I received your image to critique from the Critique Club queue. I have already commented on this image, but that was more by way of response to a comment you posted in the forum than a general review of the image.
First Impression:Seems to be a little bit of a shoehorn as far as the challenge topic is concerned. Whilst I do get that it is shot from above, it doesn't really give me the feeling of that.
Composition: Tilted images are always a challenge. In this case it looks like a mistake rather than an artistic choice. Additionally, as has been stated earlier, there is really no subject in this image.
Overall, I think you have received quite a lot of feedback on this image already, so hopefully you have an idea already why it didn't score very high.
Crazy Jeger was able to identify the location of this shot! Looks like any other alley, that's pretty perceptive of him.
Anyway I mentioned in the thread but will mention again:
Your shot needs a subject. Katherine said it right, this shot would be benefited by a person walking through, that would add a 'story'. Not that people are always necessary, they're not, but there still needs to be something to ground the eye and hold interest or otherwise evidence of a thoughtful, contemplated composition that subsequently gives reason to keep looking at the image.
Challenge was not called "Looking Down", it was "From Above II". Semantics I know, but let's at least give it the right title.
I read your forum post and thought I'd just take a look and comment on the picture. I think the answer to your question is yes, the subject is important when voting. And probably that is why you have scored as high as you did, in the same way that the subject is the reason the bird scored as low as it did.
In other words, the bird, which placed higher than you, is a very good image, but because it didn't really meet the challenge as such it has scored lower than it would have done in a Free Study type challenge.
So, yes, image quality combined with meeting the subject of the challenge contribute to the score.
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