Monthly Competition #19 - Bits 'n Pieces Competition

Pentax monthly Comp - Bits 'n Pieces

This competition got off to a slow but quality start - and then the entries kept trickling in with an amazing level of imagination and competence. Thanks for that - the pictures have been a joy to view.
It was hard to judge because so many of the entries had equal merit and my order of 1st, 2nd 3rd and HCs kept changing with each viewing.
My final choice of awards is personal - they are those that most appeal to me. It would be wrong to speak of the winner as the best picture in the competition. Different people would have their own opinions about what is 'best.'

So here goes

Turret by Coker
This is just the sort of thing I had in mind - a fascinating look at part of a larger item where the photographer has selected a small area to emphasise shapes, patterns and detail. The composition is first class with the lenses forming a satisfying shape. Lighting is good and the coloured bands on the lenses are vibrant. A lot of thought has gone into the lighting of the instrument with off camera flash and diffuser paper

QWERTY by Tyronet
Another great idea and super image for me to drool over. The depth of focus is exactly right and I reckon you used blur to throw the rest of the image out. This emphasises the QWERTY line admirably. I like the overall blue colour with just a hint of other colours from the out of focus screen.

Parmesan cheese grater by Gartmore
You guys leave me gasping at the skill involved in this school of photography - something I've never tried yet long admired. This again is a picture of great simplicity yet tremendous impact. Who was it who said: "Keep it simple stupid"? Wise words indeed. The narrow depth gives the sharp grater holes added impact. I like the background colour as well.

Winter by Demanov
A switch from macro to close up photography for this beautiful image. A switch also in technique. I love the icicles on the black wrought iron gate while the pinpoints of coloured lights in the distance add interest without distracting from the main subject.

Perfect precision in a stitch by JudithAnn
Judith expertly demonstrates what is so important in this type of photography, critical sharpness. Each and every stitch is pin sharp while the colours and shapes of material are extremely satisfying. This photo is a joy to look at.

37000 by Aliengrove
Our high flying member has come up with another stunner, this time with a cockpit view in his Boeing 777. And what a classic of graphic imagery. Again so simple yet so powerful. I love the diagonal angle, the rich colours and like the proceeding entry, so critically sharp.

The Hubs by AndrewA
Gritty black and white for this one. I bet the weather helped you decide on the medium for this photo Drew. No strong lighting to etch detail into the architecture, instead a careful selection of shapes in the building to compose a well balanced and processed picture.

Ring pulls by GlynM
Seven cans in this photo - yet only one complete can to be seen. Then some great PS work with a blend of five images to get everything perfectly sharp. Impressive stuff. I like the positioning of the cans so that each top showing the ring pulls is facing a different direction.

The Rubix cube has had it by Noelcmn
Nice idea Noel but it doesn't quite come off for me. The pieces of the Rubic seem too randomly placed rather than artistically arranged. If you now tell me you spent ages getting the layout just right then all I can say is sorry but I don't think it has worked. The colour is good and I really like the reflections in the polished table top.

Eclectic mix by Ellida
This is a fine period piece which looks like a scene from one of our historic village recreations such as Beamish. The colour is subdued with a hint of sepia to add period atmosphere and I like slight vignetting. It is certainly packed with lots of bits 'n pieces but as I said in the introduction to this competition what I was really looking for was an artistic interpretation of composition and shapes.

Roofline by GaryJohn
Another really good idea that hasn't quite worked out. Car shapes, especially the sexy curves of classic vehicles, make great abstract photos but here the night time lighting hasn't helped. The artificial light from the street lamp is rather unattractive. I imagine this same set up photographed in daylight might have been more effective.

Mediaeval rooftiles in winter sunshine by duncanM
The repetitive pattern of the tiles focuses the eye on the immense amount of minute detail in any large building particularly a cathedral. We generally merely observe and are impressed at the sheer scale of these structures and possibly notice some smaller details, like the gargoils, stained glass, carvings etc but overlook unsung parts like the roof tiles. A large scale pattern photo like this really needs a focal point in some strategic position in the frame to avoid it becoming monotonous; say a perched bird or a small architectural detail would help.

Petrol pump by Geordie 01
Photographers just love rust and this photo shows precisely why. Colour, texture and fine detail always make eye catching images providing the focus is also spot on. Geordie's picture has all these qualities and this simple but effective entry immediately moved up into my short list when viewing all the submissions.

Get connected by mowser
This is a super pattern picture, proving yet again in this competition that in the right hands simple subjects can make arresting images. May I suggest a slight rearrangement of the terminals to strengthen the composition? The blank black area top left might be cropped off so that the terminals reach right to the edge of the frame as in all the other areas; and that the section with red terminals is swapped with the blue terminals next to it. This would bring the eye catching different colour (red) close to the intersection of the thirds. I know this is a photographic cliche, but sometimes the cliche works better than the 'adventurous' breaking of the rules.


