Why is that door there?
Duh, so the pizza delivery person has some place to knock.
It’s probably not fair to discuss any of the entries pre-poll, so I will explain after the polls close.
mmm
Okay.
[twiddles thumbs]
After giving this some thought, I believe that we should not comment on any entries in the current contest until the poll for that contest is closed.
Innocent and well-meaning remarks (“that’s a great composition”, “What a cute pup!”) or explanations (“I had to crawl through a muddy field to get that shot”, “I waited an hour for the sun to hit it just right”) could inadvertently sway voting.
It seems to me that the image should speak for itself. At least until the votes are cast.
I dunno, maybe I’m overthinking it. What do you all think?
- All comments and questions about an entry should be written only after the polls have closed.
- Comments and questions about an entry should be allowed before the polls close
- Other
0
voters
I think you’re overthinking it. 
I kinda think that if discussion doesn’t take place until after voting, then it won’t take place at all. Which would be a shame.
j
Definitely overthinking.
If this were a high volume competition, I’d be in favor of “the photo and title must stand alone”
But it’s a low-stakes fun competition among a small group, and it might be better to not discourage the banter. It’s already split out from the photo thread.
I can’t think of a bright line in terms of question or artist comment, but IMO: technical discussion (camera, format, settings) I would think would not sway voting. Maybe even location, so long as it doesn’t venture into how difficult or remote the location is.
I’ll let the poll run through this month and clarify the rule going forward based on majority vote.
In the meantime, since there is no rule against it, go ahead and discuss* the current entries if you’d like. 
mmm
*in this thread, of course
I think it depends on the comment. Saying something like “I think the winning photo has been posted” or “I already know which ones I’m voting for” could discourage people who may not be regulars from joining in. I wouldn’t want anyone to think they had no chance so why bother participating.
I never minded not having any chance to win. I think the role of background for the good ones to shine is a honorable one. What fun would it be to have a competition with only three good entries? Who would even watch that?
I almost forgot to post a pic for this month. I set mine (➜ Monthly Photo Competition #34 – September, 2025 – “Doors or gates” - #26 by Bullitt ■ ) aside weeks ago and thought I’d keep my eye out for doors and gates through the month, but I kept forgetting. So I’m going with it.
My picture is from early winter 2009, driving home on a road trip back from Texas, a Thanksgiving at my mom’s house in Houston. We were driving across Nevada on US-50, “The Loneliest Road in America”. I think we were in central Nevada. Maybe western Nevada. I’m certain this was on the south side of the road. I saw it as my wife and I drove past it, then I doubled back to admire it.
I wonder if it is still there, some 16 years later?
I’m pleased that my entries usually get a couple of votes. Can’t imagine that I’ll ever actually win. I think commenting about the photos is part of what makes it interesting. Plus, by the time the poll is closed, we pretty quickly move on to the next month and topic.
Yeah, these competitions give me a lot of enjoyment. I like seeing all the entries, and thinking about the assignment, and every time I go to take a picture I try hard to make it a good one, just in case I can use it sometime. And on top of all that, I get to give my opinion! What’s more fun than that? I don’t expect I’ll ever win one, but I’m having a blast anyway.
I’ll change my vote to go with the majority - discuss the merit and details during the contest period. That includes the story behind the photo.
While we are at it, I believe the 3 votes scheme has a couple of times fallen victim to problems pointed out by @wolfpup before we started. We need to choose by place like first, second, third or better Topic, Artistic merit and Honorable mention. That’s a 3 poll effort for Mr. Mustard but he loves it and anyway that’s why he gets the big bucks.
September poll is open for voting.
mmm
Man, that was tough. There were at least 5 I wanted to vote for. Y’all take some great photos!
Yes, several excellent ones! This is going to be tough.
And that means this month’s topic was a really good one!
Agree. It will be difficult to Break on Through (To the Other Side).