Weekly Competition #145 - Retro! Competition

Thank you for participating in this week’s competition. The entries show a range of approaches to ‘Retro’, indicating that there is no universal, accepted understanding of what ‘retro’ means. I’ll be flexible in its interpretation on that account.

My understanding is that providing the entrant asserts that the camera used to take the shot is a Pentax, then ‘nuff said. I’m not looking for EXIF verification of dates or camera settings, as in the fortnightly comp. Of course, those settings are also valuable learning tools for other photographers… (if you’re not looking, you’re missing out!).

Again, I won’t call this judging, as my level of expertise and technical knowledge makes it all quite subjective. As before, your own opinions may differ, and that’s likely a good thing! Errors, typos and other problems are entirely mine.

Malcolm Leader – ‘God Speed’
This entry is at first glance ‘aged’ quite nicely, although on closer inspection the bicycle looks more like a contemporary mountain bike, with its derailleur gears and modern handlebars. I do like the saddlebags though, as well as the post-crop vignetting and overall post-processing effect. The backdrop is consistent with the processing too. Nice.

Cardiff Gareth – ‘VW Beetle’
The VW Beetle is probably about as retro as anything else I can think of. This shot does it well. I know now it’s a model, and Gareth has done justice to the theme with his macro lens. The light and shadows, the depth of field, framing and composition are impressive IMO.

Dougf8 – ‘Tamar Bridge’
An interesting 19th Century edifice to engineering Doug. Clearly Mr Isambard Kingdom Brunel Esq. was especially [and justifiably] proud of it, as were the people who put his name on it for the bridge’s centenary. The treatment derived from your post-processing stands out and invites a closer look. Given the heritage of the Royal Albert Bridge – indeed its pedigree – that is all the more reason for you to have resurrected this image from your archives. Well done.

johnedwinagar – ‘Retro Knights’
I’d heard that this sort of fun resulted in the unfortunate demise of one such Sir Knight more recently, when a sliver of his wretched opponent’s balsa-wood lance pierced the poor soul’s eye (it might have been mentioned on Time Team?). Nicely captured, in-focus action shot John, with lots of bright colour. The sea makes a suitable backdrop given you wisely kept a very bright sun behind you.

Patrick – ‘Old Timers’
Indeed – train sets likely are retro now. Either that or we’re all getting old! I think I’d have liked this more with a tighter crop, greater depth of field, and perhaps a slightly more horizontal looking rail line. Impressive detail in all the overhead lines and gear, and the yellow-flowered back-ground is not out of place here.

Tozza27 – ‘Freddie Falcon’
Given this is a replica of a 1930s model Jaguar, that puts it somewhere in the Art Deco era I believe? So it’s certainly a retro candidate. The background gives me great context for a tourer out with family on a sunny day. Good exposure (I notice you’ve kept the cloud from blowing out too), nice tight crop, focus is sharp, and great use of your young, attractive models!

John Riley – ‘Pride of the Household’
This is a lovely piece of nostalgia John. It also shows what can be achieved with the kit lens under the right conditions – and in skilled hands. I like the way the specks of colour still adhere to the plate. The lighting is away to the LHS, leaving a little more shadow on the opposing side – but not inappropriately so, in my view. The reflections from the letters, along with the specks of colour, make this a quality shot. It’s a fitting salute to the typesetters of yore, along with their craft, which appears to be heading ‘West’ to join that of the masons, wrights and smiths. ‘Rage, rage against the dying of the light…’

abarr – ‘Light Fixture’
The light-fitting leaves me a bit flat Andrew – sorry! The lighting and the plasterwork conspire to leave the light-fitting looking a bit dull and in need of a lift. I’ve noticed that you snapped this shot against the available light, meaning you’ve lost some contrast in addition to that. Was it an option to turn the light on? Or to illuminate it with light from an alternative / additional source? I suspect that this may have been quite an effective shot at night (assuming you were in a position to do some post-processing on the image). The fitting itself does look like a very retro-style piece of work nonetheless.

Bern – ‘Boiler’
Bern – yep, it’s an old boiler. Snapped with what looks like flash, it looks a bit flat as a result (colour-wise as well as dimensionally). Thus, it lacks interest for me. Some different lighting, coupled to an ‘angle’ that gives a novel perspective on your subject would help to create some interest. (Bear in mind these are just my subjective opinions, so feel free to demur.)