A bit of an epiphone by Jim-w
I like the colours in this. The soft, warm tones of red and yellow in the bokeh make a great foil to the sharper colours and silver of the epiphone ( so that's what an epiphone looks like) The shallow DoF in this macro shot is very effective and I love the bokeh.

L'Optio Nu! by Drofmit
Nice collection of Pentaxia there Tim. Doesn't the old ME Super look tiny compared to its stable mates, particulalry the KX (?) . A K10/ K20 would have made it seem even smaller. The subject of the photo - Optio - if the title is any guide, is very small in the frame and you really have to study the image to see the nuts and bolts. It makes you explore the scene though and that isn't a bad thing.

My world by johnriley
Just when you think you've seen a terrific variation of subject matter along comes something completely different, both in content and concept. Doesn't the Greater Manchester area, which is the absolute focal point look tiny all of a sudden? The idea is great and the image is given that extra kick by the inclusion of the sun spot top left. We didn't see much sun in Greater Manchester a couple of weekends ago when a handful of us PU members visited the East Lancashire Railway. Nice one John.

Remote control by paulb531
More macro work calling for critical focus here. Amazing isn't it how every-day mundane items seem much more interesting when viewed in close or from an unusual angle. I've spent much longer looking at this carefully balanced image than I would ever contemplate devoting to my own TV remote. To me it demonstrates that it isn't what you photograph but how you photograph it that distinguishes a snapshotter from an accomplished photographer. Here Paul has shown that that the most important decision is not what to photograph but what to leave out of the picture. And that's a lesson reinforced by many of the fine entries in this month's competition.

Rainbow collection by JAK
A colourful pattern picture with much appeal. But I think the potential of this set up might have been better realised by going in much closer or by cropping tightly to totally fill the frame with fewer of these cotton reels. That way the curves of the reels would be more apparent along with the patterns in the rightly wound cotton.

The results
1: Turrett by Coker
2: 37000 by Aliengrove
3: Petrol Pump by Geordie
HC: GlynM, Tyronet, Gartmore, JudithAnn, johnriley

David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

Congratulations Coker, what a fine image! A long stare required for this one-beautifully captured. And Aliengrove and Geordie are to be congratulated too! Some fine images in this comp, and a hearty thanks to David for the challenge.
David, entirely random shot- saw this in a room at Zoo Lake, where all the life jackets, oars and other stuff associated with renting boats. No arranging whatsoever. I only chose the angle.

Well done to Coker and the other podiums and HC's
Thanks to David for setting and judging the competition.
Epiphone is the make of the guitar, the silver part holding the strings is called the Bridge, easy mistake to make completely due to my rubbish title

All the best...Jim.

Well done to everyone who entered and thanks to David for your comments on my entry.You are spot on regarding the compo. funny how we miss the obvious sometimes!

Thanks for the comments...
and well done the winner...
I thought it was going to be a toss between that and the cans.
Although the Epihone was attractive, too.

To me the Optio in the middle wasn't small... but, doing a lot of graphix work, I have a 27" 6:19 monitor...
looking at it this morning on the dining area laptop it does seem very tiny!!
There are a' nother two shots on my Fumblr pages
Perhaps the landscape one of those would have been the better one....
ho-hum!!
Shoulda checked on the laptop!!

The cameras are, from the left...
K7 sporting a Tamron 300mm zoom....
K2 with my big Chinon chunk of glass... originally bought the K2 because the ME Super couldn't balance the Tamron Adaptall2 75 to 250 zoom...
ME Super with the original 40mm pancake lens...
P50 with the 1:1.8 50mm... picked the P50 up at a vide-grenier for 10€s with a portrait zoom lens on it....
*istD with the kit lens...
Missing from the club that night are the MX and the other K2...
oh!...
how I'd like a digital back for the K2s and the MX!!

Thanks, David, for the First & your kind comments.
A strong set to come up against indeed!

New comp. set now!

Roger.

Many thanks David for a fantastic competition. A great, original, subject, which was excellently commented and judged.

Thanks also for my HC .

Congratulations to coker for the well deserved winning image which set a terrific, challenging, standard very early on. Congratulations also to the runners up, my fellow HCs and everyone else for a wonderful set of images.

Gartmore's cheese grater was my personal favourite because of its simplicity and craftsmanship.

Glyn

Well done Coker a superb image and thanks David for the podium place another great competition with some fine image's.

Hear, hear, and I'd like to add my thanks for the careful & illuminating commentary.

Well done to the winners, and thanks to David for the original and interesting theme!

Well done Coker and Geordie, and thanks for my second place!

Some great images entered, thanks David for setting an unusual and interesting comp and for your detailed comments!