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Weekly Photo Contest Jan 17 - Jan 23 (Theme: Cinematic Moments)
- Thread starter genshi
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The contest is now closed and I will publish the results a bit later this evening. Great job everyone and thanks for participating!
Thanks again to everyone who participated in this week's contest; you certainly didn't make it very easy for me with all the great shots that were submitted! With that being said, I was hoping some of you would move out of your comfort zone and shoot something specific for the theme instead of searching your archives in hopes of making something fit.
In photography, Cinematic Moments is about a picture that really tells a story and/or provokes an emotion; that has a subject which makes you wonder what had happened just before that moment, or what could possibly happen next. This could be either staged (see Gregory Crewdson) or caught by that "decisive moment" (there are a couple of other good Flickr Groups along these lines as well.)
As I said, there were a lot of great shots in this week's theme, but only a couple that really had the essence of a Cinematic Moment. So without further ado, let the judging begin...
Hankster: Really good shot. Has a bit of mystery to it which is nice, but not really a clear subject that tells a story other than, that it is a memorial.
ijohn.8.80: This could make a good street/architectural shot, but it needs a human subject. For example, if there would have been a couple of people having a conversation on the balcony of the foreground building, that would have given a nice Cinematic Moment à la the "Conversation" with it's long zoom shots of covert interaction.
AlexH: Really beautiful shot! If the couple had been interacting more or if something else was going on in the scene, it would have made a great Cinematic Moment, but as it is, it's a really great Hallmark Card (and I mean that in the best possible way.)
pmxperience: Really nice street shot. Really close to being a Cinematic Moment, but for me, it leans too much on the Street Photography side rather than a scene from a movie.
pakyooh: Same as above but with the added advantage of being a grainy black & white giving this a really nice film noir feel. Really nice, definitely cinematic, but still too street.
Caliber26: Nice shot but... cheating. No shots of already made movie sets, stunt shows or anything else at Universal Studios (and not just because I use to work there!)
jabbott: Normally, I avoid landscapes as Cinematic Moments because there is usually nothing going on that provokes an emotion on a story level, but this image really has that "John Ford" (or was it John Huston) feel, a beautiful sweeping vista. Love it!
fireman32: This is a really nice shot and oh so close to what I was hoping for. If you would have put her in a cafe at night, and shot her through the window, that would be the shot!
Keleko: As I said with Caliber26, nice shot but, cheating. Maybe some of you took this too literally?
milbournosphere: see Keleko above.
Otaillon: Good landscape, but not really much of a story or subject that has a cinematic feel. I do like the way you captured the sunset just under the bridge though.
sagar4995: Interesting treatment. Would be good for a post-apocalyptic movie, but I wish you would have put someone in there, doing something interesting (needs zombies!)
NeGRit0: The clouds are post-apocalyptic, the signage though looks more like advertising for the Motel. Good shot, interesting treatment, not quite cinematic.
jodelli: Cool shot. More of a sports photography shot, but cool shot nonetheless!
cupcakes2000: Very nice landscape. As I mentioned with Otaillon though, doesn't really give me that feel of a Cinematic Moment.
acearchie: This is what I am talking about! Everything about this is a Cinematic Moment. The lighting, the "film" grain, the subject. It makes me wonder "Who is that lady? Where is she going? And who is that with her in the back of the cab?" (with the hint of a man's outstretched arm in the shot!) It has a very 1970s vibe to it as well. Really excellent example of what I was hoping for; very cinematic!
Fezwick: Another really great shot! And it definitely has that cinematic feel to it, like a scene from "Stand By Me". Technically my favorite shot, and this would have been the winner but...
DirtySocks85: Not sure about this one. This would have been a cutaway shot for the scene before with the security guy looking at the monitors, or the criminal action going on in the streets. In other words, it would have been more of a cinematic moment to show one of those two "scenes" instead of the in-between cutaway shot here (if that makes sense.)
