Weekly Competition #150 - Life in Motion Competition

I've reset the date for you to give everyone the time you need.

Thanks John. I didn't know that date was set automatically. A complete novice to this and embarrassingly ignorant.

The task of evaluating the work of other photographers, many of whom I’m certain are better qualified than me to make such judgments, is a little terrifying. I really don’t feel qualified to evaluate technical virtues, and so have largely ignored this aspect. In order to simplify the task, I’ve used a number of objective parameters. These are:

Is there dramatic movement?
Is there a clearly identifiable subject frozen in the shot?
Is the composition satisfying?
Is there imagination in the subject?

Finally, it’s what grabs me, which is a completely subjective appreciation. Time constraints prevent me from commenting on every picture submitted, so I’ll focus on those that impressed me most and in no particular order. My apologies to those who’s pictures I did not comment on.

Dr. Mhuni - Splash! A very nice shot, great composition, sharp and with nice colour. The only thing that lets it down for me is that everything in the shot is frozen and there is no clear indication of what is the principal subject.

bforbes – Wet. A great idea and a nice pic, but again, everything is frozen in the shot, providing no differentiation between the subject and the background against which it is moving.

Hyram - The Restless Ocean. A beautiful shot, and I get the idea, but all the motion is frozen. Maybe a slower shutter speed would have created the impression of movement, but might have spoiled the picture.

mivoligo – VROOOOOM. A very nice picture, well executed, especially. I was amused by the car emerging from the back of the lad.

Petermac –Forest Blast. I like the idea in this. The trees in the foreground that partially occluded the subject created the impression of movement and the composition provided a clandestine feel. This photo fits the parameters, and panning and timing of the shot were very effective.

DrOrloff - Courting Brimstones. This is a fascinating picture and brilliantly shot. Although everything in the photo is frozen, movement is implied. What amazing luck that the wing positions of the two creatures are perfectly opposed.

Aliengrove – MotoGP. This would have been great if the two bikes occupied more of the frame and there was something in the background to suggest movement. Unfortunately, cropping would have removed most of what, in this picture, performs that function. The panning was brilliant however, and the bikes were very sharp.

Aluther – Jump. I love this picture. Brilliant timing of the shot, crystal sharp subject and humour all combine. It ticks all the boxes for me, but I’m a bit surprised that there’s no exif info and I’ve no idea if this is essential for a comp entry.

Bill_And - Movement captured twice. I like this picture, and if this were a competition for reflections, it would have been very appropriate.

BAJ - 'Got a train to catch'. This is a really good example of what I was looking for, and cleverly executed.

Nathannever82 - Life in Flight. I like this/these shot/s. Am I right in thinking that this is the same bird shot three times in motion?

Cardiff_gareth - Time doesn't stand still. Love the watch – wish I had one. A clever idea well executed and technically superb.

Gartmore - Dancers backstage. This is a clever pic, and I like the suggestion of movement provided by the blurred bodies, and the detached feet. I’m also impressed by the depth of field, given that the aperture used was quite large.

Aurora-B - Life's a whirl... This is both interesting and a puzzle. Apparently a zoom shot, it looks more as though the Photoshop twirl filter has been used. Of course the movement is provided by the lens and not the subject, so a bit of a cheat really.

And the results are…

In first place, Aluther – Jump
In second place, Petermac –Forest Blast
In third place, BAJ - 'Got a train to catch'

Well, this was my first effort at judging and just hope I’ve not offended anyone. Your turn Aluther, and good luck.

Davidoff.

Congrats to our winnner...his(Alex) pictures are often very great! Nice work to second and third place too!

A bit disappointed not have been able to read your thoughts on my own picture. I am always interested in improving and learning , and that is what motivates me to find the time to enter. I know that it is a really BIG task to judge and you are right, very time consuming. But when you enter a Comp you must be prepared to win...and that includes all the work and time in judging the upcoming weeks competation.

I know that the last time that Alex Luther won was the 'Wood" competation and the next week he picked "Generations" again we did not get any feedback, only a winner. I guess I kind of feel cheated when that happens...so on that note, Pleaseeeeee ALuther, take the time during the week to comment on EVERYONES, entries, then have them ready to post on the closing day! It works well that way

Regards....From Judithann

Congratulations to Aluther and many thanks to Davidoff for the competition and the judging.

Whilst judging can be very daunting (as well as time consuming) it is also a great way to learn, since it forces you to analyse what it is about a photograph that you like or dislike.

p.s. Following on from JudithAnn's plea - I also implore the new judge to provide comprehensive judging notes, since that is what the competition is all about.

Well done all, and I would agree with what has been said about commenting on all the entries. It's an important part of what this competition is about and judges are encouraged to give all the entries their critique.

Hi all
what a wonderful surprise when I opened my inbox this morning and saw the notification from the competition result. I really want to apologize that I was so short on comments the last time - this is normally not my style as I also agree that the best way to improve the way to shoot and make pictures is a constructive feedback – my problem last time was, that directly after the deadline of the competition, I was surprisingly sent on a business trip where I had no time to really comment and after the week I found it a bit too late. This time I will comment on your pictures – I promise
I also like the idea to describe the criteria of a new competition – so I will put together a short list and add it to the competition description.
One question (as I am also kind of new here) – two themes that immediately came to my mind are not just photographing themes but might involve some preparation in a bitmap editor such as Photoshop. As this is a Pentax forum and gallery I assume the focus should be on what you can do with a camera and not so much what you can do after the shooting on your PC. Is this the case or is it OK to suggest a theme that might involve some digital preparation ??
BW and good light to all
Axel

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I do apologise Judithanne . There were circumstances completely beyond my control that deprived me of the time to make a more exhaustive evaluation of every picture. Also, I hope that you can accept that I sincerely do feel inadequate to make value judgments on the work of other photographers. This does require a degree of confidence that I simply do not possess. This being the case, all I am left with is a purely emotive reaction to a picture, and this is not always subject to objective analysis. However, and on the optimistic assumption that I might one day win again, I will make an effort to study the comments of other winners to gain some idea of how one should approach this task. I shall also attempt to ensure I have sufficient time to do this effectively.

