Weekly Competition #153 - Communications Competition

In setting this competition I hoped that I had defined an open subject allowing the scope for a wide interpretation. I would like to say many thanks to all of you that entered. You all have far exceeded my expectations and apart from one extreme boundary pushing shot I don’t think I can fault anyone on not meeting the competition brief. Choosing the winners has therefore been quite a challenge and I have tried to make my choices based on what I think look like the most well crafted entries although I guess, like most judges of these competitions, I can be influenced by unusual interpretations and particularly this time by a retired engineer’s love of interesting objects.

Just a reminder that I'm no expert at this and everything here is just my personal opinion and the results reflect my personal tastes. I have tried to make useful comments for each entry and hope that I have not upset anyone as this was definitely not my intention. As always it is a terrific collection of photos.


gartmore – Four Types of antennae

What a great picture to start this competition off.

I’m constantly in trouble for taking pictures of aerials and masts when we are supposed to be on holiday but none are ever like this.

I really like the way you have included this colourful roof and tower which I guess is probably a church. I also think the composition is excellent. There are lots of things to explore here.

Despite their nice bright look these aerials have seen better days. The TV aerial has various bits bent and looks like it is missing at least half of its reflector. I think there is probably something missing from the VHF aerial as well and I’m suspicious of whatever is behind the dish.

I think the final little bonus is bird on the parapet.

A superb picture to launch this competition. Well done.


Jykira – Wired and wireless communication for all

This is a very interesting picture. I think it shows how people’s expectations for multi channel entertainment progress much faster than possible other improvements to their environment.

It is a well crafted picture of fairly grim looking surroundings. I like the way you have the roof line as a diagonal across the shot. I think this creates a good feeling of depth. I also like the way you have got the tree and telegraph poles in this shot creating a well laid out composition.

As well as the satellite dishes there are some interesting aerials and the poles may be carrying some telephone lines although I suspect they are actually power feeds.

A well put together, possibly a little depressing, picture but a very interesting record.


Dr.Mhuni – Street reader (in Sinhalese)

It is always a joy to see your interpretations of these competition subjects and this one is no exception.

It is obviously fully compliant with the competition brief. Here there is definitely a transfer of information going on here.

I think it is a superb composition. There are terrific, bold, diagonal lines and the vertical pillar produces a fantastic pathway leading the eye to subject in this shot.

I was amazed to see that you did not shoot this specifically for this competition. It so well fits this subject. Fantastic, very well done.


Bill_And – Victorian post box

I was really hoping that we might see some examples of post boxes here and I think you have provided an excellent example.

I think this composition is brilliant. I like the way we have the converging fence line travelling across the picture. Putting the post box on the right, in the foreground, is an excellent move. Converting the picture to B&W but leaving the post box in full, well illuminated colour, is inspirational.

I think this picture creates a feeling that this post box has been proud to serve its community in this quiet, lonely, street for many years and hopefully many more to come.

A Wonderful picture, very well done.


DougODurban – Morse set in stone

For me this is a picture of a very interesting subject. I’ve not been to Jersey so I have not seen these but I believe that what we have here is one of the stone signal benches around Jersey Harbour. I believe these show different ways messages can be sent to ships at sea and that there should be one for letter. Obviously here we have the bench for the letter Q.

While this photo is a good record of one of these stones I think it is a little spoilt by the shadows although I appreciate that these would have been very difficult to control. I think I would have also liked to have seen a bit more of it. My research suggests that we should see some representation of a signal flag and possibly this is the mark on the right-hand side in the shadow.

Certainly though it is fully compliant with the competition brief. Many thanks for showing it to us.


patrick – E.T.

I like this bold presentation of one end of a telephone handset. I think it almost makes an abstract.

Initially I thought this was monochrome but there is a little hint of something with colour behind a couple of the holes which makes the colour and tone of this shot even more impressive.

I also love the way the holes are in such sharp focus and the way the rest of the handset fades into the dark background. There is also a nice little hint of a reflection on the bottom. I think the composition is great.

You have created a nice piece of modern art, fully compliant with the competition brief. Well done.


TimE – Across the generations

I think you have given us a wonderful family picture of our fundamental communication skills in action.

On a technical front there is a little bit of hard shadow, particularly around the face of the youngster, which obviously results from the flash. I think a soft, or bounced, flash would have improved this but this would have been difficult to achieve with the built-in flash.

