Please help me choose photos for a competition

[iSamurai]

Hi all,

Please help me pick 4 photos out of these 8, as I can't decide for myself which ones to choose... Help appreciated! This is a school photography competition. The theme is "school spirits".


http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/1512/dsc01462kx9.jpg
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8315/dsc01746zv6.jpg
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/6678/dsc031172aj1.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/2955/dsc032712ju9.jpg
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/7688/dsc058632of5.jpg
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/2373/dsc06083uj6.jpg
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/3992/dsc06090eq0.jpg
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/8303/dsc061822js9.jpg
Just reply here on this thread. Thank you for your time.

[silbeej]

2, 3 & 6 are definite. Possibly 1 for the 4th.

[ChicoWeb]

4, 5 are my favs.

[psycoswimmer]

I've got to agree with 2, 3, and 6, and, being a swimmer, I'd go with 1 as well. :D

Scratch that. If you're going to go with one swimming one, go with 2. You can really see the will on the faces of the guys cheering the swimmer on. And 4 is probably more intense/interesting than 3.

Final: Definitely go with 2, 4, and 6. I'm not sure about the last one though.

[Mrs. Brutal]

4
Definitely

[Abstract]

4 and 6 fit the theme best.


I like #1, but with everyone in the background facing the other way, it doesn't really look like a lot of school spirit exists there. ;) Also, the swimmer's skin looks a bit too green, as does the water. The background looks fine, but since the swimmer is the focus of the photo, he should look awesome, no?

#2 is a better example of school spirit, but the swimmer isn't prominent enough. He's also doesn't give the obvious signs that he's a "competition-level swimmer". All you see is his head. If he was clearly free-style swimming in the photo, it would be been better. That's clearly not in your control, and its hard to get the perfect pose, but it doesn't change the outcome.

#3: Nice photo, but the suits are too dark for me. There's no detail there.

#5 is a nice photo, but it's not as good as #4 and #6.

#7 is just like #6, but far worse.

#8: I just don't like it. The guy in front isn't even in focus.

[BCains]

I definitely like photos; 2, 4 & 5 :)

[Watabou]

Another vote for 4. #3 and 4 are kinda the same but I think 4 is a bit better than 3 because it has some emotion in it.

I also like 1, and 6.

[blackstone]

#1 raises the question of why everyone is facing away from the swimmer. It would be a very nice, classic swimming photo if you cropped them out and just showed the swimmer. But I doubt that would fit the theme too well.

#2 is frustrating. You can barely see the swimmer; it's just the people waiting for him/her to reach the end, and they are just crouching rather than doing anything active.

#3 is the best representation of school spirit. Visually, I like the repetition of the blazers and ties, and I like how the eye is drawn to the guy in the center with his mouth in song. If I were choosing between the various shots, this is the one I'd submit for the competition.

#4 has no center of interest. It's just a bunch of guys yelling, for reasons unclear, at something apparently happening off to the right. Instead of looking at their expressions (as you do in #3), you end up just wondering why they're yelling and what they're yelling at.

#5 is a nice action shot. This is probably my second choice for showing the school spirit theme, especially since the three runners are all kind of coordinated.

#6, like #4, has no center of interest. It's unclear what they're watching or why, and there is nothing interesting about any of their expressions.

#7 is just puzzling. The focus is on these people's hands, but what are they doing with their hands? Why? And why should the viewer care?

#8 is an okay shot of a pause in the game, although it would be better if someone were meeting the gaze of the guy in the center. Also, it's not clear what he's expressing. It would be better if the shot could tell a story rather than just freezing a moment whose meaning is unclear.

[smoothjp]

#3 is the best
then #6
then #2
then #4

Good luck