Challenge #101 - Your Favorite Photo from Last Year - WINNERS
Thank you very much for your submissions.
For most of you if not for all, the theme was not a challenge asking to take a new photo to submit, it was the challenge to find one picture that represent your own likes or dislikes of all the pictures shot during the last year (probably several hundreds).
My initial ambitious plan was to find the possible composition rules applied to the photos and ask your confirmation. As always the time available proved to be too short for the task.
I am still curious about that. It would be interesting to read your comments about the composition rules on your own photo and if that rule or rules were deliberately followed or if it was a valuable intuitive composition instead.
The guidelines I planed to use are here in Two Pilots
and here in Luminous Landscapes
Judging a topic with no specific theme proved to be harder, at least to me.
I divided this specific group of pictures in three categories for initial ranking and comparison:
- People for friends or close relatives.
May I includ Jake in this category?
- Landscapes and outdoors
- Urban for cities and people in the city.
Submisions
Click the names to see the pictures.
- Don1 – Night Lights
Beautiful colors and perspective. Amazing quality for a night shot with the G3. As this one was the firs picture posted, I got from it the idea of composition rules comparison as it seems to me that the rules of thirds was carefully accomplished. Am I right?
- rowdyred94 – The Weight of the World
The weight of the world or a carefully inspection at a wonderful world of dreams. I love his expression. The balance of the light coming from his left and the shadows is subtle, but enough to create volumes in his face.
A lower point of view would be better, but then the camera may draw his attention. Very well done. - Boutty – traffic
The blurred images seem to tell the tale of the speed of life in the big cities. I also like how the white lines frame the people inside the image. A minor drawback (for me) is that the lines also draw the attention to the overexposed store in the top. Do you think that a tighter crop in the top will work?
- andrewaaa5 – ...why do birds suddenly appear...
At the beginning I classified this picture as Landscape but after examining the window frame and the lady behind the glass I moved it to People. The blurred parts of the image, a typical style of andrewaaa5, work much better for me in this particular image. The process inside the upper crystals makes me think that she is a very special person for andrewaaa5. I also love the placement of the window corner in the upper corner of the picture. It would be interesting to know how many images were used and a brief description of the process involved.
- gkuenning – Mmmm mmmm goood!
Interesting expression: pleasure, concentration. The light coming from the upper left and slightly behind him separates the subject from the background. It is difficult to achieve a shallow depth of field with the powershots, so I think this particular setup of distances to the subject and to the background was deliberately arranged. The bright yellow T shirt nicely contrasts with the mild colors.
- KC Jewel – Fly on the 4th
That seems to be a fast moving kite. The steep angle of the camera and the lines of the kite reinforce the idea of fast flying. The sky in the background has the correct exposure as well as the kite. That is a difficult balance (I know that, I also fly and photograph my kites)
Perhaps some element to link the kite to the ground controller/pilot might add interest to the picture. - nvidia5700 – Gettysburg
A beautiful place. The horizon placed low in the picture works because of the elements at right. The shadows are too deep in the black side, but I remember me saying something similar of another of your pictures, so it may be just a matter of different preferences.
- alans220 – Jake
A lovely dog. Have we seen him in another of your pictures? Yes! In his home if my memory serves me well.
Black and white for a color picture is a real challenge. You got perfect exposure to the whites and beautiful detail in the black hair.
I can see intelligence in that picture, that’s why I placed it within People, also because there were no more pets submitted. It would be better to see his left ear complete in the picture although my list of top winners will be even more crowded. - marie – colleen at local festival in winter's chill
Another fantastic candid/portrait from marie. She is a beautiful girl with wonderful eyes and marie puts his Pro1 to its best. Perfect exposure for the face, the eyes and those brightly colored hairs. The color from the hairs blends with the face but just in the right amount and every detail is awfully sharp. At 1/50sec. f3.2 some blur and a really shallow depth of field would be expected.
- sara – Lone gondola man
You surprised me. I use to think of Venice as full color, but black and white worked quite well. The vertical format better describes the narrow spaces and buildings and the almost vertical hat hiding the face of the ‘gondoliero’ makes it a special picture.