We also have a little bit of lens distortion that perhaps I would have like to seen corrected or balanced. The doorway on the RH side is not vertical but the table leg on the LH side is vertical. I’m no expert on the best way to address this but I think would have liked to have seen both the doorway table legs vertical or at least evenly balanced.

It is obviously an important family shot, must have a treasured position in your photo archive and it is so nice to see it here. Many thanks.


dep1699 – Molecular communication

Certainly here I’m well out depth but I’m happy to accept that it does represent a fundamental level of communication.

Post production is certainly not a problem in these competitions. If it were not allowed then this place would be very empty.

I love the abstract feel you have achieved here. As a child of the 60’s this looks like the sort of effect that was very apt at that time.

I’m intrigued by what looks like some sort of line structure in original image so I guess it was shot off of some sort of display and again this reinforces its communication attributes.

Certainly it provides a great splash of colour and is nicely presented. Well done.


mudge – Time Communicator

Here we have a shot of the internals of a piece of equipment who's purpose is to inform about the current value of time. So from my direction is fully compliant with the competition brief.

I think it is a very well presented shot. It is a little bit of a shame that you have only given us a lower resolution example. With a higher resolution I would have been able to click on it to see a larger image and perhaps got a bit more insight about this shot.

Composition is obviously a bit of a challenge and I’m assuming that you wanted to try and keep the engraved text the right way up. When first coming to this shot my initial feeling was that I would have liked a centre line from the lid hinge to the winder to be diagonally from corner to corner of the shot but looking closer I can perhaps see what you wanted to achieve.

The lighting is very good but the background looks a little weird. There are some blotchy areas and there also seems to be a scattering of bright dots which I feel detracts from an otherwise excellent image but should be easy to fix with a bit of post processing.

A well presented, bright object. Well done.


Hyram – Wartime Communication

I’m sure one day we will trip over each other on the Watercress Line . It is one of my favourite local places. I’m next planning to be there on the18th July as part of the Alton Bus Rally.

This is a lovely example of a basic, but very poignant sign. It is a very well composed shot with the poster in the background providing and reinforcing the context. To finish it off you have given it sepia look to make it fit with the era of the subject.

A very nice shot. Very well done.


johnriley – QWERTY

The master has given us a shot of a very nice period piece.

I suspect this is probably a typewriter but I guess it could alternately be an early terminal or data entry device. In its time we can see that it was well used as some of the enamel has worn off. It still looks like fingers occasional run over its keys but probably not with much intent as the outside keys are a little dusty.

As just a shot of the keyboard it is an excellent composition and again has been cleverly tinted to reinforce the era of this device.

It is a great interpretation for this competition subject, excellently crafted. Many thanks John.


martinkelly – Lips

Here we have a compliant but unusual interpretation for this competition.

There is no doubt that you have captured an image of an age-old communication device. This one does though look like it might temporarily be in a dormant mode. I think for the purposes of this competition I would have preferred to have seen them in action .

It a darkish and mysterious image. I can’t fault the composition placement wise. I do though find what I guess is the neck of a jumper a little disturbing as its covering the chin.

I think though you have created a very moody, dark and mysterious shot. Many thanks.


darlene – New Tec

You have given us a nice angular shot of the lid of a partially open mac-book.

You have used this image to give us a subtle hint about a modern communication device and human interface. The image is almost monochrome and I think this reinforces the blatant Apple logo (are you on commission?).

I think it is a great composition. It is all about things we can’t see and so relies on the viewer to know what it is all about.

Very clever. Many thanks.



davidtrout – City Shapes

While I spent a large part of my earlier career designing control systems for transmitting stations the RF end of the business has always seemed a bit magical, including antenna design.

This one does look very exotic. Are you sure it’s a communications array? Based on the idea that Northumbria University is apparently a centre of excellence in renewable energy and that it looks like a giant inverted food whisk I wonder if it might actually be a small footprint wind turbine generator for a very windy place. Does that work in Newcastle ?

I’m giving it the benefit of doubt though assuming you knew what it was when you photographed it.

It is a very nice composition. The clear blue sky, blue reflections on the windows and blue frames all combine together very well. The building tower provides an excellent balance with the mast and creates a good diagonal intersection with the top left corner.

It is a fantastic shot. Very well done.


BAJ – Old and New communications

Like the earlier shot of a post box I was hoping that we might get to see a phone box.

I think you have given us a special example and created some wonderful context as well.

I think this one of the London phone boxes that is painted black so that it does not intrude and is usually found areas of interest.

In general these phone boxes are disappearing and your shot plainly tells us why with the guy coming along on his mobile.

