Weekly #907 - Spring Competition

When I posted this competition things were looking up weather-wise, and just maybe there was the promise of spring in the air. It came and went, and now is faltering again under a deluge of rain and wind. But we remain optimistic, and hopefully all these fine spring images will be encouraging!

First off the mark is kasperbergholt with the Last Day of March, a bold interpretation of spring with a fairly obscure title. The main subject is just a concrete block, perhaps a cover for a ventilation shaft, perhaps a fisherman's hut, perhaps a Tardis with a working chameleon circuit. The plant is just a white dot in the distance, but it adds to the sheer desolation of the site. A very curious and intriguing image and a good start to the competition.

That Time Again by kerrowdown: The flower head is almost suspended in the air with its supporting stem hardly visible with the shallow depth of field. It is another interesting approach. Personally I do find the image a tad light overall, but I guess darkening it would then reveal that supporting stem rather more, so whether or not this is what you want is something only the photographer can decide.

bzz bzz bzz by BraydenBrise: The EXIF data says this was a 28mm lens, so you must have moved in very close indeed. The exposure is accurate, the timing excellent, the focus possibly slightly off for optimum sharpness of the subject. I am finding the bokeh rather ragged and intrusive, so for me a longer lens would have been a better choice and some ultra-smooth bokeh can be obtained with the Pentax 55-300mm or 75-300mm lenses.

Sing for Spring! by Lubbyman: How delightful! A beautifully composed shot of a wren in full song and greeting what it hopes will actually be a sustainable spring.

THE FIRST by ArsenAl: A first, tentative look at the spring to come with this solitary flower. I like this, such an understated and subtle image, dark because it has to be dark and the composition reinforcing the idea that we are catching a sneak preview of the spring that is ready to unfold.

Mount Grace Priory by sueriley: The daffodils define the spring and Mount Grace is a terrifically photogenic location at any time. All that is missing here is a bit of low spring sun wafting across the stonework and that would really lift the image further.

First warm rays of sun by Stevistds: Warmth, a tiny ladybird and a lovely golden hue to the image. There are a few areas where the leaves have become washed out to purse white, so a slight darkening might help that, but it's a heartwarming feeling throughout the image that certainly evokes spring.

Rusty Spring by noelcmn: A spring indeed, and the challenge is to make such a simple subject interesting. This is down to lighting and sharpness, which in the latter case reveals all the wonderful metallic textures. My feeling for the image is that I would like to see more DOF, more of the texture and perhaps all the shadow included. An alternative interpreatation of spring!

Grebe Spring Love by grahamwalton: This relies to some extent on ther title to make the connection with spring, but that's fine as we have a very classy shot of these young lovers. We even have that classic heart shape that we normally see in images of swans, so well done for spotting the opportunity. Lovely lighting and texture.

Thanks to everyone who entered, sharing with us your visions of spring. Now it's time for the winners.

WINNER is Grebe Spring Love by grahamwalton, a magnificent image full of the hopes of spring.

SECOND is Sing For Spring! by Lubbyman, another gorgeous psring images courtesy of Nature.

THIRD is Mount Grace Priory by sueriley, this time nature revealing spring through the yellow glow of the daffodils.

One Highly Commended this time, for ArsenAl with his fine image The First.

Over to you grahamwalton!

A fine winning photo - I'm very happy to have been beaten by it!

And another interesting competition topic, too. It made me realise that there is a big difference between a photo taken in spring and a photo that says 'spring'.

Steve

That winning shot is beautiful!!

John, Thank you for the input, always appreciate it. The EXIF data is actually wrong due to me not imputing the correct lens info and the camera just filled it in. I was shooting with a Super-Takumar 135mm f3.5 lens.

This was a fun comp, thanks for putting it together.

Brayden