Thank all participants for the many excellent entries. Overall, I found that the black and white entries worked best for me on this theme.
Honorable mentions:
Ken Zaret
The most dramatic of the entries. The image is visually balanced with the bones and skull in the left foreground and the empty blackness in the top right.
Chris Bladon
I really liked the color tones in this image. Despite the decay, the scene is oddly beautiful and peaceful.
Arnie Peterschmidt
The composition is well done with the white angel off-center and counterbalancing the overall blackness of the image. I really liked how dark the rest of the photo is and how the viewer has to make an effort to read the dates on this child grave.
Walter
The composition of this picture is well done with the view being drawn through the headstones up to the castle. The time of year is perfect for the shot with the bare tree limbs adding to the melancholy of seeing long-forgotten graves.
Gill Kopy
3d place:
An unusual capture evoking questions about the nature of the grave and the person in it. I found myself looking at the photo multiple times. I like the symbolism of the woman “rising” out of the snow. For me the scene it has a “resurrection” feel.
J Rayner
2nd place:
The juxtaposition of the “sad” statue and the ponderous visitor of the cemetery is visually striking. The treatment of the image in terms of contrast and overall brightness is very well done.
Maaike Huizer
1st place: Superb composition and very well cone “darkroom” processing of this B&W image. It has strong emotional appeal and best fits the “cemetery” theme with the clearly visible rows of graves in the background. Congratulations!