Contest results
First, I'd like to say that I am extremely impressed by the contest submissions this week. Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry. Here are my comments for each one:
cupcakes2000: Nice dark (but not black!) sky, with an interesting glow around the tree on the right. I think this might look even more interesting with a larger aperture to capture more light.
Keleko: I really like the colors of this shot. The sunlight hitting the leaves in the upper-left corner is quite lifelike. Good exposure and framing.
TooFastForLove: Nice photo. The texture of the rocks is really brought out in B&W, as well as the varied cloudscape.
flosseR: This is a fantastic sunrise/sunset photo. There are many layers with differing amounts contrast due to the distance and haze in the area. The reflections on the Thames are a nice touch. I could definitely understand why you would have a print of this!
Ravaroo: Very nice photo. This must have been difficult to meter because of the bright sun and not-so-bright other areas. The complexity of the cloud layers works well with the sun to convey lots of depth.
Wyro: I shot a photo very much like this near Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park in California, so it brings back memories. The rock near the center of the frame naturally draws my eyes out to the water to see the misty spray of the Pacific. I like the square framing of this shot.
epb87: The colors from this photo are seemingly unreal, but I suppose that is what Hawaii is all about.
The vantage point almost appears to be floating over the city (compared to the Pillbox which looks like it would have a floor). The sea oats near the pillbox wall help to provide a bit of perspective. The reflection of the ocean on the pillbox roof is interesting. Overall a very nice shot.
johnnj: This is Abiquiu, where Georgia O'Keefe and Ansel Adams both spent some time. I've been meaning to visit, and this photo provides even more motivation. The sharp, striated sandstone juxtaposed with deeply textured vegetation and clouds makes for an alluring composition. The sun angle was just right to create depth in the sandstone formation and wide variation in cloud brightness. I like this photo a lot.
xMClass: Back to the beach in California, this time in color! I like how you chose to position the dark rocks near the light ocean. Good use of the rule of thirds to split the beach and ocean at one third and sky at two thirds of the frame.
dakduel: The texture of the hills here is fascinating. I like the colors a lot but this looks like it was more dynamic range than the camera could capture. Although I normally cringe at HDR photos because they are overdone, I think a light amount of natural-looking HDR would have really helped to bring out the cloud texture here.
Razeus: Nice landscape and good half and half framing of the ground and sky. The smoothness between sky and ocean is an interesting effect - was it very humid there? This could be a postcard for wherever this was taken.
Ryan1524: Nine bladed aperture! The colors in this photo are outstanding, as well as the framing and composition. Nice texture and shading along the rocks. The lens flare is pronounced but I think it is a nice effect.
alphamale: Nice photo. The depth created by the contrast tells me this is a vast expanse of fjords. The rainbow coloring of the dark sky provides a nice juxtaposition to the fjords.
Designer Dale: I've wanted to visit Nisqually Delta NWR ever since reading about it, and this photo definitely motivates me much like the Abiquiu one earlier. I like the golden hour orange hue of the vegetation which opposes the blue sky nicely. The mirror-like reflection is nice as well as the variable cloud layers.
Juanbond: Spectacular B&W. The snow on the trees and on the peak provides for a rich contrast. Excellent framing and composition.
Mr. Frog: Very nice photo of Colombia. I like the varied colors and terrain, and the low cloud in the distance. The animal, house and mountain provide a good sense of depth to this photo. I'd like to visit a place like this one day as well.
fulcrum.1995: Wonderful artistic shot of the Santa Cruz Natural Bridge. I really like the colors and the reflection of the bridge in the water. Good use of the rule of thirds. Very nice exposure.
runlsd: Nice colors, framing and composition. There is a tremendous amount of detail in this photo. I really like the contrast between the plants in the bottom left of the scene and the rest of the shot. The low clouds also add to the scene.
AoxomoxoA: Only one photo per contest is allowed, so I will judge your last entry. This mountain scene is very impressive and well captured. The texture on the mountains between the granite and snow makes for a crisp contrast. The rocks scattered among the trees also provide an interesting foreground. Nicely composed.
acearchie: I like the narrow depth of field used here to focus my attention on the rocks near the water. The reflection of the mountains is also nice and mirror-like. This looks like a photo that could be done nicely in B&W as well.
Nuks: I have to ask, is that how the trees normally look in Toronto? The hue of the trees is very interesting, especially when contrasted to the person's red jacket towards the bottom of the frame. I like the texture of the trees a lot.
WoodNUFC: Nice landscape. I suspect this would look even more interesting during sunrise or sunset, although it would have to be taken at just the right time of year to make the texture of Table Mountain pop out.
1nsanity: This is a really nice photo, and I like the colors a lot. The texture on the rocks stands in contrast to the smooth textures in the rest of the shot. Nice use of the rule of thirds here, and vignetting to draw attention inward.
cherry_su: Nice use of the rule of thirds here, and beautiful sky, but the bottom third is anything but natural.
macrumormonger: I have no what the flower is either (one website says it could be "California Bay" -
http://www.birdmom.net/wildflowersyellow.html ). It looks like there is a lot of it around that area. The crispness of the green vegetation in the foreground is very nice, and the narrow depth of field here really helps to convey the sense of distance to the ocean. The rule of thirds is also nicely present in this photo.
munkees: The light rays coming through the water make for an awesome scene. It is interesting how the brown and yellow fish at the bottom is so different in appearance than the blue fish at the top. It is as if the light rays caught it differently than the rest. The bubbles are nicely captured and crisp as well. Very nice photo.
jodelli: This must have been windy! Everything looks fairly windblown. The wide angle field of view used for this shot is great for capturing the snow (or it is just large raindrops?) and the double rainbow. Fantastic shot.
fcortese: These rocks remind me of the rock fields of the In-Ko-Pah mountains along I-8 east of San Diego, CA. The primary difference is that these have entire trees growing out of the spaces between them. I must admit though that this photo leaves me yearning to find out what is over those rocks.
tim.klapdor: The colors! They jump out at me a lot. This is a great vantage point, and the vehicles on the road provide a really good sense of just how immense the sandstone formations are. The orange in the photo might be a bit oversaturated.
01jamcon: This is a neat composition but I am left wondering more about the dark rocks. This would be stellar if the rocks and person were illuminated from the side around sunrise or sunset.
Chappers: I really like the style of this photo and the texture of the hills but the exposure needs to be longer. I adjusted this in Photoshop to get a better impression and it is a truly beautiful scene.
jrm27: I was there almost exactly one year ago! This is an interesting vantage point to capture Delicate Arch, as it provides a lot of contrasts. I really like this photo.
Waybo: Nice composition. The foliage in the foreground helps to create separation from the rest of the scene. The smooth mirror-like reflection in the water helps to make this a very nice photo.
monokakata: Interesting blend between an industrial pattern and nature. The grating is exposed very nicely, but it looks like the clouds may have been overexposed as a result. When I look at this photo, my eyes are drawn to the grating more than the rest of the image. It may help to frame future photos like this using the rule of thirds so that the sky gets a third, the grassy area gets a third and the road/grating gets a third. This is still an interesting photo all around.
And now for the judging. This was not easy at all because there were so many great entries. Here are my selected winners for this week:
3rd place: Two-way tie between
fulcrum.1995 and
1nsanity. Both are fantastic photos.
2nd place:
flosseR. Really impressive photo for so many different reasons.
1st place:
Juanbond. This is the type of photo I aspire to take one day.
Thanks again everyone and now on to
Juanbond for the next weekly photo contest!