In your shot there is a feeling that this phone box is falling into the road. However we can see that the left hand side is vertical with the side of shot. So I guess we are seeing a lens distortion. I find this quite disturbing and I think I would have liked to have seen the right hand side of the box vertical because it is on this side that you are looking down the road to the guy with the phone. I guess it is possible, if you have the tools, to correct this distortion in post processing although just making the middle of the shot vertical will probably suffice.

However a very good effort. Well Done.


timcx500e – Which Way?

What a nice, bright, sharp and precise picture of a very clean sign on a national cycle route. I live close to a similar route and our signs are decrepit in comparison.

I think the colour combinations and composition are great. The change in intensity of the blue sky going up the shot is terrific and the little bit of cloud at the bottom is a nice finishing touch.

There appears to be a third arm to this sign going away from us and you have very cleverly masked this off with the aspect of your shot.

It’s a great, fully compliant, shot. Well done.


DrOrloff – Advertising As Communication?

I don’t think there is any doubt that advertising is a form of communication.

This example is not terribly subtle but I guess it gets its message across but it probably better reflects the needs of the people who put these up to get as many up as possible.

It’s a nice colourful shot and I like the little letter box in the middle which of course reinforces the shot’s communication attributes.

As a complete aside I had to disable the add-blocking feature of my browser to see this picture. It must be a lot clever than I thought.

A nice colourful, well captured, example of guerrilla advertising.


DRN098 – Confusing communication?

I think this is brilliant example of a shot where the eyes of the viewer are drawn across the shot. Not only with the signs that decrease in size but also from the little bit of curved road that enhances the depth of this shot. The road of course also adds context to this picture.

I think it is also brilliant that it includes a sign to an A&E hospital because I’m sure this must be an accident waiting to happen.

A terrific example of communication overload. Very well executed. Well done


aliengrove – The world from my armchair

This is a very clever shot as it contains several examples of modern communication devices and methods.

Obviously taken for the competition as I can see this competition on your laptop screen.

I also appreciate that you have successfully captured the TV and laptop displays.

Having BBC World in your shot puts me a in a difficult position and I have to declare an interest. As a BBC R&D Engineer, now retired, back in 1996, I was involved in setting up a pilot digital terrestrial TV multiplex and it included BBC World as one of its services. I still have fond memories of it. I’ll now have to try very hard to be impartial .

A very well assembled and executed shot. Very well done.


amoringello – Rottie Communications

This is obviously a dog with a very high level of intellect. I’m very impressed he is not online to look at other canines or even cats . I also love that he has what I think is a Rottweiler mug.

Obviously a very well crafted shot and I guess quite difficult to achieve. I find the white background a little overpowering but I guess that originally you were going to replace that with something else.

A good bit of fun for this competition. Many thanks.


thoughton – Network connections

What a great idea to make a terrific piece of art from a shot of a humble RJ45 connector. It could also easily be an entrant for a technical equivalent of a mystery object competition.

It is obviously an exceptionally well put together shot. I love the soft reflection, the black background and the silvery appearance of what is probably clear plastic.

I can understand that you have offset the image for composition purposes but as a very slight criticism I just wonder if this creates an overly large black expanse on the RH side?

A fantastic, very well thought out and crafted macro shot. Very well done.


i-Berg – The Forgotten Art

Here we have a beautiful shot of an example of a human listening input device. I agree you are quite right in that many of us are lucky enough to take this for granted.

I think the composition is very good. I like the way the ear lobe points towards the bottom right corner. The lighting is good and the ear-ring adds a little extra dimension.

We also see here another example of a classic i-Berg presentation using a subtlety tinted B&W shot (Remember the shearing shed in the Ground Level competition?).

Another excellent shot, very well done.


sandy – War Comms

This is a very nice shot of probably a wartime telephone exchange under Dover Castle which now looks like a very well presented exhibit.

I think this is a very well composed shot taken in difficult lighting conditions and superbly captures the essence of this place. Just imagine what it must have been like when it was manned. I love the way you have the row of desks leading to a partially open door. We are being told that there are other things to find in this place.

I see that this is a long exposure shot and assume that you had some support for your K-7. I also see that this is a wide angle shot and the lens appears to have performed very well keeping all the verticals true across the shot. You have also captured well the curvature of the tunnel.

I think you have excelled in capturing the mood of this place. Well done.


GaryJohn – Discarded advice

We have here a rather poignant shot of what was probably ignored government advice. Seeing that it was shot today I guess it was taken specifically for this competition.

