Results - October 2010 Photo Competition

[Colin Southern]

The votes have been counted, and I'm pleased to announce the results ...

In first place - with 51 points - we have Yan with ...



In second place - with 43 points - we have Donald with ...



In third place - with 30 points - we have Rob with ...



Congratulations to Yan, Donald, and Rob. Next competition starting soon!

[Peter Ryan]

Well Done Yan, Donald and Rob. Great images.

[Yan Zhang]

Congratulations to Donald and Rob for your wonderful pictures.

[timo2]

Well done all

[carregwen]

Yan

You are getting to be pretty good at this game. Well done!

Nice one, Donald, but shouldn't it be B&W?

Why is it usually landscapes that do so well in these comps?

[Donald]

Thank you one and all and congrats also to Yan & Rob. But well done everyone else for the quality of work that keeps coming up here.

Still striving after that elusive first Monthly Comp win, but we'll need to hide Yan's camera so that he can't enter! Maybe I'll retire once I win one!

[carregwen]

Colin

I've added Yan's shot to the gallery https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/fo...hp?albumid=394

[Colin Southern]

Why is it usually landscapes that do so well in these comps?

Very good question

[carregwen]

Very good question

Ok - my two penny worth...

1. They are usually attractive scenes
2. It's traditional to stick them on your wall
3. You may have an emotional attachment to the place (even if you didn't photograph it)
4. They are not challenging - like urban dereliction shots
5. They are self-reinforcing. The more people have them on their walls, or enter them in comps, the more other people think it's the way to go. I have recently entered more landscapes into the CiC comps, and guess what? They do better!

Any more?

[Yan Zhang]

Ok - my two penny worth...

1. They are usually attractive scenes
2. It's traditional to stick them on your wall
3. You may have an emotional attachment to the place (even if you didn't photograph it)
4. They are not challenging - like urban dereliction shots
5. They are self-reinforcing. The more people have them on their walls, or enter them in comps, the more other people think it's the way to go. I have recently entered more landscapes into the CiC comps, and guess what? They do better!

Any more?

Dear all,

Thanks for your encouragement. I specifically want to thank Colin for his inspriation all the time. I still remember that when I just started photography couple of years ago, he guided me from all aspects - from basic equipment purchase to essential Photoshop techniques.

Why more people like landscape photographs? I agree with part of Rob's opinions - it is traditional to stick them on the wall. But I also found that people seem also to appreciate landscape photographers' adventure and dediction.

My photo for this month was a result from a 4 hours shooting and waiting in the coast, and I stood in the water for almost 3 hours.

[Donald]

But I also found that people seem also to appreciate landscape photographers' adventure and dediction.
My photo for this month was a result from a 4 hours shooting and waiting in the coast, and I stood in the water for almost 3 hours.

And I got up in the pitch dark and stood in a freezing cold wind for about an hour waiting for mine to happen.

But, more seriously, I note and agree with Rob's points. And, at the end of the day, if the landscape image has that essential mix of emotional impact and obvious technical quality, then it should be chosen.

Whilst I thank everyone who thought my image was worthy of their vote, I do not think it was technically competent. I was shooting for a blend. So the shot above was taken for the sky. The intention was to blend this sky with another exposed properly for the land and the fog. However, once I got it loaded up I thought I could make something out of just this one frame. But there is far too much noise in parts of it. I should have stuck with my original plan.

We previously had a discussion about what criteria we apply when deciding for which image(s) to vote. The views were, as one would expect, wide-ranging. From - Is it commercial; to - does it make an emotional impact; to - one that stops you in your tracks; to - one that demonstrates technical mastery.

I think we, as a group of photographers seeking to learn and extend our ability to produce good images and help our colleagues on here, need to fuse elements of these together when we are making decisions as to whose work merits our noting this with a vote or a positive comment, etc. If that still ends up with the landscape image being deemed the favourite, then so be it.

[Katy Noelle]

Congratulations to the winners who well deserved it - beautiful! Congratulations, also, to everyone else who is working and striving to grow in their photography. There were so many wonderful images!

[Tamara]

Congratulations Yan, Donald and Rob ! Your photos are really beautiful... well done

[mythlady]

Lovely photos, all of you.

[JK6065]

Lovely photos, all of you.

definitely, congratulations to you well deserved winners.

[wilgk]

Excellent work everyone & well deserved winners

[Ollokot]

Congratulations and very well done,photographs that are a feast for the eyes.

Best Wishes Pat

[Peter Ryan]

And I got up in the pitch dark and stood in a freezing cold wind for about an hour waiting for mine to happen.

But, more seriously, I note and agree with Rob's points. And, at the end of the day, if the landscape image has that essential mix of emotional impact and obvious technical quality, then it should be chosen.

Whilst I thank everyone who thought my image was worthy of their vote, I do not think it was technically competent. I was shooting for a blend. So the shot above was taken for the sky. The intention was to blend this sky with another exposed properly for the land and the fog. However, once I got it loaded up I thought I could make something out of just this one frame. But there is far too much noise in parts of it. I should have stuck with my original plan.

We previously had a discussion about what criteria we apply when deciding for which image(s) to vote. The views were, as one would expect, wide-ranging. From - Is it commercial; to - does it make an emotional impact; to - one that stops you in your tracks; to - one that demonstrates technical mastery.

I think we, as a group of photographers seeking to learn and extend our ability to produce good images and help our colleagues on here, need to fuse elements of these together when we are making decisions as to whose work merits our noting this with a vote or a positive comment, etc. If that still ends up with the landscape image being deemed the favourite, then so be it.

I understand the adventure and time taken on some landscapes but that does minimize the efforts of other who have put a lot of thought and technical effort into their shots.

I understand if everyone posts landscapes it becomes a self fulfilling problem because everyone thinks that is what should be posted. There are many genres out there and we should be opening our minds to the merits of all.

I do think it is incumbent upon all here to look closer at all images to see the thought that went into creating an image and the presentation or we will just finish up with everyone posting in one style.

[Colin Southern]

My photo for this month was a result from a 4 hours shooting and waiting in the coast, and I stood in the water for almost 3 hours.

Ah - such is the lot of a landscape shooter eh I've had many occasions where I've been up well before the crack of dawn - 3:30am - 4:30am and made my way - in waders - across jagged rocks by torchlight carying 3 or 4 camera bags and a tripod!

Interesting though, that the shot I chose was "the chosen one" from over 600 taken over a 4 hour period, for the most part with an assistant. All in all I used close to $80,000 worth of equipment, and spent the best part of a weekend sorting and processing all the shots ... and it's scraped in 8th with 12 points - just a couple ahead of 2 shots on 10 points (so mine could just have easily have been 10th).

I'm not griping - because I've long since learned that if it's not landscape then it's probably not going to get anywhere anyway (I haven't been shooting landscape the last couple of months) ... it's still a very interesting dynamic though

[timo2]

I had gone out early one morning, well before sunrise and walked a long way in the dark over rough ground carrying camera bag and tripod etc to get to the spot I wanted to be shooting a panorama from. It was a beautiful spot out on a peninsular that I guessed not many (if any) people would have bothered to reach.

Eventually the sun came up and it got hotter and hotter and then I realised that I’d forgotten to pack my customary bottle of water. There was virtually no shade on the walk back to the car and the last bit was up a fairly steep cliff. By now the temperature was well over 30C I was drenched in perspiration and my heart felt like it was trying to escape from my chest. I could understand how people die from exhaustion/dehydration in such places.

The things we do for a pic eh…