March Competition (B&W) Voting
- Thread starter Zogger
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This has been bugging me for ages. There are 4 I really like. Gaffer's for the isolated feel and look of the image, Mrk basically as it's a processing style I like and it feels like there's a story there. Ray's as again I like the isolated feel to it as it's like an abandoned area due to the silky processing style, which again I like. Finally the misty, almost ghostly shot from snips86x. Chet's photo of the woman in the mask would be in there if there was a rear light that defined the hair from behind a bit I think. To me that's the one thing that lets it down for me (I like the weird effect the shadows over the eyes has).
So....ARGH! I really don't know which to choose as they're all different, and all work. No matter what I choose I know I'll have a different choice in an hour! I'd say it's a toss up between Ray and MrK. Can I vote for Mr Ray as a compromise?
I suppose I'll have to edge it to MrK due to the fact there's a more romantic story hidden in the scene, along with a lot of detail and a good processing style I like.
I reserve the right to change my mind 14 times a minute until the day I die
So....ARGH! I really don't know which to choose as they're all different, and all work. No matter what I choose I know I'll have a different choice in an hour! I'd say it's a toss up between Ray and MrK. Can I vote for Mr Ray as a compromise?
I suppose I'll have to edge it to MrK due to the fact there's a more romantic story hidden in the scene, along with a lot of detail and a good processing style I like.
I reserve the right to change my mind 14 times a minute until the day I die
andy90 - I want to be there, I like the composition and how the chosen shutter speed gives enough of a hint of movement in the water
King4aDay's coastal scene was my 2nd favourite.
Here's some quick feedback that came to mind as I was scrolling through:
James J - there's a good photo in there but perhaps a crop is needed - framing feels awkward - too much space at the top and/or too central
chet84 - white burnout at base draws my eye too much, otherwise I like it
Hunders - it looks like you've done well to get the face in focus but I think the composition would be stronger if the girl was to the left of the frame - to give her that space to move into
P.S. Can the next competition be pinned? I popped in a few times and didn't see any threads so thought it hadn't happened.
King4aDay's coastal scene was my 2nd favourite.
Here's some quick feedback that came to mind as I was scrolling through:
James J - there's a good photo in there but perhaps a crop is needed - framing feels awkward - too much space at the top and/or too central
chet84 - white burnout at base draws my eye too much, otherwise I like it
Hunders - it looks like you've done well to get the face in focus but I think the composition would be stronger if the girl was to the left of the frame - to give her that space to move into
P.S. Can the next competition be pinned? I popped in a few times and didn't see any threads so thought it hadn't happened.
Soldato
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My vote goes to buzzlightweight I'm really liking the sharpness and definition in the buildings which I feel fits in well with the blurring of the people and the clouds due to the exposure time in his shot. Night photography is something I'm still getting used to and I'm experimenting all the time. 
Also really liked MRK's entry - some of his other shots I've seen (in other photography threads) are brilliantly processed and it's great to see another individuals perception of everyday scenes.
Also really liked MRK's entry - some of his other shots I've seen (in other photography threads) are brilliantly processed and it's great to see another individuals perception of everyday scenes.
Ah man it's a fight between Andy90 and King4aDay for me. I love minimalism though and King's shot I think just edges it for me!
So with that in mind I shall vote King4aDay
Both have reminded and inspired me to make use of the ND filters I have tucked away in the bag and forgotten about
I like this new competition format too, interesting reading how people saw the entries compared to everyone else, just shows how differently we all see the same scenes Thanks for the votes too!
So with that in mind I shall vote King4aDay
Both have reminded and inspired me to make use of the ND filters I have tucked away in the bag and forgotten about
I like this new competition format too, interesting reading how people saw the entries compared to everyone else, just shows how differently we all see the same scenes
Thanks for the votes too!
Ah man it's a fight between Andy90 and King4aDay for me. I love minimalism though and King's shot I think just edges it for me!
So with that in mind I shall vote King4aDay
Both have reminded and inspired me to make use of the ND filters I have tucked away in the bag and forgotten about
I like this new competition format too, interesting reading how people saw the entries compared to everyone else, just shows how differently we all see the same scenes
yeah it's nice to see everyone's perspective. My gf was sitting with me while I tried to make my mind up and had hugely differing views. I do miss the singular critiques ichabod used to give though, since my shot has garnered no interest
I've already voted but going to add some more comments for all the shots.. this might take a while... p.s. thanks for comments on mine 
As a general comment I think people who have posted the smaller shots have probably disadvantaged themselves because it's difficult to give them as much attention on the way down.
englishpremier - I like this shot and surprised it hasn't had more mention in the voting - I do feel a little like I'm falling over looking at it and maybe it doesn't have much of a subject. Good choice for B&W conversion though
shaggyd - Not a bad choice for B&W but the composition is central and the crop shape i find a bit odd
mrk - submitted the widest picture
symmetry is well acheived and the detail is really good. I find the view out of the window a bit strange personally but I was considering it for the vote
D.P - a big moment - congrats.. I can see why you entered it but in terms of the technical side and processing it's not a standout to me
alexthecheese - I think the perspective feels a little awkward and the cars are distracting. I would possibly prefer to see the sky in blue which tells me it's possibly not the best choice for B&W
Steve M - Not a bad subject - a little 'hdr' for my taste (not sure whether it actually is an hdr but the grass at the bottom looks a bit like it). I think I would like it more if the water went all the way to the bottom of the shot (i.e. you were right at the edge of the water and lower to get more of the reflection in - I'm not sure that's physically that easy to do though)
snips86x - I like the atmosphere of this shot - personally I find it a little empty but I know other people disagree!
