Weekly Comp #166 - It's What's on the Inside That Counts. Competition

Wow, What a week of fantastic photos.

It was a real hard chose between first and second place. Interestingly they were at such opposite ends of the photographic scale. The winning photo was untouched and film developed. The second place winner was photo edited and used special features within the digital camera. I LOVED them both very equal. In the end the drawing card came from how "on topic" the presentation was from the winner ....The inside did"count" and it gave way to the winning edge. I have chosen 3 3'd place winners because they all really do stand together in the greatness of the photos they took. I had to list "The Judges Favorites" in my "Very Highly Commended". Many of you simply delivered stunning photography. I thank everyone who took the time to enter:

1st Place Winner: Inside Workings of a Pocket Watch by mudge

2'd Place Winner: The Cab by Noel

3'd Place Winners: Shared By 3 Fantastic Photos, in no particular order:

A)Kalo Mata Church by Dr Mhuni
B)Geometry of a pylon by Belinda B
C)Inside....The Earth by AlexLuther

One SpecialAward for Most Orginal "Inside" Topic
Inside The Boom by ArsenAl

Very Highly Commended...Judges Favorites

Inside Looking Out by Darlene
Black Hole by Thoughton
Outside In by aliengrove
And Inside was a Conker by ISO
Inside Hexham Abby by Davidtrout
Nunney Castle by Steve Chasey
The mark of 1000 years of goingby lazydaisy25
The Boat House by Bforbs

Inner Thoughts.
Thank you for your very quick start. I thought I might get a picture or two like this. This young lad does look like he is in deep thought. In fact he looks somewhat concerned. I loved your choice of B&W, especially with children. I did not like the dark deep shadow from his face that falls on his chest. This would be prevented if your flash was defused and not pointed directly at your subject. There is some wonderful YouTube videos on how to avoid this kind of shadowing. Nice work overall.

Chronos Watch
What an attractive piece this is. It not only shows the inside, but it also focused on the dead center of the inside. The diamonds at the top left of your photo had a great impact on the picture, as did the 30 down below...that was a nice balance. I did find the light in the lower left corner distracting, as well as the wee bit of light in the top center. I think I would have cloned this out making my background completely black. The black really makes the gold POP! All in all it was a great photo.

Inside the Tunnel
I love the illusion of depth in this photo, and the choice of B&W. It is an inside shot, although it is debatable as to whether or not there is an outside to a tunnel...for the earth herself is its outside. I found that I really enjoyed the circular arched look, and the way the light bounced off the wall. I was expecting to see a tunnel or two, and must say you delivered it well.

3'd Inside ....The Earth
Might not have been a funny or surprising picture, sure was a stunning one! I think that the lighting in this photo is fantastic. The details in these formations are captured so well. I find that as I study the photo, I at times feel like I am looking at it upside down. It is bang on the topic, and I am sure that many of us WERE quite surprised to see the belly of the earth. Nicely done, wonderful photo! One of my favourites

(Special Award!) Inside the Boom:
I wanted a wow factor and you gave me one....WOW....what a capture that was. You also have surprised me because inside an explosion was not something I would have even considered. I did find that when I enlarged the photo it did not seem very sharp. I do understand that a lot of actions are going on, but perhaps a faster shot might have frozen and sharpened this photo more. Even so it is a photograph with a powerful impact! Great interpretation of the topic, high points for originality. Winner of Most Original “inside shot”

3'd Kala Mata Church
How would you take a shot like that Doc. Lay on your back and shoot straight up? Just kidding, I am sure you would have had a tripod!
Once again I am impressed with the illusion of depth here. The picture is so symmetrical. I love the way the eye is drawn into the middle. The light from the stain glass brings the left and the right into balance. Great composure; I get the feeling that the photo cannot do justice to the beauty that you would behold in person. Wonderful entry and it meets the topic bang on. One of my favourites for sure!!

The Boat House.
I never saw the inside of a boat house before...thank you for showing me one! I loved the perspective you used in taking the picture. It was so smart to show the door opened to the outside. It give the feeling of being there, inside. Your attention to detail is great and I loved the shades of colours in the stones. Your lighting was lovely also. Nice picture. A favorite

Bird Box
I would say you gave me two inside subjects in one. We have what is inside the bird house, the baby bird, and we have inside the baby bird’s mouth!! Well done for the topic. I was wondering if this picture had been cropped, as it seems to be a too soft. I also see some places where it was blown out, especially on the front of baby’s bird head. I know how challenging it can be to capture the birds, and how fun.

