Weekly Competition #137 - Wood Competition

In hindsight I think that I made things difficult for myself by making the subject a little too broad. Oh well I’ll know better if there is ever a next time. I am not going to try and comment on the technical merits of all the photos as I don’t feel qualified to pass judgement on this. I guess what I’m looking for is something that I would have been proud to have taken and that fits in with the theme. So here goes.

1. Upon reflection – Bill_And

An interesting shot and a nice composition. For this competition I would have liked to see a bit more detail in the wooden jetty and boat which I think could have been achieved by adjusting the mid tones slightly to make them lighter.

2. Sea defences – Hyram

What a vivid blue background – did you use a polarising filter to get that colour? The trunks are really sharp and cropping in on just a few makes it quite abstract. I personally would have liked to have seen a small section of foreground so that the trunks were attached to something – maybe to have taken a shot from a low angle.

3. Wistmans Wood – Simonarthurs

From vivid blues to vivid greens – I’m always amazed by the range of colours in nature. Interesting to have contained in one photo such a range of plant life from the mosses and ferns at one end of the spectrum to the oak trees at the other. To my eyes, the photo seems to be slightly out of focus but a really nice picture all the same.

4. Wood to burn – Galoot

I really like the way you have composed this image with the format of the photo being the same as the house. Nothing technically wrong with the photo and it fits in with the theme of the competition. It is just a shame about the caravan – although perhaps they plan on burning that too!

5. From Robin Hood Country – markblake

Wow what an amazing section of bur that would make some really nice boards! I tried playing around with cropping this image and I think it works better in portrait format with the as the lines in the timber run predominantly vertically. It would also be interesting to see this image converted to mono.

6. Perseverance - RichThacker

And talking of mono – this is a really good example. The composition is great and by having the background out of focus helps the viewer to concentrate on the form of the tree. Well done!

7. Thunder struck? – Patrick

Another monotone offering which works well. I personally would have like to see the tree from a lower perspective so more of it was outlined against the sky rather then the grass and with a little less of the grass in the foreground. My wife really likes this one.

8. Wooden Portal – AxelLuther

I really like this photo – the lighting really brings out the warmth of the wood and the wooden cartwheel makes the composition really interesting. From a woodworkers perspective I find it interesting that for something as utilitarian as a factory door that such obvious thought was given to making the door and side panels so visually interesting.

9. Wood Eagle – Davidoff
A really nice image – I can almost fee the texture of the wood – was the lighting natural or did you use a flash? I assume that you used photoshop or similar to extract the image from the background. If you did, then it has worked well except that the portion in the lower right hand corner to me doesn’t look quite right.

10. Gnarled Tree – mayday

Another nice example of a bur with sections having very similar texture to the previous photo despite them being over 6000 miles apart and therefore being almost certainly different species! It is a great example of how many different textures and forms can be contained in such a small section of wood. Well done

11. All the way from Africa – ripstar74

Have you been doing your homework and finding out a bit about me – ha ha! How could I not like this one. It brings back so many different memories particularly of the craftsmen who work for weeks on a piece like this with the simplest of tools to produce something that is manages to be both delicate and solid – almost crude. Doing it in monotone has worked well although I’d be interested to see it in colour too. I’m guessing that the piece is made from mahogany which would mean that it is naturally quite dark.

12. Wooden boats – gabeion

A really interesting shot with lots going on in it – too much perhaps for the topic. A shot focussing on the lady in the foreground in her brightly coloured sari (?) against the background of the wooden boats would have perhaps been better. The airborne seagulls are also a distraction. A nice idea all the same.

13. Log pile – GlynM

Someone has been working hard – both chopping logs and going out to take a photo especially for the competition – well done! It is one of those shots that I like but also I’d be interested to see taken so as to create different effects – for example a much larger aperture focussing on the axe which would throw the logs in the background out of focus.

