Weekly Competition #300 - Atmosphere Competition

Thanks for all the entries! Some great shots as usual, and some very imaginative takes on the theme. Apologies for my slightly delayed results, I had to get up a 6am and go to work this morning. My comments, as always, are purely subjective. I've had a bit of trouble choosing a winner, but here are my comments and the results.


Boarding by davidtrout
A nice atmospheric shot of steam, it could have been taken years go on a film camera. I like the silhouettes of the people making their way to the train. I'm not so keen on the halos on their hair, but it's definitely got atmosphere. The one thing that bothers me about this image is that there is a very strange area to the rear of the carriage that I can't quite work out, where the light appears to come through the wall of the carriage. Above this is a curved light line. It almost looks as if something has been added to the image, though this is no doubt not the case. I keep finding my eye drawn to this area trying to work out what's going on.


Busting out all over by Perspicador
A nice enough shot of spring blossoms, giving the feel of spring, but I feel the image could do with more of a focal point. My eye wanders around the image with nothing to latch on to. It would also work better if it was a bit brighter, with spring sun lighting up the blossoms.


The Finish by tyronet2000
This image does capture some of the atmosphere of the end of a race, with people cheering on the runners. However, my eye seems to be drawn to the two people on the left hand side of the image, probably because they are facing the camera. In fact the man in grey seems to be racing the wrong way. That and the U turn sign near the finish line leave me a bit confused as to what I am looking at. Is this actually the end of the race? 1/20th sec is too slow a shutter speed imo. Some of the spectators are a bit blurred. I would have expected a higher ISO to have been used; a faster shutter speed could have still had some motion blur in the runners but not in the crowd. I'm also a bit confused as to the brnt out highlights on some spectators hair, being as it doesn't look like itbwas a particularly bright day.


City centre cycling by paulb531
This shot does capture some of the atmosphere of excitement on the spectators faces, it's a shame the bike is so blurred and moving out of the image on the left hand side. If the bike had been moving into the frame on the left right, this would have been a far more dynamic image. As it is, I'm left feeling I've just missed something. Like the previous shot, the shutter speed is too slow, and the spectators are all a bit blurred as a result. While I appreciate the light wa bad, it still seems strange to use shutter priority on an action shot and choose 1/30th sec.


Brooding Storm Clouds by DanielH
There certainly is an atmosphere of impending rain in this shot, with the threatening low heavy clouds. I'd dispute if they were actually storm clouds, they look more like cumulus than cumulo-nimbus, but that's not imprtant. I find the ground a bit bark, and the line of trees aren't that interesting. A bit of fill light could have brought out more detail in the foreground. if the image had been taken from ground level the silhouettes of the trees could also have been more prominent.


Cloister by Jim-W
I love church interiors, they always seem to be atmospheric. This one is a nice enough shot, I don't think the wall on the left warrants the symmetrical composition. I really like the light on the right hand side, and think if you'd concentrated more on this, with an angled shot showing more of those beautifully lit windows, with the stained glass on the left of the image instead of central,the image would have more impact. This would still have included some of those lines of light on the floor. The exposure is bang on, as the stained glass has no burnt-out areas that I can see, which is quite difficult to get right. The ISO of 2500 is a bit high considering the shutter speed of 1/200th , you could have dropped the ISO and shutter speed quite a bit, which would have given better IQ and allowed you to get some more shadow detail, using fill light, from around the stained glass window, without introducing too much noise.



North Bailey by bforbes
The exposure in this is perfect, apart from that light, which there was obviously nothing you could do about. It certainly has atmosphere. I'd prefer to be able to see more of the building, but I'm guessing you had a 35mm prime on at the time. It would have been great to have a person in the shot, though with a 2,5 sec exposure it would have had to have been posed. A friend in my photography club in the UK actually asks strangers to pose for him regularly in scenes like this, and one night even got one to wear a fedora he'd brought with him specifically for the purpose. He won a competition with the resulting shot. You've obviously got to be a bit careful where you do that, though.



Relic of War by lynad
I can see what you were aiming for (excuse the pun) with this shot, but it's got too much dark area imo. A more panoramic crop would probably suit it better, or having the gap larger in the frame so the barbed wire stands out more would probably also work. I quite like it in a minimalist sort of way, but the huge expanse of black does make the image very dark. A bit of fill flash to show just a touch of detail inside the bunker would be another option, if you ever get a chance to re-shoot the image, though getting the exposure right could be tricky. Perhaps a blend of two shots would work.


Twr Mawr Lighthouse by Sandanista
I did say any sunset shots would have to be pretty special to get my attention, and wondered if anyone would be brave enough to submit one. However, this one is lovely. I really like the grass in the foreground, and the sky, especially the rays emanating from behind the lighthouse, give this image loads of atmosphere. Personally, I'd prefer just a touch more brightness on the grass, though this could make the image look unnatural if over-done. The lighthouse itself doesn't look too sharp, which is understandable given that the grass is in focus. A lovely and atmospheric image.