KevinB – ‘ME Super’
The camera is certainly a retro thing. It’s sitting a bit left wing low, looking at it front on – a bit of port aileron would help to get it straight and level. The lens cap is a bit soft, and that strap is a distraction. I understand you keeping the strap on it though, as you’re still shooting with it! I think with some work on focus, framing and composition, you’ll get even more out of images such as this one.

Pianoman – ‘Toil’
250mm focal length – you were unlikely to be wearing these boots when you took this shot (am I right in saying this is footwear?) I’m probably being a bit obtuse here, but I’m having difficulty picking the nexus between the retro theme the subject and your image. That said, the processing (dark, moody) suits the subject matter and texture of your shot.

Conexus – ‘1966 Camper Van’
As with Gareth’s Beetle, the Kombi campervan is iconic for its retro era. And as this was a wedding car, it really brings home that iconic ‘retro’ status. Just as a minor quibble, the headlights on this chassis are probably not as striking as others in your gallery – but I digress. IMO, the post-processing works well – others may disagree. It seems entirely consistent with that psychedelic, flower-power way of looking at the world, as was reported as endemic to the 1960s. I do wonder if those ‘swirls’ would have been better in colour though? This image is a powerful blend of art and photography (not that they are polar opposites in any event, of course!).

Muciasek – ‘The Bicycle Bell’
Lovely use of light and reflections on the cast housing of this old bell. The shallow depth of field has worked well to blur out the background, although your focus appears to be nearly as much on the handlebar, leaving sections of the bell’s detailed top surface somewhat soft. The shot has lots of character – nicely done.

Aurora – ‘Hurdle’
Merry-go-Rounds like this are eerie things to me – frozen wild grimaces and beasts, from times past. And that’s just us forum members! I may have been inclined to crop a little off the top and bottom, just to give a touch more focus to the horse at the front. You’ve captured the colour well, to accurately portray the ‘carney’ atmosphere in which these things live. Nice website too Aurora. I can vouch for the ‘Southern Lights’ as well – equally spectacular.

Karthicv82 – ‘Rolls Royce PEGASUS’
As an engineer, it’s natural you would be drawn to a work of art like this engine. Better yet, that it’s still used in the current Harriers. As a photo, there are some things that you might wish to do to make it even better: i. Some of the background intrudes on and distracts from your subject; ii. You have a challenge in the way you’ve framed this shot on account of deep shadows and specular highlights (reflections) you then have to try and accommodate; iii. And because of all that, your image starts to look more like a product shot. Put simply, I’d be inclined to concentrate on just one aspect of the engine (your ‘take’ on it), rather than go for the overview.

TimE – ‘When you could fill up for a pound…’
And you could buy petrol as well! It’s a lovely old pump Tim, along with the sign behind it. I may have cropped a little more tightly, and I’m not sure if the light shows off your subject/s to best advantage. If you were passing through here, then of course you may not have had a say in that latter aspect. 2/3d? We wish…
A pie & sauce were sixpence in 1966 – don’t get me started .

Nathanever82 – ‘At the Court of Louis XIV’
An eye-catching and interesting shot of the royal boudoir Nathan, using the 10 mm focal length to very good effect. Lovely colours rendered in your shot, accentuating the sumptuous feel of the room. (And no, I’m not a real estate agent.) What is it doing in NY? I trust they are returning it? ‘Je m'en vais, mais l'État demeurera toujours.’

Bluejohn – ‘Watching For The Fleet - An Homage to Frank Meadow Sutcliffe’
Are you a Whitby resident also John? I’ve just taken a moment to read a little about Sutcliffe – he would have been in a position to witness some profound changes with his camera. So it appears that you have set out to pay a tribute to him, by seeking to use a style with which he became associated. I think your processing meets that aim. The one thing I’m left wondering about is the rain hat – it seems a bit out of place and time in this shot? Nonetheless, it’s a good portrait, and as homage, I believe you’ve succeeded.

