Weekly Competition #241 - Close up/Macro Competition

Just a thought... could these competitions run Sunday to Saturday?
It would give the judges an easier run at writing the comments... and possibly, just possibly, mean that there were more entries spread over the week where the subject calls for pictures that might not be in peoples' archives... Viz: ArsenAl's subject for competition 242 of "photographer and camera in shot"

I think this is a great idea - also for another reason - if you hear that you did win a competition, you have to think about the new topic - in a monday morning work day situation, it is sometimes a bit difficult to have a nice idea - spending a nice Sunday morning with this question might help a lot (at least, it would help me )

Sunday to Saturday, Monday to Sunday, it's all 7 days. There is nothing to stop you assuming you are going to win and that gives you all week to think of the next subject.

True - but the last months showed that it often took a while until competitions were judged or new ones defined..... Tiny changes like this, sometimes bring great process improvements, but if the effort to change it is too high or when the majority thinks, it is not worth changing, we can stick to the current time frame....

full reveiws of all shots will be posted early tomorrow.

I think we have to assume, these days, that people do not just work Monday to Friday so how ever you set the time frame it will not suit all.

Are we to get no comments on the entries and no runners up and HCs?
David


PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

A blind photograher....who'd have thought

I think we can not wait for the detailed comments the judge .. perhaps it is related some circumstances. thank you for your appreciation of my pictures! a pleasant surprise!

Just a tip. I find that marking with a points system. I use Composition, background, technical, craftsmanship and personal feelings. Allows to judge as they come in and saves that huge last minute rush.

Well done Arsen on your win.

Yes. well done Arsen.

Even if you just jot down your comments in Word or something as the entries come in, you can cut and paste into the forum when you complete the judging.

actually - I think this is somehow the only way it works - I once was offline in a week where I was the judge and had to do all on a sunday evening - reviewing pictures is somehow not an easy task - I really want to concentrate on each picture and look at it, make my thoughts andandand (and people like Arsen or myself then also have to write it down in a foreign language ) - all this in one go makes me tired and this is cleary a disadvantage for those pictures that are on the last positions in the queue - at least I am less patient then....
Therefore I start my reviews with the very first picture and try to have at least one review session a day to keep the number of pictures per session to a minimum.
I personally use a ranking system with 4 categories - so people can get a maximum of 20 points - this system helps a lot to identify the winner, podiums and HCs on the last evening, as you can focus on the ones with highest scores.
This helped me a lot to provide judging in time (meaning, within an hour after the competition was closed).

And congratulations to Arsenal for a picture with amazing colors and a surprising content (a bug doing the job of a bee )

Hi,
sorry for the delay...if I ever win a competition again I’ll review entries as they come in!

Forgive me if I seem critical in my reviews/appraisal but this is my first time giving a full review and I’m just trying to be honest and if anything seems critical it’s meant as constructive criticism.
In any case if I said a photos seems like a snapshot what I mean is that there's nothing in it that makes the photo stand out, if it was in a book/magazine I'd look at it and move on.


The Abominable Mothman by drofmit
Nice close up but I found the angle makes it hard to make out the moth properly- I can’t figure out where the head is. There’s only a very select part of it in sharp focus too.
Red Tulip by Katiem11
Lovely strong colours here. I’d like to be able to see all the stem and maybe crop out the closed bud to the left.
Two second exposure by tyronet2000
Nice idea, a bit different. The long exposure works very well showing the movement of the second hand. There’s a slight glare from the light source which distracts slightly. And being pedantic but the image needs to be rotated right ever so slightly.
Backlit Zebra Grass by davidstorm
Really lovely photo, works very well with the black background. Very dreamlike. I’d like to see the shot taken closer to the flower so I could see more detail in it.
How to take off now .. by ArsenAl
Lovely strong colours and good composition. This differs from other ladybird photos as I can see the surroundings. I love the detail, lovely and sharp & its legs holding on and the nectar stuck to it. And that it’s at the very top of the stem.
Get to the Point by prsjnb
Very nice and slightly original too. I like patterns and this is a lovely one, nicely spotted and I like how the ones in the foreground are out of focus.

Ladybird by milamber
Really great shot, strong colours and very sharp.
Spotty by paulgee20
Fabulous shot, great detail in the wing! Works very well with the green background too. Another contender for the winner.
Ball Pointless by Dodge69
This one confused me slightly; I see the ball point pen but found the surrounding very distracting. A nice idea for a photo though.
The Ring by GaryJohn
Looks like a real antique. Nice idea to shot only part of the ring face, makes it more interesting than if the entire face was showing. I like the composition and the back of the ring out of focus

Down to the Roots by Darlene
An interesting tree, it sure looks like an old tree. I like how the tree is bright and the rest dark. But it’s not really even a close up shot is it?

Dragonfly: SAnya, China. By Frogfish
A great, great shot. It’s another contender that could easily have won. Lovely and sharp with great detail. I really like that you’ve included some of the leaf that the dragonfly is standing on, a lot of photos like this are cropped extremely tightly around the insect.

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day... by alexfilipov
Nice shot showing the mechanism of the watch, I like the composition- having ‘Tagheuer aligned perfectly vertically on the left hand side. You can really see the mechanism of the watch
Bonus point for the title as I love music and photography and enjoy the novelty of having related music titles. (I give all photos in my blog related musical titles)

Cool Cat by stopher
Another contender for the winner, although not as ‘macro-y’ as the most of the other photos. I like everything about the shop- the glow around him, the sharpness in the face, that he’s looking directly into the lens, the sharp whiskers sticking out.
Black and White buzz by Sandinista
Yet another potential winner. I’d love to see this in colour; it works very nicely in B&W but in colour I imagine it’d be bursting with yellow (in a good way). Nice composition.