By The Light of The Silvery Moon by JAK
Nice reflection of the moon in the water, but I find the whole image a bit dark. It also does not look very sharp. Was it taken using a tripod? I think this image would have worked better in landscape format, getting rid of most of that area of black at the bottom which adds nothing to the image imo, and including more of the coastline. Personally I would have tried shooting bracketed exposures and using HDR software to get more tonal range from the image. The whole image has a bit of a blue tint, which is a touch too strong perhaps.


Piazza dawn by Dr Mhuni
A lovely atmospheric shot of early morning. I like the guy with the donkeys and the other people in the frame are spread in a manner which leads the eye into the frame. The processing suits the scene, though the IQ seems a bit lacking. I'm also a bit confused by that pole in the background that seems to dissolve and spread out as it gets closer to the ground. I'm guessing it's a shadow? There's also a bit of vertical banding in the sky and a halo around the tree. Lovely image though.


Love Triangle by velimir
What a quirky shot! Beautifully sharp around their faces too. I love the way the two dogs in the foreground are looking at each other, and the other dog is looking away. Personally I'm not so keen on the blue background, it would be relatively easy to change it, but that's just my opinion.


Rainbow by annieogg
I've yet to get a good image of a rainbow, and you've captured this one beautifully. Against the dark sky and with the sunlight in the foreground it gives the image a lovely atmosphere. The foreground does look a touch yellow, perhaps the WB could be tweaked a touch. I like the gate and broken walls, though the bit of tree on the left could perhaps be cloned out. Very nice image.


Sky-fire over the maelstrom of Ramsay by Daronl
Lovely clouds, but the area around the horizon is a bit burned-out. I can't see much eveidence of a maelstrom, either, the sea looks quite calm to me. The composition looks a bit awkward to me, and there's a lot of black areas in the bottom. Perhaps some fill light would bring out a bit more shadow detail?


Wattelez by Dr Orloff
A lovely atmosphere of decay in this image, and the HDR type treatment works very well. I love this type of image, really like how this is composed. Some people may think it a bit over-cooked, but I'm not one of them. I especially like the framing through the graffiti covered wall. I'm intrigued by the title?


Sefton sun by TimE
I love the clouds and the glass dome. The overall composition however looks a bit awkward, with just the upper part of the lower building showing, and this part is also very dark. I think it would have worked better with just the dome, or even the whole building.


Despair by ralphpiano
A great idea, and it is very atmospheric. I am not sure whether the image being blurred is intentional, and there's nothing in the exif to indicate that it should be. Unfortunately to me it just looks out of focus, and I don't think it works as a result. There are also some dark bits in front of his mouth that look a bit messy. They could be cloned out easily enough, but this image could probably do with being re-shot.

Recipe for a perfect day by davidstorm
I love the smoke and the beer bottle, and the line between light and dark. I find the title slightly cheesy, but it's a great shot. The composition, exposure and the smoke all combine to give the image loads of atmosphere. It reminds me of an old smoky '30's speak-easy. The only thing I find myself wishing is that it was an older camera and tripod in the shot. To me, the modern camera looks slightly incongruous against the overall feeling I get from the image.


First days of 2013 by ReklawyksEkul
This image gives a great sense of the atmosphere of bustle in London, and is really colourful. I find the blurred people far right a bit distracting, as they hide quite a bit of Big Ben. The clock-face is also a bit burned out, but I know how hard it is getting images in these lighting conditions. A real contender.


Congratulations by Noelcmn
Great eye contact between the student and the person presenting the award. I find the composition a bit awkward, with the man chopped in half. The white balance also looks a bit odd, the colours don't look quite right to me, or perhaps they are just a bit over-saturated. There is also a strange pattern on the wall between them, which looks like a bit of cloning gone wrong.


A van passing in heavy rain by pixelshot
This makes a lovely and quite simple abstract image. The blank top right corner is a touch unfortunate, but evidently this was an opportunistic moment, and very well taken. It doesn't scream atmosphere at me, but I really like it.


Party atmosphere by geordie1
Lovely to see people dancing on the street! Unfortunately for me the party atmosphere is rather spoiled by the young ladies expression, as she doesn't really seem to be enjoying herself. Good use of DOF to make her shaper than everything around her, I just wish she had a big smile on her face!


The Rapture by Dodge69
Those rays are magnificent! A really atmospheric image. Great processing too. I do find the horizon a bit too central however, and I think the processing could have been reduced on the clouds, as it works very well on the ground and the rays but leaves the clouds looking a bit odd in the darker parts.


Taj Mahal by rromero
This is a really lovely building, and I'm quite amazed how good this shot looks, having been taken on an Optio. Unfortunately, there's tens of thousands of images taken from exactly the same vantage points (I have several myself) You have got the exposure bang on for the sky, but I find the foreground a bit dark. A well taken image nonetheless.

