Weekly Competition #105 - SPOTS '"n"' DOTS Competition

Thanks to all who took the time to enter,a real variety of photographic/creative skill levels.
In judging the entries the first criteria for me was ‘’does the image fit the brief?’’Spottiness and Dottiness were important factors here,and some pics succeed more than others.I then looked at creativity followed by technical skill.Both of the latter can only be judged based on my own limitations, so it’s a very personal view I will be expressing.

I should also say that since last Wednesday my main computer died on me,so the majority of this comp review has been done on my aged tablet PC on a 10 inch screen!So I could only view full size images,postcard size.
In view of this I thought I would introduce the “Contestants Vote’’this gives all competition entrants the possibility to cast ONE vote for there favourite picture in this round.I thought this would add a bit of fun,and add a bit of balance to my limited judging conditions.Call it “PEOPLES CHOICE’’or “STUFF THE JUDGE’’whichever you like!This does not influence the “official’’decision.


John Riley:Had a déjà vu moment when I saw this,thought I was back in the Instruments of Time competition.This is clearly your version of a “spotty face’’John.It’s one I don’t find appealing though,it feels a bit overdone on the digital art side of things.And maybe because of that rather flat and messy.Also this image says clock dial,the spots seem secondary.

Malo61:Great picture of a pair of paint cans,composition/exposure/colours look really good………….but it’s a bit low on spot quotient,I would say there are more dribbles than spots.A few spots on the wall would have helped,but I guess we might not have heard from you again if the wife found out!

Coriander:This is a really difficult thing to do well,dark space/strong light.The composition is about right,diagonal cobbles and spot on the horizontal thirds,but after that it lacks any drama or depth.If you could have kicked or thrown some dust into the beam of light, that would have lifted it a bit.

Prieni:Nice one Mr Big Head,first entry with some handsome spots.Good colour,like the close crop and shadow border.Its also ready to eat,brown spot bananas=easier to digest.Good entry.

Hyram:Well Hyram you still managed to present me some stripey diagonals!I must say the spots are pretty negligible,but one thing in your favour is the dried bird poo!On the whole though this picture says bamboo.Well shot.

Sumanta:Another well taken picture of wood,nice colours and sharp,a few more interesting spots than Hyrams but it does say fence rather than spots.Sorry about the loss of the lens.

JudithAnne:What a great photographic subject,you have captured the colours really well,and well sharp.The composition though is not the best,I would have chosen rear end or front end.As it is it’s chopped in all directions,close in on the head or claw would have been much more dramatic,and would have highlighted the wonderful spots,and avoided those blown highlights.Well done,or should I say
boiled!

Bluejohnifficult subjects flowers,I know because I have recently been a bit obsessed with them.The blooming things rarely stop moving!Your exif data is very confusing,so its difficult to come to any conclusion on that score.I do find your pic rather soft and underexposed.Also the image is more flower than spots for me.

Draken:Like this one Draken,it was pretty obvious actually.The one negative for me on this is the composition,it feels very unbalanced.The dark half of the image doesn’t work for me,I would crop much closer in to the speaker.Good spot count though and entry.

Karl:Mmmmm!Another flat wooden structure.But!! There are some very nicely defined spots.It bit more of a focus/crop around them would make it more interesting,but not by much.

GivingTree:Yeeaahh!!Great colour/composition/exposure,very happy/party style.Lots of lovely dots and spots.Strong entry.

Pnjmcc:I know this is “in vogue’’at the moment,and it’s a tricky process to do well,but this example doesn’t satisfy me.I think colour would have been a better choice.And more depth of field.The composition is good.I’m sure you have better examples on your hard drive.

Lilly:Nice one Lilly,really nice range of blue tones,like the composition.Was a bit unsure about the shop internals visibility,but that’s grown on me and I think it adds to the depth.One tiny tweak I would make,clone out bottom right hand corner shadow,it draws my eye away from the main body of the picture.Not the spottiest entry,but a great one.

Aiki:Lovely picture,nice expressive capture.The colours look great.I think a bit more space above the head would help the composition.More seal picture than spotty pic but it has charm.

Bforbes:Nice picture Barrie,another of my current favourite subjects.As a competition entry its not strong,bit closer in on a wing would have been more appropriate.Macro lens methinks.

TonyM:Sorry Tony the spots don’t really stand a chance here.Completely dominated by stripes/squares/very dark shadow and stalk.

BelindaB:Very nice abstract,great composition and colour.You have also managed to capture the grain in the paper and lovely depth in what looks like braille.Strong entry.


Technoblurb:Quite like this, Good feeling of depth,but a bit more in focus on the front plate would help the impact.I also think a square crop might help.