14. Olive – Bforbes

An interesting example of a naturally occurring phenomenon known as spalting which is caused by a fungal infection which produces the pronounced black lines. Typically found in maple, beech and birch and other pale hardwoods. I’ve not heard of it in olive before but I’m by no means an expert. Is this part of a larger piece – a bowl or platter perhaps? A great photo but somehow too one dimensional if that makes sense?

15. Living Architecture - A growing construction – johnedwinagar

What a fascinating structure! I hope that the owners have good fire insurance! It will be interesting to visit in a few years time when the structure has mellowed some more so that it blends a bit better into its surroundings. A great photo but there isn’t anything in it that says ‘wow!’ for me.

16. Girl in Nature – johnriley

I knew who submitted this as soon as I saw it – for me this style has to be your signature piece John! A really good choice of photos to blend – my only criticism is that cassies right eye is a little too obscured. I wish I had the skill (and time) to make these sorts of images – well done.

17. Well seasoned timber – Father Ted

Some interesting colours in this photo – do you know what the red discolouration is on the left hand side? I think that this would have been a great photo if there had been something to focus on – a rusty bolt through the wood, a barnacle perhaps – something to draw the eye to as the wood itself makes a great background.

18. Birch bark – stevepresto

Wow what a really good idea! On it’s own the section of birch trunk would have been interesting, but to book match it both vertically and horizontally makes a stunning image. Book matching is also a common practice in woodworking – especially when using veneers, was this also in your mind when you made this image?

19. Gum bark – mattox

Like the birch in previous picture, the bark of the gum tree (Eucalyptus deglupta)
produces some amazing colours and patterns as the reds and greens of the inner bark contrast with the grey of the outer back as it is shed. An example of the red colouration can be seen in one of the trees in the background. A more interesting shot would have been of a tree that exhibited a range of colours to better illustrate the tree that is often commonly known as the Rainbow Eucalyptus.

20. Boardwalk – jaromir

Back to the monotone photos and another one that works really well for me. I really like the composition and the way that the photo has been cropped. Very nice.

21. Fresh Break – Tozza27

An interesting and fortuitous find considering the topic wasn’t set until Monday! I am sure that the broken branch really stood out amongst the other trees but the photo doesn’t really capture that for me.

22. Wood snake – Gover

A different interpretation of the theme taking in both natural and carved wood. Perhaps a slightly different perspective would have meant that the chain link fencing would not have been as obvious as you have obviously tried to throw it out of focus by using a relatively large aperture.

23. A walk in the wood – Glyn

You have used your wide angle lens to good effect to create an interesting photo. I like it. I was surprised to see that it was apparently taken in October – the colours are more reminiscent of spring.

24. Natures bonds – billy

A clever idea - did you create the shadow yourself and use the self timer or did you have an accomplice? It would have been excellent to have had a feature on a tree marry up with part of the shadow but I guess that would be a lot harder to achieve.

25. Victorian woodscape – BelindaB

I really like this one. The lighting is great as is the composition. I think that it is the hoar frost that really makes this scene stand out – I hope you were wrapped up warm!

26. Driftwood – Malo1961

An interesting piece of timber that you have captured really well. It reminds me somehow of an aerial photograph of a dried up river bed that I saw years ago. Having looked at the image several times now, I keep wondering how it would look in colour – perhaps you could post a colour version?

27. Tied up – Givingtree

You should get a bonus point for having both a name and a photo that fit the topic! A really nice shot where you’ve got the focus and depth of field just right. Great!

28. Woodcarving – photowam64

What a superb bit of carving – where was the photo taken please? It is a shame that the way the carving is lit has created a couple of areas which are blown. Did you use a flash or was the carving lit by fixed lighting? Perhaps if you used a flash it might have been better to have used a slower shutter speed and a tripod.

29. Winter Woods Mushrooms on Tree – Crashmars

An interesting composition with the tree, fungus dead leaves and the snow. The only problem with the image on my monitor is that it would appear to be over exposed as the snow is completely blown out. Try having a play around with the exposure / brightness settings in whatever photo software you use.

