Canon DSLR Speed Challenge #233: Texture

Morning Dew

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/bridd/688098835​2/

Challenge has been closed since 6pm PST, and I've been diligently judging these fantastic submissions. Give me a little more time, I'm nearly finished.


Jason C

Allen, you already have an image in and I've already gave it C&C...your fist image is your submission...


Jason C

Jason C wrote in post #14217238
Allen, you already have an image in and I've already gave it C&C...your fist image is your submission...


Jason C

OK Ill' put it back up sorry....

airfrogusmc wrote in post #14217245
OK Ill' put it back up sorry....

LOL! It's fine.

When I judge, I have one browser tab opened with a challenge's images, and a different browser tab opened with my C&C, and I do not refresh either.


Jason C

Thank you all for voraciously participating in this week's challenge, it's not only great having a big turnout but also an added bonus is that all of these images are fantastic! Still, there can only be one winner.

First, some words:



Kevan: The first image submitted, the first image I saw when checking the thread and the last image I would look at before leaving the thread. I dig your capture, the texture, the lighting and the composition just makes my mind run in circles--this is good. I still have not figured out the subject, and I don't think I want to know because I have let my mind run rampant on what I see. This is micro-cosmos to me, the building blocks of "The Matrix" It is also a lattice structure of some cyborg hybrid. Your title also fuels my imagination! Ya done good, Kevan!

Maureen: Very prickly texture there, Mo. I had a few of those near a mailbox on an old route of mine, and I was forever stepping into it with my leg. Your submission set off some sympathy pain...thanks. Nicely done, exposure and composition.

Keebert: Wonderful water and tiles texture, the wavy nature of this pull give the bottom tiles life. The reflection of the sun on the water in the upper left is a bit distracting and fights for my attention. Cropping with a piece of paper makes your image more appealing to me. Otherwise, well done with your exposure.

T3 Heavy Shop: This is a composition I would take, it's right up my framing-alley. Very well composed, where as the buttons lead me into the texture of the shirt's fabric. Smooth with texture. Love the title as well, sorta like a catalog number for this swatch. Good job!

teekay: Breathtaking! I can almost smell the trees and see the critters scamper about your image of nature's texture on a larger scale. Colors are lovely and the exposure is very well done. The varying colors of the trees give this swatch of yours a fabric with design look. See T3, he'll get you a catalog number for that natural fabric... Well done.

Garry: Always a pleasure seeing your submissions Garry, I know there is going to be a bird in there somewhere... Your exposure is spot on, background is blurred nicely and you nailed focus on that birds eye. But it appears to me that this guy/gal was a bit twitchy because those wonderful feathers seem slightly motion blurred. I tilted my display 90 degrees CC and cropped out the birds head, then your image got more interesting for me. Still, you get better and better with every shot you take. Nicely done.

Matrim33: Lovely fall colors with both leaf and water textures meld together, almost a sad feeling with the gloom and the droop of the leaves. Nice exposure, but a bit too centered for my taste and the and the light coming in from the upper right distracts. I wonder how a portrait orientation composition would have looked. Nicely done.

Mike: That sure is some packed dirt! Great catch with the rider's foot and it's interaction with the dirt-glass track. Reminded me of my old knee dragging days. Multiple textures going on here; the dirt-glass, the rider's leathers, his boots, the front tire and it's grooves, the dirt on the outer track and the hay bales. Well done.

Allen: Beautiful colors with soft textures, even the background wall has a 'feel' to it. Excellent lines with a perfect DOF for me. Composition and exposure are top notch. Very well done. Postscript: I like this image more than the second one you posted...

pappawheely--Mike: Dang that's a lot of mud! Do those tear-offs even work in condition like that? I wonder what the rest of this racer looks like...Exposure is spot-on and nice, though a bit close, composition. Well done.

Lonnie: I love the texture of the chipped paint and the old wood, I just wish I could see more of it. Though the post processing on the surrounding areas seems odd to me, I do like the the main subjects color and tone. The center of your image is the most interesting to me, so I set my magic zoom to 125 mm and framed the chock with nails, and in between the chock I framed that distant object. Still, nicely done.