It is a fairly simple but nice composition. I like the way the fence line is diagonal across the middle of the picture. The stones seem to indicate that this is not waste land but it is a bit neglected being infested with a wild geranium which I think adds to the slightly depressive nature of this shot.

An interesting but fully compliant take on this competition subject. Many thanks.


malcolm leader – Royal Mail coach

Malcolm what a fantastic picture you have given us. I did not realise any of these had been preserved. As a child I always wanted one of these for my train set but I was never lucky enough to receive one. Communications and trains what more could I ask for?

It is a nicely composed shot that captures details of the net and the logos. The red colouring, often an issue for digital cameras, is fantastic in this shot. The way the coach converges towards an off-shot vanishing point gives a great feeling depth. The shot is nicely offset by a wonderful cloudy sky.

A great colourful and fully compliant shot for this competition. Well done.


matwhittington – London's Antenna...

I’m of an age where this will always be the Post office Tower. I remember as child queuing up with my grandparents to go up to the observation platform. Later in life I also worked, for a while, close to this building and it has become a sort reference point for me when viewing the London skyline.

You have given us a lovely hazy shot of a London horizon with the tower cleverly placed just off centre. I think you have enhanced this with making it B&W but with a soft tint. I get the feeling that there still is a hint of colour in the sky but perhaps my monitor needs to be calibrated .

No argument about the relevance to communications here. Anyone involved in broadcasting, particularly in London, will know of the importance of this structure.

From the exif date I assume you specifically took this shot for the competition. So full marks all round. Well done.


tomw – Telephone Box

While we already have a picture of a telephone box in this collection here we have a proper red one and its actually in use!

It appears to be a rural situation close to some sort of large house or institution. You have very cleverly faded the colour to B&W around halfway across the shot. This definitely highlights the red box.

In retrospect I think I would have just liked to have seen the very bottom of the box. You have very cleverly emphasised the box but this also emphasises that it is not quite all in shot.

I think the composition is good. You have a great angle onto the box giving us two of the outsides and quite a bit of detail of the insides. It is a bit of a shame about the back of the road signs but going to B&W has minimised their impact.

A great idea, probably well staged and definitely well executed. Well done.


mivoligo – Only child can hear angel's voice

I think this might be pushing the communication brief to an absolute limit but I wanted an open subject so lets assume this is about communicating with ones own imagination.

We have a young child on a hill top in almost silhouette with a cloudy, possibly stormy, sky. I think the picture tries to create an aura of intrigue and mystery. I can understand that we need to feel that this child is alone on hill but half of this shot is completely back and I’m afraid it does not really work for me.

A good try though, pushing the boundaries of this competition but perhaps a little too far for a nuts & bolts engineer to appreciate.


JudithAnn – Talking in the Rain

JudithAnn has given us a fantastic picture that may well have been specifically shot for this competition.

There may be something very clever going on here. The exif date says this was taken tomorrow so the secret is out, you Canadians have a very good, faultless, weather prediction system or perhaps JudithAnn needs to sort out the date on her camera .

It is a wonderful shot. I love the rain streaks and I think it works really well in B&W. I can just imagine him saying “Hi Judith its raining here tomorrow, don’t forget your brolly”, and I thought we invented Time Lords .

A really great, fully compliant, humorous, (probably more than you knew), shot for the closing stages of this competition. Well done and many thanks.


nathanever82 – Texting in the streets of Florence

I have always been impressed with your portrait/people shots and this one is no exception.

We have a wonderful shot of a young lady texting on her phone while walking down a paved street. The exif date says it was shot on the last day in March and I think we can see that it wasn’t a particularly warm day.

I like the shallow depth of field and the way this is complemented by the light background. I also like the wonderful detail in her clothes, particularly the jumper and the lines on her legs.

You also managed to capture a terrific sense of concentration. I find I’m worrying that she might walk into something .

In retrospect I think it would have been nice just to have had the missing inch or so of her forward foot but this is a very minor detail as the action is taking place much further up.

A great action portrait and a real pleasure to see. Many thanks.


Pentaxophile – Train Signal

Here we have a great shot of a modern railway signal to show that some communication engineering can be life critical.

I think it is a very well presented shot. The composition is very good with the signal off to one side but containing a change of path indicator pointing nicely diagonally across the shot. I also like the way the overhead wires create a feeling of depth in this shot and the lovely cloudy sky.

A nice detailed shot of some proper engineering to close this competition. Many thanks.