30. Tortured wood – drofmit

I nicely composed bit of root which as you say has definitely been in the wars! Did you add the snail shell or was it there when you noticed the root? I don’t know why, but to me it looks out of place – perhaps if the snail had actually been moving over the root it might have made it a bit more interesting. Good picture all the same!

31. Sheepyard Fence – i-Berg

I really like this photo – the way that you have captured the texture of the old weathered fencing is excellent. The angle of the light has also helped create a striped effect with the sides of the boards in shadow. Well done!

32. Looking Up – Alec

Another great photo – it almost looks like a reflection in water. The detail is excellent with even the smallest twigs showing up clearly against the background of the sky. A good example of how looking at things from a different view point can create very different images.

33. Tree from the past – sim_pakost

I assume – because you haven’t posted any comment with it – that this is a recent photo that has been processed to look old. If so, then you have done a good job of it. Having an old ladder leaning up against the tree really helps to enhance this effect. Nice job!

34. Say cheese – beebee

Another fine example of a wonderfully gnarled tree trunk which as you suggest look very much like an open mouth with two small eyes above it. The lighting is good and you have successfully manage to get the background out of focus so that it doesn’t distract from the subject. Very nice!

35. Trapped Ent? – SteveEveritt

From a gaping mouth to a remarkable likeness of a hand – albeit one with only 4 fingers and what looks like a skull above it. Well spotted! A longer lens might have helped you to focus on this. As it is, there are too many other things in the photo and the out of focus tree branches (?) in the foreground don’t really help.

36. Mariposa Grove – mattcambs

This is another photo that I really like. The portrait format helps to emphasise the height of the trees and the exposure is just right – the sky isn’t over exposed and the shadows still contain plenty of detail. The colours of the leaves are really vibrant – is this the usual colouration for May?

37. Tree of lift – Darlene

Never having been to Disney world (and never likely to) I had wrongly assumed that everything was completely artificial. Your photo demonstrates that this isn’t the case as I don’t think that even the Disney Corporation would have been able to transplant a tree of this size into the park! What a fantastic piece of workmanship – I wonder how many creatures are depicted? The photo looks slightly over exposed although perhaps if you had lowered the exposure then you would have lost some of the detail of the carving. Fascinating!

38. The carpenter’s frame –JudithAnn

I know that it is not a rule for the weekly competition to take a photo especially for the competition but I think anyone who goes to that effort should be commended particularly as you haven’t just taken the relatively easy option of photographing a tree. Although you say you ‘sneaked a few quick shots’ you have still taken the time to carefully compose the picture so as to capture not only the carpenter framed in the opening in the side of the building but also framed in the window frame that he is contemplating and to capture him looking towards the focal point of the picture. Fantastic!

39. Ming dynasty carvings – chelseablue

A great shot showing the intricacy and attention to detail of this Chinese construction. I’m no expert, but I don’t think the carvings are wooden – with the possible exception of the one on the right hand side of the picture on the end of the roof support. A great picture none the less and still plenty of wood in it.

40. Carving detail – Alun.

There is no doubting that this carving is from wood! You have captured nicely the texture of the wood and have composed really well to show a section of the carving with wonderful grain pattern around the knot and beautiful colouring and where the eye is drawn in to the centre of the image. Very nice!

41. Culbin Forest, Findhorn Bay, Scotland – Jo

There is a surreal feel to this photo – the stump you have focused on looks as if it could walk off on it’s own – like something Gerald Scarfe might have drawn! The background is nicely out of focus so as not to distract the viewer from the subject and the colours 42. detail and composition are great. Nice one!

42. In Christ Church Meadow – mecrox

The lichen on the bur and trunk help to emphasise the patterns in the bark on this oak (?) tree. The carved initials also add some interest. Nicely composed as well.

43. Ink – MarkD

An interesting idea to shoot the photo into the light to get the tree and branches completely in shadow. The shape is interesting but for me the expanse of the trunk overwhelms the photo.

