Weekly Competition #168 - Public art Competition

Weekly competition: Public art

Thank you for entering the week’s competition and for giving me a wide range of interpretations to view. Some of the pictures were closer to the subject theme than others but all were roughly within the boundaries of what I had in mind. The most successful ones were those which showed some environmental context, interesting juxtaposition or which portrayed reaction to the artwork. I was also looking for a degree of personal input from the photographers apart from them merely recording the scene.

Airship Factory by BAJ

The blue sky, uncluttered by untidy clouds, makes a good background for this stark image of a modern scene. The airship skeleton transformed into sculpture is indeed an art form. You’ve used the pathway and line of shrubs to form a lead in to the structure.

So which is art? by i-Berg

The title poses an interesting question but the image provides the answer. The artistry here lies in the work of the photographer who has observed a great juxtaposition and then captured it expertly. The metallic silver of the scooter contrasts nicely with the arresting colours of the graffiti to make a super image with a contemporary feel.

Egyptian Princess by Dr Mhuni

Your recent holiday in Greece has produced some great images Andrew, and this is one of them. Two things stands out above all else, the wonderful colour and that lovely bokeh. The artificial lighting behind the main subject contrasts superbly with the natural colouring of the sculpture and the tiny reflections of green light on the princess’s head are fascinating. The EXIF suggests your lens was wide open at f1.7 which proves what a good lens it is.

The Bell tower by Hyram

As you say Hyram, this is certainly public art. The great churches and cathedrals of Europe are fine examples of art. I like the way you have isolated the tower from any distracting neighbouring detail and set it against an almost black sky to pinpoint the structure to maximum effect.


Atlas by Aliengrove

I imagine the lighting was difficult here with Atlas being in the shade of the skyscrapers and with the camera pointing straight up into the bright sky. It seems though that you’ve overcome that difficulty to give us a graphic image with bags of impact. You have maintained all the detail in the figure of Atlas while introducing a satisfying degree of contrast.

Tristesse by AxelLuther

Without knowing the context of the scene this works as an interesting image with the small boy framed by the pattern of the upright pillars and the tiled path. At that level it is still a very good photograph and one to hold the attention of the viewer. Knowing the background to the Berlin Holocaust Memorial makes it an even more powerful picture with your little boy innocently overawed by his surroundings. This is emphasised by your decision to keep the boy in colour yet render his surroundings in black and white. The addition of the bright light was a touch of genius.

By Adi2410355

This untitled shot is another arresting image. Like Axel’s picture this arouses emotions both in response to the art portrayed and also to the input of the photographer who recorded it. The sculpture is perfectly captured in the wider context of its surroundings. The treatment of this mono picture is spooky, atmospheric and as I said earlier, arresting.


Not touch by the hands by Arsenal

The humour of this shot is irresistible, thanks for the translation from Russian into English Arsen. The position of the ‘hands off’ label is perfect for you to include it with the sculpture’s great rear view. At first I thought the OOF women were a distraction but now I believe they are part of the story – they are obeying the notice, hands off.

Silver balls red umbrella by Rusty the Clown

A well captured street scene with the figure and the sculpture creating a perfect juxtaposition. The colours are ideal for a graphic shot such as this. The figure hurrying by seems to be ignoring the street art so the reaction to this sculpture seems to be indifference. There seems to be a general softness in the picture which suggests a slightly faster shutter speed would have made an improvement. I suspect it’s movement rather than focusing that has caused this.

Exhibits 1, 15, 99 by Dougf8

Is this another example of public indifference to art? The centre of attention in this photo is the guy with the camera and he seems to be more concerned with getting a shot of the gallery visitors than with recording the exhibits. Perhaps he is shooting past the visitors to some art work unseen in the picture. There is a lot of fun among the crowd and the overall effect of the image is humorous. That can’t be a bad thing. Good control of noise as well for an ISO rating of 1600.

You can’t frame this by Dromfit

First off I must say I Iove the title. The picture has been perfectly photographed and it makes a graphic image with a fascinating splash of colour. As it stands its an empty stage with a wonderful backdrop, but it’s waiting for an actor to come on.
It’s a cliché but a human figure in the scene it would have added further interest. I love doing pictures like this but it requires time because you have to lurk until the right person comes along.

