Before I announce the results, my thanks to all those who entered and posted images in this Challenge. Each image, in its own way, conveys its own sense of both Place and Time - and attempting to judge them or to select a 'winner' is, truly, a nearly impossible task. Each photo is meritorious in many ways.
First, a few quick subjective and personal comments on the entries, in the order in which they were posted.
Matt's (MoonMind) image of close-up transience, beauty and decay in the plant world is an exceptional one - and left me with a feeling of thankfulness, for the living things on our sometimes troubled planet.
Pierre's (pdurand) almost mystical photograph of Hindu pilgrims, on a river in northern India, also puts me into a mood - of wonder, more than anything else. It has a palpable sense of 'Place' which is quite remarkable.
Don's (donlaw) image of lifelike human statues populating an old railroad museum in Galveston, Texas, takes me back in Time to a bygone age when trains and railroad travel were the preferred form of transport. Something about the sightless face of the statue of the young woman in the foreground makes me feel she is really there, and if I blink my eyes, I will be a time traveler.
David's (emerson) cool monochrome urban photograph - of a clock on a pedestal, right in the middle of an vertical cityscape - also makes me feel like I am traveling back to an earlier epoch. The time on the clock - just before 6 - is both cool and mysterious at the same time: is the city just waking up? Or has the long workday ended? Either way, it's a great image.
Matero's photograph, taken in 2007 - of a crowded street, pulls us in to the faces of real, human strangers in the jostling crowd at the bottom of the frame - and, indeed, as we enter into the 2nd year of the ongoing global pandemic, it seems a curious anomaly at the very least. Will we ever go back to those seemingly simpler days? It's an evocative and compelling image in its own right, as well as an ingenious interpretation of the themes of this Challenge.
Gary's (lakemcd) photo - of pedestrians navigating a nocturnal snow-covered road to the trolley whose lights illuminate the scene - has an almost impressionistic or painterly vibe to it - something I really appreciate. In a Time and Place of visible coldness, humans are managing to navigate the world - or, at least, that's one of the ways this image affects me.
Rob Otto's (Robot) entry - of the protest signs carried by (not really visible) demonstrators, in front of a seemingly unfeeling backdrop of towers, buildings, stone and concrete - isn't just an arresting image: it's also a commentary on our dissatisfaction with many serious issues (including 'climate change' and 'austerity') to which, obviously, there have not been any quick or simple solutions. Yet. An intriguing thematic interpretation, and a compelling entry for this Challenge.
I find Chris's (fractal) photograph - taken inside a Greek Orthodox Church, of a ceremonial act (the ordination of a Deacon to Priesthood) very compelling for a number of reasons - but first and foremost is the light. The small illuminated section contrasts so vividly with the shadowy richness that surrounds it - and it all works to make me feel present in this space. Which is a huge part of this Challenge - a sense of Place. It's really a great image, Chris.
John's (John King) shot is... well, I'm searching for the right adjectives to convey some of what it made (and still makes) me feel - and the first word that comes to mind is special. The second is personal. The photograph was taken by John in the 1950's, when he was a young boy, with a Kodak Box Camera - of another young boy, on a jetty, with his dog - and there is something about this image which just pulls the viewer in: all of a sudden, we are back in the 1950's, at the old jetty in the suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland - seeing what John saw through the viewfinder of what must have been his relatively new Box Camera. I've mentioned once or twice the ability of some photos to make the viewer feel like a time traveler; this one accomplishes that rare feat, in spades.
I truly appreciated (and still appreciate) Jens's (JensM) photograph of a snowy path bordered by trees and fence, illuminated by the headlights of passing autos and trucks in what looks like a thick winter fog. It gives me an incredible sense of Place - and almost makes me shiver with cold if I'm not wearing a warm sweater or muffler or both; I can almost feel the snow crunching beneath my boots as I trudge along the path. I also love the muted colors and the sense that I am merely glimpsing the world through the soft almost-out-of-focus effect of the blanketing fog.
AlwaysOnAuto's photograph of his Porsche 912 'running' on a portable dyno is an interesting shot: the car itself seems static and motionless, but its rapidly spinning wheels are a literal blur of motion, as is the spinning belt visible inside the open rear engine compartment. I can almost hear the engine revving and roaring...and almost smell the rich exhaust. The 912 is the kind of car which looks like it's going fast even when it's not moving - which of course is part of the intriguing paradox of this picture.
The photograph of the Dachau concentration camp, by Olli (olli), is powerful and compelling for a number of reasons, including the colorful commemorative wreaths, at the bottom-center of the frame, which stand out against the drab colours of the rest of the image. The dates, of course, offer their own compelling testimony of a dark period of mankind's inhumanity. There are so many reasons why this image is a complex and disturbing interpretation of the themes of this Challenge - and my personal thanks to you, Olli, for reminding me...to not forget.
Then a truly compelling entry, from will focus - a photo taken in 1980 with his old Nikkormat, of Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford, during an election campaign stop in Michigan. There are so many reasons why this photo grabs my attention - starting with the expressions of the three people in front and center of the frame: Reagan concentrating on autographing a football - his wife Nancy staring at him with what can only be described as a quizzical look - and Gerald Ford whose attention is captivated by something off-screen. The faces of the uniformed Band musicians behind them are, in a word, priceless. Somehow, the photographer has captured a moment out-of-time which is very much a product of its Time - and though we may not be able to specify the exact 'Place' looking at the image, it's clearly taken during an American election campaign.