44. Lines in . . – nathanever82

A nice composition with the tree trunk in the foreground and field behind. It would be interesting to visit in the spring when (perhaps) the field would be ploughed so that the lines in the wood mirror the lines of the landscape. I wonder did you use a polarising filter – the sky doesn’t look a particularly natural colour – it reminds me of a 1970’s picture postcard!

45. Lady of the Rose – Tony-O

I thought at first that the carving had been placed in the tree but on closer inspection it would appear to have been carved into the trunk. You have chosen a good angle to take the picture from so that the figure appears to be looking at the rose and you have managed to get both the rose and carving in focus. Good job!

46. There’s no escape… - KatieW

I think you made the right decision to convert this to black and white. You have also got the exposure just right – the snow correctly exposed to retain detail but not too dark in the shadows. All in all a great picture – well done!

47. Gnarled – pentaxviking

What an unusual piece of bark – it looks almost like a cheese grater! The lighting from the side helps to show the curve of the trunk and the background colour adds interest without being distracting. You say, ‘A random shot and i (sic) like it’ well I like it too!

48. The Gate – GaryJohn

I like the way that you have cropped this tight on the gate post and the upright of what is left of this 5 bar gate. I imagine that you were in the shade when you took this and sadly to retain the detail of the wood the sky is over exposed. It may be possible to alter this using curves in photoshop – perhaps someone who is more competent can advise on this.

49. Mons Meg gun carriage – Daniel Bridge

This is another shot that I really like. The contrast of the man made rectangular housing and end of the cross piece compared to the curves of the knot make this a really interesting picture – completely different from the thousands of other photos that must be taken every year of this landmark. This is another photograph where it seems that it is almost possible to feel the texture of the wood. From a woodworkers point of view I can only think that it was intentional to cut the mortise in the middle of the knot to add strength to the joint. It must have been hard work as this is a massive piece of timber – not something you will find in your local B&Q!

50. Radiating – thoughton

In some respects similar to the previous image - focussing on the geometry of part of a larger object. By offsetting the ‘hub’ I think you have made this a much more interesting composition than it would have been by putting it central. Also by photographing it against a light background there is nothing to distract the eye from the patterns created by the ‘spokes’. Nice one!

51. Old gatepost – Haworth.

Another dilapidated gate – in even worse repair that the one in photo #48! You’ve done a great job of capturing the detail and the different colours in this photo. I think I might have been tempted to crop it a little bit tighter to loose the barbed wire at the bottom of the post but that is just being picky.

52. Exposed roots – BAJ

What a great tree – brings back happy memories of younger days playing on very similar tree roots at Cutmill on Puttenham common – not a million miles from Waverly Abbey. I cheekily thought that the title could have been ‘over exposed roots’ – I tried playing around quickly in Photoshop with levels and I think you will find you can get back some of the detail from the blown out grass and also increase the contrast of the tree. A nice photo none the less!

53. Wine Barrels – Yollie

A nicely composed shot of these (presumably) former wine barrels. I guess that the colouring on the insides is due to the wine that has been stored in them over the years. You’ve used a large aperture – I guess to have a shallow depth of field which works well although I would have been tempted to try and focus on the front of the second barrel (the one with the black inside) rather further back or to have used a slightly smaller aperture to give a corresponding increase in depth of field.

54. Winter wood – sophiecentaur

This makes me shiver just looking at it – what a great shot! Is this just hoar frost or is it snow as well? You’ve got the exposure spot on so as to retain all the detail of the branches against the background of the sky. Great shot – now where’s my jumper!

55. Reflection – Ron199

I wondered for a minute if this was Culbin Forest with the tide in! (picture #41) I’ve spent a while looking at this and wonder if in fact what can be seen in the water is actually a shadow rather than a reflection - not that it matters really! A good photo although it doesn’t do much for me if I’m honest.

56. Be it ever so humble,,,,,,,,, - Browndale

You did well to spot that as even at 300mm the bird is pretty small! The photo is well composed and the bokeh makes for an interesting background. It would have been nice to see a bit more of the bird – perhaps in flight but that is perhaps asking too much! All in all a nice image.