So this is it:

1st – Bill_And for Victorian post box

2nd – Dr. Mhuni for Street reader (in Sinhalese)

3rd – nathanever82 for Texting in the streets of Florence

Commendations, in no particular order, to the following:
gartmore for Four types of antennae
davidtrout for City Shapes
DRM098 for Confusing communication?
thoughton for Network connections
Malcolm leader for Royal Mail coach
sandy for War Comms
JudithAnn for Talking in the Rain
Pentaxophile for Train Signal


Special favouritism award to aliengrove for including an image from a BBC service.


I think this completes my responsibilities here and hand over to Bill_And for the next round.

Glyn

Thanks for the quick and comprehensive judging, and congratulations to the winner! Some lovely entries, I particularly like JudithAnn's amusing shot. Oh, and the dog using the computer - classic!

Congratulation to Bill , it was an awesome shot and 2nd ,3rd Place...Also to commended...Us, Canadian's are 12 hours ahead of you folks...so it actually was Sunday 21 of June.

You did great judging Thanks Commission??? I don't understand...

Very well thought out comments. Comprehensive is certainly a good word to describe them.
And some good eyes too, as you are correct, that is a Rottweiler mug.

I love your style of Judging Glyn...and congrats to the winner Bill, nice piece of work and I knew you would be a contender. I have to confess how much I LOVED Aliengroves too, that was a super shot, so sharp!

Okay Darlene...Hey Girl you sticken up for me was soo sweet...But guess what...the 21st is Monday. He is right my camera is ahead...How did that happen again...don't know how I am changing it??? I once lost a fortnight comp because the date was off by a day, although I did take it in the time frame...Got to get me an updatter thing-a -ma-gig!!!

The commission ....Glyn wants to know if Apple company is paying you to advertise...Glyn says..." The image is almost monochrome and I think this reinforces the blatant Apple logo" Looked good enough to be an Ad
Are you being paid Darlene Confess

Okay Bill...its off to you

Many thanks for the comprehensive and ultra prompt judging, Glyn, and for the much coveted second. Congrats to everyone for some interesting shots, and to Bill_and in particular for his winner.

All echoed from me - great fast judging and excellent winning shot - indeed a whole clutch of great shots.

Best Regards

THank you Glyn for the great comments, and really fun competition. I am sorry I entered so late, I was busy with work... but really liked the idea of this competition.

Congratulations to the winner, with a proper composition, and stunning colours!

THank you
Nathan

Thanks for the comments Glyn, congrats to the winners (ripper entry Bill!) and those with Commendations too. A quality field again this week.

Congratulations to Bill_And for the winning shot and many thanks to GlynM for the comprehensive judging, so speedily completed.

I shall keep my eyes open for you the next time I am wandering around the Watercress Line

That was extremely interesting and the very detailed judging sets yet again new standards for us to live up to!

Well done Bill_And, what do you have for us next?

Many thanks for the expert judging Glyn and for my HC. Congratulations to Bill, I thought that was a strong candidate for first place when I first saw it.
I don't think my communications mast is a turbine - I've never seen it spinning.
david

COngratulations to Bill_And and the other podium places! Many thanks for the speedy judging Glyn, and my commendation is gratefully received

Many thanks, Glynn, for the comments about my entry. Particularly pleased as I took the photo especially for the competition.

Congrats to the winner, superbly executed shot.

David

Congrats to the winners, and thanks for my special mention.

Congratulations to the winners and thanks for comments.

wow - i'm chuffed. Thanks GlynM - if no one else did, I took the hint

what next indeed

Almost certainly a turbine David. Perhaps it's just not in a windy enough spot!

Many thanks for the comment about my photo and judging the comp Glyn and well done Bill congratulations.

Sandy

Pentaxophile wrote:

Almost certainly a turbine David. Perhaps it's just not in a windy enough spot![/quote]If it is a turbine then I'm sorry to Glyn as I really thought it was some sort of comms mast. I assume it was this picture Glyn had in mind when he described one entry as 'boundary pushing'
David

Certainly not!! It was the little girl on a hill talking to angels that I thought pushed the communication boundaries just a little too far .

Regardless of what ever it was on your mast it was a terrific shot. I'm still not convinced either way. I did an unsuccessful hunt for aerial arrays and wind turbines that might look like that. To my eye the blades look far too thin for an efficient wind turbine. Perhaps it is a piece of art in which case it was delivering some sort of message and therefore fully compliant.

From my direction, and it was mine to judge, it was fully compliant and is a brilliant shot

Glyn