Challenge 7 - comments of a voter (Part 1)
Please vote BEFORE reading this post. I want to recognize the
effort of all entrants, not influence voting.
These are random thoughts on each image as I vote. They are
intended to help, not hurt. I've been taking pictures for a long
time but I am always learning and you should not consider my
opinion as coming from an expert.
My main criteria for voting is "would I want an 11x14 of this image
hanging on my wall?" along with consideration to how well the
challenge theme has been worked into the image.
A number in front of an entry is how I voted (or ranked) the image.
7) AirBete-2Dollars: A toonie! (A Canadian 1 dollar coin has a loon
on it and has earned the nickname "loonie"). I like the position of
the light for this shot and the good tight cropping. The triple
flash effect portrays motion and is not excessive. A tough subject
but a neat shot. Well done. Contender.
Alex_Pupko-Dance: Without a doubt, these are the best legs of any
NTF Challenge to date. You can hear the music and are ready a great
exhibition of dance. While the dacers' pose is captured nicely, I
want to see more of them - their hands and feet are cut off. That
light is distracting.
BAW-CargoRikshaDriver: A bustling street scene that has been
cropped a little too tight. The main subject is on a bike/rickshaw,
but there is only a hint of it. The pastel colors behind the
subject help the image, but some of the bustle in the background is
lost in the shadow.
4) BrentWHaydamack-Reading: Capturing the motion of reading a book
is not something I expected to see in a "motion" challenge.
Extremely well done. Great composition. I never read that fast
.
Contender.
Charandane-Mindbender: This motion and feel of this shot really
appeals to me. Perhaps it is the loop-de-loop composition and the
spontaneous feeling that the photographer is on a rollercoaster too.
8) CliveR-Statue: Statues are one of the toughest subjects to
photograph well. The silhouette lighting of a warm hazy evening
along with a great composition makes this a peaceful scene. This is
not one I'd pick for motion, but it would be a worthy contender in
a "mood" challenge. Nice shot.
DStrand-OneFootedAir: Panned action. These are very challenging to
bring off. It's close, but I think I would have cropped tighter to
the subject - there are some really neat streaks coming off the
biker's head and back. Unfortunately the light near the back wheel
is very distracting. Keep panning.
DannyEvans-SlowMotion: Nice. Colorful playful stop-action shot.
Cropping more off the top (1/6th) would have really helped here.
Doc_Brown-SUV: Nice depth of field. I like the diminishing
perspective. Unfortunately, it reminds us too much of the daily
commuting grind (just add snow
.
Doug_Barber-ExtremeMotion: This is a really impressive shot (read
Doug's intro:
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1007&message=3850740
). Obviously, a lot of work went into this. Even so, I think I
would have cropped out the table and copper and concentrated on the
grapefruit and grapefruit splat. Really neat shot, though (pun
intended).
Ed_Rothberg-EgretThis: This is an uncommon/unique shot. the trouble
is I either want more motion blur (to portray motion) or less
motion blur (to make it look less like a blurry shot). Kinda
demanding, eh?
Filski-SurfsUp: I think you're just trying to make us frozen
Canadians jealous. Good stop-action, nicely composed shot. I'd lose
the second surfer's arm with a crop, though.
FiveBraids-ChillySurfer: Neat composition. I'm a big fan of putting
the subject off in the corner (really!). The kids at the bottom are
distracting though - I'd say crop them out.
Frank_Vigil-CityChaos: Lively, colorful scene. I can almost hear
the honking traffic. Even though the title has "chaos" in it, my
eye needs to be drawn somewhere for this to grab me. Close, though
Frank (did the guy carrying the coffee on the lower right get his
toes squished by the cab?).
George_Tech-Machining: I see a whirling machine with bits of metal
flying about. Looks like a good opportunity for a motion shot. I
think I'd have concentrated more on a close up of the flying metal
(perhaps with a longer exposure time to emphasize the motion).
Ginko-HomeFast: Nifty surrealistic image. A lesson in how to turn a
mundane commute into an interesting photo composition. Nicely done.
Grumpy168-ClockMovement: Nicely depicted motion. Chrome & brass
with a black background - looks good. I'd be tempted to crop out
the reflections on the bottom (1/6th), though.
Hank_Marquardt-FlyingDolphins: Incredible shot! The subject is a
little too dark, though. Don't be afraid to sacrifice some
highlight in trade for detail on your main subject whether
in-camera or in post-processing.
....... Please see Part 2 for more ...
Mark Schretlen
http://kodachrome.fotki.com/
