Weekly #429 - Animated Competition

Hi all, haven’t done a comp in a while, but here goes.
Thank you for taking the time and effort to submit your image for a comp. They are an excellent learning opportunity.
The thoughts in c&c following are my own and thus entirely subjective. They apply solely to this image at this particular time.
There are two sets of things I will be looking for: the first is whether the image meets the ‘animation’ brief; and the second is a combination of content, lighting and composition. That’s a juggling act of course, but it’s fair to say that a weakness in one area may well be off-set by strength in another!

1. All the fun of the fair – John Riley. What a great way to catch an animated youngster. Good timing in that the gesturing hand didn’t get in the way of the face. Just enough context by way of background to appreciate the ‘fair’ element too. Can’t go wrong with kids (when they co-operate!)
2. Partying – Mudge. Hopefully the fist was not aimed at you! The BW and local contrast enhancement suit the subject. Not sure I’m seeing some distortion around the fist that may have been introduced by PP? The flash fall-off works for you here – the fist is given emphasis without unduly compromising the lighting on the face.
3. All Afluster – Perspicador. A great line astern formation of gulls on final approach (hopefully all with clearance to land…). I see an issue with composition here – a set of disembodied wings at bottom. Given your other subject elements, you may have been hard-pressed to crop this successfully though. Alternatively, perhaps a wait and some further shots may have been in order? BIFs are hard work to do well!
4. Surprise! – GlynM. What a priceless expression! And I see he’s already hoisted the ensign (bib)! I might have done this as a square crop Glyn, taking out everything below the young pirate’s hand. I might even have adjusted the exposure a little, to soften the effect of the flash on his little face. Glad you were on hand – they grow up too quickly.
5. Shout! – Conexus. And I’m hearing you. Did you partially desaturate this? I sense that you did, and it’s effective. Outfits and background work to complement the image, and enhance its effectiveness. Animation present in spades too. The placement of the protagonists is also effective in underlining the animation.
6. Having Fun – pipinmels. Again, you can’t go wrong with children, and this one is cooperating with a bit of fun. I’d have like a bit more of a front-on shot – there’s clearly a lot of enjoyment there, and that sense of fun could have been made more visible had you been able to get around to see more of her face. Of course you may have become the next target!
7. Oops…Not the pose I was after! – JudithAnn. And here’s one where they don’t cooperate, but that becomes the theme in itself. Composition and lighting are effective, as is the backdrop. Did you try this out with different crops per chance? Given this is a set shot, I sense you may not have needed the balls in the trough – the two occupants hold the attention without their assistance. That said, the highlights are well managed in the reflections.
8. Gray heron – Laptux. I think you had some difficulties here, but well done for giving it a go. The lighting, low contrast and a bird that blends in with the background all combine to make for a very difficult shot for you. Also, the camera may have focussed more on the water behind, rather than the bird in front – did you have the camera set for spot focussing?
9. An Odd Couple – Davidwozhere. Extremely animated – for frogs! Love that. I like the fact that the reflection of the smaller frog is visible. Things must have been very, very still. Was there anything in the frame that caused you to crop out the last bit of the larger one (ie, tank perhaps)? I’d have liked to see the rest of it (but I won’t croak over it).
10. Gone to the Dogs – davidhamilton. Next to children, there’s animals of course… I like the long shadows, and no wonder you’ve frozen the moment with that short shutter speed. Perhaps more front on may have been good here though – both for the camera and the light.
11. Life is a rollercoaster – paulb531. Clearly, numeracy is a big issue for these individuals! This is another I’d have liked to have seen from more of a front-on perspective. Their faces may have told a lot more of this story. The lighting (mid-tones) could do with a bit of a boost here, to brighten up the shot.
12. Performance – davidtrout. A successful portrait – slightly off-beat, and it draws attention. Well framed and lit. To have included a segment of the brass instrument is a great prop for your purposes. Engaging.
13. Surprise & Happiness – cardiffgareth. Lovely happy couple, good choice of background and perspective for this day, and you can’t argue with the animation! The distracting bit is the confetti – it tends to intervene a little. It’s all about timing!
14. Excited – Noelcmn. All dressed up and nowhere to go! A lovely young lady, and she’s had a good evening so much the better. She’s certainly photogenic - nails, jewellery, dress, hair and big smile. The issue here is the strength of the flash. MattMatic (on this site) has a very useful guide, downloadable at a nominal cost, for use of flash in ways that complement available light. As it is, there is a silhouette shadowed against the wall behind, and the light of the flash is quite pronounced on the young lady’s face. Matt’s guide will show you a better way!
15. I’m a Cockerel! – drofmit. Aka - Tomorrow’s Roast? What a show-off! Some good elements in your image – the hen, and the full width of young cocko’s ‘perch’. Again though, I wonder how much more complete this story would have been with a front-on perspective? (And with all of these I acknowledge that it may not have been possible for all or indeed any of them.)
16. Leaping – michaelblue. What happened to your EXIF info here Michael? Great timing, would have loved to have seen your shutter speed. Your choice of composition and crop is good – clearly you leaving in the horizon adds something to the perspective of an action shot such as this. The interaction between the two dogs also adds to the image.
17. Chicks – Kree. Good capture of the three main chicks, and the bokeh at rear is very pleasing. What size aperture did you use? I sense one that’s fairly wide open. Plenty of animation here!