57. Former Wood – Dr Mhuni

Another picture that brings back fond memories. I really like the way that the poles appear fanned out – going from horizontal at the top of the frame to nearly vertical on the right hand side. Having the men (owner / salesmen?) standing at the end adds some human interest and using a small aperture has kept everything in focus. I personally would have liked to see the men in a bit more detail but you would have lost the effect you have created with the wood. My wife has just walked past and her comment was ‘Oh that’s nice’, and I can only agree.

58. Floored – Coriander

Interesting geometric patterns and colours in this section of parquet flooring. I don’t really think that the scratch marks add anything to the picture – perhaps with different lighting they would be less pronounced. If you want to refinish the floor, after sanding I’d recommend Osmo PolyX hardwax oil as it is easy to apply and very hard wearing!

59. Lone post – mikew

An interesting composition placing the post diagonally across the image and therefore having the horizon slanted too. Well done too for getting the post nicely in focus and the rest of the photo out of focus so that the eye is drawn to the detail of the post. As mentioned earlier, well done for actually getting out and taking a photo for the competition which is above and beyond the call of duty!

60. Fire wood – pentaxophile

I imagine that you have done quite a lot of work in photoshop or similar software to alter the colours in this photo. Whether you have or not, the effect you have created / captured is really stunning – the red of the sign and the green of the leaves against the different shades of grey of the rest of the photo. Also the regular horizontal and vertical lines in the tanks and fence contrasting with the shape of the tree and the slant of the sign. If there had been a car parked by the sign it would have been the icing on the cake!

61. Empty fun – organicimagery

An interesting idea to set the two swings in motion and capture the image with no one in the frame. Did you do this on your own or with the help of an assistant? For me the background spoils the shot as there is too much going on and it is all in focus!

62. Wooden statue of St Francis – SteveF
A really nice shot of this statue with good lighting and good composition. It just goes to show you don’t need an all singing all dancing DSLR to take perfectly good photos. Well done.

Highly commended (in no particular order):
All the way from Africa – ripstar74
Mons Meg gun carriage – Daniel Bridge
Mariposa Grove – mattcambs
Winter wood – sophiecentaur
Birch bark – stevepresto
Fire wood – pentaxophile
Sheepyard Fence – i-Berg

Best Mono: Perseverence - RichThacker

3rd Place: Former Wood – Dr Mhuni
2nd Place: The carpenter’s frame –JudithAnn
1st Place: Wooden Portal – AxelLuther

Now there's a lesson in how to be organised as a judge...or you're the fastest typist in the known universe....

Really well done and also really well done to the winner. It is so much harder to come out at the top of the tree (bad pun, I know) when there are so many entries!

What a herculean task judging this must have been! Great comments there, and I really love the winning shot. Lovely shots in second and third place as well.

A worthy winner, what a gorgeous picture. And all hail to a great choice of subject and such an amazing task of judging.

A great job with the judging and an excellent choice of winner. Congratulations to both.

Congratulations and many thanks Steve for a Herculean feat of judging, done in commendable detail and with exemplary promptness.

Thanks for my third (glad I pleased your better half) and congrats to Axelluther and Judithann. Of those you didn't single out, I really liked Giving Tree's.

Am looking forward to the next theme probably along the lines of 'Rare welsh teapots in situ' or 'Arab-Israeli harmony'.

Congrats to the Winner, which is indeed well deserved.
And of course thanks to Steve with this huge task of judging.
I'll post the colour version on a later date.

Steve what excellent judging - I hope you did this the smart way and didn't stay up all night!

Congratulations to the winner for a striking shot.

Mike

As the results were posted at 00.02 I certainly didn't stay up all of last night! I did have a few late nights during the week however - I think I probably spent between 8 and 10 hours judging this which is only 8 - 10 minutes on average per shot. When looked at this way it is perhaps understandable why some people don't feel able to comment on every image.

