Weekly #420 - Empty Or Nearly Empty Competition

Apologies to you all for this very limited appraisal of the images that were entered into the weekly competition #420 – Empty Or Nearly Empty. I had done a very comprehensive write up on a Word Document over the whole week for each of the 11 entries as they appeared which I intended to copy and paste onto the Pentax User Site. Unfortunately I was only a short while ago writing up on the second to last image to be posted (Empty Vessels by drofmit) I hit the return button on the keyboard and for some reason I had managed to. wipe out the whole of my previous efforts. Owing to work commitments coupled with time constraints I am unable to redo an appraisal for each image. I have therefore decided only to submit a write up of my choice of winner and entries that I place in second and third spot.

Thanks to all who submitted entries to the competition. I found it quite daunting viewing and appraising other members work, notwithstanding I did view every image several times and all in all found it very enjoyable, I was pleased that my theme attracted so many truly excellent images.

I think of myself as a hobby photographer of intermediate ability and I hope my appraisal comments are not too far off the mark and are worthy of your art.

Third Place – Game Over (AndrewA)

I would love to see this image as it was prior to AndrewA setting about it within graphic editing software. To me a stark impact image that could have been taken in any UK Town. Nice Composition, Contrast and Focus. Fully meets the theme brief. I think that the goalposts look far too pristine not to mention their dimensions and citing in front of the flat windows, I think they have probably been co-opted in from another image. Nit picking there are some small black flecks (imperfections) in the sky above the flats.

Second Place - Before the rush (davidwozhere)

Wish I was there. An image that I think was most probably shot early morning. Love the composition. I thought the framing of the sea and sky by the falling green hills coupled with the cafe awning and seating area added greatly to the composition. A cloudless sky merging to a subtle sea that is given interest by two small centralised white sails. Nicely focused bright image. Met the brief.
I found the Excif Data to be gobbledegook.

Winner – Empty Church (noelcmn)

Truly a nice image with so much to see but one that is never distracting or confusing. I particularly like the combining of angles, the curve of the roof/windows set against the right angles of the seating. Good composition, colours and lighting. The strong blue carpet draws your eye down to the High Alter. There is some soft focus apparent particularly in the carpet and above the High Alter which is probably due to the shooting and lighting requiring a lens aperture of the f3.5 that you used.

Thank you and well done

nicesparky (Brian)

Very Effusive appreciation of the three chosen images. Where then, the sense of desolation conveyed by a theme of emptiness! I am clearly not on anyone's wave-length here, hard though I try.

Oh Crumbs, just when I asked to be reminded not to post winning images Thanks Brian, I'll consider you enemy of the first rank . Seriously though, I appreciate the honor among so many excellent images. A surprise really. Congrats to AndrewA and Davidwozhere. I'll have a new challenge up in a moment, and seeing that it is already late, it'll be something uncreative.

Well done all, and thanks for my 3rd and for a great theme.

I will dig out the original, but can assure the goal posts are actually there!

My EXIFs are a constant source of grief. They're fine in the editing software (Faststone) but gobbledegook when they get here!
Thank you for the placing and congratulations to Andrew and Noel.
It was indeed early morning and there was so little wind I had to wait ages for those two boats to line up where I wanted them!