Critique ChrisR's POTY14 entries for comment, please

[ChrisR]

Hi, like the previous year, I really enjoyed participating in the 2014 TP POTY competition. I think I learned a fair bit from it. The judges’ comments weren't so helpful last year, and once again. I reckon I could learn a bit more with some extra feedback from the good folk in F&C. So, I’ve decided to put up my entries on this thread, asking for critique. I’d be happy to read any differing views. Framing, cropping, exposure, PP, anything goes really.

I’ll include the theme, my title (sometimes could have done a bit better there!), the shot, and any judges’ comments, and judges’ points. I’ll perhaps try and say what I was attempting to achieve, and what my own thoughts are. I’ll not bang all the images up on day one, but feed them in over a week or so.

 

[ChrisR]

January, Round 1: Nature/Small Things
Title: Dew on wood fungus

Judges' points: 0
Judges' comments: "Comment E = The fungus is in focus and well taken. There is a little shadow near the top which could have been reduced with a reflector. It comes over as more of an image for a book showing what it looks like than an artistic image for a competition though. Maybe different framing/crop would make the image stand out more."

My thoughts: I was struggling with this one; I tried some "macro" shots on black and white and they were no good. I thought some fungi shots would be possible, and got several using the Pentax ME, Tamron 70-210 in it "macro" mode (max 1:2 rather than 1:1). IIRC I had the camera on a monopod to try to add some steadiness. The judge's comment was pretty reasonable, I thought; it was cropped as best I could into a reasonable composition, but not strong.

D'you think the shadows should be fixed or kept to provide depth?

 

[Steve]

Chris, I'm judging pot this year and am finding it an eye opener. I now think competitions are fun to enter and certainly a way to improve one's photography. But maybe not the best way for getting feedback.

As a judge, I'm finding that a lot of entries are perfectly fine but just don't stand out enough in the crowd. And I think this one falls into that category. As the judge commented, it works well as technical study of that fungus. Perfectly exposed, sharp and composed to illustrate the subject. But it doesn't really stand out for me as a competition winner. I don't mind the shadow as it looks natural to me. But the picture doesn't really hold my interest for more than a festival seconds. That doesn't mean it's a bad photo, just that it isn't really competition material imo, and wouldn't stand more scrutiny against other entries.

The answer maybe a different arty angle, or waiting until some creature is crawling over it, or an extreme macro close up or maybe just a different subject matter.

If it's any consolation I got zero points in that round too for exactly this reason.

 

[ChrisR]

Thanks Steve. I certainly agree with that point! In fact, one of the ways I managed to keep in the competition last year was repeating to myself "that wasn't a bad image, it's just that there are a lot of much better ones in the competition".

The answer maybe a different arty angle, or waiting until some creature is crawling over it, or an extreme macro close up or maybe just a different subject matter.

I think this is probably right. The biggest underlying cause of the problems I was having was not spending enough time and energy on the shots. I was running round looking for them rather than making them. That said, part of what I really like about photography is to observe and capture, rather than make... so right there I'm in a quandary! The first points last year came from an image that was completely constructed, so maybe I should try more for that.

By the way, I do want to make clear this isn't a grump about not getting points, this is genuinely about increasing my take-home learning in the hope of making better shots in the future.

 

[AshleyC]

If anything i would of waited for the light to make more shadow. By having a lower light you would of ensured more of the texture of the fungus being picked out, the dew may have picked up a bit more specular light as well. Its just a bit flat, a lower light later or earlier in the day would of given more shadow which would give more contrast of the textured surface to both the wood and fungus, the wood has a lovely rough surface, underexposing a smidgeon may have helped darken the surface shadows a little more.

Rather than a straight on, top down shot it may have benefited from a lower angle shot so you were shooting across it, there are some nice hairy bits there which would of added a little more interest if they had a bigger presence.

 

[ChrisR]

Thanks Ashley, all good points there. IIRC it was already fairly low, I should have taken the right angle viewfinder that clips onto the back of the MX for lower shots, although I do find it quite hard to compose with.

 

[ChrisR]

Round 2, February, Winter Landscape theme.

Title: Winter Lake
Pentax MX, 50mm f/1.4, Portra 400

No points, judge's comment: " A pleasant enough scene with some thought given to composition but not enough to conveying a sense of winter."

