Weekly Competition #233 Joy Competition

Hi
as I said - for me a very unusual topic but I enjoyed it a lot (and many pictures really touched me). I very much liked the ranking system JudithAnn introduced a few competitions ago of having a set of fix categories with a score for each category and a grand total.
I just adjusted the categories a bit, as I thought, this way they fit better to the topic of this competition.
With such a subjective topic like joy, I am sure, that opinions vary a lot - therefore I might have seen a few things slightly or significantly different as you do. But hey – that’s art - it always leaves room for different opinions . In addition – you all might hear from my English that I am from Germany so please forgive me any unlucky formulations – they are the result of poor English skills – they are not meant to be rude…..
I was also pleased to see, that the topic was presented in many different ways - especially at this time of the year (if I had to judge 20 Christmas evening pictures, it might have been a bit boring - this way it was very exciting)

Full of Pep! by johnriley
this is definitely a picture showing joy in both faces. Always amazing to see how infecting the laughing of a child is. Sophie seems to be very entertaining in this moment and you managed to take this picture without raising her attraction to the photographer.
Although almost a snapshot scene, you managed a perfect timing and beside the motion blur (and this is only, because Sophie seems to have lots of energy ) technical perfect picture (lighting and focus).
I dislike the background a bit (the price to pay, when you have to shoot a picture just at the right time without a real chance to take care of the composition) but it is distracting a bit from the colorful scene in the foreground.
emotionality 4.5
originality 3.5
authenticity 5
technicality 4
Total 17

grumpy by SamHornabrook
I really had to smile when I saw this picture. It is funny to see how your sister tries very hard to look grumpy (I am 100%, when she is really grumpy, she looks different ) and how she can't completely hide the fun in her mimic. I also like the blurred cousin in the left, lower corner, spying in this scene and showing the real emotions of this moment - a really surprising and therefore very funny picture
emotionality 4.5
originality 5
authenticity 5
technicality 4
Total 18.5

Joy Unspeakable and Full of Love by JudithAnn
a very sweet and VERY emotional moment of joy. I fully believe you, that his emotions were just as you described it and working with these soft tones and slightly high key very much emphasizes this. I have only one problem (and this might be a very individual
problem) - very often, pictures of an older person with a baby (often father and baby) made by professional photographs, it is a kind of "pure naked body, holding the baby" composition - therefore it reminds me a bit too much of these kind of pictures. However, this does not mean, you captured a sweet moment in a very sweet way - this is really just my personal issue, that I see these pictures often when passing the shops of German photographers.
And there is one more tiny issue, which I always kind of dislike when I see it in postings here in PU. It is the labeling - I is somehow OK when it is a very technical photo or when the label is positioned in a kind of frame below the picture - but I think on such an emotional picture, it is really distracting (JA - this picture had your signature any way - also without the label I knew it must have been from you when I saw the thumbnail in the gallery view)
emotionality 5
originality 3.5
authenticity 5
technicality 4 (because of the label)
Total 17.5

Playing in the sand dunes by mudge
Always amazing to see these older pictures from scans in a time of mega-DSLR kits.... A very authentic shot - kids fully focused on their game and especially the little girl is so concentrated, she probably is not catching very much from the surrounding (I guess,
adults more and more loose the capability to so much focus on a fun thing). I like the typical strong colors of the diapositive and I also like the slight vintage style. The strong blue is very much contrasting with the golden background - only slight negative element is the crop (that with both kids - tiny parts of arms and hands are missing) - although - this might also be the result of the scan....
emotionality 4.5
originality 3
authenticity 5
technicality 4
Total 16.5

A proud father by abam48
A sweet moment as well when a strong man melts in the arms of his lovely little daughter and nice to see, that men don't hide their emotions when they are photographed in such a moment. However, the whole picture composition has too much snapshot elements to me, to
end up in a high rank in a photographic competition. The background is too distracting and his upper head is not cropped ideally (either not at all or a bit more would be better in my eyes) and also not ideal, that her hand is cropped as well.
emotionality 4
originality 3.5
authenticity 4
technicality 2.5
Total 14

Nick Craig by sandinista
A really good shot of emotions of a winner - not just joy but also being proud of what he just achieved. Amazing how little exhaustion his face shows - he must be very fit for either not being too much stressed by this local race or recovering so quickly from the race.
Also interesting to see a second joy in the face of the reporter who is obviously enjoying to interview the winner and to see the disappointment in the face of the competitor. I like the DOF tha is perfectly sharp on the winners face and blur on the guy behind (which emphasizes the effect of "the winner takes it all". Only very tiny point of critique (but this was not your fault as a photographer but more a result of bad luck) is the fact, that he is looking somewhere but not in the face of the reporter - if he would focus on the reporter, the whole dialog scene would be far more obvious. Despite that little thing a great and emotional portrait.
emotionality 4.5
originality 4
authenticity 5
technicality 5
Total 18.5


