Made it into the 2019 British Photography Awards shortlist!

[mrk]

I ask for your help once more folks.

I submitted two photos in different categories for the latest BPA contest and one of them got into the shortlist of 240 from around the world!

Your help will be in the people's choice award, if you choose to vote for my entry of course

The shortlist gallery to view and vote is https://www.britishphotographyawards.org/2019-Shortlist

My photo is the one in the Weddings section entitled "A boy's boredom".

The rules say sharing and asking people to vote is completely allowed for the people's choice award.

Thanks!

 

[mrk]

done

Appreciated!

 

[mrk]

Thanks everyone!

 

[mrk]

Thanks again everyone!

Voted.

As an aside, I found a few images (4-5) really weren't what I consider to be "stand-out" enough to be short-listed, while others were breath-taking, so the judging will something interesting!!!

The drone ones really got my eyeballs moving! I have been given a high quality drone by a work colleague who is on long term sick and may actually never return. I think in his honour it would be the best choice to make use of it, being on the south coast and all and with free travel to the isle of wight to take some ambience filled scenic images with it!

Is it too late to submit a photo of you getting knocked out in your charity boxing match? I'd vote for that!

Voted.

Well that's not gonna happen.


Probably

 

[mrk]

@Buddy I entered the previous BPA but didn't cut it with the two images I submitted! I expected nothing this year too, so imagine my surprise when the email came through today! Unlucky this time round dude but enter again for the next one for sure!

In the Macro category, "Moon Moth" really stood out to me for its simplicity yet uniqueness.

 

[mrk]

It depends how many actually enter, I'm always dubious of competitions where you have to pay to enter, they are doing it for the money not the art. You'll get some awful shots included in the choice because they don't want to discourage people from entering which they would if they were all great shots.

Personally, I'm a massive fan of captured moments such as @mrk's shot, even when I do my wedding photography these are the moments I am looking for. Anyone can do posed photos.

One thing I read ages ago that has always been in mind ever since is that even if 90% of the photos turn out to be just standard photos from a wedding shoot, as long as there is at least one stand-out photo, everything else automatically becomes better for the couple and their friends and family.

Personally for me I try to make every candid photo unique, but some will always be totally unique, something that couldn't be replicated again, a moment that is either caught on camera, or never seen again.

I had loads of photos I wanted to submit, but felt this one was the one to use. I think it helped that recently someone submitted that very shot to Reddit under the Accidental Renaissance sub and it went to the front page. They credited me of course in the post which made me think of it when I saw the competition pop up on my Facebook feed the other week!

Done

i kinda like joyous exit,
i imagen a part two to that picture in several years.. but with her holding up a joyous fist clench as she leaves the divorce court

Hah that would be quite funny actually! She then has both photos framed on a wall side by side

 

[mrk]

Voted and do think it's the best in that category based on interestingness and quality, although also liked 'The Rain'. Some really good photos submitted, will keep an eye on it and see what the outcome is.

Going by the main contest page info, seems 4 chosen entrants from each category will be invited to the ceremony in January at the Savoy. That's when the overall winner for each will be announced with runners uo in each one too along with the people's choice award for each category too.

If I make it to that then that would be rather amazing! Invites will be sent out toward the end of this month going by the website info.

Yeah, I find that the best photos are taken from watching and guessing what's going to happen, you get very good at reading people and situations.

I sit there sometimes editing and thinking "god these are generic, nothing special" then you'll find something that really stands out and changes the way I feel about it.

What's your facebook page? Mine's Something Forever Photography, need to get my website built too but it's finding the time. Working full time, being a dad and husband, other jobs and doing 4-6 weddings a year is about all I manage.

Over the years shooting weddings has taught me a lot about behaviour and how and why some people react in certain ways and as you say, you can then predict what is likely to happen next. It's a playground for anyone who loves observjng people and learning all the different kinds of people out there!

Both a friend and I have coined a certain character that is almost always at every wedding. We call him (always been a male so far) the Megawixel.

The Megawixel will hunt you out amongst the crowd, he will question what kind of camera you have and its megapixel count, he will remark on the size of the camera and lens and that it must be professional. He will often say that his phone has a 20MP camera and mention the MBs of storage capacity. He will then talk about how he misses the good old film days when you had to get exposures spot on, but will then revel in the technological revolution of the digital age. He is totally harmless though, but his conversations will often seem bottomless

Overall a good laugh though!

My Facebook page is www.facebook.com/khanphoto - Although Facebook has been slipping as of late into paykent based engagement the last year or so and I've been prioritising posting new work on 500px and Instagram then pushing stuff to FB unless I need to share images with the B&G or other people tagged etc for direct engagement.