My thoughts: first, there were some fantastic shots that month, so I'm not in the least surprised to get no points. I did like this shot, we were short of real winter scenes and not travelling anywhere useful, so I had to make do locally. I thought the bare trees would do for the theme well enough. I think it wold have been improved if I'd managed to make a bit more of the reeds in front (lower viewpoint and a bit more contrast to bring them out) and waited for some closer wildlife rather than those waterfowl spread in a line across the middle distance.

 

[simon ess]

I am wondering, and these are just my idle thoughts so feel free to ignore completely, wondering if what you're demonstrating is the difference between a nice shot that we'd all be happy with and a competition entry.

I know this is obvious but a competition equals competitors and I bet the competitors are pulling out all the stops in terms of composition, light etc.

So, the comments from the judges are very much in the context of comparison with other entries.

 

[ChrisR]

You're quite right, Simon, and I think you do have to pull out the stops a bit for the competition. I probably didn't put enough effort in, particularly the earlier part of the year (when I was a bit distracted with other things going on). OTOH this is all about learning, for me, so I want to try to get as much comment as possible. I did most of a "52" in 2013, and the feedback on shots from fellow participants was one of the great benefits. I learned a whole lot about cropping that year!

 

[trevorbray]

Chris. I doubt it would be improved by any significant margin by altering the composition. Fact is it could have been taken on any dull Autumn/Winter day.
You need it to fit the theme better. There is nothing wintry about it. Perhaps into the sunrise with a hard frost or frozen water might have helped.
I've also really struggled at my local pond to get a 'Winter' shot this year.

 

[ChrisR]

Chris. I doubt it would be improved by any significant margin by altering the composition. Fact is it could have been taken on any dull Autumn/Winter day.
You need it to fit the theme better. There is nothing wintry about it. Perhaps into the sunrise with a hard frost or frozen water might have helped.
I've also really struggled at my local pond to get a 'Winter' shot this year.

Thanks Trevor. Just having had another look at the thread, there are quite a few shots among the winners that could have been as easily taken in autumn, the difference is, they were darn fine shots! I think you can get away with being a bit off the theme with a really nice photo, but not with a fairly ordinary one.

I have realised, by the way, that what I said above:

... we were short of real winter scenes and not travelling anywhere useful, so I had to make do locally.

...was not really true. We spent the last few days of February in the Lake District, and even stayed in Kendal long enough for some films to be processed on the spot at the Boots there. I even put 4 of them in the album for the month and still chose the shot above. I don't know what I was thinking of! I might put some up here, as in the Cutting Room Floor thread, so you can see how daft I was being.

 

[ChrisR]

I've just checked this post in the Cutting Room Floor thread, and I wrote:

Through a combination of my own fault and circumstances, I ended up having to make the decision after 8pm on the 28th Feb, based on 2 films on the mat when we got in, and 3 films processed and scanned at Boots that day. I thought the Boots ones needed re-scanning, so went for this from one of the films processed by PhotoExpress in Hull (who do a really great job); Portra 400 with a Pentax MX:

...showing the photo above. I then showed a couple of other alternatives that folk didn't really like. But I'm going to show a couple from the Boots/Lake District films that perhaps with a bit more time I might have gone for:





I think the moral of this story is: don't leave your self 3 hours before the deadline to choose and PP a pic from several films!

 

[TheBigYin]

January, Round 1: Nature/Small Things
Title: Dew on wood fungus

Judges' points: 0
Judges' comments: "Comment E = The fungus is in focus and well taken. There is a little shadow near the top which could have been reduced with a reflector. It comes over as more of an image for a book showing what it looks like than an artistic image for a competition though. Maybe different framing/crop would make the image stand out more."

My thoughts: I was struggling with this one; I tried some "macro" shots on black and white and they were no good. I thought some fungi shots would be possible, and got several using the Pentax ME, Tamron 70-210 in it "macro" mode (max 1:2 rather than 1:1). IIRC I had the camera on a monopod to try to add some steadiness. The judge's comment was pretty reasonable, I thought; it was cropped as best I could into a reasonable composition, but not strong.

D'you think the shadows should be fixed or kept to provide depth?

Okay, my 2 pennorth if I may...