I liked it too - in fact there were very few I didn't like, however I had to draw the line somewhere!

I never expected the comments to be up this morning - I have read through them and am amazed at the detail. I always gain a lot of insight reading the comments that then help me progress. To manage 60ish and keep me interested is unheard 0f. Thank you for the little helpful hints.

Congratulations to Steve on a marathon judging effort and congratulations also to the winner and the other podium finishers.

Unfortunately for Steve there was a huge entry due to the very broad nature of the theme, but the good news was the last entry came in over an hour before midnight

Entries arriving a few minutes before midnight cause havoc for the well laid plans of the well organised judge

Congratulations also to Steve for taking over the record for the most number of entries in a Weekly Competition.

Should I ever be lucky enough to win another Weekly Competition, I can assure everyone that I will not attempt to regain that particular record

Well done for making such an excellent job with judging a very open subject.

Congratulations to the winners and for, I believe, becoming the current record holder for the maximum number of entries

Glyn

Thanks for your dedication Steve!
Would it make the judging easier if the cut off time were an hour earlier, at 11.00pm?

Thanks for taking the time for such excellent judging Steve. What a task that must have been.

I agree with your comments about a focal point. It was a shot I dug up from a previous competition "Texture".

I think the red is some sort of fungal growth.

Congratulations to Axel

Well done Steve and congratulations to the winner - extremely woody!

Thanks for the comment Steve. For those who haven't checked the exif, I took the photo with my Optio S (now rather elderly). I usually put it in my pocket when I'm out for reasons other than photography.

I find its metering pretty accurate and if you don't push it too hard, its 3.2mp output produces good images.

Few! well done Steve
Congratulations Axel.

Well done and congratulations for the mammoth judging task! Congratulations to the winning entry too.

At the risk of being a back seat driver, I have to say that I was very surprised to not see Giving Tree, Mike W, or GlynM's entries featured in the top picks.

Congrats to the winner and all those who were placed.

Well done with the judging and for taking the time and trouble to give such excellent feedback on such a large body of entries.

WOW!!! GREAT Judging...Congrats to the winner and 2nd 3rd place...must say carpente's frame was a great shot...loved how the sun capture all the drifferent shades in the wood.

congratulations to the winner, and really very well done to Steve, and thank you so much for the comments, and really careful analysis of each photograph.

Good job!

A big thank you to promhandicam for the marathon judging exercise and congratulations to the winners.

I think 9.00pm would be a sensible closing time but it is difficult to persuade the powers that be.

Great judging and well done to the winners

Tony

well done that man

62 entries to wade through

Very nicely done! I really liked the winning photo, one of my top picks. And also JudithAnn's.

Thanks to promhandicam for the judging.

Thank you to our Judge....wow...61. Almost makes a gal glad not to have first place!

Thank you so much for second...I have so much fun and enjoy the competition, which I often call my weekly assignments.

The winning Photo was stunning, Your choice was impecible.

The photos were wonderful this week....your job was huge, and so very,very well done Steve...

Including foreground it becomes a very different image - these are the same trunks taken at the opposite end of the day :-

link

No filter was used for the blue - just a beautiful winter's day

And the next topic is...?

Belatedly, congratulations to the winners, and for the herculean task of judging Steve. Many thanks for the kind mention also, given that I saw so many I thought were far superior.

Well done to all and the judging was remarkable even if my entry wasn't. I felt a little guilty submitting it because of the high numbers already entered. Anyway, it was worth it for the advice on which sealant to use on the floor!

Great winning shot! Thought it might when it appeared!

Tortured wood – drofmit
promhandicam wrote:
Did you add the snail shell or was it there when you noticed the root?
Answer.... no! Didn't even notice it when I first reviewed it.... only saw it when I gave it more contrast and sharpness for uploading! Hence the comment about "none helped" Proves that you should look more at the outskirts of a shot when composing!! If I'd seen it, I'd have moved it to the red bark bit!