My website isn't reactive and is in need of an overhaul which I've been planning for years. I think that will be one of my new year's resolutions, to get round to building a new site and switching to it as I have some interesting projects planned like YouTube and Instagram tutorials and behind the scenes narration that I'd like to post as blogs linked from the main site going forwards.

 

[mrk]

Cheers again!

New like from me. Mine's here but tbh, mainly weddings and I only update it about 3 times a year if that, much the wife's annoyance! I'd do it full time if it was up to her. www.facebook.com/SomethingForeverPhotography

I know the sort you mean, he's normally have drunk too!

I had a woman at one wedding I did who was a keen amateur, followed me around all day to the point where I had the bridal party on a bridge over a small lake and I was balanced on a rock in the bushes to get the right angle. I heard this loud CLICK right in my ear, I jumped, wobbled and accidentally elbowed her in the face.

Later found out that she'd tried to give the couple her photos before mine saying they'd be better and even ordered them a photobook of her shots, but no editing or anything on them. I'm a stickler for removing things from photos such as fire exit signs etc, anything that takes away from it. Far more work for me but a nicer photo overall.

EDIT: Just seen your video "Quickly removing distractions from your photos", glad it's not just me

Added back, and also double added as you can like other pages as your own page too via the 3 dots button

That woman sounds right cheeky!

As for the distractions removal video, yep been trying to find the time to do more stuff like that but I guess that will be part of the little project for the next year. Polish it up, record on location and use gopros mounted on the camera to add in cuts.

 

[mrk]

Better response than expected I have to say so thanks once again!

 

[mrk]

Thanks!

A virtual beer for you all

 

[mrk]

I am not a shop!

 

[mrk]

I will know if I've made it after the 35th when invites to nominees are sent out!

 

[mrk]

Thanks! Seasick Steve lyric in sig?

It would be amazing to win. I can't remember the last time I won something And it would certainly give me a high point to start 2019 off with!

Based on what I read, over 3100 people entered their photos into the contest. At £10 per entry, that's £31k. Nobody from the organisation can profit from this either, and 50% goes to charities, and once a portion is used for purchasing cards and materials for the event, the remaining amount is split between the category winners. With that in mind I imagine each winner gets a couple of hundred £ each as well as the other prizes.

Edit*

There were two other shots from other weddings I was considering submitting but felt the bored boy's one was my favourite:

 

[mrk]

One of my fav Seasick songs

 

[mrk]

Probably found one, but he makes them mostly out of everyday items

 

[mrk]

Cheers again!

 

[mrk]

I know I'm going to upset a few but my self diagnosed OCD is taking over and I've got to say it: Why oh why oh why oh why do people take photos where everything else in the picture is out of focus? It really does my head in. There said it however it is a cracking photo.

I can't speak for everyone who uses shallow depth of field, but in ref to mine, usually it's needed for a number of reasons.

Main ones being:

1: It's just how camera lenses work.
The wider the aperture, the more light that can enter the lens and onto the sensor or film. This means the camera can use a faster shutter speed so you're less likely to get the subject blurred if they're moving.

My shot was taken at f/1.8 with a shutter speed of 1/250s and iso1600. The light in that room was fairly adequate but not perfect, the minimum shutter I use for lower light situations where taking a candid photo is usually around 1/200s with a wide aperture, else I'd have to increase the ISO and use a narrower aperture to compensate which results in more noise, which isn't desirable for such a scene where there's a lot of mid tone detail that might not look ideal.

2: Subject isolation.
A wider aperture isolates whatever you're shooting and keeps attention drawn to it. I could have used f/8 and iso4000 and much more of the background would have been in focus. But then that wouldn't have the desired feel to the image and it would change the mood of it.

With prime lenses you will always have foreground and background blur, this has always been the case going way back to the early days of cameras. It's not something you can avoid completely. So it's best to incorporate that into whatever is being photographed.

Some people go a bit heavy with depth of field in modern times, others are selective. Depends on the person really There isn't a right or wrong though just personal style.

Check out this photo from Antwerp taken in 1918 as citizens marched the streets after Germany's surrender, notice it's a wide shot, yet everything in the background and foreground is blurred. It adds to the mood of the photo!

 

[mrk]

The last day for public voting is for today so.... last call

The Sassi Holford image was quite cool as well on the beach, reminded me of another image I considered submitting:



Was on Ryde Beach during low tide. Not llng after would have been knee deep in water

 

[mrk]

Thanks! I think the BPA peeps did me a huge favour too, my photo is the first one people see in the weddings category so in general people may be more inclined to vote for that first as well

Roll on the 25th and see if I get invited!

 

[mrk]

No notification yet, but I imagine those go out tomorrow or something of it's email, or Tuesday if its snail mail!