Santa’s Sandcastle by Chelsea Blue

The photo is perfectly taken, is really sharp and has interest as a record of a very unusual piece of town centre art. But the image would be so much more worthy if there was some public reaction to the sand sculpture. The crowd seems totally indifferent to it but not in an obvious or humorous way.

Plaster not alabaster by Nonur

This picture contains no traces of human content but the framing within the architecture is well chosen by Nonur to create a picture that goes beyond the pure record shot. I’m not sure about the focusing, it seems the near stonework is sharper than the unusual and intriguing sculptures and there is a bright spot of colour in the background that draws the eye way from the subjects.

Apple by johnriley

That’s a clever idea John. The colours in the metal apple, presumably supplied by the real thing, make it an arresting image. The closeness of the subject and focusing has led to a very attractive OOF background. It’s a picture to enjoy for its sheer quality and unusual interest. I didn’t realise you had been poaching on our North East territory. I can’t complain though, I’ve spent many happy hours snapping around Salford Quays in your home area.

Official graffiti by fiftypoundpdog

I’m not sure that political slogans are public art but non-the-less they can make eye catching images as in this case. You’ve shown the environment expertly but the posters are small in the frame so are not so graphic. Its a very good piece of documentary or photo journalism but its just on the border line as on topic for this competition. Perhaps in Peru politics is art?

DIY Public Sculpture by Martinkelley

What a good idea, to create your own public art. This is no doubt inspired by the other better known sculptures on Formby Beach. Because you set this up, rather like a table top photographer, you’ve had full control over positioning which is pretty perfect with the shadows forming powerful diagonal lines. There’s lovely translucent light coming through the shells and very nice texture in the sand. On my monitor it looks as if a slight increase in exposure or contrast would have given the picture even more punch. But it’s a great idea and an interesting interpretation of the theme.

Pottery by Darlene

This is nicely lit in tricky conditions Darlene and I like the way you’ve selected your viewpoint to lead the eye through the picture. Even the garish blue seat, well subdued here, is part of that process of forming a sight line. The pots are well rendered with good detail in the textures. There seem to some interesting items of artistic merit at the far end of the room. I like the distant figure of a woman appearing to walk through a door although on my monitor she’s too small to work out whether she’s real or a painting.

Feet of Clay by ISO

At first I thought this was another sand sculpture. Are they really people covered in mud? You can’t even see the holes they breath through. You’ve caught them well and I love the background architecture which creates a perfect juxtaposition with the human sculptures.

Viking Invaders by Tozza27

It looks like the Vikings have been wreaking havoc by throwing the rocks around Tony. The sculptures are well photographed but the background lets this down a bit. It seems to fall into two halves, the dark area which looks like a huge window with reflections, and the light half on the left which draws the eye away from the main theme. This effect leaves the picture unbalanced to my eyes.

Ghandi by Womble

The couple is oblivious to anything around them as they walk away from the statue, not even a figure as iconic as Ghandi is going to break into their world. Kris’s picture is a simple image that tells a powerful age old story. Pictorially I like the mono conversion and the couple is caught in an ideal position, framed nicely by the park gates.

Crosby Statue by TomW
We’re back on the beach of the Mersey estuary for this latest addition to the competition. But this is a totally different concept to the earlier picture by Martin Kelley who set up his own scene. Tom has waited for an important addition to come into the scene. The huge cargo ship sailing past gives the picture scale and context and the two elements make up a wonderful juxtaposition. While I like the human figure rendered as silhouette the picture as a whole seems to be very dark and possibly underexposed. A little more exposure and contrast would have improved this.


Gheluvelt Park by Pentaxophile

The warm lighting was the first thing that caught my eye, then I read how you did it and was impressed. This scene of the war memorial artwork is very impressive in the dusk light with its mixed source of illumination, including Will’s flash. Structures such as this which seem very attractive to the eye can be awkward to compose for a photograph but all the elements are expertly arranged by Will in this shot.

Results:
1, AxelLuther
2, i-Berg,
3, Adi 2410355
HC: MartinKelley; Dr Mhuni, Johnriley

Nicely done David. You chose my favorite photo. Congrats to AxelLuther, he has become one of my favorite photographer on this site....his photo often evoke emotions and tell a story. Great job Axel

Congrat go out to i;Berg and Adi2410355 and of course our HC too!

