@StillMemory. Busy? There are five simple elements, carefully composed, each of which speaks to "The End." However, I respect your opinion and this unprepossessing trifle was tossed off on my desk in front of my monitor in a few minutes this morning. Nothing to write home about.

End of The Lord of the Rings
End of the green in the bouquet
End of the pencil
End of the age of color slides
End of the "The End" theme (in the next 24 hours)

@Ana...yeah, I knew some folks wouldn't like the un-subtle underlining, etc. But I did it anyway! This shot was created solely because I personally don't care for this theme (i.e., I have little to contribute), so I wanted to help bring it to an end. However, I'm glad you like the photo.

@StillMemory. Busy? There are five simple elements, carefully composed, each of which speaks to "The End." However, I respect your opinion and this unprepossessing trifle was tossed off on my desk in front of my monitor in a few minutes this morning. Nothing to write home about.

End of The Lord of the Rings
End of the green in the bouquet
End of the pencil
End of the age of color slides
End of the "The End" theme (in the next 24 hours)

@Ana...yeah, I knew some folks wouldn't like the un-subtle underlining, etc. But I did it anyway! This shot was created solely because I personally don't care for this theme (i.e., I have little to contribute), so I wanted to help bring it to an end. However, I'm glad you like the photo.

<i>End of The Lord of the Rings
End of the green in the bouquet
End of the pencil
End of the age of color slides
End of the "The End" theme (in the next 24 hours)</i>

King, that's exactly what I was referring to. The photo tackles too many "End" references at once IMHO. I would have liked it more if these sub-themes were more related, aside from the main theme.

@StillMemory,
That clears it up. Your second comment is much more descriptive than your first, and I don't disagree with you at all. This was intended to be an omnibus "The End" photo with no dead bodies (animal or otherwise).

@psychodudu...me, too, dude. The paragraph illustrated was the first thing I thought of when the theme was posted.

I totally agree with you about the theme, King, wierd....I thought you might have said otherwise. I find that intriguing. We obviously share a love of LOTR, that's cool!

what would be cool is if your photo really were the last one posted, and the one I posted (first) is a great beginning (which is why I wanted it first)

like book ends. :P

@Ana...bookends would have been great. With 5 ratings in 7 hours, this may as well have been the last image posted.

I'm not going for ratings. This was, rather, a vague comment on the Theme. My written comment, "End of 'The End'" is meant to signal that The End of The End is Nigh.

@psychodudu...I read the Google WS group thread you started on this theme. I chose not to participate, but I tend to side with those who don't care for, in general, what one has to look at every time one logs in.

P.S. - no one has mentioned the cheesy Photoshop work on the slides in the foreground, so I thought I would.

@philippe...assuming you read the comments already, and thank you for your comment.

Yes, old Kodak slides in a variety of mounts. Believe me, I tossed this together on my desk, lit it with my desk lamp, handheld my wife's little Panasonic Lumix. I needed something to hide a wide white area at the bottom of the Lord of the Rings page and the slides were handy.

Ok, I get it.
What stillmemory dislike about this image is precisely what I like...
Count me in the LOTR fans...
I don't share your opinion about the theme, though. I like when the theme is open to interpretation. Inevitably, most of us related it to the end of life and why not? Too many graveyards and sunsets, though. I posted an image precisely to hold it in derision. But I was even more frustrated when the "wild" theme was mostly interpreted as "wildlife"...

@Philippe...Thanks again. My frustrations with the theme are of two types:
1. I had little on hand to contribute and no time in the past week to create a quality image, so I felt a little out of the flow
2. I simply got tired of the preponderance of death images, some of which were excellent, of course. I would have expected a lot more variety from the WS group, a la the "Natural Abstract" theme. There is some variety, yes, but I expected more, and the preponderance of death was dark, heavy and obvious.

...and I agree with you about the "Wild" theme results.

1- One thing I enjoy about WS is when I have nothing fitting the theme, I try to make up something at home, just like you did :O)
2- I understand what you mean. On the other hand, when someone try something different, people don't understand. Have a look at the comments on response #169 (and I admit I gave low ratings myself).

philippe said, "On the other hand, when someone try something different, people don't understand."

*Some* people don't understand. I take for example Ana and Blizzard (among others), who often attempt to look at the theme obliquely, with a sense of wit, fun and irony. By definition, about half of all folks exposed to irony don't get it...otherwise it wouldn't be ironic. I often don't get it and am quite happy when someone enlightens me.

Thanks for all your comments attached to my humble image that now has 7 ratings in 9 hours. The theme is winding down to The End.

Thanks folks...I finally got my nine ratings and I'm surprised that they are mainly pretty good.

@kadenajack...thanks! It may be the last *featured* image--if it gets featured. I think it's borderline. Maybe all the comments will help.

@photografica...you'll see from my comments above that I don't think this is a great composition, slapped together as it was. After I got through cropping in tight, it was less apparent that the things at the bottom were slides. Also, this image looks *very* yellow on my monitor at work, and I don't know how that happened as my home and work monitors are usually very close.

Thanks for your comments.

Note to Ana...ratings are dropping...dropping...oh, well.

hee hee. I know the feeling.

OK well not commenting on the theme directly since you already read my thoughts in the Google group. Look forward to your expanded thoughts there of course!

You commented about the yellow tone and I don't see it is being really poorly white balanced and actually think it adds to the feeling of the image. Gives it kind of an aged feel. I think it would have grabbed me more if slides weren't in the slides weren't in the frame as I didn't understand their placement. They do help frame the main point though.

I agree with most of your ends in your list. If you would have broken the pencil point it would have been one more on list!

BTW I didn't see "you" in this image as Phillippe did but have in other images.

Dan...thanks as usual for your thoughtful comments. My photograph doesn't grab me deeply, either, LOL.
I agree about the slides, but the image needed something at the bottom of the frame. What started out as a not-bad idea just got worse in post-processing.
I thought about making the pencil point more rusticated.
Funny you should mention Philippe as I thought of his "Paris Match" self-portrait as I was creating this mediocre knock-off. :>)

I wonder what the next theme will be. Two hours to wait.

@ xose...thanks very much! There is apparently no clear consensus on this image. Ratings not bad: Overall 3.636 by 11 raters; lowest rating in Impact = 3.18. I can't say I disagree.