POTN G-Series Speed Challenge #54 - Pollution

[in Japan]

Thanks everyone for participating in the challenge. Your photos certainly confirm the idea that humans are disgustingly short-sighted, wasteful animals. Some of the more dramatic shots really forces one to question what the heck we’re doing to our waterways and air. I think you all deserve credit for successfully capturing some of the most abhorrent behavior of man. If photography has caused me to become more aware of the weather, sunlight, colors, etc., then I’d like to think this would have a trickle-down effect on our other habits.

I’ll keep my comments fairly brief and to the point but I do encourage anyone else to share your thoughts on the entries. It’s also a good time to ask for criticism or another opinion on a photo. After all, we’re all trying to improve.

The entries in the order which they were submitted…

dewmuw - Cloud Factory - Cleverly titled photo. Particularly like the dramatic composition, especially the horizon line. Well done, dewmuw.

marie - pollution flows quietly but deadly as flowers look down helplessly - Another resourceful title. This shot doesn’t have the obvious pollutants that I was looking for…perhaps for the best.

alans220 - Pollution Power - The infrared definitely adds more of an ominous, eerie feel to this shot than it would have had otherwise. Actually, I find it quite disturbing.

teekay - Dockside Graffiti - While it’s nice to know that Gus, Eddy, Jenny, and Dana have all visited this rock face, it puzzles me why anyone would spray paint the fact. It’s a nice capture, but it lacks a definite focal point.

3Dart - Acropolis - Unfortunately, you didn’t completely adhere to the rules by not including your title in the subject line, so I’ll refrain from making any comments on your photo. Sorry…rules are rules.

Boutty - Swimming Anyone - Particularly like how the pipe(?) seemingly juts out of the photo. Yeah, this one is pretty disturbing, too.

mistergibbon - Upton-upon-Severn Household Waste Site (on a miserable day) - The amount of waste that goes into landfills is quite alarming. The subject matter doesn’t really hold my attention…perhaps a shot of inside one of the containers would’ve been better.

rpolitsr - Contribution to the Global Warming - Thankfully not titled “Apocalypse”. Dare I ask what the heck is happening in your beautiful city of Quito? The contrast of the warm colors of the city, beautiful blues in the sky, and the scenic mountains in the background with the monstrous plume of smoke makes for a extraordinarily compelling image.

partridge9 - Steel - Personally, I like how you’ve composed this shot. My eye is immediately drawn to the smokestack, to the foreground, then to the background. Nice photo.

am_pitbull_terrier - Ice Cold Water?……Anyone? - I wish this was the first time that I’ve seen this sort of this thing, but it’s not. The cool colors add a nice effect. Very disturbing…

bottombracket - Receptacle of Inconsiderate Boors - Apparently, the same boors that live in NYC have Japanese relatives. While I like the b/w, it seems a bit flat. Perhaps, increasing the contrast or tweaking with levels would make a difference.

Raw - Third Hand Smoking - While the butts look a bit staged, I quite like the shallow depth of field and the resulting shapes and colors in the background.

superkully - If you tolerate this your teddies will be next - Please forgive me, but I’m not entirely sure what is going on in this picture. Also, the grainy effect of using an ISO of 400 doesn’t do much for this photo either.

The winners are…

3rd Place - Raw - Third Hand Smoking - Nice artistic interpretation.

2nd Place - rpolitsr - Contribution to the Global Warming - A photo that begs to tell a story.

1st Place - alans220 - Pollution Power - A shot with future implications of current actions... sums up exactly what I was looking for. Well done.

Thanks everyone for putting up with me as your judge this week. I’m not sure why I chose “pollution” as the challenge topic. Well, if anything, your photos are evidence that we’ve got our work cut out for us.

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Challenge #54 - POLLUTION

Unfortunately, pollution is all around us. I suppose it's a necessary evil of modernization. It's also something we tend to conveniently ignore. Well, hopefully that will change this week. In this challenge, I'd like you to capture the pollution (I'm sure you know the many varieties) in your area. I'll especially be looking for your artistic interpretation of the subject matter. Please PM message if you have any questions. Good luck to you all.
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To submit, click "Post Reply" and put your Photo Name in the Subject Line. Don't forget your Camera Model.

Post until Monday noon GMT, February 20, 2006.
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Photo Submissions

1. Camera -- photos must be taken with a Canon G-Series Camera (G1,G2,G3,G5,G6) or Pro 1.
2. Time -- any on-topic photo taken at any time is eligible, although photos that have won other competitions should NOT be entered.
3. Size -- photo must be EXACTLY 640 pixels on the longest side, with NO BORDERS.
4. Post-Processing -- do whatever you like and the host will decide if it works.
5. Posting --

• ONE PHOTO per photographer in each challenge.
• Photo titlee in the message subject line.
• Camera model.

6. Commenting -- No commenting on photos by anyone, including the photographer. Once the winners are declared, photographers can add comments to their images and everyone is invited to discuss.
7. Photo Display -- Photos must appear in this thread to be eligible.

Time
One challenge every week, on the following schedule:

• New Topic ... As soon as possible after winning.
• Posting Starts ... Right after topic is announced.
• Posting Stops ... Monday noon GMT
• Winners Announcement ... Tuesday noon GMT.

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This will allow the host to contact you about winning or ineligible photos. You turn this feature on by clicking "User CP, Edit Options, Enable Private Messaging" (about a third of the way down the page). Thank you.
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