Monthly Competition #41 - Corner(s) Competition

Well as usual, please note this is just my opinion and I'm no expert!

Just around the corner
What a lovely scene. A well composed photo with the curve of the corner in the tracks and also in the river. I do like it in black and white – there is a good range of tones. The only small thing is that I find it a bit odd that the darkest block in the picture is in the sky which I would have expected to be lighter in the day time but I can imagine it being a most amazing blue. Very nice picture of a delightful place.

The unloved phone box…
Red is always a good choice for colour popping and it certainly makes it stand out. Compositionally, I wonder if putting the phone box in the middle of the picture both left to right and up and down is the best idea. However, the traffic box markings act as leading lines to help point to the subject. Interesting image. (Not sure about the date taken - 2005!?).

Corners
Nice image of a perhaps forgotten corner of a cemetery. I like the fact that the sharp corners of the memorials are being gradually softened by the encroaching undergrowth. And that nature always wins in the end. Crumbling formality is always interesting. (Date taken in Sept or October?).

Dark corners of a great London
Looks like a beautiful evening – red sky at night? I feel that the processing is a bit over-done for my taste though with haloing around the clock tower and the masts and what looks like a strong dose of saturation. I feel, however nice the sky is, I would have preferred to see a bit more of what is going on below the bottom of the picture. (No EXIF).

Roofing cornice
Well this certainly fills the brief. I can see a strong colourful corner, corners of the block work, and an internal corner in the roof amongst other things and it has made a successful abstract image. There is certainly an interesting collection of geometry there and I think lots of potential for alternative cropping. Well done. (I was half expecting a duck, Perspicador! :wink

Rebuild the cube
Am I detecting a theme here with strong geometrical backgrounds? But plenty of corners! And an interesting image. It took me a while to work out that the top left cube is what you are aiming for. It looks a bit odd with no shadow on the cloth and contradictory signals in the depth of field. But a nice bit of fun.

Amen corner
I’m sure there is a story behind the name which I will have to investigate now. A very nicely composed image, bang on brief. The tones and depth of field both give good depth and the stone detail is wonderful. The only thing that bugs me is the white angled reflection on the glass of the lantern. But a very nice picture. Bet you’ve taken a few before!

Corner shop
I love this – so much more interesting than a Tesco Metro. And obviously a flourishing business with the quantity of goods for sale. The strong lighting on the left wall and the shadow on the right reinforces that this is indeed on a corner. It might have been nice to see more faces, but with street photography, I guess you get what you are offered.

Cake with corners
I hope that this is not an attempt at bribery! A very nicely taken and processed image and I don’t for one minute claim to understand what you have done! But the result is masterful and looks delicious with a nice cup of tea. Brilliant.

The tap in the corner
I think this is an interesting documentary shot – of a corner. I can imagine this image, when the installation was new, in the pages of a kitchen brochure. But this is not pristine – this is real life. An interesting detail in a world of constant change. I like it.

Angelic Watch over the blind corner
Well this is certainly an interesting angle of view. I like that the reflected image is betraying the quality of the mirror. The contrast between the tatty modern elements in the photo and the elegant building is telling. An engaging photo – well spotted.

Christmas tree on the street corner
I’m not sure what to say about this image. I wonder if you could have made more of the light from the shop reflected in the puddles to give this more interest? The light from the lamp post does seem to dominate the photo. However, I can’t complain – it is certainly of a corner.

Leaves to the right
Well I really like this semi abstract image. I love the contrast of the natural but fashioned stone, the manufactures tarmac and the natural leaves come to the end of their lives. The colour, the textures and the crispness of the detail. It’s all there. Even if the arrangement is entirely coincidental though, it doesn’t quite look like it. However, it’s still very well seen and taken, with a camera less often represented on here.

Hammer and nails
I really like this image too. The well-used well-loved hammer with plenty of history has plenty of detail to look at. And the slight focus change across the depth of field is just right. And I like the warm colours of the wood against the paint and hard nails. However, I am marking it down slightly as I can’t help feeling the corner is a bit incidental rather than the focus of the picture. It’s still a very nice, feel good picture.

So…
First place: Leaves to the right – Drofmit
Second place : Amen Corner – Davidtrout
Third place : Cake with corners – GlynM
Highly commended :
Just around the corner – JudithAnn
Hammer and nails – Nicesparky

Oh! 'ugger... just when I was thinking to relax....
I am actually quite surprised and chuffed, thanks!!
Congratulations to Davidtrout,GlynM,JudithAnn and Nicesparky...
thanks also for constructive and thorough judging....
I think you did well to get them done by this evening...
only fourteen, but all worthy pix... and all so different.

I was trying to find decent "corner" related shots all month...
and went back to this one in desperation...
desperate to try and beat GlynM and Tyronet...
especially that "floating" cube in the latter's shot!
I was actually waiting for SheWhoMustbeObeyed to come back from the hairchoppers...
and started to look for corners...
le parking was almost empty and I went from parking bay to parking bay...
photographing the corners...
then moved onto the buildings...
the corners are in tuffeau...
a softish limestone that weathers into all sorts of nice patterns...
but this was the one picture that stuck out!!
There is another with the leaves in an untidy sort-of-spiral...
and one with three leaves being pointed at...
but, wherever I looked the rest of the month I could find no inspiration...
you really set a hard one to crack...
I'll try and emulate!!

As for next month's... it will be seasonal...

I'll just have another beer....

Many thanks for the competition and interesting subject and for your judging Andy. It was an original topic and gave rise to some interesting entries. Congrats to Tim and Glyn and thanks for my second place, also to the HCs JudithAnn and Nicesparky.
David

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

Still trying to rebuild the cube, for £1.99 there has been hours of fun/frustration

Good brief for the comp - needing some thinking about.
Congratulations to all the very worthy top three.

Brian

Thank you all for entering your pictures - It has been interesting, unusual and hard for me to be in the judges seat. There was quite a variety of approaches to this and a good selection of photos. Thanks.

And sorry Monsieur Drofmit for dropping you in it again.

Yes, I think it might have been a tricky subject too so sorry about that. But as long as it got us all thinking more about the photos we take...

Andy, you just wrote....
"But as long as it got us all thinking more about the photos we take... "

That's what the monthly is all about... in my view!

Many thanks Andy for a good and well managed competition that produced some great images.

Thanks also, of course, for the third place. No bribery intended. The cake vanished shortly after my shoot was completed .

Congratulations to Tim and David for first and second, JudithAnn and Nicesparky for the HCs and everyone else for another great set of images.

Glyn

Congratulations Drofmit, David and Glyn. Some good entries - I thought JudithAnn's was stunning. Many thanks Andy for the competition and judging.

Regards

Paul