Fr Ted – ‘50’s Classic’
It’s certainly retro Fr Ted. I like the low-down angle of the shot, the colours, the lighting, effective exposure of the chrome and the reflections on the duco. Depth of field and crop are effective too. Good shot.

Ceowens – ‘Biplane and Bomber’
One for some aviation nostalgia. This was a challenge for you – capturing both a stationary (or near to) aircraft on the ground, while still being able to identify the bomber doing a beat-up in the background. Not sure how much cropping if any you did – if you had the choice, it may have been better to leave all of the biplane’s starboard main-wheel in the frame.

JudithAnn – ‘Roller Skates’
Rollerskates are certainly in-scope for retro JudithAnn, and IMO so is the processing you’ve applied to the image. The perspective you’ve used is an effective one too. I like it.

GaryJohn – ‘Wind-up’
Utterly retro Gary, a good find. Putting the key in has a good effect, and adds some interest. I’d perhaps have been inclined not to take the shot square on and dead centre, just to create a bit more interest in your subject? There’s a hint of something happening with the reflection inside the glass face, that you might have been able to do a bit more with.

Pentaxophile – ‘Just because you’re Polaroid…’
‘…doesn’t mean you shouldn’t say sorry…’ Both the camera and the processing add lots to the retro theme – plenty of resonance there, very well picked. I like your choice of this shallow a depth of field – it focuses on the relevant area, and conveys the information you would wish to convey. The superimposed polka dots with your judicious choice of the colours du jure push this image right up there.

Tickhiller – ‘Nuffield tractor’
I learnt to drive on a petrol-kero Nuffield, so a sentimental favourite for me. You’ve achieved a very sympathetic effect for your subject, with your choice of processing. Perhaps you could have done some additional processing to eliminate some of the background distractions in the top LH corner (post-crop vignetting?). The whole shot is crisp and sharp, and the stone wall is a good backdrop. Well spotted. What grabbed me also was the condition of the tyres – they look too good to be on an abandoned tractor like this.

Hyram – ‘Retro Mini Cooper S’
I gather you were glad you had the Optio, Hyram, if not the K20! I bet the FA31 handles very nicely indeed on the K20 too, when you do decide to take it along. These retro Minis are very popular here, along with the current model, retro-styled Beetles. This one still has that almost ‘show-room’ gloss to it, making your job a little easier. Nicely framed, exposed and focused. That little compact does a very good job at these resolutions Hyram – I’m not sure that you lost anything by using it instead of its larger brother.

Alec – ‘Old Gold’
I guess that we can infer that this ‘baccy tin is getting on a wee bit Alec? Thanks for posting this entry - the more we participate the more feedback we get and the more we learn. The image is fairly clean(ish) for ISO 3200 – you obviously wanted to keep it hand held without using flash? Nonetheless, even at this size, there is some luminance noise seen to creep in as you’d expect, and the shadow areas (see the darker bottom part of the tin) appear to show chroma noise as well. The image overall is probably let down a little by the background – something a bit more complementary would have highlighted the character and likely age of the tin. A slightly wider depth of field would have given you the whole lid in focus – alternatively, you could have made it so shallow that just some of the writing was discernable? Choices, choices…

MikeW – ‘Clock’
Mike, I’m torn between thinking of this as retro, and alternatively as ‘Classic’ given the 75 Rover context. Can it be both? Probably! The reflections on the very photogenic and comfortable wood-grain dash are a little bright for me (personal taste only, and yours must be better if this is your car). This is very sharp and detailed – there’s even some light scratching evident on the Perspex clock cover around the number 7, as is the dust around the clock fascia and binnacle. Good glass coupled with skilled hands make a difference.

Dr Mhuni – ‘Galle Lamp’
How timely Doc – this was precisely the illustration I was attempting to make for ‘abarr’ with the earlier light fitting entry. Here you have used light to great effect, and without even having the thing switched on. The borrowed light, shadows and refractions combine to give this shot a character-filled, dreamy feel. I’m not sure that the expression ambience is up to the mark – it’s something more than that. It’s also an appropriate ‘tip of the hat’ by one artist to another – in this instance, Emile Galle of course. Another impressive entry.

