Weekly Competition #159 - Summer! Competition

So here I am, my very first experience at judging a photography competition. I am really new to photography and I am still learning at the technical aspects of it so I cannot suggest the best settings to improve photographs or appreciate much the exif data. I am no expert at photography composition either so I apologise in advance if I may fall short to your expectations.

I really had a busy week checking each of the entries for this competition, getting ideas from the previous competitions at how others judge the entries, and reading articles on photography and composition. Whewww! Winning has some “cons” afterall. Nonetheless, I take this as a learning experience for me so thank you for the opportunity. And most of all, thank you for joining this week’s competition, I really enjoyed your entries and I hope I gave justice to all your efforts at making lovely photographs.

The reason why I love photography is that it is a means of showing people that everything around us is special. I judge the entries based on this as well. Summer is just a season in the year, the flowers are just there, the sea and the sun are just there, but when you look at them in a different way, you know that there’s a lot to be thankful for in summer.

Miss Summer by Adi2410355
This is a very lovely portrait with lots of colours and warmth. I particularly like her eyes and the hint of smile on her lips. Her bangles and the background match the colour of her eyes and bring them out more. The overall softness also adds a dreamy effect to the whole photograph. How I wish someone could take a portrait of me as lovely as this.lol If this lady hadn’t had the sunglasses and the bangles, I would have taken her for a fairy.

Dolmen Jumping by DrOrloff
Nice capture. I can just imagine how children love to play outside with the warm sun. I just wish I’d seen it in the girl’s face as she jumps off the rock, unfortunately her hair is covering her face. I like the blues and the greens but maybe something could be done with the grey cloud in the upper right corner as it is a bit distracting. Perhaps a little more space on the right or a change in angle would also help to give the girl enough room for landing/movement and not seem to jump outside the picture.

Heads Up by Puma
A very unique photo which also made me smile. The head and the foreground is very sharp and well focused and the DOF is excellent. Somehow, looking at the boy’s head made me wonder if he is enjoying it as much as I enjoy this capture. Also, I wondered if including a little bit of the beach and some of the people there as part of the background would add some more interest to the photo.

Construction in the Downtown by Dwight-Morton
The flag and the “Hamilton” sign on the building clearly indicate the location where this photo was taken. This photo shows that while some people are out for their summer holiday, some are stuck at work making things better for others. However, I think changing the angle and focusing more or zooming in on the two men and making the construction site as a background would give this capture more impact.

Life’s a Beach by Thoughton
I love the shades of blue in this picture and the way the yellow shirt catches my eyes. I also like the shadows on the walkway and how the lifeguard intently watches the beach. However, I think the yellow shirt draws my attention more than the face. Maybe a little more light on the man’s face would be better and would make him standout in the picture and give his face more detail.

Summer Nights by Johnriley
This is a very inviting photograph with nice tones. The light coming from the houses catches my attention while the slope guides the eyes down to the harbour as well. The reflection on the water gives a very calming effect to the whole composition. One of my favorites! A lovely summer night indeed!

Summer Evening by Tomw
A good landscape shot. Shame that it’s a bit dull making it not appear so summer-ish to me. I think a little adjustment on the highlight or exposure will work for me.

Paddling in Orange by AxelLuther
A very stunning picture! I so love the simplicity of the composition, the shades of the sea, and the contrast between the subject and the background. I can almost imagine the feel of the waves and the splash if I were the one paddling in that photograph. The horizon is level even without a tripod—Excellent!! However, I wish I’ve seen more of the sun in the frame though. Still, this one is one of my favourites, well done!

School’s Out by TOZZA27
Nice colours and everything reminds me of summer. You managed to capture the launch before the guy submerged in the water. However, I find the composition distracting. The boats and the house on the hill steal my attention first before I see the small subject in the left. I still think, “less is more.”

Cup of Mead, please! By Tobio
I wonder what type of insect this is? Very nice capture and I like the positioning of the subject. Like in5omniak’s work, I also noticed the reflection of the insect’s antenna in its eye. Brilliant! Somehow though, I remember spring more than summer with this photo.

Umbrellas on the Beach by Bill_And
A really “very summer” photograph. The big beach brollies really standout as you intended them to. However, I think the BW part is a bit too dark. I just wondered if the photo needed the treatment you gave it or it would have been better left coloured with the nice blue sky, the nice green tree, and the colourful swimsuits of the beachgoers. Also, I think the rock is too centred and maybe a little bit more sand would add balance to the composition.

Monarch and Bee by Bern
Very colourful indeed! I like the sharpness of the subject and the bokeh. I have a feeling that it is a bit windy when you took this shot but you managed to capture it. However, making the subject off-centred or giving it a tighter crop may work for me.