Theme for the month is Nature / Small Things - that is, if i'm not mistaken Either "Nature" OR "Small Things" - so, first and foremost, well done for trying t combine both... The problem as I see it, more than anything is that the shot looks to be more of a "record shot" of the fungus, - something from a "field guide" - nothing necessarily wrong with that, but for a competition, you need to make the image stand out against potentially a hundred or more other images (I can't actually remember how many entrants there were - I pretty much walked away from the POTY for a couple of years after I stopped entering myself, and even tried to avoid moderating that area where possible (ETA: just checked - 78 entries)). Anyway - to make it stand out from a crowd, it needs SOMETHING - either something that gets the judges imagination fired, or something that makes you realise the technical expertise involved in getting the shot.

I'm afraid that this shot doesn't really do either for me... Yes, it's "Nature" in a basic way - but it's ultimately a couple of less than spectacular wood fungi on a piece of damp gritty log... Also, for me there's little to say that it's necessarily that much of a "Small Thing" - there's nothing to give it a sense of scale... the Fungi bodies could have been an inch across the heads, or an eighth of an inch... the grit and timber grain don't really give enough of a sense of scale to measure them by...

So - in short, a technically quite accomplished photograph, but sadly not really up to competition standard.



I have to say, I found it a very different mind-set to shoot with a view to entering the POTY competition... for the first 18 months of entering, I basically shot whatever I wanted to, within the theme, and If I liked it, then that was all I cared about. But, as I got into it, I started to look at the winning entries, and compare my work to them, and to see what choices the other people had made... I eventually realised that the winners had actually shot something to please the judges (well - to please a mass-market of photography enthusiasts as it was then a peer-judged competition) rather than just themselves... When I'd had that lightbulb moment, I stopped thinking of my shots as being for ME, and thought of them being for "THE CLIENT" (i.e. the judges, and started thinking how I could take a picture that would not only please me (important, as the POTY shooting could well occupy my entire shooting time in a given month) but would appeal to others purely on the strength of the image... the judges weren't there to see me lying face down in a muddy field with my camera 3" from a rotten log, trying to get a clear image of something, they weren't there on the side of the hill for 4 hours freezing their nads off waiting for sunrise... they were just judging things by the image... so that image had to have a certain amount of "wow factor".

Took me 3 and a half years to get one in the bag... but by hell did it feel good when the voting started!

 

[TheBigYin]

Round 2, February, Winter Landscape theme.

Title: Winter Lake
Pentax MX, 50mm f/1.4, Portra 400

No points, judge's comment: " A pleasant enough scene with some thought given to composition but not enough to conveying a sense of winter."

My thoughts: first, there were some fantastic shots that month, so I'm not in the least surprised to get no points. I did like this shot, we were short of real winter scenes and not travelling anywhere useful, so I had to make do locally. I thought the bare trees would do for the theme well enough. I think it wold have been improved if I'd managed to make a bit more of the reeds in front (lower viewpoint and a bit more contrast to bring them out) and waited for some closer wildlife rather than those waterfowl spread in a line across the middle distance.

Winter Landscape... Well - I think I'm with the judge on that one - it's certainly a Landscape (or wetland scape at the very least) but except for the bare trees, it really doesn't scream WINTER to me... Okay, it's actually quite close to most of the days I actually remember from winter 2014, looking at my bike training diary the prevailing weather in this shot was pretty much what we had most of the month, but again I come back to the whole "wow factor" I mentioned in the January shot's critique... In all honesty, the weather in the January shot looks like it would probably have been better for shooting this one than the day you chose.

Personally I far preferred either of the two you showed in the cutting room floor thread... I'd probably have gone for the long view of the langdale pikes...

which does look very much like a winters day, as experienced standing about 20 yards from the cattlegrid at the top of the hill before dropping down into Elterwater (unless I'm very much mistaken )

 

[ChrisR]

Thanks very much Mark, both the sort of really constructive comments I was hoping for when starting this thread.

... and you are absolutely spot on with the location of that last shot, too. With the low sun like that, a not-to-be-missed shot, I thought. Even braved the wrath of SWMBO to get it!

 

[TheBigYin]

Thanks very much Mark, both the sort of really constructive comments I was hoping for when starting this thread.

I'll see what I can do for the rest of the shots if you keep posting...

As to the location, I'm pretty sure i've taken the same shot, maybe 35 years or so ago, second/third time I went up there on the pushbike...

