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Weekly #590 - My travel tales Competition

Competition Details
Closing Date: 04/11/2018
Judge: Noelcmn

Hopefully this will attract a few more entries than last weeks challenge and also provide a wide scope for subjects. Travelling or tourism is, despite the hype surrounding it, is quite a subjective thing, and elicits, more often that not, unique perspectives from photographers. For this challenge, I am looking for your travel tale, places you have visited, or which has a special place in your life, and which you have tried captured. It can be a familiar tourist hot spot, or just a quiet place that you visit often. It can even be a cemetery, a place of remembrance of a loved one. It may even be just a wonderful family get together that has been meaningful and memorable. Besides opportunities for nature and landscape photography, scope for architecture, sporting events and cityscapes offer subjects to photograph. You are expected to detail why this is important to you as part of your "travel tale" of life and experiences. Good luck

Usual rules:
1. Images can be specially taken for this weekly challenge, or from your archives.
2. Only Pentax Cameras and or their acceptable clones are allowed.
3. The winner is expected to set and judge the next weekly challenge.
4. The challenge closes on Sunday night at midnight, and DV, Judging, comments and critiques to follow
Monday morning.
Competition Entries
Noelcmn
Posted 05/11/2018 - 09:55 Link
Thank you to all that entered this weekly Challenge #590, and I certainly feel like a sucker for punishment with this array of very fine images and interpretations of the theme, all on the button as it were, a pleasure to read and see, besides the inevitable wanderlust that engulfs me. My bucket list has received a boon, albeit that they will be confined to realm of dreams and mere feast for the eyes. Here are my thoughts:

Perspicador-Tavern in Seaton-Cornwall- As usual, quick of the mark with a challenging bar setting image, with (in my opinion) a quintessential British scene. Everything here is so natural, what with cars, flags, umbrellas and inviting door! Lovely colors, ambiance, and by all accounts a popular place to visit. I like the composition though I dare say some purists would demand a composition that excludes the two cars in the forefront. That, imho, would distract from the overall impact of the image. Wonderful details you got here.

Davidwozhere – The perfect moment- and indeed it is! Wonderful shot, with all the right elements, composition, colors, mood and intrigue. Certainly quite the different take on travel scenes, and the painterly effect makes it worthy of a postcard! Very nice!

Johnriley-Steam at Grosmont -, well, yes, a tug at the soul for something that is quite the experience, which I have done many years ago, when travel by train was the way to travel! Romantic and nostalgic, a great capture, great mood, excellent composition and POV, and I like the setting in which you have placed these steamers. The house ? on the top right and landscape to the left hints at travel from urban to country or vice versa! Attention grabbing bits of red and that steam/smoke is awesome! Wonderful details too! I want to get on board!

Vic Cross-Sunset in the Caribbean Jan 2010- Well, a hearty congratulations are in order, though 8 years later, you are heading for a 60th. Beautifully photographed, perfect colors and composition with the main island set between two lesser ones to the left and right. And that streak of sunlight on the water is magical. Not an easy technique that, an easy thing to get the colors all blown out, which is not the case here, nicely controlled. A haloed sun completes the pic, perfectly set high in the image. If I had been there, you can bet I’d have 1000’s of that image- there is just something about sunsets that trigger off the aesthetics. Combining it with Not a critique, but I hope you also have an image with a silhouette of the two of you, or someone else for that matter!

Retsoor-Wheal Coates Cornwall – a magical, brochure worthy image. Wonderful array of colors here, a stunning composition, with minimal human presence to enhance the beauty of the place. Whoever thinks that human constructions spoil a scene should have a look at this. That mine holds this image wonderfully together and adds loads of interest to what would be an otherwise ordinary landscape image. That x shaped bit of cloud on the top right adds even more interest. As with the previous submissions, wonderfully detailed image.

Smudge- Versailles at rush hour- Tourism at its best, though I appreciate the sentiment about crowds. Wonderful detailed image, undoubtedly popular spot! Perfect composition for this kind of shot, and I like your timing here, and I’d guess you waited for something like this- crowds heading in one direction with a mere few in the opposite direction affording some portraits, which always adds interest, gauging the emotions and reactions. Seems others are agreeable to the sentiment about crowds. Demerit points for included that bald pate to the bottom right, seeing that I now wish it was me, with my very similar bald pate. The nicest kind of busy image, and wonderful colors. Tripod shot? Very skilled photography evident here!

Noelm- Two dogs and a ferry- Just love this, and even without the given background details, this exudes a lovely story line, straight out of one of those picturesque novels one comes across from time to time. As with the other submissions, the details are superb, as is the composition and the colors are very well controlled. Some would wonder what is the focus point of this image - the ferry, the dogs, the ramp, but for me it is (presumably) the skipper, busy tying the ferry- ever so interesting and attention grabbing. Not been on many ferries in my life, this one would be worth experiencing!

NigelK-setting up camp for the night – Yes, well, a seriously envy inducing image, and I’m pretty sure it will not be just me! Some people have all the luck is my initial response, and I’m sticking to that! Even if I live in Africa! Lovely image, lovely timing, excellent mood and atmosphere, befitting the experience. And stunning composition with that truck holding that attention in an otherwise almost monotone image. Details are expected to be sparse (given the time of day) but sufficient enough to appreciate, what with that tit bit of fire. Magical indeed!

MikeinDevon- Haytor The only B/W image in the challenge, and it is wonderful, and just the kind of image that lends itself to that medium. Stunningly detailed, excellent composition with its top notes of imposition, set in a landscape all around! Interest piqued very much, The horizon is somewhat slanting, a deliberate compositional element?, and it works! Again, not a critique, but a human element would have added a lovey sense of scale!

