Weekly #800 - The Colour Purple Competition

Flora by Perspicador – The first of several excellent floral studies this week. Good recession in this image with excellent use of depth of field. The flowers nearest to the camera are really sharp but fade to a pleasing softness as they go back. Colour balance is good as purple and green always go well together – a very nice flower picture.

Spoiled for choice by Davidwozhere – Another flower study but this time focussing in on a single bloom – with added bee for interest. The tight crop works really well – can see exactly what this plant is about without lots of extraneous detail. The shapes are interesting in their own right and , again, the use of differential depth of field enhances the image. The bee is in exactly the right place and well caught. I’m not usually a fan of pure black backgrounds in nature images but it works really well in this case.

ICM by Nigelk – intentional camera movement is a technique I’ve failed to master (yet). This is a particularly fine example – helped by the minimal colour palette and the strong shapes. The colours are highly simpatico – makes for a restful and very pleasing image. Well done.

Pride of Madeira by John Riley – another floral study with a strong element of pattern to it. Interesting plants and the repetition combined with the greater depth of field gives this image a more dynamic feel.

Purple at the fringe by Davidtrout – our first non- floral study and a strong one at that. This is a nice portrait in its own right – the model is well positioned and is clearly engaging well with the photographer. The various shades of purple from her clothing through her hair to the umbrella make this a perfect fit for this topic.

Floodlit tree by PRYorkshire – an interesting abstract study of the tree. The illumination gives it an almost alien feel (made me think of the monster in “Stranger Things”) – certainly a dynamic shape. Hard to get the exposure right in such difficult lighting conditions – almost burnt out in the highlights but I don’t think that matters in an image such as this – good capture.

For the bees by Flan – back to the floral studies and another very pleasing image. The out of focus yellow flowers (buttercups?) form a nice base and frame for the image and go well with the purple and green . The flowers are on a slight diagonal which helps to fill the frame nicely.

Flora by MHOL190246 – A study of a single bloom (plus bud) – and what a nice bloom it is. Lovely colours here and the contrast between the yellow stamens and the purple petals is very strong. I think a black background is OK here but there is a bit too much of it for my taste. I wonder if a tighter square crop would have made for a stronger image in this case?

After the Rain by Markm – the water droplets on the petals bring a whole different feel to this image. It’s nice and sharp throughout and the mottled background works well with the subject. The flower itself has a strong dynamic shape and again I think this would have been enhanced by a square crop – but then that’s just my taste.

Purple Iris - Iris Pourpres by Francisbd – the device of having one very sharp flower mirrored by a slighter softer version works really well. It brings recession to the image giving it more of a 3D feel. The detail in the front iris is very good and it stands out well from the blurred background and it’s softer twin. A very pleasing floral study.

Self Heal by Retsoor - a lovely close up of this interesting plant. Focus is spot on revealing the shape of the flower and lots of detail throughout including the tiny hairs on the back of the petals and leaves. Nice natural greens complement the purple of the flower and the mottled background works well. A good example of the use of a square crop for this type of photography.

Containers by Noelcmn – something a bit different and all the better for that. The container tower creates a nice layered pattern picture – emphasizing the purple shades throughout. A good story picture as well as it is does get you wondering what was actually in the containers – a well-constructed image.

Odd one Out by JAK – a good title for a nice image. I think we might be seeing some of these in my garden fairly soon. The purple crocus really does stand well against its white brethren and the green background. Exposure is very good – plenty of detail in the highlights on the white flowers and the shadier parts of the purple one – well seen and well executed.

And so to the results –
1. Purple at the Fringe by Davidtrout
2. Spoiled for choice by Davidwozhere
3. Self heal by retsoor

Brilliant result, well done David! Excellent runners up as well!

Also, brilliant to have such a quick judging, it gives everyone the best chance to get a great entry in for the next competition. Over to David!

Thanks Gareth for the subject and detailed comments. Thankyou for my win. My congratulations to davidwozhere and Retsoor on their 2nd and 3rd places.
David

Thanks Gareth for third place and another good competition with excellent judging and comments. Some very good entries this week and congratulations to David for a very well deserved win. Well done also to davidwozhere for second spot.

I had the purple umbrella down for the winner as soon as it appeared - wonderful shot that grabs attention straight away. Well done David. And considering the tiny size of a selfheal, well done to retsoor too. And thank you for the second place Gareth and for your comprehensive critiques.