Weekly #870 - What I saw at the roadside Competition

I can only pick one of these as the winner, which is a pity because every one of them deserves a jolly good looking at.

Friends by johnriley is unashamedly opportunist but it tells its story very well. Did it have its nest in there I wonder?

That's not your car, come away by sueriley is equally unexpected with a (plausible?) story imposed upon it. It's like a naughty child being led off by its ear!

Entrances by RayW. Nice to find an analogue picture in the mix. It is a well observed study of contrasts, perfectly suited to B&W. The more you look at it the more contrasts you can find.

Kate in Transit by garethjmorgan. This B&W just shouts, "look at Kate!" Is it a wee bit too dark? Bringing out the detail under the wheel arch and behind the model would not have detracted from the overall impact at all.

Road side fruit and nut seller by Nigelk. Blasting sunshine and very little detail has been lost. The exposure problems are the inverse of the previous image. Timed perfectly to capture the interaction of the two characters, particularly the seller. How would it have impacted the composition had the buyer not been chopped in half?

The Dorchester Horse by Lubbyman. Exposing any dark colour against a bright sky (and expecting white snow on the dark shape to behave itself) is a big ask but you managed both very well indeed. I did have initial trouble separating the horse from the gable end behind it. My brain perceived it as part of the horse or maybe its harness. It still jarrs even though I have separated it out.

Toilets are for the .... Birds by Noelcmn. This contest is turning into a series of how to deal with dreadful exposure problems! ISO 100 and 1/6000 tells me it was blasting bright (irrespective of aperture - not given). You succeeded in taming it, which is more than can be said for the owner of the car and the miscreant bird(s). It happened to me once when I left it under the wrong tree for a week! It is let down by the composition, which is over-cropped at the bottom and the right.

Pegasus by Flan. I am still a bit puzzled over this lovely panned shot. Is it a sporting event? (i.e. three people on a seat with an axle beneath it). Is it their regular means of transport? (I know that you have just been to Albania). It's sharp where it needs to be and I love the leading negative space you have left for the image to advance into.

Faceless by Simonmac. This is a 'grab it quick while it's there' shot but yet again, the question of exposure appears with the darker bits blacked out. As an overall image it poses so many questions with hardly an element in the scene wasted. One cannot fail to engage with it.


1st place Entrances by RayW who dealt with his exposure problems superbly and presented so much content that I am still finding yet more contrasts within it! (e.g. textured vs plain bricks on the bottom steps).

2nd place Road side fruit and nut seller by Nigelk for dealing with his difficult exposure so well and capturing the interactive element (I forgive the halved buyer).

3rd place simply has to be shared between Kate, the Trotting Race and the faceless mannequinne (it seems to be female but one never knows these days). All four B&Ws were initial contenders.

Thank you for the win! Your analysis is amazing, now I see more in the image than I did before! New contest coming soon

Well done RawY, an interesting take on light and shadow as in one is almost a reversal of the other.
Also well done to the podiums of many Thanks for the comments DavidWoz but I wasn't the one in Albania recently I think that was the 2nd spot photographer

Thank you David!

A great competition and great comments!

Congratualtions to the winner and otherv places!

All the best

Thank you for the competition, comments and my 2nd place!
Congratulation to my fellow podium places and RayW on gaining the top spot
P.S. It was me in Albania recently

Thanks for an interesting topic and set of comments. And congratulations to the winner and other people on the podium. Interesting that 4 of the 9 submissions were mono - is there a mono revival going on here???

The comment about having difficulty separating the Dorchester horse from the gable end has had a strange effect on my brain. It wasn't a problem for me before, but now it's been pointed out I can't look at the picture without seeing it - help!!!!

Steve