Weekly #426 – Hometown - but not in the brochure Competition

Weekly #426 – Hometown - but not in the brochure
Many thanks for those who rose to the challenge. I enjoyed looking through your photographs of your hometown or city. Some places I can relate to having spent many years as a contract engineer working in the UK. Most of you have opted for showing the ugly side of town. The skill as photographers in this case is to enhance or exaggerate that ugliness rather than the beauty of a landscape which isn’t easy.
Here are my comments and feedback or ramblings of an old man. I am no expert and photography is very subjective but I do know what I like. I apologize in advance if I offend anybody. No doubt you will get your own back at some stage in the future.

Banks of the river Hull
I posted a photo on here a couple of weeks ago ‘View from the Humber Bridge’ I was trying to capture ironically the beauty of the landscape and not doing a great job. You have chosen the industrial side of Hull using the decaying building as your focal point. I like how you’ve used the river to lead in and the ship as your foreground. I would have cropped out the museum and gone with a mono photo to enhance the Rank building. Also, If you darken the sky if would give the building a more menacing effect. The photo has been taken for the competition which I like – good effort.

River Cruise
I certainly wouldn’t be pay for a cruise here. I think your photo suffers by not having a focal point. An alternative would be to have the boat on the foreground and the bridge in the background. I find the bridge a bit distracting in the foreground but it certainly fits the remit.

360 view of the local High School
Wow that is certainly different. It looks like a camera you can have some fun with. I think you have to be a bit selective what it’s used for and be careful what you capture. Are they the gorilla pod legs in the foreground?

The Strange Guy that nobody really knows
What a capture. The world need more people like him. I’m intrigued to know what he looks like. Perhaps you could get him to pose for one of your portraits.

Four Centuries of Coventry Housing
I spent four years at Peugeot (Tile Hill), I didn’t venture into the centre much so the scene isn’t familiar to me. It is typical of UK housing estates - a mixture of styles of architecture without a care for aesthetics. What were they thinking in the 60’s? Certainly not one the council can be proud of. I like how you’ve framed the photo in the window – nice touch.

Curzon Street Birmingham
This is great. It has got all the ingredients I was looking for, good foreground leading you into the housing block. An excellent mono and the sky make it special. I‘ve seen this before in colour but I think I prefer the mono version. Fits the remit what more can I say.

The Destruction of a village
I love old black and white photographs taken with a film camera. I have similar re-collections of Dronfield where I live now, before the Bypass was built. They serve as a record of what life used to be like that words can’t describe. The old housing in the background is soon to make way for the new brickwork in the foreground. The photo means more to you than the casual observer. It’s nice to see an old black and white photo resurrected though.

My village in Winter
What a nice place to live. Snow picture aren’t the easiest but you have done a good job. A picture I like but perhaps doesn’t fit the remit.

Colorful Buildings
A nice capture, I had to smile when I first saw this one. They certainly don’t do subtle in your town. Have you oversaturated the colours or is that how they really look?

Secret Durham
This is a picture with good texture, colour and composition. It reminds me of work by Jay Maisel. I like it but not for this competition. Somebody would probably want on their wall so may not fit the remit but nevertheless a cracking image.

21st Century Church
This one made me laugh out loud. How do they get away with this? In Sheffield Witherspoon’s do similar atrocities with old sacred buildings. It’s an original well captured image. It’s been taken for the competition which always scores in my book.

Old Poole Railway
Nice capture, a very good black and white conversion - which has a very dark desolate feel. I like the contrast in your sky. If I was being picky I should say it lacks a focal point but it gets across the point. Yet another photo taken for the competition which is appreciated – nice work.


First Place - Curzon Street Birmingham by Conexus
Second Place - Four Centuries of Coventry Housing by davidwozhere
Third Place - 21st Century Church by Caltren
HC: Old Poole railway by Puffacake

Over to you Mike – you seem to be on a bit of a roll at present.

Regards,

Paul

Well done Conexus, davidwozhere, Caltren and everyone who entered. I have enjoyed seeing the aspects of different towns and reading the interesting notes. Thanks Paul for a great subject and really good judging comments. I have had great fun with this competition over the last week. It got me doing something different to usual and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very pleased to get HC too!

River cruises are free Sheffield way? Interestng. I do not expect anyone from Sheffield to have something good to say about a Nottingham landscape, though Nottingham is full of Yorkshiremen. The poor old Trent has to pass through some noxious terrain - and then land up in - Hell? Halifax? O, Hull of all places.

Thanks for the competition and expert judging Paul and congratulations to the winners. It would be hard on the judge but I do wish entry numbers could get back to the good old days when around 40 submissions were common place.
David

Thank you Paul for a really inspiring topic and thank you everyone for sharing all those fascinating details. On topic or otherwise, 'Secret Durham' is superb.
Hi Caltren - just joined us - well done !! And I still think the colour version is better Mike.
And thank you for the placing.

Thanks for your feedback - much appreciated.

Regards

Paul

It's now Wednesday and no sign of Conexus, so I'm going to post a new weekly competition and restart the cycle so to speak!

Please, please, if you are going to enter a competition make sure you are available in case you win. Of course, some things may prevent this that are beyond our control, in which case it can't be helped.

Sorry Guys, I lost my internet on Monday morning just got it back, Thanks John for stepping into the breach Thanks for the comments guys
Cheers
Mike (Conexus)

Congrats Conexus- stunning image, Extended to Davidwozhere and Caltren Puufacake for the HC. Thanks Paul for the interesting challenge, and the judging exercise. No over saturation on the colors-that is how they look.