 

[ChrisR]

Round 3, March: Architecture OR Monochrome

Title: Tudor alley in Warwick, fine black and white architecture
Pentax MX, 35mm f/2, orange filter

No judges' points, two judge comments:

Comment A = good to see some period architecture amongst the chrome, steel and glass of the modern day. Unfortunately, this image does not quite work for me; it is just a bit too ordinary with nothing to draw your eye. Works we'll in mono though.

Comment C = Well exposed and the B&W works. The composition is just a tad lacking in outright interest though.

I put this on the Cutting Room Floor thread:

"Pretty fair comments, I thought, specially given the other great shots. In fact, as I approached the alley (in the centre of Warwick) there was someone coming through, but I couldn't get in position in time, and it didn't feel right to lie in wait for someone else!

"I was dithering between the shot above and this one, shot a few minutes later from more or less the same spot, facing the other way."

"It's cropped square because there was a rather blank wall to the right. I liked this as it is full of more interest, but decided against it because of the small boy and the car, the bin and the To Let sign... My wife thought it much better, but in the end I thought the formal design aspects of the first one were more in its favour."

Both those who commented on that thread preferred the second shot. Comments here?

 

[steveo_mcg]

Chris I think you and I have a similar problem we enter regardless of how well the shot is likely to be received we also enter what we like and not for the competition (not really). These are all competent entries but given the quality of the winners they lack the wow factor of some of the top shots.

I did the same thing with the Nature/Small things and tried to do both thinking both were required, the fungus is well shot but it doesn't really sing and I don't know what could be done to improve it.

The winter shot was a bloody nightmare, it was so warm last year that I found it almost impossible to find a winter landscape. Most didn't and only a couple of winners were even close to topic. This doesn't say winter, not really and I'm not sure how it could be made to given the weather. The second CRF (cutting room floor) shot was much better, good hints of snow for winter and perhaps being a little closer to wall for a lead in.

The Architecture shot feels a little awkward the top of the building is cropped across the middle, it might have worked better with the crop along the beam showing just a hint of the upper building but it's also missing a focal point. As you say a person might have helped but then it runs the risk of looking like just another hashed portrait of stranger in a bad street shot rather than architecture. I do think the b&w film plus the white and black finish of the tudor style is more clever than was perhaps given credit but then the slightly mixed up themes last year probably didn't help. All in I prefer the CRF entry, its a better more concise crop of the tudor buildings and has a nice big focal point at the end with lots of little interesting things all the way up.

I've read this a few times and I think I've been too harsh but I'll let it stand and beg forgiveness later , plus I think I'll steal your idea (again) and put up my own similar thread where you can feel free to get stuck in. I do know some of your later shots are much better so I don't feel too bad with these.

 

[ChrisR]

Thanks Steven. You're right, I do shoot for myself rather than the judges, but I'd also quite like to have the wow factor as well! In this case, I knew the sort of thing I wanted, with Warwick so near and the theme being mono and/or architecture it seemed natural to combine the two. I only gave myself one half day to get a decent shot though, which is perhaps not enough. I did follow @TheBigYin 's advice, and put prints of those two shots on my wall for a few days. I think maybe I got a bit seduced by seeing compositional elements in the submitted shot that weren't obvious to others; I wrote in a CRF post that "I was concentrating on the curving timbers top left, the chevron shapes top right and the diamond panes bottom right, and trying to balance them".

Don't worry about seeming harsh; your comments are constructive and helpful. Given how hard it is for judges to leave useful comments for all the entrants, I'd encourage anyone who enters and wants commentary to either use the Cutting Room Floor (or whatever it's called this year) or start something like this thread. I'll certainly try to comment on any that do appear.

 

[trevorbray]

Chris. Architecture. The first...well frankly I didn't give it a second look. The second is so much better. Liking the square, interest all the way through the shot, culminating in that lovely tower. Street furniture is just that. Sometimes it's better to accept it and not to sanitize the picture by cloning it out. Loving the look from the boy.

If it were mine I would probably have burned in the tower by 20%. Although I've often done that and changed my mind..

 

[ChrisR]

Thanks Trevor. This thread is beginning to suggest that what's out of sync is my judgment!

On the tower, I hadn't thought of burning it in (presuming you mean darkening it)... but I quite like the contrast with the strong blacks in the foreground. In reality it is a bit darker than it appears here.

