do.

There's so much mystery in this photo. The aurora itself is inherently magical, but there is so much more that we don't know about this picture that it begs wonder.

We don't know the 'who', 'what' 'where' or 'why', just buy looking at the image, but I want to discover the answers.

Ultimately, I think this photo works because of the extreme softness and brilliant blue greens of the sky and the aurora contrasting against the harsh cold and snow, the harsh edges of the trailer and the monotone nature of the bottom third of the image.