March 08 voting

[tspore]

Here are the top 4 winners from the last contest - Ann has who submitted them, but because of a family emergency she has been out of touch. So I can show who won, but don't know the authors. So if you are in the top 4 people please PM me whom you are :D


Here is the break down of the points system -

|_| Subject (1-5): Does the subject fit the theme?
|_| Creativity (1-5): How effectively/dramatically/interestingly is the subject presented?
|_| Composition (1-5): Has the subject been composed appropriately/interestingly?
|_| Lighting (1-5): Has lighting been used appropriately/effectively for the subject?
|_| Technical (1-5): Has the subject been exposed, focussed, etc appropriately/correctly?

First Place - Sciohobia by-zbahu
http://43photo.smugmug.com/photos/264300231_3hdPX-S.jpg
Sciophobia



#2 Sciophobia 5 + 5 + 3 + 4 + 3
- "Sciophobia" is an interesting image which definitely utilizes shadow effects creatively to convey a message. It would be interesting to hear the photographer's comments on the thoughts behind this photograph. Again the title is very appropriate. -


2. #2 Sciophobia 5+5+5+4+5
I like the POV here. -


#2 Sciophobia 5/5/5/5/5
This shot really captures my imagination. I love the composition and subject matter


• Subject: 4 - A bit of a juggle between which is the emphasis, the menacing shadow or the apprehensive boy.
• Creativity: 4 - Good idea and sets the mind to wondering what is going on.
• Composition: 3 - Good, however, the balustrade (?) is overly dominant in the scene and creates an unnecessary distraction. Perhaps it was intended to lead the eye to the shadow, but it actually becomes an obstruction to what would have been a good composition.
• Lighting: Overall good, but the flare on the balustrade adds to the distracting effect.
• Technical: The B&W conversion appears well balanced. -

2nd Place - The Monster by - Viperman500
http://43photo.smugmug.com/photos/270595746_tCYFD-M.jpg


#6 THE MONSTER 4 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 3
- "THE MONSTER" is dramatic in its strong contrasts and long verticals. The shadows are an essential part of the composition of the image. However, it does not convery any message to me and the cat still looks cute - despite of the title. - Meeouw!

1. #6 The Monster 5+5+5+5+5
A well composed and framed "grab shot". Perfect.


3rd place "Sucide" by Cheatwoodj
http://43photo.smugmug.com/photos/272651647_rJLnL-M.jpg


#12 Suicide 5 + 5 + 4 + 4 + 2
- "Suicide" is a very intriguing photograph which is creatively thought out before execution. The only real nit-pick is that the proportions of the fingers in the shadow are a bit awkward. Although not acriterion for the contest, I must say thet the title is very well chosen.


#? Suicide 5+5+4+4+4
A creative shot, execution could be better.


4th Place - Basket Weave by -ama
http://43photo.smugmug.com/photos/272330221_P84Du-M.jpg

Basket Weave = 5 - 5 - 4 - 4 - 4
The Basket Weave image is almost perfect as far as I am concerned. Nice lighting, great shadows, and nice color. This is another perfect fit for "Creative Shadow".

• Subject: 5 - Emphasis ‘is’ on shadows.
• Creativity: 4 - Catches an everyday object in an interesting way and immediately strikes a chord.
• Composition: 4 - A nice arrangement that leads the eye directly to the shadows and then to the baskets/s and back to the shadow. Blends the shadow and basket very well.
• Lighting: 4 - A good balance that emphasises the shadows, but allows the basket to be identified as well.
• Technical: 3 - The far background is somewhat distracting and should have been darkened so that it would not compete with the subject at hand.


Honorable Mentions -

http://43photo.smugmug.com/photos/273345435_CVWse-M.jpg

#17 "Gremlins" has a very good thought behind it and the presentation is really worthy a place among the top 3. However, it really goes against my nature as a photographer to vote for an image where the most prominent element in the picture, that makes it fit to the main theme of the contest, apparently is a PP-creation. I don't think that is truly a creative use of shadows.

#17 Gremlins 5/5/5/5/3
Everything about this shot is cool. The ONLY reason that it is rated lower on the technical aspects is that I think the gremlin is done in photoshop, if I am wrong, than I really apologize!!!

http://43photo.smugmug.com/photos/268778797_jYuhq-M.jpg


Easter Shadows = 5 - 4 - 4 - 3 - 4
I like the Easter Shadows image because the photographer used the rule of thirds in his/her composition. It appears some of the detail in the white in the flower is missing, but that is a minor detail. It may have been nice to see more details in the shadows. This image fits the criteria of "Creative Shadow" well.


http://43photo.smugmug.com/photos/272983422_ykjyx-M.jpg

Apple Tree = 5 - 4 - 3 - 4 - 3
The Apple Tree image fits the criteria of "Creative Shadow", but is not as dramatic a shot as the other two images. I would have liked to have seen a little more of the tree trunk as I think it would compliment the shadow.


http://43photo.smugmug.com/photos/267831900_8T7F5-M.jpg

#3 Suicide 5/4/5/5/5
A very cool and creative shot! I really like it. I think the b&w conversion could have been a bit more dramatic, but, really that is nitpicking

The whole gallery is located here. (http://43photo.smugmug.com/gallery/4410582_oAXS2#261714471)
Finally a couple shots were out of date, please read the rules before submitting photos.

[bg2b]

Congratulations to the winners! I think Sciophobia is especially excellent.

Regarding "Gremlins", as the photographer, I do want to clarify that the photo is a single exposure and that the only post-processing is what I declared in the gallery (adjusting white balance and levels). In particular, the gremlin shadow was NOT added in post. The key is that the shadow on the wall is coming from a source that it isn't in the picture. It's from a slide projector that I made by shooting a flash through a transparency and focusing the image on the wall using an old lens. The complete lighting setup is described on the picture's flickr page: http://flickr.com/photos/8100955@N06/2375083120/

[jebir]

Thanks for the clarification bg2b,

I didn't read all the text since I didn't want to be biased from it when looking at the images. So, sorry for missing that piece of info. I just couldn't imagine that someone would go to such length to make that effect... Anyway, as I wrote, it does deserve a place among the top 3 then.

Cheers, Jens.

[Johannes]

Congrats to the winners, Sciohobia is the one I like it very much too, also the monster. :smile::smile::smile:

Actually I want to entry a photo instead of the one I entered, but I found it too politic... so I changed my mind ....

[shrinkpictures]

Congrats to the winners... I am glad that My Library featured as an honorable mention. Whilst I didn't do the lighting, I made sure I got the picture. Our Local Festival of arts put on a show where they illuminated 7 of our cultural buildings with 5 or 6 different lighting displays each. The buildings are real, the effects were 100% focussed lighting. Now the voting is over, I'll have to process a gallery of the display we got to enjoy every night for a month.