 

[ChrisR]

Round 4, April, Portrait and/or Space

Title: So much English countryside feels enclosed, but this felt like wide open space, space to grow
Pentax MX, 50mm f/1.4 lens, expired Reala (hence the colour)

No judges points, one comment:

A decent enough idea, generally well exposed with some thought given to composition – the lead in lines – but overall this is a weak entry. The field lacks interesting, the shadows in the right of frame are distracting, the trees on the horizon do not offer anything to the shot / intention to convey space, and the lines in the field take us nowhere. Sorry to sound harsh but this does not work for me at all.

My thoughts: I continue to like this shot. I tried cloning out the tree shadow bottom right and it went insipid; I think that suggests a leading line back to the track. I also see lines in the whispy clouds in the sky. I like the horizontal bar of green, and the big contrast between the brown field and blue sky. But... it does feel rather forced into the space theme, and I suspect the title rather gives that away!

I didn't really have another option for space, and the only portrait that found its way into the candidates album was this:



I had intended to do some stranger portraits as I had the previous year, but bottled it, so only myself to blame, Maybe that's another challenge I should set myself (I suspect the 40mm focal length I'm currently using is not ideal though).

 

[abdoujaparov]

I bet there was a much better composition of that landscape somewhere in a 30 foot circle from where you took it - one that didn't have the shadows, and had more balance of the main points of interest (they're a bit too near the edges of the composition for me, I think). Did you try/reject any compositions before you took that one?

 

[ChrisR]

I bet there was a much better composition of that landscape somewhere in a 30 foot circle from where you took it - one that didn't have the shadows, and had more balance of the main points of interest (they're a bit too near the edges of the composition for me, I think). Did you try/reject any compositions before you took that one?

Well, you might be right, Keith, but that's the only shot I took, and it's only a very slight crop from the original. I was a little under pressure; it was a group walk, and you can't stay behind too long, but I remember glancing up at that lane, hesitating, and then thinking, I have to take that.

Perhaps if I had turned a little to the left, putting the track more on the third, and maybe just one tree at the right? Given what I remember was there, the track being so far left is my main disappointment.

 

[ChrisR]

Round 5, May, Colourful and/or Spring Landscape

Title: Colourful tulips
Pentax MX, 85mm f/2, expired Reala 100

No judges points, 1 comment:

Comment C = I'm no botanist but the flowers look a bit past their best. The background hasn't helped with defining the flowers and the lighting is a bit harsh. Having said that the main flowers do look pretty sharp and exposure in those difficult lighting conditions is reasonably well controlled

This was taken at the Suffolk film meet, across the table in the cafe while waiting for the train. I had tried for various other colourful shots in Suffolk and up in Edinburgh, including the blossom in the Meadows, and nothing was coming out as interesting. I knew this image was flawed, but I liked it a lot more than any other option I had. I was happy with the focus and the lighting from behind giving a rim on the leaves. I was happy that the background was well out of focus. I didn't like the background itself, nor the intrusions bottom left and bottom right, but I couldn't see a way of cropping them out. Worth a punt but I wasn't expecting much.

 

[DorsetDude]

Well, you might be right, Keith, but that's the only shot I took, and it's only a very slight crop from the original. I was a little under pressure; it was a group walk, and you can't stay behind too long, but I remember glancing up at that lane, hesitating, and then thinking, I have to take that.

Perhaps if I had turned a little to the left, putting the track more on the third, and maybe just one tree at the right? Given what I remember was there, the track being so far left is my main disappointment.

Just a passing observation. I suspect 95% of all the greatest landscape shots taken have not just been grabbed whilst out on a stroll with a bunch of impatient people. The photographer will have found a location(s) he thinks will work, he will then decide what time of day, what weather, what time of year and other factors he thinks would best suit the shot. When the conditions are right he would return to that spot and try to take a compositionally sound picture to capture all those elements. Those sort of things are what you have to think about when trying to produce a landscape picture (to enter into a competition). If the competition entry has a one month span you're not going to be able to pick the time of year I realise, but you can still try to pick a complementary time of day and weather conditions to suit your chosen landscape.

 

[ChrisR]

Thanks Keith, you're right. I've realised there is a "thing" called landscape photography which is quite different from my attempts at photographing landscapes, with all the disciplines you describe. I think I'm years away from practising that art; various aspects of life mean that I'm often limited to the sorts of occasions I mentioned. However, I am going out separately looking for particular shots much more now than I used to, and I am beginning to have some locations in mind where I'm looking for weather and time of day to be just right to take shots I've already planned. So, gradually getting there, I hope...