James J - Well captured and good processing, almost documentary. I like the OOF area and the framing . I don't really have anything negative to say about it but it just didn't quite have the impact on me as some other shots
Sonea fifer - I really like the way the stars poke through and the distant lights. I probably shouldn't 'mark down' for this but I find the jpeg compression artifacts to be the only real negative here. I would be interested to see if there's more you can do with those shadows on the ground.
buzzlightweight - It's quite interesting but looking at the sky I would guess it deserves colour
{SAS}TB - a good shot of the moon (nothing more to say really)
steveocee - it's a nice staircase but I think it needs a subject.
Admiral Huddy - It's a good product shot but doesn't have a personal impact on me.
Rojin - good line in to the forest and it works in B&W - the subject is facing the wrong way IMO (although I can see the argument for facing off toward the path)
Hunders - good panning technique - not an exciting setting though.
Andy90 - Very nearly voted for this, it's technically basically perfect to me - very good exposure and like the slow shutter effect.
Raymond Lin - I like the use of negative space and the lone bird
The_Abyss - Another one I very nearly voted for - the exposure is good, the sharpness is there all the way front to back and the leading line is very strong
Genoma - a good capture and good framing - works well in B&W - the next doctor who...
ajf - not a bad shot, it seems quite noisy, possibly the toning is a little warm for me.
Mp4 - I like the processing - my only criticism is it took me a while to work out that it was a pipe in his hand. Possibly the small size of the submission didn't help!
Columbo - nice sky and good elements
Ken - it seems a little dark overall but has potential - like the lines of the bridge but it may be better from a different angle to have the line of the bridge leading off more
LOAM - Not bad processing, the positioning of the status is a little central so needs a little consideration I think
Red.5ive.Oh - it looks quite soft. Is it an IR shot? If so I think its main downfall is it's not very obvious that it's IR because of the choice of subject - I only really thought it might be because of the other shots on your photostream that I happened to see.
Zogger - Perfect
Cosimo - decent shot of flowers and good processing.
Olv - well I voted for this one. I like the way the street leads off and it looks like stepping in to history. The processing is good and the positioning of the car in the shot just works for me. The only distraction is that manhole cover
GTRacer - I'd like to know what's going on! It's an interesting one and I like the lighting
Razor-BladE - I like the composition and processing and it's a relatively interesting gravestone..
Gaffer - Definitely an unusual take on a panorama! (but it doesn't do it for me - wasn't sure this was a serious entry)
Devrij - Good sky and nice overall - would like to see slightly more foreground interest
Chet84 - the lighting is just missing something for me - too much light at the bottom and not enough on the real subject I think
King4aDay - I like the opposing subjects. I find the streaks in the sea a little distracting personally.
As a general comment I think people who have posted the smaller shots have probably disadvantaged themselves because it's difficult to give them as much attention on the way down.
englishpremier - I like this shot and surprised it hasn't had more mention in the voting - I do feel a little like I'm falling over looking at it and maybe it doesn't have much of a subject. Good choice for B&W conversion though
shaggyd - Not a bad choice for B&W but the composition is central and the crop shape i find a bit odd
mrk - submitted the widest picture
symmetry is well acheived and the detail is really good. I find the view out of the window a bit strange personally but I was considering it for the voteD.P - a big moment - congrats.. I can see why you entered it but in terms of the technical side and processing it's not a standout to me
alexthecheese - I think the perspective feels a little awkward and the cars are distracting. I would possibly prefer to see the sky in blue which tells me it's possibly not the best choice for B&W
Steve M - Not a bad subject - a little 'hdr' for my taste (not sure whether it actually is an hdr but the grass at the bottom looks a bit like it). I think I would like it more if the water went all the way to the bottom of the shot (i.e. you were right at the edge of the water and lower to get more of the reflection in - I'm not sure that's physically that easy to do though)
snips86x - I like the atmosphere of this shot - personally I find it a little empty but I know other people disagree!
James J - Well captured and good processing, almost documentary. I like the OOF area and the framing . I don't really have anything negative to say about it but it just didn't quite have the impact on me as some other shots
Sonea fifer - I really like the way the stars poke through and the distant lights. I probably shouldn't 'mark down' for this but I find the jpeg compression artifacts to be the only real negative here. I would be interested to see if there's more you can do with those shadows on the ground.
buzzlightweight - It's quite interesting but looking at the sky I would guess it deserves colour
{SAS}TB - a good shot of the moon (nothing more to say really
)steveocee - it's a nice staircase but I think it needs a subject.