Had a 'travelling home from out west' week sorry I missed the assignment...hope to be onboard this upcoming week.

Well done, David. Thanks for the judging and the HC. Congrats to Axel - nice shot.

Great job judging David Congrats to Axel, Awesome photo Also 2nd, 3rd place as well as the HC.

Congratulations to the winners some great shots entered as usual. I thought supplying exif was one of the rules of the competition?While I think the winning photo is a great image there is no exif supplied with it or any indication it was taken using Pentax equipment

I'm in great company here David, thanks for lifting me up into it.

Incisive and detailed judging, as befits the quality of the entries. Lovely work.

Congratulations particularly to Axel and Adrian, and to Martin, Doc M and JR also.

Oh, you've picked my favourite picture of the competition Excellent work, very touching.
Many thanks for the judge and the entrants!
Adrian

I should thank you David for giving time and effort not only to decide but also commenting separately on each entry. This has been a very enlightening, enhancing and respectful competition and fair! I think everone should be happy.
Congratulations to Axel!

Congratulations to AxelLuther and many thanks to David for the competition and judging.

I don't know why the EXIF is missing from some of Axel's pitures but The rule about providing the EXIF applies to the Fortnightly Competitions so that a check can be kept on the date when the picture was taken. This is a friendly site so its a matter of trust that everyone uses Pentax gear, or the similar Samsung cameras.
Axel uses a K20d camera as the EXIF detals on some of his pictures show, and his Pentax Gallery confirms this.
David

Thanks David, I thought we had to post EXIF in both comps, but I stand corrected. I am aware that the "save to web" option in Photoshop strips EXIF data, which is why I never use it.

I'm not disputing in any way that the winning picture was taken on a Pentax, I have seen a lot of Axel's pictures on PPG (some real crackers among them!). It is a worthy winner, an excellent and poignant image.

However, it is nice to see what lens and settings were used on any photographs posted on the forum, purely from a learning viewpoint.

Rgds,
Jon.

Thanks David for the Judging and congrats to the Winners.
Indeed it was mud. Shot taken towards the end of their'shift'I think, as the mud was getting very flakey. I think they were well worth the euros I put in the hat because there was no way they could have got up for a stretch (like other of the genre do) - all the mud would have fallen off

Hi everybody - and a special Hi and thank you to David that you liked my picture so much (especially as I did some changes to the picture such as using a color key or adding a white horizon). Congratulation to the other winners (adi – I love your pic and thought that I have no chance this time when I saw it) and contributors – so many amazing shots.

Some words about the Exif data. I know that most of my pictures don't have them - this is due to two reasons:
1: For me, photographing is always a two step process - the taking and the post-processing - many of my pictures are HDR, a lot are crops or somehow reworked in Photoshop (like reducing lens distortion, or adding a color key). During these processes (especially when cropping or when compiling an HDR out of 5 original shots), Exif-Data gets lost (I think, there is a way to preserve it, but I somehow never took care to add activate this feature in Photoshop). I hope that post processing is not a show stopper in a community of a camera producer but I assume that many pictures get some level of post processing 
2: I am not so much in these technical details when making pictures - it is more a gut feeling that let me decide, which focal length I use, which shutter speed or aperture - hence I somehow do not pay so much attention to these settings afterwards. I know I should do more because beside all the creative things that makes a good picture, it is also the technical thing behind that decides how a picture appears.

I promise I will provide more of these information in future entries . To let you know about my pervious pics – this is really a short story ( as although I love photography I still use a very manageable "photo bag"). My pictures are taken with a K20D using the 18-250 mm (I love, not to change the lenses - especially as I took most pictures outdoor). As I do many HDR shots, I also need a tripod which is a travel tripod and ball head from Benro. One day I hope to get the Sigma 105 2.8 Macro and the Sigma 10-20mm wide-angle zoom lenses, but this is currently out of budget . Oh and I definitely stick to Pentax also in the future as long as their cameras make such great colors come with a sealed body.

Hi David - thanks for an interesting competition and your comments on my entry.

Well done for the very detailed judging and many congratulations to the winner AxelLuther - a very moving composition indeed.

Regards

Tony