Kay by djmal1
Very emotional picture (especially when knowing, why she shows this open smile). I like the crop and the tone of her skin. I like the opens in her eyes and smile (I assume, she knows you very well) and I think this is a very strong emotional portrait.
emotionality 5
originality 3.5
authenticity 4.5
technicality 4.5
Total 17.5

Joy of steam by stephanie0812
a funny "big boys big toys" photo. His joy is definitely very authentic while the older guy seems to be a bit more controlled . I miss a bit the eye catcher in this picture - it is technically OK but I am always a bit too much attracted by the big green wheel and
not so much by the persons. So from a composition perspective perhaps not that ideal
emotionality 3.5
originality 3.5
authenticity 4
technicality 4
Total 15

Happiness by ArsenAl
This picture is great - I think I saw it already once in a competition or at least in the gallery and already at that time I thought – WOW!!!. The composition and timing are great, the technical quality is perfect and the emotions are so authentic - I love the fact that
she took her shoes of - she is obviously a fine lady but in this moment she is on the same sweet, happy level, as her little daughter..... I am sure, she loves the picture as well.
emotionality 5
originality 5
authenticity 5
technicality 5
Total 20

Rush hour by aliengrove
probably one of the most shining smiles in this composition. nice to see, that even when he realized that you make the photo, he did not stop smiling. The crop works very well, extracting the two out of this hectically scene of an Indian rush hour. For me a very authentic photo.
emotionality 4.5
originality 4
authenticity 5
technicality 4.5
Total 18

winning Betting Slip by BAJ
This is such an "infecting" face of joy - when I look in the pure happiness of your wifes face, I also have to smile. she so much shows her joy and it is great how she is posing with the slip. This shot was perfect timing and considering the time you got to take it - great technical quality
emotionality 5
originality 4.5
authenticity 5
technicality 4.5
Total 19

Water sprite by Dr. Mhuni
You again proved that you have such a talent to catch the right moment in a perfect composition. This picture is so clearly composed and technically so perfect, that it almost appears 3D when viewed large. The freshness of the clear stream is obvious and
leaves no doubts, why she is so happy (I would also love to take a bath in this stream). The color composition is also so nice - for
me one of my favorites
emotionality 5
originality 4.5
authenticity 5
technicality 5
Total 19.5

Pals by nipper
normally I am not such a big fan of CK but this one is really good. Also technically perfectly made but more important - it adds style and not "kitsch" to this picture and it puts the two kids in focus in a very nice way. I also like the processing of their skins - the soft tone and structure is so typical for children. The grey background is a perfect frame to these two almost complementary, dominating colors of the shirts and the strict composition is also a nice contrast to the emotion of the two (although - I think in this case I would have preferred to put them exactly in the middle - but this is not a big issue at all).
emotionality 5
originality 4.5
authenticity 4.5
technicality 5
Total 19

Abracadabra by RPLSF
I am impressed how much you left your normal level of PP to bring joy to your daughter – this is very sweet …. Actually I think it really looks a bit like a crystal ball but I wander, why you cropped the outer edges in each direction?... Might even look more like a glass ball by simply steeling such a thing in the web and paste your daughter with the sphere effect over it (I think, with this kind of picture style, that is a “legal” level of plagiat. The joy in here face is very real and it is also great to hear that she was so impressed by your PP effort and results. emotionality 4.5
originality 4
authenticity 4.5
technicality 4
Total 17

Childhood Joy by Rhoufi
Rhoufi – this is a lovely and so emotional and good street photo. You said you have been honored to have a chance to take this picture but I think it is also an honor for her, that someone captured such an intense moment in her life so wonderful. The composition is great – focus and lighting as well and even without your description of the scene it is obvious that something special happened in this moment. This picture clearly shows, why street photography is such an amazing subject of photography.
emotionality 5
originality 4.5
authenticity 5
technicality 5
Total 19.5

Winning! By alun
another great sports emotion shot in this competition. Also VERY authentic – you can really hear him yelling and it seems that this picture was taken less than a second after he realized, that he did win the race. Sharpness and lighting is perfect and the crop makes the whole thing complete as it really puts the focus on the athlete’s face (and still somehow shows the area of sport (watersport)
emotionality 4.5
originality 4
authenticity 5
technicality 4.5
Total 18