Nozzle by davidtrout
Looks like a giant watering can reaching out. Nice to be able to see all the holes in the nozzle but it seems like just a snapshot.

Sweet Treats by johnriley
Pleasant, colourful picture, a kids’ dream.

They'll come in handy - one day by Frogherder
Interesting/different subject but there’s a flash/light reflection. I’d like to have seen these closer up (more detail) though.
Pot of Pens by Lee5555
A colourful collection of pens and pencils but it lacks anything to make it memorable, appears to be just a snapshot, needs something more to merit a second look. Maybe pens/pencils bunched up closer and shot a lot closer up?
Liege and leaf by simonarron
Very impressive and sharp, great detail in the flies face, body and legs. Another contender
Country Vegetable Mix by GlynM
Another colourful photo, doesn’t look as appetising like this though!

Morning diamonds by Kvetka
Nice pattern of drops and the insect adds to it. I’d like to see this taken closer to the insect to see it in more detail.
Butterfly Encounter by DrOloff
My God, you’re ugly! Another potential winner, great capture and it appears it’s looking right at you. I like that you can see what it’s standing on. If only the other ‘thing sticking out from its head’ was full in view.
Popped Out by geordie01
Slightly over saturated maybe? My eye is drawn to the Fairtrade sticker but for this kind of shot it should be the banana. I’d try it with the sticker removed and the banana leant forward slightly. Yet another contender!

I look to you by Dorothea
Fantastic photo! I love the composition and that I can see the surrounding and stem of the flower. Looks like an alien reaching out. Another potential winner, very close to winning.
Tick-bite fever by Noelcmn
Nicely composed and nice range of colours.
Lego 4X4 by Sean282
I like it, different thinking. A fun photo, nice angle; right down in the grass.
Red eyes by AxelLuther
Impressive, looks like extreme macro. Nicely lit up and works very well with the total black background.
Feather by coker
Nice ‘abstract-y’ pattern. I don’t know if there’s a shine/reflection from the flash or if that’s just the texture of the feather. I’d like to see it taking up the whole frame (without the empty blackness to the right).
Celtic Cross by mudge
Works well in B&W as the background doesn’t distract. Nice pattern in the cross but it’s not a memorable photo.
Orange Art by bforbes
I like this, looks like a Rothko painting. Thinking differently and nicely spotted. Is it a little bit over saturated or is that the natural colour?

Common Garden Spider by VonBatCat
Very good shot, looks like a giant of a beast. Works well with the black background.

So:
First: How to take off noww
Second: I look to you
Third: Dragonfly

Honourable mention:
Cool Cat
Butterfly Encounter
Spotify
Black and White Buzz

Congratulations to all. Patrick I think you gave yourself a hard job for your first judging by picking such a good and inclusive subject. But no worries you have done yourself proud.

I`m sure AndrewA and I would appreciate a comment - we were on page 3 of the entries !!!???

Well done to the winner and runners up - that`ll teach me to "get in first" for a change .................

Hey Ho

Tony

Thank you Patrick for the subject and the summation of the entries. Pleased to come 3rd with so many excellent shots, especially since I didn't read the rules and thought it hard to be a shot taken within the week of the competition

ArsenAL's entry was gorgeous, perfect DoF of the ladybird, loved Dorothea's Praying Mantis and also a special mention to Dr O's head-on butterfly, an unusual angle and beautiful shot.

Thanks Patrick and congratulations to ArsenAl.

I liked your pic Tony, even if Pat missed it


regards
Bernard

Many thanks Patrick for a good subject which I think was certainly demonstrated by the number of outstanding entries it attracted.

Thanks also for your reviews and judging. I know how difficult and time consuming these can be. A great first attempt. May there be many more.

Congratulations to Arsen for the fantastic winning image. Well deserved.

Glyn

Worth waiting for the ajudication... the bit in sharp focus was the 'face'... eyes, nose, mouth and moustache... and you weren't meant to see the moth as a moth... it wasn't a natural history shot. It was a Mothman! Perhaps I titled it wrong... or should I have cropped it tighter? Anyones comments always welcome... many more pictures on flickr... I find the comments on peoples photos as instructive as the pictures are subject provoking!

Keep them different.

My three were ArsenAl's [I love the pollen all over the underside], Morning Diamonds [I could live with this at A1 or A0 size on the wall] and then, equal, the young Praying Mantis and Butterfly Encounter... but at least 50% of these give me food for thought.... if only there was 48hrs in a day!!

At least digital film only costs time... I was always a slide photographer... and you had to count all 36 exposures... now I go out with 500 plus in the camera... and another couple of 'rolls' in the pocket. It gives the freedom to experiment.

Sorry, I did see the two photos that I didn't review. Will do it...

Congrats to all. Some stunning shots here. Good judging Dinneenp.

Congratulations to Arsen. And thanks for the detailed comments Patrick

Many thanks for my 'honourable mention' and the excellent judging.
Congrats to ArsenAl and the placings/mentions!

Yeah, I reckon we might win now!!!

Thanks for the mention and well done to the winners.

Round of hearty applause for the podium finishers and the HMs.

Good choice, Patrick, and well done for not collapsing under the weight, and quality of the entries

Jon