3'd Geometry of a Pylon:
Like Dr. Mhuni’s church, this photo is so attractively symmetrical. It is a wonderful straight up shot. It was interesting to see the inside of such a tower of metal. I feel like I am lying on the ground and peering upward myself. The photo is sharp and interesting, and I loved your idea to use a power line tower. Oh ya the weather looked pretty great too. This was on topic, very creative. Another one of my favourites

Award For Humour Inside Tozza.
Nicely done Jo. This is a real different twist and I like the double take on it, we see what is ‘inside’ of his wallet, as well as the ‘inside’ of the wallet. I was thinking that when all is said and done, poor fellow really has not much to call his own. Even the keys looked old and worn out. It was a pleasant, well lit photo and very sharp. I said lets have fun, and you sure did deliver.


2'd Place The Cab:
This comes big on the ‘wow’ factor. I have learned that the K 7 has an HDR setting, and with some editing this fantastic effect was derived! It looks more like an older lithograph, or a very old photo full of noise. . There is a lot going on in the photo. My eye is drawn into the red colour and toward the notice on the wall. I do like it immensely.
I never saw the inside of a cab before and loved seeing it now. I was pleased with the shadow and lights and the way it helped create the overall effect. . It is a fascinating piece of work and if you were so inclined I think we would all enjoy hearing how you achieved this lithograph look! One of my favourites.

Inside
This is a triple inside shot, we see inside the museum, what was inside the crate and also inside the display by Sarkis. It completely fits the bill, for an inside picture. I did find a lot of noise in the photo as well as the lighted area blown. I did like that the door was in plain view, but found the Lady way too washed out, and that made her very distracting. I do give you high points for the triple inside of the inside of the inside. Cleverly done!

1st Place Inside Workings of a Pocket Watch:
That is a wonderful scan. There is some very nice detail in this shot. I adored your play on the “count” word instead of playing on the “inside. Yes it does “count”. I am impressed with your entire presentation, and think it is wonderful that you felt good enough with this piece to compete it against all of our new modern digital camera and digital darkrooms. It is simply a wonderful photo of the inside of a pocket watch. It is defiantly one of my favourites. Good for you!

The mark of 1000 years of going.
I see that you are a new member and do welcome you. The photo was right on topic. I loved the composure. The open door was a wonderful touch, but I wish the sky had of had some colour, the house across the street was a nice added touch. You captured the stones, the footpath worn grooves very well. It is amazing to think of the stones being worn by the coming and going of people’s feet. It is a great story picture, thanks for sharing it.


Inside the Darken Room:
Well done. This photo has the impact that can often be experienced in a dark room. The one lone chair, with its casting shadow, the missing board, the debris and dirty walls, all give over to apprehension and a haunted feel. I liked the cold blue tones; it suits the mystery of this scene. It was indeed on topic. Well delivered.

Inside Looking outside.
This is nice, just inside a home. What I loved best about this photo was the composure and the way the window frame was framed with the plants. This photo seemed soft, but soft seem to suit it well. Window photography can be challenging, getting the light right. The light in your photo seem perfect. It was a pleasant photo to study. The more I looked the more I saw. The way the plants and the flowers were placed really made this photo great. You were very much on topic. I like your simple approach. It was among my favourites.

Black Hole.
This is a lamp shade??? And it is 5 meters tall??? Wowzers Thoughton. What light does it shade, and to what place does it reside????? This is a really neat inside picture. It is a fantastic inside shot. I again, like the illusion of depth here. The pattern from the inside is wonderful to view. I was hoping for pictures that revealed awesome patterns and you delivered that very well. Great find and nice shot! It was among my favourites.