JDDavis: Another really beautiful landscape/sunset, but again, landscapes are their own thing, and not enough going on to provoke the question of what is happening; no action, or drama going on.
micrors4racer: This was a tough one, because I can see the dust trail of what could have been a great car chase, but where's the cars? Its a nice shot, but it could have been a really great cinematic shot if we could have seen the actual subject (or two!)
astrosinmyeyes: This is a really nice shot. Something I would see in a wedding or food magazine (I also shoot food photography, so I mean this with the utmost respect.) If there was some human element, maybe a conversation, or a longing look from a forlorn bridesmaid?
LongSticks: Yikes! Shark! Wish the composition was a little more dramatic. Looks like this was taken in a swimming pool. Interesting though!
firstapple: Really great shot. I really like this one. Good example of Reportage/Photojournalism. There is sometimes a fine line between Reportage and more of a Cinematic shot. This one is just on that side of Reportage for me, but in a great way!
Neur0genesis: And same with this one. Good sports reportage. Close to a cinematic shot, but for me, more of a sports photography shot.
...and the winners are!
Third Place: A tie! jabbott and fireman32
Second Place: Fezwick
First Place: acearchie
Whew! That was a tough one. Thanks again to everyone who participated, really great photos from all!
In photography, Cinematic Moments is about a picture that really tells a story and/or provokes an emotion; that has a subject which makes you wonder what had happened just before that moment, or what could possibly happen next. This could be either staged (see Gregory Crewdson) or caught by that "decisive moment" (there are a couple of other good Flickr Groups along these lines as well.)
As I said, there were a lot of great shots in this week's theme, but only a couple that really had the essence of a Cinematic Moment. So without further ado, let the judging begin...
Hankster: Really good shot. Has a bit of mystery to it which is nice, but not really a clear subject that tells a story other than, that it is a memorial.
ijohn.8.80: This could make a good street/architectural shot, but it needs a human subject. For example, if there would have been a couple of people having a conversation on the balcony of the foreground building, that would have given a nice Cinematic Moment à la the "Conversation" with it's long zoom shots of covert interaction.
AlexH: Really beautiful shot! If the couple had been interacting more or if something else was going on in the scene, it would have made a great Cinematic Moment, but as it is, it's a really great Hallmark Card (and I mean that in the best possible way.)
pmxperience: Really nice street shot. Really close to being a Cinematic Moment, but for me, it leans too much on the Street Photography side rather than a scene from a movie.
pakyooh: Same as above but with the added advantage of being a grainy black & white giving this a really nice film noir feel. Really nice, definitely cinematic, but still too street.
Caliber26: Nice shot but... cheating. No shots of already made movie sets, stunt shows or anything else at Universal Studios (and not just because I use to work there!)
jabbott: Normally, I avoid landscapes as Cinematic Moments because there is usually nothing going on that provokes an emotion on a story level, but this image really has that "John Ford" (or was it John Huston) feel, a beautiful sweeping vista. Love it!
fireman32: This is a really nice shot and oh so close to what I was hoping for. If you would have put her in a cafe at night, and shot her through the window, that would be the shot!
Keleko: As I said with Caliber26, nice shot but, cheating. Maybe some of you took this too literally?
milbournosphere: see Keleko above.
Otaillon: Good landscape, but not really much of a story or subject that has a cinematic feel. I do like the way you captured the sunset just under the bridge though.
sagar4995: Interesting treatment. Would be good for a post-apocalyptic movie, but I wish you would have put someone in there, doing something interesting (needs zombies!)
NeGRit0: The clouds are post-apocalyptic, the signage though looks more like advertising for the Motel. Good shot, interesting treatment, not quite cinematic.
jodelli: Cool shot. More of a sports photography shot, but cool shot nonetheless!
cupcakes2000: Very nice landscape. As I mentioned with Otaillon though, doesn't really give me that feel of a Cinematic Moment.
acearchie: This is what I am talking about! Everything about this is a Cinematic Moment. The lighting, the "film" grain, the subject. It makes me wonder "Who is that lady? Where is she going? And who is that with her in the back of the cab?" (with the hint of a man's outstretched arm in the shot!) It has a very 1970s vibe to it as well. Really excellent example of what I was hoping for; very cinematic!
Fezwick: Another really great shot! And it definitely has that cinematic feel to it, like a scene from "Stand By Me". Technically my favorite shot, and this would have been the winner but...