I’m thinking in color again. How about a selective color just for the hat and the red band on it? The typical T shirt is back and white anyway - gewb – Spiritual Reflection
Beautiful colors and concept. The water level almost in the middle enhances the idea of mirror reflection, and the absolute still water makes the reflection somewhat unreal. There are almost no shadows in the visible side, no clouds in the sky, definitely, a Spiritual Reflection.
- richardbruce – Calligrapher & Birdman in Nanjing, China July 2006
An interesting subject with an attitude difficult to find in our western cultures I think. I like a lot the lighting in his face, the neutral, almost gray background and the white clothes framing his face and hand that become the most colored areas in the picture. The tiny bird almost hidden is there just to justify the ma’s gesture.
I think the top crop is too tight though. - Maureen Souza – Bubble Maker
Nice to see you again in the challenges Maureen. I read that your Pro1 was working hard in Boston.
Bubbles are always nice subjects with plenty of reflection, but it is not easy to make them photogenic.
Yours come out really nice enhanced by the colorful bubble maker on one side and the boy paying attention to them on the other. The blurred far objects make a good background. I would like to see another version whit the focus on the boy just to compare. - Stephen Martin – Waterfall
It is a beautiful waterfall. I like the tight crop on the top and the alignment of the diagonal with the foremost waterfall edge. The slightly overall underexposure prevents washed out whites and the comparatively large motion blur smoothes nicely the water surface and the reflections.
Winners
- http://sites.google.com …t_2/images/premio_oro.jpgFirst place : andrewaaa5
Because that extra amount of post processing converts the image or the group of images (2?, 3?) in an artistic interpretation that suggest a message from the author to the viewer.
__________ - http://sites.google.com …2/images/premio_plata.jpgSecond place: marie
The astonishing beauty of the young lady has something to do with the prize, but the skills of marie as a top level photographer shine again in her photo.
__________ - http://sites.google.com …/images/premio_bronce.jpgThird place : Stephen Martin
Because the controled motion blur of the water converts a nice landscape in something similar to an oil painting.
__________
This should be a theme to share the pictures without assigning places at all.
Of course andrewaaa5, marie and Stephen Martin won on his own right, but I was forced to leave aside a group of pictures capable of winning challenges by themselves.
Congratulations, this was a superb collection of pictures. I understand that they are your favorites, but I can also remember pictures of many of you that are as beautiful as these samples.
rafael
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Challenge #101 - Your Favorite Photo from Last Year
Absolutely simple: Submit your favorite photo shot from January 1st, 2006 up to date.
Yes. The first days of 2007 are included to allow participation of those who got their cameras as a Christmas gift.
I will do a subjective judgment on the subject, general quality, message involved if any and basic composition rules or the lack of.
Enjoy this little rehearsal for another year of speed challenges.
I wish you a Happy New Year.
P.S.
- To write the Photo Title in the message subject line as asked by the rules, in the quick reply pane at the bottom of the thread’s page click ‘Go Advanced’ then you have a title box AND an editing box.
- Remember the camera model and picture must be in your post; optionally, a brief relevant EXIF data and no other comments.
- Rule # 2 is slightly altered for this challenge due to the topic:
2. Time -- any photo taken between January 1st 2006 and January 15th 2007 is eligible, although photos that have won other competitions should NOT be entered.- Read and follow all other rules (see Photo Submissions below)
- Read and follow all other rules (see Photo Submissions below)
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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, 15th January 2007.
Photo Submissions
- Camera -- Canon G-Series Camera (G1,G2,G3,G5,G6, G7) or Pro 1 only.
- Time -- any on-topic photo taken at any time is eligible, although photos that have won other competitions should NOT be entered.
- Size -- photo must be EXACTLY 640 pixels on the longest side, with NO BORDERS.
- Post-Processing -- do whatever you like and the host will decide if it works.
- Posting --
- One photo per photographer in each challenge.
- Photo Title in the message subject line.
- Camera model.
- EXIF data, if you like.
- One photo per photographer in each challenge.
- 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.
- 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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