Thank you again for submitting!

Now the envelope please:

Mentions:

Mudge and pipinmels - both are animated, and both combine lighting, content & composition well.


3rd: Performance - David Trout. From the eye of one of our resident masters, it is little wonder he appears in these placings with some regularity.

2nd: Shout - Conexus. Great mood and control of light, along with an effective BW conversion. A well positioned entry given the theme.

1st: Leaping - michaelblue. Superb timing to catch things 'just right' for this week.

Congratulations all - the harder you work at this, the luckier you get...

Go get 'em Mike!

Fabulous fabulous winning entry here, concur with our competent judge, great timing and composition. Congrats Michaelblue, and extended to Conexus and Davidtrout, and the HM's Mudge and Pipinmels . Wonderful challenge, and thanks to our Judge for competent and constructive comments, and for the directives re the use of the flash-I hate flash photography, but I am willing to learn-next year

Congrats all, especially MichaelBlue, Conexus and Davidtrout

Thanks I-Berg; for the competition subject, for well considered comments and for the results. Congrats to Michaelblue and Conexus and also to the HCs Mudge and Pipinmels - and thanks for my 3rd place.
David

Many thanks i-Berg for a great, very well managed, competition.

Congratulations to Michael for the well deserved winning image, the runners up and everyone else for for such good, diverse, set of interpretations.

Glyn

Great comp, quickly judged....
it was a challenge to find and prepare the right image...
that BC just had to win!!
It is doing all the right BC things!!

Congrats to the menshuns&podia....

Vinnie will never be roast...
or coq au vin... he is such a gentle-man to his ladies...
and he's an awful lot of entertainment...
as for a front shot...
I've got the same pose front on...
he's very bland from the front...
not nearly so well patterned...
in fact, downright boring!!
Looks just like a chicken....
ah, you've made me think....
perhaps that's why he crows so much!!

Congratulations to MichaelBlue, Conexus and Davidtrout - excellent photos. Well done to I-berg for the competition and the comprehensive feedback.

Regards

Paul

Thanks for the topic and the judges comments. Perhaps some context to my feeble attempt would be of benefit:

I am almost sixty years old

I have a replacement hip

Greyhounds are quite fast

So getting in front of them would have been quite a challenge. The shutter speed reflected some previous capture where it was appropriate and a reset would have missed the moment.

Good grief! I'd forgotten about the competition and just saw John's message
Thanks i-Berg for choosing my entry andfor the judging
Congrats to my fellow podium members Conexus and David, now I'd better get my thinking cap on for the next one..........

Great topic, great range of entries and great winner ! Thank you for the time taken judging it too.

Thanks for the Hon. Mention
And congratultions to podium placed images and for the comprehensive feedback

Congrat to our winners.... and thank you to this weeks judge!

Regards

JA