 

[trevorbray]

Thanks Keith, you're right. I've realised there is a "thing" called landscape photography which is quite different from my attempts at photographing landscapes, with all the disciplines you describe. I think I'm years away from practising that art; various aspects of life mean that I'm often limited to the sorts of occasions I mentioned. However, I am going out separately looking for particular shots much more now than I used to, and I am beginning to have some locations in mind where I'm looking for weather and time of day to be just right to take shots I've already planned. So, gradually getting there, I hope...

Seems like a winning approach to me..

 

[TheBigYin]

Round 3, March: Architecture OR Monochrome

Title: Tudor alley in Warwick, fine black and white architecture
Pentax MX, 35mm f/2, orange filter

No judges' points, two judge comments:



I put this on the Cutting Room Floor thread:

"Pretty fair comments, I thought, specially given the other great shots. In fact, as I approached the alley (in the centre of Warwick) there was someone coming through, but I couldn't get in position in time, and it didn't feel right to lie in wait for someone else!

"I was dithering between the shot above and this one, shot a few minutes later from more or less the same spot, facing the other way."

"It's cropped square because there was a rather blank wall to the right. I liked this as it is full of more interest, but decided against it because of the small boy and the car, the bin and the To Let sign... My wife thought it much better, but in the end I thought the formal design aspects of the first one were more in its favour."

Both those who commented on that thread preferred the second shot. Comments here?

Again, making it difficult by going for both aspects of the themes - not only shots of architectural stuff, but black and white architectural stuff, and on black and white film... I like the approach - and the half-timbered buildings are the perfect subject to combine this with IMO...

Sadly, it's the execution thats letting it down in the shot you entered - it's a bit of a "nothing shot" imo... all the leading lines lead you to... well - a scrubby looking tree at the end of the passage.

The Cutting room floor one however, had the potential to be a cracker - personally it'd have been camera on the tripod, red filter and a 10 stopper screwed on the front, f22 or more and as long as I could screw out of the exposure to get the people out of the picture.

Then, when you're at home, get stuck in and dodge/burn the background - make it stand out a little more... it's only a 10 second edt, and dog-rough because its on a low res. source, but see how much more impact there is when the tower actually stands out a bit more...

View attachment 32950
for me, the cutting room floor one certainly would have showed better for you... it's a good location, it probably just needed a little more time and effort in the execution.

 

[TheBigYin]

Round 4, April, Portrait and/or Space

Title: So much English countryside feels enclosed, but this felt like wide open space, space to grow
Pentax MX, 50mm f/1.4 lens, expired Reala (hence the colour)

No judges points, one comment:



My thoughts: I continue to like this shot. I tried cloning out the tree shadow bottom right and it went insipid; I think that suggests a leading line back to the track. I also see lines in the whispy clouds in the sky. I like the horizontal bar of green, and the big contrast between the brown field and blue sky. But... it does feel rather forced into the space theme, and I suspect the title rather gives that away!

I didn't really have another option for space, and the only portrait that found its way into the candidates album was this:



I had intended to do some stranger portraits as I had the previous year, but bottled it, so only myself to blame, Maybe that's another challenge I should set myself (I suspect the 40mm focal length I'm currently using is not ideal though).

Before I go any further, I aught to add, I'm actually trying to not look at any other feedback you've had in this thread, just as I would have, had I been one of the judges that month... I wasn't involved in the judging process at all (a number of other staff members DID join in as guest judges on occasion through the year, but I managed to keep under the radar and avoid the job - probably just as well, as I'm not much on wrapping things up nicely and gently, as you've probably noticed - though I'm definitely trying to be constructive within the remit of this thread - i.e. to help you understand why the shots didn't necessarily cut the mustard for a competition, despite being quite reasonable images.

Okay - April then... Portrait and/or Space...

Well - when the themes were published, I have to say this was the one that made me glad I wasn't entering! I pretty much DREAD the idea of pointing a camera at another human being - 2 weeks of ships-photographer on Canberra was enough to make me reailse that If I EVER looked down a viewfinder at another human being that I wasn't either a friend or relative of it would be too soon. So - i'd have gone for the "space" option myself...

