Weekly #533 - The cutlery drawer Competition

This week is disappointing in that the topic was intended to produce more entries but encouraging in that some were shot especially for the job. And we didn't get any old cutlery either - a lot of thinking went into these.

Perspicador starts us off with a very pretty portrait in pink. "Cut us another slice" presents a frame-filling and delicious looking cake that was made for the Christening of a little girl in August. (just look at the detail in the tiny figure on the top of it!). I'll let you off since there is a piece of cutlery to the side of it - Great cake though.

Whoever would be brave enough to stick an expensive camera inside a dishwasher? John would with "dance of the dishwasher". It is a tribute to both his creativity and the robustness of the product. It fortuitously presented us wiith a fascinating image too since the camera didn't get displaced from his careful positioning of it.

"Cutlers Rotary" by Nigel K is another experiment, both in technique, toning and composition. He has even managed to include (accidentally) multiple selfies with tripods! Exposure is bang on, as is focus, to say nothing about the meticulous arrangement of the various components.

I Berg made me chuckle with "Fork Handles". Once again, there has been a wealth of thinking here resulting in a strikingly original composition, right down to the careful placement of the rear candle flame.

There is usually an egg sitting in the place of "Raspberry on forks" by GlynM, sometimes reflected underneath. Replacing it with a bright raspberry has given the overall composition a new brilliance that is only equalled by the sheer perfection of its execution. It also illustrates the usefulness of 'focus stacking' to extend the limited DoF available when macro shooting.

"School of Forks" by Noelcmn results from spotting the photographic potential of a sculpture (can we perhaps see the whole thing in the gallery Noel?). Reducing it to monochrome has emphasised the overall form very well which really does evoke the strange, underwater feeling one sometimes gets when visiting an aquarium.

So few images and three top runners. What to do? I have to resort to splitting hairs; so the result is an enforced personal opinion chosen from the lazy susan, the candles and the raspberry. Two are (to my mind) original, a different two are technically marvellous so I move the candles to No3 because the fork handle isn't quite square - Now that's really splitting hairs!! Glyn tops Nigel on precision (just) but Nigel's is original and I like the resulting mandala.

Phew!
1. Cutlers Rotary
2. Raspberry on forks
3 Four Candles

At least, Glyn, you won't have to do this next week.

Thank you David. There might not have been many entries but as you say some of these are of a very high standard so I am quite flattered to have come out on top this time.
As I was setting up I did realise that my camera and tripod was being reflected, on trying other angles I wasn't getting what I wanted. I could clone them out but accepted the reflections as part of the image.
Incidentally this is I think an in camera 2 image double exposure one with the movement and one stationary.

Believe it or not, my cutlery drawer contents are sailing the Persian Gulf as we speak. We live on takeaway. So much for excuses. I could have gone to IKEA to take a shot. That said you had fantastic entries with a mind blowing winner so all is good. Congratulations everyone.

Many thanks David for setting such an original subject, that I also thought deserved more entries, and for your excellent comments and judging.

Thanks also for awarding my image the coveted second place. To me Nigel's image was a clear winner as soon as it appeared so I had assumed that I was safe although perhaps not as safe as I thought .

Congratulations to Nigel for a wonderful inspiring winning shot, fellow podium sitter i-Berg who obviously has a great sense of humour, and everyone else for a such good set of well crafted interpretations.

Glyn

Congrats NigelK, awesome image. Just wonderful those selfies with the tripod. And extended to GlynM and i-Berg. Very interesting challenge, so a hearty thanks to Davidwozhere for that, and the critiques and comments.

Well done Nigel, and Glyn also. I'm happy with the place!

It is somewhat surprising that there were no more entries - perhaps because people were busy with the Monthly Comp entries due at almost the same time?

Thank you for the comp and the place David.