Jo – ‘Retro Elegance’
They don’t make ‘em like that no more Jo – you’re quite right. Lovely backdrop of the curved frontage of buildings on one side, and the sweep of the fence on the other. I may have bent down further to hide the cars on the RHS completely behind that fence. Does that post box ever see direct sunlight? It would be an even better shot, if it ever had the opportunity to emerge from the shade of the surrounding built environment.

Me – ‘Berlina’
As an engineer, you’d be in a good position to make informed judgements about quality cars Laszlo. 60+ years old and still going strong. This is another car that might just as easily feature as a ‘classic’. I believe that a wider depth of field may have given you additional in-focus features. As it is, I’m not sure quite where to look, as I have a sense that there isn’t an obvious focus in which to rest my eyes. That’s because the Fiat badge on the grille is a little soft (to my eyes anyway). f8 or 11 may have given you a chance to get that as well the headlight/s in sharp focus all at once. I like the reflections in the duco – deep, rich, nice touch.

Bill_And – ‘Yellow Vespa’
This works for me as a shot with ‘popped’ colour. You had an interesting dilemma here though – the scooter immediately behind the Vespa has a polka-dot type pattern that calls out loudly to be seen in colour as well. More choices! It’s a sharp, detailed shot, with the rain drops adding character and contrast to colour and mono parts of the image. The yellow is not overdone IMO (on my monitor anyway). I see in your gallery that you’ve used this treatment while processing another scooter image, so it suggests that it is something you enjoy – and do well.

Summary

Any one of the entries I will nominate here could have been first. They were difficult to differentiate. Each had a good take on the theme, as well as photographic merits. Other entries were also strong contenders for placings – the same comment applies to those. So the results are (my entirely subjective opinions, as stated):

1st: Pentaxophile – ‘Just because you’re polaroid…’
This one is right on a number of levels – the subject itself strongly appeals to the retro theme, and to photography also. The artistic merit is enhanced by using just the right colour of dots to reinforce the retro aspect. The photographic aspects are similarly well done. Congratulations.

2nd: John Riley – ‘Pride of the Household’
Typesetting would almost be in the category of ephemera, so well done to John for having the presence of mind to look at it in a creative and artistic light. Congratulations.

3rd: Dr Mhuni – ‘Galle Lamp’
The use of light in this shot made it irresistible to me for a place here. Congratulations.

Commended, in no particular order –

Cardiff Gareth – ‘VW Beetle’ You can’t knock a Beetle out of a retro comp

JudithAnn – 'Roller Skates’ Nicely blurring the distinctions (if any) between photography and art for us all some more JA

Tozza27 – ‘Freddie Falcon’ The lovely models, and the fact that this car was based on a Cortina (of all things!) made this an inclusion here.

Conexus – ‘1966 Campervan’ …And what’s good for a Beetle is good for a Kombi

Please feel free to disagree!

And the winners are:

Again, it’s all of us, self included. Well done to everyone.

Great job, i-Berg. Many thanks for the detailed judging and for my third place. Congrats to Pentaxophile for his very retro winner.

BTW 'Galle' here refers (I assume) to the town in southern Sri Lanka rather than the art nouveau man, though I may be wrong.

Doc,

In that case, apologies for that assumption on my behalf. It's an interesting coincidence, as Galle was a renowned worker in glass - your light!

Good judging i-berg and well done Pentaxophile!

Mike

Well done Pentaxophile, and thanks for the swift, detailed judging i-Berg

Congratulations to Pentaxophile and thanks to i-Berg for the competition

Some great images, congrats all. The winning shot was unusual, PP worked for me too and certainly fulfilled the 'with thoughtfulness' brief!

Postbox will get direct sunlight, I-berg, otherwise noone would wish to live on l/h/s of the Crescent and builders then thought about these things - it faces south! Unfortunately I don't often pass through a place twice...

Jo

Thanks a lot i-berg, and to the others for their comments too.

We're all just here the once Jo...

Well done Pentaxophile and the runners up - another interesting challenge - thanks for that i-Berg - great judging and perspicacity - my "models" are well chuffed to get a mention , as was I.

Tony

Excellent stuff, well judged and a worthy winner. Another great competition.

Thanks Pentaxophile really enjoyed your comments.
really good judging I will mention the headlights to the other subjects in portfolio

Thank you judge....great job. Congrats to our winners!