And I see what you've done with it - big sky, wide open field... Can't remember - was this a no-PP round ?? (bloody STUPID idea that was!) - because if it wasn't - a quick crop (to a portrait orientation - oooh... a landscape in PORTRAIT - fancy that the image makes it work far better IMO - Lose the trees, and the shadow, drop the horizon on the lower 1/3rd, Put the track on the left hand third, and just say its a pity about the hint of a tree peeping over the horizon line...

View attachment 32955

This month I must admit, I would definintely not have gone with the alternative shot - and even if it was a No-PP, it should have been possible to compose as above in camera...

 

[TheBigYin]

Round 5, May, Colourful and/or Spring Landscape

Title: Colourful tulips
Pentax MX, 85mm f/2, expired Reala 100

No judges points, 1 comment:



This was taken at the Suffolk film meet, across the table in the cafe while waiting for the train. I had tried for various other colourful shots in Suffolk and up in Edinburgh, including the blossom in the Meadows, and nothing was coming out as interesting. I knew this image was flawed, but I liked it a lot more than any other option I had. I was happy with the focus and the lighting from behind giving a rim on the leaves. I was happy that the background was well out of focus. I didn't like the background itself, nor the intrusions bottom left and bottom right, but I couldn't see a way of cropping them out. Worth a punt but I wasn't expecting much.

The subject matter for this one was certainly colourful, and tulips and spring certainly go together (well, Max Bygraves certainly thought so...) - and I think you've absolutely nailed the exposure - they're beautifully luminous, but as floral specimens they're going a little over the top - as they're composed it's not quite a still-life and not quite a "environmental" - they either need to be a bit wider, and showing the context they were shot in - albeit blurred out, but to see they were the floral decor in the cafe - so a hint of tablecloth and cruet so to speak - OR - they need to be a "proper" composed still life, with specimens selected specifically for their perfection, and arranged thoughtfully...

As an Aside - It's something I really struggle with - I'm thinking of shooting a proper "old master type floral still life" at some point, and i've already mentioned it to my next door neighbour (she "does the florals" for the local church, and loves flower arranging, so I'm thinking at some point, I'll "commision" her to do an arrangement in a particular style, I pay for the flowers, spend a day shooting them, in my pre-prepared set, then hand them to her and let her have the flowers (or take 'em to the church as a donation) and maybe a big print of the picture as a thankyou..

 

[ChrisR]

Mark, thank you so much for that really helpful crit. I'd never have thought of the 10-stopper to blur the people out; I know it's done, but I've never thought of it for myself! As it happens I only have a 3 stopper, but it wouldn't have cost too much to get one to try. In fact, I'd better do it. The second part I'm not so sure of; the church tower has now become tonally similar to the other buildings, whereas before it was a delicate, traceried contrast.

The portrait crop of the space shot works really well. Really well. Kicking myself not to have seen it.

The tulips... well, they were a grab shot that I never expected to use, but the ones I was really trying for didn't work, so came back to those. I also want to do a formal flower arrangement shot. The other thing I have in mind is getting a chemistry retort stand and some clamps, to hold (out of view) a small assortment of specimen flowers, twigs, leaves whatever. Needs a back cloth and other things I don't have access to, like space, time etc... one day.

Thank you again for some really super input.

 

[ChrisR]

Round 6, June: Zoo, wildlife, pet OR Wild and free
Title: Iguana, on the wall
Camera: Pentax MX, Tamron 85-210 zoom, Portra 160

No judge points, two comments

Comment C = A bit too soft to be a challenger.

Comment D = The eye isn’t as sharp as it could be, especially when getting "that close" maybe also just crop to the head and fore leg. Half a body doesn't really add anything. Nice natural colours.

My thoughts: the plan, such as it was, was to get some butterfly shots at Stratford Butterfly Farm. This turned out to be much, much harder than I had expected; the butterflies that were stationery enough to frame and focus on were usually wings-folded, and mostly down underneath the vegetation, and I could not get any satisfactory frames. This iguana was roaming around, again mostly under the vegetation, but then he climbed up and paused, with the monstera leaf behind. He was only there for a few seconds, enough to check exposure, attempt to focus and try to frame. Just the one shot and as I tried to get a better frame he was over the wall and disappeared. Unfortunately I didn't have another opportunity, other than a bunch of local goats (!), but looking at @Andysnap's shot, for example, that again was a failure of imagination.