Smell the Coffee and Wood by SPB
A very original summer entry. I like the idea but somehow, I could not figure out the shadow of the telephone at first glance. The texture of the wood is well taken but there is a small patch on the right I find distracting. Perhaps a shadow of a couple enjoying the cup of coffee would give a little drama to the composition.

Pier by Bluejohn
A very wonderful capture. The sky is just so nice and the shades of blue in the sea is so inviting. Even without a person in the picture, the composition is still well done and depicts a lovely summer day spent in the beach.
European White Waterlily by PeterLambrichs
The waterlily is just so, so white... Lovely--makes me want to see if Thumbelina is hiding in that lily. Seriously though, it must have been really nice to be in that place. I just wish it was a bit sunnier that day to make the sky more bright.

BeeExcited by In5omniak
Another macro shot in the entries. I can really notice the reflection of its antenna in his eye and the bits of pollen on its hairy back. Nice close-up!

Echinacea by Mecrox
Beautiful! Another macro shot and another Echinacea flower but a stand-out! I like the square framing and the perspective as well. The insect also stands out with its “plasticky” wings. The only thing I would point out though is to make the red circle more centred and the green areas especially in the left and top taken out. Still, well done to you!

Poppies by Brian1
Exquisite scenery! I like the reds, the greens and the blues. Makes me want to go there and run along the field smelling the flowers.

Summer Destination by Malcolm Leader
I envy shots of airplanes as close as this. Very sharp and detailed! However, I think this doesn’t show much of summer as one can see an aeroplane in the skies all year round.

Heat by Aliengrove
50 degrees?? Oh my, that’s very, very hot. But seriously, you’ve got a “hot” capture here. I like the lines in the composition as well as the shadows and the lighting. It’s nice to see that despite the high-rise buildings there are still some greens in the area. I just find the portion of a dried shrub in the lower right corner attention-getting. Other than that, this is a nice shot!

Summer in Sermone by Johnedwinagar
Nice concept, very summer!! I just love watching people having a cup of coffee outside the shops enjoying the warmth of the sun not minding the sunburn they can get. However though, the umbrellas seem to keep the people in the dark in this photo. I think concentrating on just a well-lit couple and just making the other people as a background may add interest to the composition.

And the results:
Commended: Heads Up by Puma, Life’s a Beach by Thoughton, Echinacea by Mecrox

Highly Commended: Miss Summer by Adi2410355, Pier by Bluejohn

1st Place: Paddling in the Orange Juice by AxelLuther, I just love the colour!

2nd Place: Summer Nights by Johnriley, I like the calmness of the photograph! (You gave me a hard time deciding the first place really)

3rd Place: Heat by Aliengrove, hot!!

Thank you guys and congratulations to all the winners! Looking forward to next week’s competition...

(I hope you will excuse my English as it is my second language and I’m a bit sleepy now...)
Have a nice week ahead!

Nice job Lowela....I agree it is a learning experience and tons of fun judging. I had entered a picture too, but uploaded the WRONG one...it was my daughters photo not mine so I had to delete....once I did that I was not able to reload!

Congrates to the winners....especially Axel on his first place...I do so love his work!! Great choice.

Well done Lowela, excellent effort with the judging.

Congrats to the winners all as well.

Hi Lowela - even if this was a late hour judging and EN is not your mother language - the result is great and thanks for given me now the chance to spend a late night judging (also not in my mother language) this week

Congrats also to the john and aliengrove - your pictures also transfer so much summer feelings.

Lowela, that was excellent, very very well done. Your approach to it was spot on and your comments were well thought out and show your delight in the images entered.

Well done also to our winners and over to Axel!

Excellent judging Lowela, great comments on all the entries, I think the standard of the competitions is really good, thanks in no small part to the excellent judging we have seen.

Congrats Axel, another great winner! Congrats to John also, lovely image, and thanks for my third place Lowela!

Regrds,
Jon

Great judging Lowela, very well done Thanks for the comments too, all taken on board

Thank you all! It was really difficult, considering you are all good at this... I learned so much this week!

Regards,

Lowela

Thanks for the judging, Lowela.

Thanks for the comment. The insect is a butterfly. I took it a couple of weeks ago.

Fantastic judging Lowela and very well done to the winner and runners up.
I must say I decided I`d lost the moment I saw the Orange sea !
Excellent photo Axel

Bring it on....................

Tony

Thank you Tony! Thank you for your entry as well... =)

Hi Tony - thanks for this statement - feels good to hear that others like the own work