Mel's (jhawk1000) photograph of his wife, at the mass graves at another WWII German concentration camp, Bergen-Belsen, is another compelling entry in this Challenge. The image of a solitary woman, with the almost pastoral background of greenery and lovely trees, is a contrast to the horrors of the mass graves of the prisoners which the monument quietly commemorates. And I have to mention the other photo Mel posted, even though technically it is not an 'official entry', as he didn't take it himself - of his father, in the Alps, near the end of WWII, in a moment of celebration, many of the men holding up beer bottles, with the chap in the center grinning as he balances his accordion in one hand, and his lit cigarette in the other. No question that THIS particular photo embodies the spirit of this Challenge in a wonderful way - thank you so much for posting it, Mel - and for letting us see your father in what must have been a good moment.
Walter's (wee-pics) nocturnal image - of a brilliantly illuminated city center, with an enormous brightly-lit-and-decorated Christmas tree in the foreground - is distinguished by the emptiness of the square. Truly emblematic - of both Time and Place - of these complicated and sometimes troubled times we are currently going through. I really like the image a lot, the sense of brightness and darkness in it, and the fact that it is monochromatic, without colours.
John (mnhoj) gets a seriously Honorable Mention for his entry which, alas, didn't 'qualify' for the Challenge as it is a compilation, created in the 'digital darkroom', of his son Gabe, at 3 separate ages (5 years old, 10 years old and finally, 15 years old) - all in front of the brick wall of the front of his house. It's a truly wonderful photograph - which in many ways conveys senses of Time (multiple, different times) and Place (the same place!). I urge all of you to revisit the photograph, as I have, and both study it - and, simply, appreciate it. There are many reasons why each of us picks up a camera to take a photograph - but in this 'shot', John has created something which, for many reasons, can both stay with us - and inspire us, photographically speaking.
Ken's (kae1) black & white photograph of the 'paddock' at a 'hillclimb' (a type of auto racing) is simply a damn cool image - and as Ken pointed out in his accompanying text, one gets the feeling that neither this particular place - nor the particular cars which fill the frame - have changed all that much since the 1960's. Of course, this is partially due to the fact that most of these vehicles are in fact 'vintage' racecars from the 60's/70's, but nonetheless this qualifies as a strong and interesting entry for me.
The entry from Timo (Iron) shows what would have been a commonplace scene some years ago - a crowded Famer's Market where participants crowd in close together to eat food, with (apparently) nary a thought for social distancing or potential infections. Of course, the catch is, the photograph was taken in March of 2020, right when the Covid pandemic was first becoming part of our public knowledge - a more innocent time, if you will. The heart of the image, for me, is the lady in the center of frame, who is heartily devouring her food. There is, to me, a certain irony to this - but it's an excellent entry for this Challenge.
Milan's (pictogramax) photograph is a different and very cool interpretation of the themes. A bench, behind it the stone wall which seems to surround this space, and over the top of the wall, a profusion of plants and greenery which have obviously taken some time to grow to their present state of abundance and maturity. The Space - and the implied Time - are subtle but quite strong nonetheless. Most important, for me, it's simply an arresting photograph; I found myself coming back to it again and again, trying to understand why I like it so much. (And no, Milan, it's not 'just' the beautiful processing of the image.)
Steve's (drd1135) entry has a documentary feel to it (for me at least): a line of people, bunched together on a street, on Martin Luther King Day, in 2017 (as the street banner informs us). Another commentary on how (and how much) the 'times have changed', since the new age of social distancing has come upon us (nearly 2 years ago, but sometimes, it feels much longer). I like the image a lot, though I'm not certain I could specify why.
I have to say, I really like Martin's (theoldsmithy) image. I recognized the telltale signs of the Kultcamera app, but this particular photograph has a very vintage feel to it. The discoloration, the apparent scratches, all the small details add up to make me feel like I am looking at an old photograph, of some old piece of long-disused technology that somehow is still standing, a rusting industrial dinosaur. It's a fine entry - and one which, as I look at it, manages to transport me to another Time and another Place.
And, finally, the last entry - David's (aKilter) shot of the three dudes, having a conversation about something on their smartphones, is definitely indicative, as David noted in his accompanying text, of the evolving and changing nature of how we human beings communicate with one another - and how technology alienates us. It's a great image, David, one that grew upon me the more I looked at it. It reminds me of when Gandhi was asked the question, "What do you think of western civilization? His answer: "I think it would be a good idea."
The entries to this Challenge are so strong, so varied, and so original and unique, as I said earlier, it's very hard to put on my judge's hat, and name a winner. But, ultimately, the one photograph which I really have kept coming back to, is John King's Kodak box camera photo, taken in the 1950's, of a boy who, if he is still alive today, would be in his late 70's. You mentioned you've never entered a Challenge before - but it is my pleasure to inform you that in a field of truly fine entries, your photograph is the winner of this Challenge!
Congratulations, John! And also please remember that it now falls to you to create and post a new Cameraderie Challenge, of your own choosing.