 

[ChrisR]

- personally it'd have been camera on the tripod, red filter and a 10 stopper screwed on the front, f22 or more and as long as I could screw out of the exposure to get the people out of the picture.

I've got f/16 on that lens... so, Sunny 16, Tri-X rated at 200, would be 1/250 at f/16. Ten stops takes that to 4 seconds. Reciprocal failure takes that to 15 seconds. Just checked, there is a B setting and I do have a cable release!

Is 15 seconds enough to "get the people out of the picture"? I imagine it would be if they are walking across, not if walking towards or away from the camera. I suppose that's all about timing... or trying again!

 

[DorsetDude]

Is 15 seconds enough to "get the people out of the picture"? I imagine it would be if they are walking across, not if walking towards or away from the camera. I suppose that's all about timing... or trying again!

Get there at half 5 in the morning, should be a lot less people about...

 

[TheBigYin]

I've got f/16 on that lens... so, Sunny 16, Tri-X rated at 200, would be 1/250 at f/16. Ten stops takes that to 4 seconds. Reciprocal failure takes that to 15 seconds. Just checked, there is a B setting and I do have a cable release!

Is 15 seconds enough to "get the people out of the picture"? I imagine it would be if they are walking across, not if walking towards or away from the camera. I suppose that's all about timing... or trying again!

I'd say probably not completely tbh... I'd say there would likely be the odd "streak" or blur.... But with a red filter as well it'd be 30 seconds before reciprocal failure or nearer 3.5 minutes... that'd do it...

 

[TheBigYin]

The second part I'm not so sure of; the church tower has now become tonally similar to the other buildings, whereas before it was a delicate, traceried contrast.

That's why I said it was a very rough edit - working from a decent high res scan of the shot I'd have basically JUST done the church tower, taking the contrast on the stonework up pretty high, but leaving the street and the other buildings as being the more insipid pale greys... that way the "window" in the shot had something in the middle as a focal point that really stood out... I've had another crack at it, it still looks a little un-natural, mainly because in the low-res, I didn't have much scope for delicate masking on the edges of the tower, but this might give you a better idea of what I was on about...

View attachment 33022

 

[ChrisR]

Round 7, July: Holiday or Product Shot
Title: Struggling back from the boating holiday
Pentax MX, 28mm, Velvia 50!

No judges' points, one comment:

Comment C = Looks like a very pleasant environment. I appreciate the difficulties of shooting with film and this is a noble effort. However, although the sky and water are well exposed, the centre of the scene is underexposed as are other darker areas of the composition.

My thoughts: comments are fair enough. I suspect I was using my charity shop Colkin grads, not perhaps the wisest thing with a wider lens, and you can see the colour cast. The Velvia is just smashing (one of only two rolls I've ever shot), but the composition looks a bit of a desperate grab... and it was.

This was the roll that I put a thread about the scanning and colour shifts.

There were other shots on that roll that were also OK, I thought the one above fitted with the theme best. I did haver over this one for quite a while. I think what turned me against it was the person in the red shirt hidden behind the person in the slightly more orange shirt!

 

[ChrisR]

Round 8, August: Summer landscapes/Holidays/Travel
Title: Some landscapes look bleak even in summer: Castle Stalker
Pentax MX, 85mm f/2, Portra 160

No judges' points, no comments.

My thoughts: I had a fair number of "nice enough" shots, but nothing I could find that really sparkled. Among the candidates was the alternative one in the previous post. I thought this one had some potential. On the other hand, we just turned up in the middle of the afternoon, went to a couple of view points, wandered about, took some shots, and left. I can pretty much hear DorsetDude telling me I should have returned at a time with better light, taking account of tide etc, and found a location down by the shore. Which is what I would very much have liked to do... but force majeure, could not!

 

[DorsetDude]

not travelling anywhere useful, so I had to make do locally

it was a group walk, and you can't stay behind too long

they were a grab shot that I never expected to use,

I would very much have liked to do... but force majeure, could not

Anyone else noticing a common theme here

If you're trying to produce a picture with a chance of doing well in a competition and with a wow factor, one thing you will have to do is plan and take your time getting the shot, no "making do". Quickly snapped stuff on the off chance, as you have been finding, rarely produces pictures that do well. (so maybe ditch the crowds and go out on your own with a purpose in mind)

Please dont think I'm having a go at you, I'm not. You have my respect for entering a competition, something I've not yet done, on TP anyway.