Outside in:
Jonathan I want to visit this place. It is so very interesting. This is a great photograph. I love the light, the brightness and the way you framed the shot. It has a wonderful crispness to the whole scene.
I equally enjoyed that you took a shot of the inside of a building which was made to look like the outside. That added great humour to the competition, and I truly enjoyed the whole irony of it. Great piece of photography. A Favorite

And Inside was a Conker:
Nice find and a great capture. It is so interesting what we can find inside and here again it is what’s on the inside that counts. Bang on the topic. I think the picture would have been even better without the reflective light on the chestnuts. Even with the reflections it was very sharp and a delightful to see the pattern and fine detail of the nut itself. I enjoy this image. It rated in my favorites



Workhouse Ghost
Well Malcolm.....I am not sure how you were seeing this photo in line with this week’s topic. Unless you were thinking that you took it “inside” a museum...if so, then you did miss the idea, it was not just about having an indoor photo, but a photo showing the inside of whatever. Anyway if you read my write-up more carefully, I think you will understand it better.
Now having corrected that, I must say that it was a lovely photo in its own right. I loved the colour and must tell you that it would have been a BIG contender in the fortnight comp this past week. The competition was “One Colour”, you might enjoy looking into our fortnight competitions’ which is on the forum. Sorry I was unable to tie it into this week’s theme.

Inside Hexham Abby:
Once again we are inside of a building, and the stain glass window shows us there is an outside. I also love the illusion of depth here. The larger view showed the detail in the stonework above the picture, which was lovely. I especially thought the window itself was sharp and well lit. I was pleased to see that the light in the window was well controlled, no blown out parts. The shadow in the lower half of the photo made the colour in the window really pop. Nice piece of work David just shows what a steady hand can do! A Favorite

Stain Glass Window.
Another window.... and well lit also. The colours are wonderfully bright and I find this photo very attractive. I do have a problem that not enough of the building is showing, to prove that it is “inside”. It is possible that the window stands alone...on display. Since the topic was taking a photo of the “inside”...showing the inside, I feel the photo falls short on the theme, as wonderful as the photo is! Sorry

Here is the Work Shed:
Wow that ladybird storybook has really impacted your life Glyn!! Inside of a shed is a clever choice. The picture is crisp, clear and bright. I like the angle of the shot, as it shows other part of the inside of the shed where the tractor lives. Too bad that I do not live a wee bit closer then Canada, as my husband and I just bought a small farm and I would like to have a go with this fine blue tractor. It was a nice photo and fit very well in the competition.


What menace lies within:
Much like my first entry, this one is about the inner spirit. I found the picture extremely clever, and liked that it had the opposite effect of my ‘other’ inner thought picture. I found that the lighting on the face and hair wonderfully done, brings the object to life. It has a great mouth, full of expression. . I liked your interpretation of the topic...creative!

Quality of light
I liked the fact that you found an everyday object, then showed us the inside. I did find that I wanted to peer deeper into the light and see more of it. I wonder if in this case a more front on view might have served us better to see inside of the light? There is a lot of noise in the photo but I think it kind of serves the photo well. I also liked the way the light reflected on the edges of the headlight. All in all this was a very nice photo.

Grants Tomb
NORITSU KOKI......what kind of camera is this? Sorry that I do not know....that is what your data read???
ANYHOOO...... The picture was wonderfully attractive. The center light was well controlled and gave the image a soft feel. It is an inside picture and very on topic. It is the second ceiling photo of the competition; both of them were wonderfully done. I love the details and patterns that are in these photos.

Fruits:
Now this is a delicious photo. Your still life pose and colours are very nice. Your lighting is fantastic with very little shadowing. I liked that you had the pineapple’s outside in the background as I felt it emphasis the inside of the foreground fruits. It was a well thought out photo with great results. Nice work.




Nunnery’s Castle:
Excellent composure!!One can feel the depth of this tower. The glimpse of the outer wall from within the structure makes this photograph feel very ‘inside’. The outside light in contrast to the inside shadows are great. This shadow and light also adds to the ‘inside’ feeling. Well done indeed. This is one of my favourite entries

The Inside Out.
Here we have some inside fireplaces on the outside. That is a great twist on the topic and with that title I would say it is acceptable. I kind of wished you had of been able to get a more detailed shot of the structure inside of the fireplace, and maybe even up the brick flu. It is such an interesting structure and I am pleased that you shared it all the same. The brick work on the lower fireplace was sharp and clear and I found my eye drawn toward the patterns. It was a nice find!

Lovely work with the judging, and well chosen too JA. Congrats to the well-deserved winners and mentions!

Congratulation for the winner (always amazing to see these little hand-maked masterpieces)
Judith - you gave so detailed and value feedback - thanks for this and regarding the upside-down - I feel the same - I assume this is, because the pic was taking downwards from a platform - this angle might confuse the orientation a bit.

