Weekly Competition #293 - Polyptych Competition

Thanks all for entering. Pity there wasn’t a bigger turnout – I’d anticipated that it would be an open subject, simply requiring a trawl through the archive to find a suitable combination of shots. I thought it might be instructive for people to play around with different combinations of their photos, something I’ve been meaning to do myself for a while. But I guess there wasn’t much appetite for this – judging by both the lack of entrants and the nature of the photos entered which tended more to the sequential than the contrapuntal. There’s nothing wrong with sequential of course – it’s just not primarily what I had in mind.

I anticipated that it would be a problem if people didn’t upload large versions of their entries which I could click through to view. What I didn’t know was that there was a width limit of 1,000 pixels for even these larger images. This has complicated the judging somewhat as it is hard to get a good idea of the quality of some of the wider images which I can only view at a very small size. Doh!

Anyway, here goes (with the usual caveat of this being just one person’s opinion):

Judith Ann – High wire act
The sequential juxtaposition works well here, bringing alive what would otherwise be fairly ordinary shots. I like the hair. I think to elevate this to another level either more uniformity in composition/frame (burst mode with a static camera) or – conversely – greater variety (different angles of view through repeat performances of the action) is probably required. BTW I’d clone out the wires at the top.

Wvbarnes – Cormorant
I find the juxtaposition here actually confuses me rather than it giving added coherence. I understand that this is presumably the order in which you shot them, but to me at least the sequence isn’t clear enough. There’s too much of a jump between the first and second shot; the placement of the third (top right) and fourth (bl) shots disrupts the flow; and I think I want a further shot after the sixth with the wings further extended (like in 3). I think it would have been stronger if you’d restricted yourself to five shots (omitting the first) and laid it out in a single line (though of course this would have resulted in rather a long thin final image).

Bforbes – Beach huts
This is one of those shots I really want to see larger as I imagine it would make quite a difference in its impact. The colours are subtle and good. The detail in the wood appears to be a nice element. The composition and repetition seem quite effective (though perhaps a tad more variation would have given added impact – as it is, it looks almost like you could have just shifted the colours in PP, though I know (or think) you haven’t!). But all in all I think this works well as a graphic image – if only I could have seen it larger as the 1000px limit may well have diminished its impact (not your fault).

Axel Luther – My kids
A very nice take on the family snapshot genre, expertly done (no surprise there given who’s taken it). Good attention to detail too (eg. the grey/green cushions). Not much more to add really – it’s a good idea, well executed. Must be great to have on the wall at home.

redsocks – Pano vision
Another image which is a little hard to judge due to the width restriction. However, I’d say that this doesn’t really qualify as it is not a triptych but a blending of three images into one. Even at this small size, though, I do like the idea and the execution. It’s a playful image with lots for the eye to absorb.

johnriley – Going, going, gone…
Oh dear, another one hampered by the width limit which is a pity as at this (almost) thumbnail size the IQ looks good, with nice colour and good detail. Red and green are of course a classic combination and the tiles add a further variation on red nicely into the mix. The content is good too. It would perhaps have been stronger if you could have got a shot of the woman looking at the board on her own rather than walking away, but that would probably have required artifice. Or would it have been better? The more I look at this the more I like it.

VonBatCat – Love forever
Nice idea and cleverly done. Two things detract from the image for me. First, I find the images of the graffiti a bit dominant – the woman is overpowered rather. Second, I’m not so keen on that b/g.

drofmit – The Hockney…
I think this works very well. Perhaps the sky’s a little dark for my taste. But I like the way the house is positioned in/but apart from the elements. The two views (of opposite sides of the house presumably?) are good, but without that offset square the whole wouldn’t work as well. Maybe I would have positioned the inset photos a little higher in the frame. I’d be showing my ignorance if I asked if this was a Hockney technique?

GaryJohn – Early reader
An amusing period piece – from the fashion to the furniture to the film colours. Perhaps needs something more than a variation in the subjects’ attention to really elevate it, but it is fun and I am enjoying its retro feel. Love that spindly plant - and I wonder what the blatant daydream article had to say!

aliengrove – Windows
A triptych shot as a single image? Hmmm, I think this counts if only because, regardless of its origin, it is very triptychy. I like it. Those distorted reflections to the right are great. I think I might try to inject a bit more brightness - into the sky/cloud in particular (using layers to avoid getting blown areas). But I think this works well.

tyronet2000 – Off & on
This one’s a bit small to judge too – unnecessarily I guess as it could have been wider. I like the low key context and the colours are good. I like the position of the cat/candle. However, I think it would have worked better if you’d retained the same perspective for both shots.

DanielH – One, two, THREE
Another sequential action shot. It seems to me to be a little static for this kind of sequence – more movement would have been good. The snow seems a bit murky in the b/g.

To the placings:

First, JR

Second, drofmit

Joint Third, Axelluther/Aliengrove

Here endeth the judging for competition 293.

Congratulations to the Winner and other placings. An interesting subject well judged so thanks to Dr Mhuni.

Greta topic - would have loved to see some more entries. Your judging is superb (with great sense for details) - thanks a lot for topic, judging and 3rd placr and congratulation to the winner (a series that also has a nice level of humor) and the others on the podium.
Axel

Many thanks for that, it's always a pleasant surprise to find I've won any of these competitions. The level of competition can be hard to beat! It was a pity there were not more entries and that always seems to be the case where a task is set rather than just a simple subject where a picture can be just looked for.

I'll post a new competition after breakfast!

Conrats, John, a really nice triptych, it works very well. Conrats to drofmit too, interesting take on the topic. I really like Axel's entry, great way to do a family shoot. Many thanks for my joint third, I wasn't sure if mine qualified or not. A shame there weren't more entries!

Congratulations to John and the rest of the podium. Thanks to Dr. Mhuni for his thought through comments on an unusual competition.