DirtySocks85: Not sure about this one. This would have been a cutaway shot for the scene before with the security guy looking at the monitors, or the criminal action going on in the streets. In other words, it would have been more of a cinematic moment to show one of those two "scenes" instead of the in-between cutaway shot here (if that makes sense.)
JDDavis: Another really beautiful landscape/sunset, but again, landscapes are their own thing, and not enough going on to provoke the question of what is happening; no action, or drama going on.
micrors4racer: This was a tough one, because I can see the dust trail of what could have been a great car chase, but where's the cars? Its a nice shot, but it could have been a really great cinematic shot if we could have seen the actual subject (or two!)
astrosinmyeyes: This is a really nice shot. Something I would see in a wedding or food magazine (I also shoot food photography, so I mean this with the utmost respect.) If there was some human element, maybe a conversation, or a longing look from a forlorn bridesmaid?
LongSticks: Yikes! Shark!
Wish the composition was a little more dramatic. Looks like this was taken in a swimming pool. Interesting though!firstapple: Really great shot. I really like this one. Good example of Reportage/Photojournalism. There is sometimes a fine line between Reportage and more of a Cinematic shot. This one is just on that side of Reportage for me, but in a great way!
Neur0genesis: And same with this one. Good sports reportage. Close to a cinematic shot, but for me, more of a sports photography shot.
...and the winners are!
Third Place: A tie! jabbott and fireman32
Second Place: Fezwick
First Place: acearchie
Whew! That was a tough one. Thanks again to everyone who participated, really great photos from all!
Thanks for the comments genshi and great job judging. I knew this one was going to be in Ace's wheelhouse and he didn't dissapoint. Great shot Ace. You touched on a another point that I need to get better at and that's shooting something specific for the contest. There is, of course, nothing wrong with searching the archives for a photo that fits the theme but in the past I was much better at challenging myself to go shoot something specifically for the contest. It's much harder these days to do that with my job but I did find I learned alot more when I tried to take a new shot for each contest. It was easier to do when I was participating in the "Fortnightly Challenge"...which I guess has all but gone away.
WooHoo I made third place! Thanks for the cool theme genshi and great job on the judging. I had picked acearchie as the winner myself. Great shot!
Thanks for the kind words from you and others and thanks for the great feedback!
Editing for a 48hr film competition tonight but will get onto the theme tomorrow!
Thanks again!
Thanks for the comments!
Thanks as well to Genshi, for the comments!
Agreed I would have liked a better composition but I was snorkelling in Maldives, went up the villa sea steps and this 1m long baby Black tip shark was following me! It was the only shot I got, pure snap reaction!!
My first entry and some nice words of advice.
Wont be my last entry.
Thanks as well to Genshi, for the comments!
Agreed I would have liked a better composition but I was snorkelling in Maldives, went up the villa sea steps and this 1m long baby Black tip shark was following me! It was the only shot I got, pure snap reaction!!
genshi a huge thanks for an interesting theme and a great job on the judging too.
Congrat's to the winners, acearchies was the standout for me too! I wanted to know where they were going, why and who was the arm belonging to...
Congrat's to the winners, acearchies was the standout for me too! I wanted to know where they were going, why and who was the arm belonging to...
Makes perfect sense. I was certainly thinking of it as a bit of a cutaway shot, but maybe thinking of it being used in a more post apocalyptic sense. Something about the color scheme and the broken, hanging wires does it for me with this image. Thanks for your feedback.
Congrats acearchie and thanks for the comments genshi.
It's only my third week here, but I'm glad to learn I can think of these as "assignments" in a way- going out and taking a shot to fit the theme. Still mostly new and only just starting to understand exposure/dof/composition, and what good glass can do. Excited to take some new, "focused" pictures. No seriously, most of them have been blurry until recently.
It's only my third week here, but I'm glad to learn I can think of these as "assignments" in a way- going out and taking a shot to fit the theme. Still mostly new and only just starting to understand exposure/dof/composition, and what good glass can do. Excited to take some new, "focused" pictures. No seriously, most of them have been blurry until recently.