Admiral Huddy - It's a good product shot but doesn't have a personal impact on me.
Rojin - good line in to the forest and it works in B&W - the subject is facing the wrong way IMO (although I can see the argument for facing off toward the path)
Hunders - good panning technique
- not an exciting setting though.Andy90 - Very nearly voted for this, it's technically basically perfect to me - very good exposure and like the slow shutter effect.
Raymond Lin - I like the use of negative space and the lone bird
The_Abyss - Another one I very nearly voted for - the exposure is good, the sharpness is there all the way front to back and the leading line is very strong
Genoma - a good capture and good framing - works well in B&W - the next doctor who...
ajf - not a bad shot, it seems quite noisy, possibly the toning is a little warm for me.
Mp4 - I like the processing - my only criticism is it took me a while to work out that it was a pipe in his hand. Possibly the small size of the submission didn't help!
Columbo - nice sky and good elements
Ken - it seems a little dark overall but has potential - like the lines of the bridge but it may be better from a different angle to have the line of the bridge leading off more
LOAM - Not bad processing, the positioning of the status is a little central so needs a little consideration I think
Red.5ive.Oh - it looks quite soft. Is it an IR shot? If so I think its main downfall is it's not very obvious that it's IR because of the choice of subject - I only really thought it might be because of the other shots on your photostream that I happened to see.
Zogger - Perfect
Cosimo - decent shot of flowers and good processing.
Olv - well I voted for this one. I like the way the street leads off and it looks like stepping in to history. The processing is good and the positioning of the car in the shot just works for me. The only distraction is that manhole cover
GTRacer - I'd like to know what's going on! It's an interesting one and I like the lighting
Razor-BladE - I like the composition and processing and it's a relatively interesting gravestone..
Gaffer - Definitely an unusual take on a panorama! (but it doesn't do it for me - wasn't sure this was a serious entry
)Devrij - Good sky and nice overall - would like to see slightly more foreground interest
Chet84 - the lighting is just missing something for me - too much light at the bottom and not enough on the real subject I think
King4aDay - I like the opposing subjects. I find the streaks in the sea a little distracting personally.
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I do miss the singular critiques ichabod used to give though, since my shot has garnered no interest
Dev I liked the scene in yours and thought the processing and tones were good, but it just lacked any strong subject matter in the fore-mid ground. Needed something to really anchor the image. I think the fact that it was posted at quite a small resolution didn't help much either - perhaps thats something that should be standardised next round?
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yeah it's nice to see everyone's perspective. My gf was sitting with me while I tried to make my mind up and had hugely differing views. I do miss the singular critiques ichabod used to give though, since my shot has garnered no interest
Hmm never actually thought about that until reading your comment. Perhaps one criteria could be to also post a couple of lines about each entry? I guess it would also make each thread a lot bigger but at the same time could have some valuable info posted in it.
mrk - submitted the widest picture
Hah I know what you're saying! The OE out the window was something I debated at the time of shooting the scene and even in post. I considered HDRing it because naturally this is what a lot of people do when you have large portions of strong backlight to contend with but that would be going back to my APS-C days and I try and make use of the dynamic range available to me now as much as possible. "Sod it, shoot into the light!" I think I said and went along with it
It's probably a good thing you can't see much of what's outside either, it's a bland train yard and this carriage with front train iis just lying there rotting away. Such a beautiful vintage train though called the "Oriental Express".
I also have colour versions I was switching between to decide which one to upload but the BW processed one I felt embodied the story and feel of being there more even though actually being there the colour, the space and the smell felt right. It may sound weird but the BW version feels more "colour" than the colour version.
This might sound like a fix
mrk you get my second vote, great composition superb post proc work!
Woo First the worst second the best! Now who is third?
Hah I know what you're saying! The OE out the window was something I debated at the time of shooting the scene and even in post. I considered HDRing it because naturally this is what a lot of people do when you have large portions of strong backlight to contend with but that would be going back to my APS-C days and I try and make use of the dynamic range available to me now as much as possible. "Sod it, shoot into the light!" I think I said and went along with it
Then you did apretty good job because I'd assumed there must have been 'some level' of HDR given the amount of dynamic range you got out of such a contrasty scene
Soldato
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My vote goes to mrk. Really like the processing, great contrast and detail.
It was hard decision though as Andy90 and Sonea Fifer were close behind but I was more drawn to mrk's photo on first impressions.
It was hard decision though as Andy90 and Sonea Fifer were close behind but I was more drawn to mrk's photo on first impressions.
Associate
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Can I just say thank you for my votes, it's really cheered me up
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Thanks for the feedback, at the time I thought the flowing grass would be enough, but a few people have said it feels empty in the foreground so I might go back and shoot from the little stream as a lead-in next time!
I think I just uploaded full res to imgur and used their large thumbnail setting out of habit, never again!
There are a few little details like the big tower in the background that probably dont show up in tiny view lol. Standardised res does sound like a good idea to make sure each shot has an equal viewing, perhaps just the standard forum rules for max size?