Over the Moon by TOZZA27
a very emotional picture but I needed your explanation to understand, that these emotions show surprise and joy and not being shocked, sadness or desperation. Without the explanation it could also be a picture of two persons witnessing a catastrophe (like an accident) or two who just received a very bad news. Only because of that, I give this very low score in the category “emotionality” – the picture is very emotional but for me, it looks not like joy – so sorry for that.
emotionality 1
originality 4
authenticity 5
technicality 4.5
Total 14.5

Carnival by robw68
The lighting in this scene is very wel captured (I am sure, this was not that easy), the composition and crop is not ideal in my eyes (either more or no spectators and I also think that there is too much on the left border and the nearly totally cropped structure on the right should also be totally cropped. The joy in the left guys face is very obvious – the right guy looks much more neutral.
emotionality 3.5
originality 4
authenticity 3.5
technicality 3.5
Total 14.5

Holly by DrOrloff
a lovely children portrait with lots of charming elements. She seems to be sooo proud to wear her 101 Dalmatians pyjamas…. Technically a bit too much highlight in her hairs but this is not a big issue.
emotionality 4
originality 3.5
authenticity 4.5
technicality 4
Total 16

Lucky Lad…. By paulgee20
- what a scene (and the logo on his shirt – puuh – is this a typo ). Wonder when he will learn that 4 of that kind simultaneously is not necessarily a big joy … This photo has a big entertaining factor and is technically superb (all 5 focus the camera – all 5 are pin sharp and you got all important elements in the picture
emotionality 4.5
originality 5
authenticity 4.5
technicality 5
Total 19

Twas the Night Before Christmas by Daisplott
Hmmmm… this picture really needs explanation to get the idea of joy – the picture itself shows no joy elements at all to me (and the level of noise also reduces the technical quality a lot)
emotionality 2
originality 5
authenticity 2
technicality 2.5
Total 11.5

Vitamin Sea by simonarron
I am not a big expert (no – I am not at all an expert) on dogs photography but I always thought, that a good dog picture should somehow show the typical character of a dog breed. I always thought that Labradors are a calm, friendly, nice breed of dog – however – looking at this dog I feel more like seeing a hunting scene. I assume, that running in water makes this dog very happy but I can’t help – for me, he/she looks very aggressive. I really don’t see any elements of joy – sorry for that…..
emotionality 2
originality 4
authenticity 2
technicality 4
Total 12

Beating Dad! by annatefkah2
This is a lovely scene (especially when knowing the history behind). However – the high level of noise the fact, that dad is not looking towards the camera and the distracting background are really strong quality issues in my eyes. The emotional factor is still strong.
emotionality 4.5
originality 4
authenticity 4
technicality 2.5
Total 15

Joie de vivre by Fotaki
This is a really joyful scene and a nice silhouette-style of picture. However – you shuld have selected the lower part of the picture and eliminate all noise by simply overpainting it with black…. I am also not a big fan of this style of frame but I can clearly feel the joy of this child.
emotionality 4.5
originality 4.5
authenticity 4.5
technicality 3
Total 16.5

Joy01 by bobtophat
For me this is too much of a snapshot style photo to be a competition photo… the whole composition is more driven by coincident than really being composed but it is still a very emotional shot.
emotionality 4
originality 3
authenticity 4
technicality 2.5
Total 13.5

Oriental Joy by davidtrout
this shot is really funny – especially as they more or less mirror the little picture in the flyer  - very self-ironic and great glasses (I am currently using very similar nerd-glasses . Technically very good for such a spontaneous street photo with a high level of smile factor
emotionality 4.5
originality 4.5
authenticity 5
technicality 4.5
Total 18.5

Pure joy by alexfilipov
a very dynamic and very joyful shot…. I like how you could freeze the jump of the 3 and because they all have totally different poses it is a very exciting dynamic shot. The sharpness is amazing (I assume, you perfectly got the moment, when they were all in the middle of jumping up and falling down)…. I can also see pure joy on each face – so in total a very good picture of joy
emotionality 4.5
originality 5
authenticity 5
technicality 4.5
Total 19

_____________________________

This was really a nice selection of joyful pictures (with joy due to many reasons). I clearly got some real favorites but all of the pictures did span a broad range of joyful moments. With some pictures I had some problems to see the joy but this is very much an individual thing – others might exactly see the joy element in these pictures.
I want to give an HC to all who achieved 19 points. There is a clear winner that got maximum score (20) and the 19.5 share the podium on place 2 (so no place 3 this time 