Pipinmels- Egypt holiday 2010 – Wonderful. One for the adventurist that wants to experience “Travel Truism”, an essential part of all travel tales that inevitably gets. Reminded me of one of the travel truism I came across in Nepal! “The capacity of all modes of transport is twice what logic dictates, plus 2”. Just what I had been hoping for, a sharp eye, an opportunity grabbed, real life outside of the usual. Kudos. Not as sharp as one would like, but sufficiently enough to appreciate. Details are there, and worth exploring! Intriguing shot what with that steam roller? in the background! A keeper imho. Even if is the copy! Not really on topic, but I thought I’d share another Travel Truism –just for the laugh. “There is no indignity to which a 3rd world chicken cannot be subjected.”

Newbiek50user – Liverpool River of light Festival 2018 – Oh boy! What range of wishful nostalgia emanates from me! Think the FAB Four, Jerry and the Pacemakers! A city full of history waiting to be explored, and here we have yet another addition. Another excellent shot, lovely details for what is more often than not a difficult enterprise. Colors are wonderful, as is the composition, though it could do with a slight correction of the tilt. Excellent timing hinting at skill. Nice mood, joyful and exciting times. Impressive details for a 21mm focal length!

Abe-Normal – the Chimneys of Hampton Court Palace- Another superb image, excellent details (I can count the bricks in the foreground) as is the composition and almost monotone colors and the POV! The row of battlements could do with a slight correction, but that is nitpicking! My eye is roving all over this image, picking out the domes, battlements, flags etc an indication that it has achieved its goal, making me want to explore the place, from other perspectives and angles. Great shot!

And onto the judging exercise, not easy.

1st spot to Retsoor, for a stunning landscape of the tin mine.
2nd spot to Pipinmels for his wonderful shot of Travel truism
3rd spot to noelm for his lovely story line image of the ferry.

It’s just too difficult to award HC’s to any one in particular, the more I look at an image, the more I think it deserves a spot! So, all the others I am happy to award HC’s.
Edited by Noelcmn: 05/11/2018 - 10:09
vic cross
Posted 05/11/2018 - 11:04 Link
Hi Noel. Thanks for the nice comments. It will be 59 years on 16/01/2019. We'd like to do it again if our health holds out.
CHEERS Vic.
Born again biker with lots of Pentax bits. Every day I wake up is a good day. I'm so old I don't even buy green bananas.
Nigelk
Posted 05/11/2018 - 12:13 Link
Great set of varied images, thanks to Noelcmn for the competition and generous critique. Well done the winners. I love that strong diagonal between land and sea broken only by the mine chimney in retsoor's image, beauty.
noelm
Posted 05/11/2018 - 15:42 Link
Thanks for the 3rd place and congratulations to the other podium places. Interesting subject and excellent critique.
Posted 05/11/2018 - 19:31 Link
Thank you Noelcmn for an interesting competition and to yours and other kind remarks. I will do my best in judging the next one.
Posted 05/11/2018 - 20:47 Link
Many thanks Noelcmn for such a good theme and judging, great images all round, plus I really enjoyed all those back stories to the images.

Congratulations to retsoor for a cracking shot a well deserved 1st place. As it happens we were down on the north Cornish coast around the same time and the light and the sea's colour was amazing, we commented at the time that it looked like the Med, you captured this!

And to Pinpimels - such a great street capture you just couldn't stage it!

And to Noelm - that image really brought back memories, a few years ago we were staying across the loch from the 5 Sisters of Kintail, we wanted to take that ferry over to Skye but the weather was so rough that alas it wasn't sailing so it was the bridge for us. But we did visit that impressive Pictish Broch, however the highlight for me was visiting the nearby place where Gavin Maxwell wrote Ring of Bright Water, the cottage is gone but we saw his memorial stone there.

Noelcmn re my image - thanks for your kind comments, I was pleased with how it came out. I usually use the camera's level function and believe it or not the distance horizon does really slope down from left to right as the Devon landscape drops down to the coast. Have a look at the base of the Tor and there is a group of 4 climbers getting prepared to climb it but in B&W they do sort of merge with the Tor. Actually it's rarer to get a photo of the Tor without someone on the top as it's very popular and there is a 'easy' way up from the other side.

Best regards
Mike
Posted 06/11/2018 - 21:20 Link
MikeInDevon wrote:
Many thanks Noelcmn for such a good theme and judging, great images all round, plus I really enjoyed all those back stories to the images.

Congratulations to retsoor for a cracking shot a well deserved 1st place. As it happens we were down on the north Cornish coast around the same time and the light and the sea's colour was amazing, we commented at the time that it looked like the Med, you captured this!

And to Pinpimels - such a great street capture you just couldn't stage it!

And to Noelm - that image really brought back memories, a few years ago we were staying across the loch from the 5 Sisters of Kintail, we wanted to take that ferry over to Skye but the weather was so rough that alas it wasn't sailing so it was the bridge for us. But we did visit that impressive Pictish Broch, however the highlight for me was visiting the nearby place where Gavin Maxwell wrote Ring of Bright Water, the cottage is gone but we saw his memorial stone there.

Noelcmn re my image - thanks for your kind comments, I was pleased with how it came out. I usually use the camera's level function and believe it or not the distance horizon does really slope down from left to right as the Devon landscape drops down to the coast. Have a look at the base of the Tor and there is a group of 4 climbers getting prepared to climb it but in B&W they do sort of merge with the Tor. Actually it's rarer to get a photo of the Tor without someone on the top as it's very popular and there is a 'easy' way up from the other side.

Best regards
Mike

Posted 06/11/2018 - 21:21 Link
Thanks Mike
We really struck lucky with the light and weather that week
Retsoor

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