Thanks for the judging and commentary Davidoff. Congrats to Aluther (nice shot) and the other winners.

I have to concur with what others have said about feedback on entries. This is how the comp's been run since its inception, and if people aren't happy with the prospect of providing feedback on all entries then perhaps they shouldn't enter!

I disagree completely. You can have an instinctive reaction to something that is perfectly valid. Having the language, training, exposure, experience to "comment" in a way which other people want is not necessary. Some people who are good photographers may not be able to express their emotions adequately in words.

All I want is the judge to try their best and have used the same reasons to compare the images.

Ranked order of the top three is good, comments about some others is nice but to have to do a formal assessment of each is pointless. If some people want to do it, fine.

Some people who are masters of their art refuse to comment on their images/ or rarely comment. Eggleston (my favourite sorry to bang on about him) springs to mind. Its painful watching him interviewed.

If you're good enough to win, you're good enough to judge.

Having seen judges comment in previous competitions, they wrote lots without any meaning about images that were of dubious merit and made decisions that were frankly odd.

Writing up the images doesn't necessarily improve the judging.

Congratulations Aluther on your amazing shot, and to the runners up, well done too.

PS,Davidoff, I didn't even know there was such a thing as a photoshop twirl filter!!!

Regards
Jackie

Sorry Doug, but the Weekly Competition was set up on the basis of the judge commenting on all the entries.

In terms of quality of decision making and quality of comments made, we take the rough with the smooth and carry on with life.

Oh well, armed with that information, its rough for the judge and seems not as inclusive as it might be.

Congratution Aluther I loved your shot, Also second and third place, nice work,

Hey it not rough for the Judge. I enjoy being the judge each day of the competition It's all about learning.

I'm interested in how you see it as not inclusive. The idea is that everyone gets some feedback, so no-one is left out and we all learn something. We learn even when we disagree with the judge.

I do not understand your comment either Doug. I see it as all inclusive. It is time consuming and a big effort for the judge, but it is part and parcel of how these competitions are set up to work. I am not an expert either. I deviced a point system, and commented on everyones photo from my system. The feedback was wonderful from other members. I explained in my intro that I had no educational background in photography...but yet I have been self taught and have been taking pictures with a pentax camera for 33 years.
Most Judges will say that it is only thier own personal opinions, and then give just that...thier opinion. It is wonderful to see what another person, likes or dislikes about your picture. You bighten a photo to make it colourful...the judge comments that it was to bright... So one learns that another persons presective is different.

That is what is so fantastic about this site, the diversity of different photographers. It seems to be presented with such a acceptance. I have always found it wonderful and exciting to see how my pictures did in the comp. I find is very fun, going out and taking the photos. I have learnt a great deal in this past year, just rorm this forum.

Have I ever disagreed with a judge...SURE! Have I ever shook my head and did not really get it....SURE. I have mostly, simply learned to take better photos and have fun sharing it all with others.

That is why, I beleive it is very important that the guide-lines set out by the "User Team" for these cometitions be followed. They work!!!

Regards, Judithann

I seem to have let the side down big time, and I'm mortified. All I can do is apologise and ask for some understanding. I suffered a tragic loss shortly before becoming aware that I had won the competition and became embroiled in arrangements for a funeral. I really didn't want to mention this, but I don't want to be thought too lazy to make an effort to apply myself to the task of commenting on the work of others. Please believe me - I did my best in difficult circumstances.

Well, 2nd place is seen as the best place. Meaning people do not want to win. And if people are put off entering because they are intimidated by being forced to comment, its not inclusive.

I don't understand, why you don't understand.

Its your forum so you run it how you want.

Thank you for your honesty in this matter.

I am sorry if I have caused you more stress during an already stressful time.

I am also sorry for the loss that you have had. I do wish you rest and care over the next little while.

Take care,

Regards:
Judithann

Don't worry Davidoff, it's not a big issue and you clearly had more important things on your mind. And you did at least provide a 1-2-3 and some comments, which haven't always been provided in the recent past. Given your circumstances I'd say this was commendable.

My comments derived more from frustration over instances when no commentary at all has been provided, and in some cases not even a 2 & 3. If the comp doesn't include potential participants that aren't prepared to offer the feedback (of whatever quality) that they have received on their own previous entries, then so what - there's enough people prepared to judge properly and the comp has worked well like this over all these years up to now (with a handful of exceptions).

Sorry to hear of your loss David.

I prefer to think of it as our forum and so far with a few rare exceptions everyone has been comfortable with the requirements of judging as part of the deal. The judging in my experience is both hard work and fun. If you get organised and do a bit each day in a Word document say then you don't get lumbered with a huge task at the end.

No-one should really feel intimidated in this forum when asked to explain what works for them in a photograph. I can't recall any entrants being hostile to the comments and if they were then I'm pretty sure others would rally round and support the judge who will have made honest assessments.

I don't always agree with the selections made but I wouldn't decry the judges decision. The second place thing is just a running joke really. I think everyone who enters wants to win (in the nicest possible way).

So I'd say it's inclusive enough.

Mike