Thanks for the excellent, detailed judging Judith Ann - and the joint third. Congrats to Mudge for the winner.

I actually didn't have a tripod for this shot (amazing what you can get away with with the 10-17), but I did have a crick in my neck after taking it

Congratulations to mudge for the winning entry and many thanks to JudithAnn for the competition and comprehensive judging notes

Well that went very well indeed, and many thanks to JudithAnn for the detailed and prompt judging.

mudge has done really well, a superb shot, and I'm looking forward to the new competition!

WOW....WOW....WOW no tripod, I thought that National Geographic would be proud to own that shot!!!Super nice work Doc.

That whole upside down factor, just added more punch to an already fabulous photo. Amazing peice!!

JudithAnn, thank you for your time setting and judging the competition, very well done.

Congratulations mudge, a shot with great detail and colour.

Well done Judith Ann. It was a great topic and you got some super images. You surmounted the problem of having many equally good photos by handing out lots of awards and why not!!
Congratulations to mudge and the other members of a very crowded podium and thanks for my highly commended.

wow - JudithAnn

you have managed to raise the bar on the standards of judging.

well done to you, and to Mudge, a worthy winner

Well done Judith Ann and congrats to the winners.

BTW. NORITSU KOKI must be the make of scanner the company used to scan the negative from my Pentax LX/SMC 24mm.

K.

PS Just noticed the winner used an LX too.

Judith Ann - Thank you for a very well organised competition and magnificant judging - that must have taken ages. Most of all thanks for my H Commended - it's only my second entry to the Comp so much cherished.

Well done...... but I do have to ask if my entry (Skull Vodka) was so awful that it didn't even find its way to being judged.

Congratsulations to the winner and runners-up. Excellent judging Judith Ann, glad you liked my entry!

Congratulation Mudge Great shot, as well as 2'd & 3'd place. I must Thank the judge JudithAnn for excellent judging with much thought and effort. I must say you have become a favorit judge. Was glad to see I was in the very highly commended. I feel putting an entry in your competition is well rewarded!

Once again many thanks for setting such an interesting and open subject, your terrific set of comments and excellent judging.

Congratulations, of course, to our winners and everyone else for a great set of images.

Glyn

Good topic Judith, and most excellent judging notes Thanks for my HC too!

The lampshade is in one of the (4 or 5 storey) foyers of the Hong Kong Convention Centre. I was standing underneath it looking upwards (ditto on the crick in the neck that Dr Mhuni referred to )

Congratulations mudge, fabulous entry.
many thanks judith ann for your kind remarks
on my entry,I still have much to learn about the
art of photography, my husband has shown me through
his enthusiasm what I have been missing.

Hey, I hadn't spotted that. I think it was a good photo and I'm sure JudithAnn did too.
David

Oh my goodnessThat was a HUGH mistake. Here is how it happened. Through the week I write my comments in my "Word Program", at the end, I edit, copy and paste them in the forum box. Last night I copied and pasted my work in the wrong place, and another member pointed out to me that I had not left any comments at all.

Hours of work gone??? No, I had to go back and copy and paste it again in segments....and to my embarrassment I see this morning you indeed got missed.

To Amoringello

Wonderful photo. It is eye-catching and done with great control of both the light and shadows. The depth of shadowed darkness in the bottom half of the bottle made this photo full of interest. The light reflecting through the eyes made the skull seem life-like. The white background was the frosting on the cake. It simply gave the whole image its finishing touch. Since the bottle did have something 'inside ' it fit the theme just fine...of course the are no guarantees that this bottle still has anything "inside"!!!! Great Piece of PhotographyA Great Ending To A Wonderful Week of Photography

I apologise from the bottom of my heart because I believe that EVERY entry is time and effort on the part of the photographer and is worth the adjudication of the judge.
Again, I am sorry Amoringella

Thank you for that information....nice to know

Yes the winner did use a LX..... impressive ,wasn't it!!

Many thanks to JudithAnn for the competition, the judging and my joint 3rd Place.

Congratulations to mudge for the winning entry.

No problem Judith! I hope my jest came across as such.
Still, thank you for the comments!

Sadly, the bottle remains in quite the same state. The vodka itself is quite awful - i.e. darned near straight rubbing alcohol. Still, the bottle made for an interesting purchase will hopefully have more uses than a photo experiment.

I congratulate the winner! It is very glad-is grateful to you for a title-most an original photo!