Monthly #37 - Black OR white Competition

* Les fleurs du sel de Geurande

or more probably “Guérande”…!
Definitely a white subject ! We have a beautiful macro photo here - I don’t know how big is the whole subject but it’s probably quite small.
I like very much the details and specially the kind of filaments around the salt (is that the salt itself that does this?). Composition is good too, and the light color background is a very good choice.
Good lightning too, with very soft shadows and avoiding burning the white subject
There is probably however a too high sharpening and/or jpeg artefacts that are annoying here (though this is possibly the camera setting and you don’t have choice)

* The violence of mating

Oooh BDSM porn, here ??
You shot at the right moment !
Yes swan are a white subject, no doubt about it !
The white feathers are well rendered, and I like very much the reflections in the lake, mixing deep blue, white, and orange.
Unfortunately, the DOF is a little bit too small (and focus being made a little bit in the front I think) so the male is a little bit blurred


* Which Key Next - Black or White?

"Shot around 11.30 on 31st July.” - oh just in time.
Another nice shot ! And the idea of a whole black/white photo (the piano) except the color of the hand works great.
I’m a slightly annoyed by the “m-audio” brand which I find too visible and breaking the elegance of the photo (may be it could be better with a smaller depth of field, or by cropping to remove the higher part of the photo ?)

* Chess & Rioja

Hm, this is a red subject, no ? May be because I don’t play chess !
The composition is nice - it obviously tells a story, recalling nice lazy afternoon with friends, or something like that.
A slightly larger DOF would have made the chessboard pieces in focus (specially the white tower).
A lively still life, but not really matching the subject I think

* John Grant at Galway Arts Festival

Dark dark dark.. a great concert shot, sharp, atmospheric, with a beautiful low-key.
Possibly too dark ? Picture looks really great however if I turn luminosity of my screen to it’s maximum (which I normally don’t).
It would probably render better on a large size print than on a screen.
It also lacks EXIF data (normally mandatory to check date and camera brand, I think), and well, there can only be one winner.

* I've got a date

Another nice still life. The white diary and the black glasses, black background, and subtle color below the the diary, all that is very nice, and matches the subject.
The small DOF is perfectly used here, giving mysterious touch to the atmosphere.
Now the title is “I’ve got a date” and the diary is empty ? Possibly the photo would have been more interesting with something written on the diary (possibly in the blurred zone, making it more mysterious) ? More story telling - which, according to your title was your (laudable) intention

* The cliffs at Saltburn by the Sea

A nice cliff landscape, but I think it lacks something that would make it “different from a postcard”.
You (I believe) noticed there was something very interesting in the alternance of dark/light strips (sky, dark cliff, white sea, dark reflection of the cliff), but the composition - a classical landscape - does not emphases this.
Additionally I find the contrast too high (possibly as an attempt to match the subject?) and there aren’t any more details in the shadows.


* Burger Van Girl

No customers ?
A great street photo, with a very good black and white processing.
The white of the van keeps all details, and give an abstract touch to the photo. It’s very scenic, and of course we want to know what she is staring at !
A great shot indeed.

* A ship

Ok, it’s night, so everything is black, but that was not really the subject, no ?
We don’t see a lot of things, only the city lights and the boat lights. Without the boat it could be a pure abstract shot. But the boat seems to be the subject, but we hardly see it’s shape…
I don’t understand what you saw - and what you wanted us to see.

* white stonecrop on black

Beautiful white flower on black background. The flowers are very well rendered, with lot’s of texture and detail in the whites, and I like the very short depth of field a lot.
A very nice shot indeed.
(but I’m puzzled with your EXIF data which seems to be corrupted - f/0.8, really? on a 74099370mm lens ??)

* G & W

White flower on white background, you chose the hard way. And it’s a good choice !
I like the geometric look. Because your subject is closed to the background, the shadows are very visible, though they stay soft, but I think they also contribute to the graphical/geometrical look.
I just love the color rendition, with only green and white.
And finally, the small seed (?) on the bottom right of the flower, adds the perfect imperfection.
Congratulation ! You win..

* White

A nice angel !
The background (illuminated water ?) works really well. So does the light in the air.
A very good and uneasy lighting
I’m not sure it really matches the subject though, and EXIF surprising lack the date of the photography.


* Figures in the mist

Again a nice atmospheric image !
The mist makes everything mysterious, and I like it.
But where’s the black or the white ? it seems too gray for the competition subject - and probably a little bit greyish.
Also, cropping out the very bottom of the photo (where there is no fog) could be worth a try.
A nice atmospheric photography, but slightly out of the competition subject.


* Mr Frog Passes By

Well, the frog is neither black nor white.. the background is black, but that’s not really enough !
The flash lightning is well handled - illuminating the subject correctly but not flattening it.

* Swan Lake

Ah, another swan, obviously a good choice for a “white” subject.
A little bit to classical though. You had a great reflection in the water, but you cut the head, what a pity !
(also, the feather seems to be overexposed)

Congratulations to the Winner. Thanks for the interesting subject, judging and comprehensive comments.

Congratulations Coker, such an appealing clean sharp image, excellent execution, and as noted by our judge, lovely white and and green minimalism. I like it! Winner in a tough challenge. Thanks Danylaos for this challenge and comprehensive judging. Now, I must ask you not to contact my church council and tell them I am dabbling in porn

Thanks for the 1st., Danylaos!

Most interesting comp. & some great images.

New Monthly now set.

Roger.

I just knew coker's shot would crack it this month...
ever since it came up it!!
Great shot...
and thanks danylaos for the well observed comments and setting a very difficult subject to pin down a result with!

Yes it is spelt “Guérande”...
I didn't have the packet close to hand...
and I was rather late in entering.

The artefacts are both from using the WG-2 in 1cm macro mode and Pottyshop sharpening...
it is even worse in microscope mode [2Megapixies]... but still excellent for record work and identification in the field... both insects and plants.
I was using natural light from the window to bring out the "creaminess" of the salt crystals...
the filaments are down to Redfield Fractalius...
and I then sharpened after that... which is probably what caused the grain under the pyramid... and the slight lines that are not part of the crystals are also from Fractalius and enhanced by the sharpening.
Without the addition of a layer altered by Fractalius, the picture made a pancake look 3D...
it was that flat and boring!!

Many thanks Daniel for a great, original, competition and a well thought-out set of comments.

Congratulations to coker for the excellent winning picture and everyone else for another diverse and well crafted set of images.

Glyn

Something to learn here from every image, I think. Well done Roger.

My EXIFs are becoming a tradition I'm afraid. Look at them in an editing program and they're fine. Put them here and !"£$%^^&! (only happens with processed RAW)