David C: I like the detail and texture in the wood carving, though it faintly seems to have very minor motion blur. What I really like about your composition is the framing and the DOF, because the OOF painting appears to be real and an actual part of the seen. Well done.

2cruise: Yes, that is quite rocky. Looks a bit prehistoric as well, though it appears to be man-made. Nice conversion and your image does have a bumpy, rocky texture. Amuse me for a moment but I see a photo opp within your capture: that pine cone along with the rocky surface alone. But hey, that's just me. Nicely done.

NadsF: I can see a thin slice of flowery texture here, and what I can see looks very interesting. I would have appreciated a thicker DOF, f8 or f11 would have given more depth even with a macro lens...Lovely soft color and a pleasing composition for the subject. Nicely done.

bridd: Nice catch with very nice bold color to offset the cold concrete. The water on seat rungs gives it a wet plastic feel...nice texture. Exposure and composition are well done, and I like the lines of the chair. I'd crop it a little differently, but that's just me. Well done.

Excellent and diverse interpretations from all of the contestants, thank you!




Honorable Mention: T3 Heavy Shop I love this image, just not as much as...



Runner up: Allen I also love this image, but not as much as...



Winner: Kevan Simply fantastic!

Kevan, it's now your turn to run the challenge! Great work everyone!


Jason C

Jason, thanks for the comments - I really appreciate that you took the time to write out such a detailed CC for all of us and in particular for me. It's the only way I'll learn so thank you for your help!

Kevan, when I saw your entry I thought "game over". An excellent shot - very well deserved.

Thank you for the comments Jason, that was a fun challenge!!

CONGRATS Kevan...
You have my fav this week too.

Cool challenge Jason and sorry about that. I thought I still had some time.

Congratulations Kevan! Well done! I really liked your shot.

Also, a big thanks to Jason for taking the time to do a good critique!


David

Congrats Kevan, Allen, and T3.
Brilliant job everyone!
Thanks Jason for your kind words and taking the time to offer a critique - much appreciated.

My first entry, thanks for the kind words.

Way to go, Kevan!! Thanks for the hosting job this week, Jason....lots of cool entries from everyone

Jiminy! Thanks Jason for the nod and all the effort that went into commenting on everyone's entry.

As far as your commentary about my image, that was exactly where I wanted you to go. I too worried a bit that there was no true subject, that it could look more like a background than anything else, but I thought the depth of the material itself might setoff people's imagination. I found these 4x4' pieces of woven steel rod at a working farm/restaurant located near me. I must have taken easily a dozen shots of this fencing (lack of a better word for it) because the texture of the steel, its rust, and shadows was so...so dramatic. To be honest, I never got around to playing with the images until you brought up this topic. I'm glad you did. I'll tell you, I didn't think I could repeat the editing recipe. I tried so many variables, went back to the drawing board a couple times until I came up with what I wanted.

As for the name, that was a complete stroke of luck. I was Googling all kinds of dark-brooding type words, looked at alternatives to "fencing" and "woven" and then stumbled upon contex. The word is now obsolete. The "11" simply came from the year the photo was taken, but sic-fi and apocalyptical stories always seem better with numbers included.

As for my pals here and their entries...simply awesome. I had a giggle seeing Maureen's cactus, as I had just visited the NY Botanical Gardens with our pal MDJAK and had edited a very similar shot as Maureen's. I don't know why I didn't go with that one. The simplicity of T3's buttons and shirt is pure mastery. Teekay's aspen should be an automatic disqualified. That tree is simply so spectacular that well...his picture proves my point. Pappa, that mud on the helmet, that had to be one wild scene. That's texture squared. Bridd, another simple shot made to be so dramatic. I mean, everyone's entries were just so good, I just had been harboring thoughts about a couple of them and wanted to share.

I'll get the next topic up and going just as soon as I figure out what that is. Oh, brother...