RRramatic picture,love the”sun rays’’Sharp,good dof,great composition.Not the biggest spot count,but v.v. good.

Anvh:Nice pic of a beautiful creature Stefan,and its definitely spotty,but its not a spotty picture.It also requires a weekend of cloning activity to remove all those grasses.Nice DOF though.

Timcx500e:Lovely picture of Casey having a good time.Wonderful polka dot dress and really “dotty’’hair.Very nice.

Snappycaz:Interesting looking lizard with a decent amount of spots.Let down though by being rather soft and out of focus.

Telstar:Like the subject,but composition/crop doesn’t help it.Closer in on the(whole) head would improve.Is it a spotty picture,or is it statue with spots?

PentaxBabe:It does fit the bill,and it’s a very nice take of a ladybird(and a dead spider).Like the colours too,it is a bit short on spots though.

Mikewefinitely some spots there.Like the tones and the blossom detritus.If anything I would crop a bit off each side otherwise nice entry.

Davidtrout:That’s a really spotty picture!Like everything about it,very Sci-Fi.The pavement looks like brown paper,and the figure(with shadow)is totally dwarfed by the structure.Two small things I would do is allow a little bit more space below his feet,and clone out dark spot far left on wall.Fabulous entry.

Marjutl:Lovely reflection of an old factory,looks relatively smart so I guess still in use.I agree with you about leaving the spots,with exception of the dark one
near the chimney, that should go.The one at the bottom(shaped like an aircraft) I would keep.You have captured sky detail nicely along with the factory but I would bring the chimney a little further into the pic if possible.Good entry.



Real quality to choose from,but based on the competition brief the top “spots’’are:

First = Davidtrout
Second= GivingTree
Third =BelindaB

Highly Commended: RR,Lilly,Timcx

Over to you David.

P.S. DON’T FORGET TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE(this thread please.)

Well done to David for an excellent shot that I bet is best viewed as large print so how Tony-O managed on a 10" screen I don't know. Quality shines through I guess!

I imagine Tony-O had a tough judging session as there were several strong contenders in my opinion. Well done to Tony-O and the winners!

Mike

Well done David!

As soon as I saw the title of this challenge the bullring shots came to mind. Being a bit far off Birmingham I chose something closer to home...

Tony-O, well done on the judging front. And as far as the users vote is going, mine certainly is not "stuff the judge": David wins my vote as well.

Prieni

Thanks for that Tony. I feel quite humbled as there were some great shots in the competition. You had a difficult job, especially since your computer crashed but you coped like a professional. My own choice of a winner would be very close, between Giving Tree and Lilly with the verdict just going to Emily, (Giving Tree) for her joyful splash of colour. I also enjoyed Belinda's abstract shot which I too think is braille.
Stay tuned, I'll be back very soon with the next subject.
david

Congratulations to davidtrout - my winner as well.

Thank you Tony for setting the competition and judging.

I would agree that my entry is somewhat lacking in 'spots and dots', but I liked it as an image

Excellent, all done and dusted very quickly as well!

I love these challenges!

Nice judging, nice pics.
davidtrout has got a really spotted sight. Nice winner!
Liked also Belinda, Prieni. GivingTree was really spotty....

But I am somehow spoiled - I really do like Lilly. My vote to her. Not only spots, also lines... but excellent ! Lets say, the lines help spots to come out !

Well done David, great shot. Thanks for the constructive Judging Tony it’s always helpful to get feedback.

Congratulations to davidtrout for the winning entry and thank you Tony-O for my 3rd Place.

I originally had GivingTree as No. 1 and only saw David's entry this morning.

Now I can't choose between them

With regards to my entry, I bought some party type, paper serviettes on Saturday because they were covered in coloured spots and I had in mind a montage of coloured spots. When I opened the pack, I found that the edge of the serviettes is 'embossed' with tiny dots in a pattern, so I thought that an extreme macro might work. The 'big' yellow dot is only 15mm across.

Nice judging job Tony, and thanks for my second place! I agree David's entry is a strong graphic picture.

As for my winner, I think I have to go with Lilly. Love the tones and composition. The little slice of tag with enough of the word "umbrella" on it gives a little quirk and seals the deal for me.

Thanks for the positive comments on mine.

Thanks Tony. A fine piece of judging indeed. Congrats to David. A deserved win, although there were a lot of candidates. If I had to choose, You would have won in my book also. Closely followed by Lilly and Ralf. You're entrie showed a refreshing take on a very often photographed subject.

Martin.

Well done to David. I can see why you won. However, I think my vote would have gone to Giving Tree for all that colour.