The winner is: ArsenAl with his picture HappinessPlace 2: Childhood Joy by Rhoufi and Water sprite by Dr. Mhuni
HC: Pure joy by alexfilipov; Lucky Lad…. by paulgee20; Pals by nipper and Winning Betting Slip by BAJ

Thank you Axel, I guess since we in Melbourne get to see the new Year earlier than most, I get to comment first )

"Happiness" and "Water Sprite" are both my favourites, so to be positioned between them is such an honour - thank you so much. Both these images are pure "decisive moments": spontaneous, real, candid and just radiate joy. Congratulations Arsenal and Dr. Mhuni. And well done to alexfilipov, paulgee20, BAJ for your HC's. Great topic for Christmas and well answered by all.

What a great presentation with your adjudications. I really enjoyed reading all your comments. Thank You so much Axel!

I too have seen and have done the skin on skin, body photos with Man and Baby showing lots of juxtapose between them both. In this shot here, the older child was not posed. He was laying in bed in his P.J. bottoms and when his mommy came into the room he asked to hold the baby, she placed the baby on him....he snuggled up, and I, who, was waiting to do a photo shoot of the baby, snapped this photo. Unplanned, and unexpected. It became one of my favorite "emotional" photos. I do agree with your thoughts on the matter

I also agree that sometimes the signature is distracting. I never really noticed that I had left it on. I know when you are the judge, your eye sees such great detail.

Now..... Congrats to our first place winner ArsenAl...His photo had such crystal sharpness to it, that I found it stunning. I do believe I saw this photo before....It was a worthy winner.

Congrats to all others who made the podium this week!

Regards:
JA

Many thanks Axel for the ultra-prompt judging and the second place. Congrats to ArsenAl for his nicely expressive winning shot and to the others you have singled out.

Many thanks for the prompt and extensive judging - although it's hard work to do a thorough judging like this one it's very worthwhile and everyone who participates gets a lot more out of it.

Let's look forward to the next one, so congratulations to our winners and we'll see what the first competition of 2012 brings!

Nice you understand te way I felt - Iwas sure, this was not a posed picture - it is a lovely scene that suffers a bit under the fact, that professionals often mimic it.... I often feel the same, when I take photos of famous buildings - I then often think: does the world need another shot from this building - the answer is probably no but I personally need one - I guess in your case, far more people then just you are so happy about your picture

Great judging Axel - and let me assure you your English is excellent.
Congratulations to ArsenAl, Dr Mhuni and Rhoufi for getting the medals and to all the HCs.
David
PS Its good to see several new names among the competition entries.

Thanks Axel - points noted and appreciated - my girls always show joyful emotions that way so I was a bit limited - great judging and a worthy winner - well done ArsenAl - and some top shots overall.

Tony

Well done Axel! Although judging can often be subjective, I, for one, totally agree with your chosen winner!

Congratulations ArsenAl for your winning "Happyness" ("Happiness"?) image, it's a cracker!!!

Congratulations also to others podium winners

oops! sorry for the mistake! Thank you very much for such a flattering assessment! thank Axel for the excellent theme and judging! I congratulate those who shared the podium with me! Axel is a random shot random girls at the fountain .. Unfortunately I still have not found the hostess to give her pictures ..

random shot - wow... even more impressed how well composed it is..... you seem to have the right eye and timing.....

Thanks for the quick and elaborate judgement Axel And for my HC too!

It's always a pleasure to participate in a competition judged by you!

Well done Arsen for top spot and runners up Rhoufi and Dr Mhuni, top quality shots. Hats of to all HCs as well.I had Arsen's shot pegged for the winner though it took a shot as good as this to beat some outstanding entries.

There is nothing wrong with your English Axel, it is probably better than many native borne peoples. You have made me look at my image in a completely different light. I was worried you might find the OOF competitor in the background distracting but to you it emphasises the nature of the winner takes all, which I can see perfectly from your perspective. Glad you also picked up on the joy on the interviewers face, I listened to the interview and they obviously know each other of old and there was some gentle mickey taking going on as well.

And now I award you 20 points for an oustanding competition and judging.

Late again to the table, I still want to congratulate ArsenAl for the win on an again wonderful entry. Thank you to Axel our asteemed judge for the detailed explainations of our entry placements. It is greatly appreciated. Now off to the garage to uncover the bike a see what I can do with it in there.

Well done ArsenAl, my favourite entry. Thanks Axel for your considered comments

Well done ArsenAl and the other podium places, thanks for the excellent judging Axel!