Golden Wedding Fun
This certainly does capture an atmosphere of fun! Great expressions on their faces! I find myself wishing however that they were either looking at each other or one of them looking at the camera. Your Mum's face looks a touch out of focus, and I can't work out why that should be, as your Dad's face looks sharp enough and so does the wrapping paper in the background. I can only guess it's a bit of motion blur. A lovely image nonetheless, and one very much in theme for the competition.



Tidal motion by stopher
Great use of a Big Stopper, the water and clouds look great. I don't feel that the processing you have used here has been as kind to the rocks on the left or the lighthouse, however. The lighthouse almost looks like it's been added in PP, and the rocks on the left seem to lack fine detail. I think with some less aggressive processing this could be an incredible image.



Fade to grey by simonarron
Rather a strange title for a sepia image....I like the dappled light on the track, and I think sepia does suit this image. Although it's taken at 10mm it doesn't have the look of a particularly wide-angle image, though this doesn't detract from the image in any way. Do those trees on the right hand side really grow at that angle? An interesting image, and I can imagine old Alfas, Fiats and Maseratis racing along the banking.


Fun in the village by helzmo
I love watching Morris dancers, I used to live in a village where they would perform at a festival every year. This is a nice enough capture, but I wish I could see all of the foreground dancer's legs. The dancer on the left has his foot cut off too. I think the whole image needs brightening up a bit too.


Faded Seaside Glamour by japers45
A lovely conversion, and I like the symmetrical foreground. Nice rays too. I would prefer a bit more sky, as the bright centre looks a bit amputated. I think a grad filter in PP would make those rays stand out more, and reduce the brightness of the hole in the clouds, which tends to draw my eye away from the foreground. A lovely image though.


The last bed by AxelLuther
This certainly does have a bit of a creepy atmosphere about it. The treatment suits the subject, especially the cold steel of the beds. Compositionally, the image seems to lean to the right a bit, not helped by the fisheye distortion. An interesting and atmospheric image though.


Strom Brewing by AndrewA
A lovely atmospheric landscape, helped by a nice conversion. I used to go climbing here, and keep meaning to go back for a photographic visit. The image looks very slightly soft to me, whether because of the processing or from diffraction from the lens I can't tell. I have noticed that my 16-45 suffers from diffraction at apertures of f11 or smaller more than most of my other lenses, especially at the edges. This is borne out by Photozones test on this lens.


Fight or Flight by drofmit
You've done really well to get the two moving birds sharp at 220mm and f4. I like the patterns on the water, which give the image an almost abstract feel with the birds being fairly small in the frame. An excellent capture. I can't say however that I find the image particularly atmospheric.


Ideally, I'd like to award a joint first place, but obviously this can't happen. The fact that there is a Pentax camera in one of the best shots in the comp, in the 300th competition, very nearly swung me away from the shot that I personally liked best of all the entries. And, at the end of the day, it's a personal choice when judging a competition. It took me a while to make up my mind though, and if the camera in David's shot had been an old Spotmatic or similar, I would have chosen a different winner.

So, after much deliberation, here are my results

First place- Dr Orloff
Second place- davidstorm
Third place- annieogg

Highly Commended
davidtrout
AndrewA
Dr Mhuni
pixelshot
stopher
Dodge69

Whoops! meant to add Sandanista to the HC's!

Congrats to the winner, other podiums and H.C's
And thanks to aliengrove for the great judging and comments, not an easy task with so many cracking entries.

Jim.

Thanks for your time and effort in judging Jon, and also for the theme. There were some excellent entries. Congrats to the podium trio and also to my fellow HCs.
David

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

Congratulations to the Winner and other places. Thanks for the subject, judging and comments.

Stunning winner, Adrian, and compliments to all close challengers. Thanks, too, for the thesis-sized judgment, Jonathan.

Stunning shot Dr Orloff-speaks volumes of documentary. A worthy winner, Congratulations are in order. SO too for Davidstorm and Anieogg. And the HC's. Lovely bunch of images in this comp. Thanks for judging and your constructive comments Aliengrove.

A great subject and winning image. Thanks for your very constructive comments, Aliengrove.

Great topic this week.
Thank you for the HC and well done to the winner and other placers!

Congratz to the winner and the other place and HC, I'm chuffed to get a place. Thanks to Aliengrove for judging and the constructive comments.

Congratulations to DrO for his fascinating image and the other placings and fellow HC's!
Thanks to Aliengrove for the detailed judgements.

Thanks for the judging and HC AG. Congrats to Adrian and all the others singled out.

Thanks AG for the comp and excellent judging. Well done to fellow mentionees. I'm chuffed with the win as I very rarely do hdr. I didn't have much option as I didn't have a torch on me and didn't have time to go back before the comp finished. Wattelez is the name of the erstwhile factory.

Many thanks Jon for setting a worthy 300th competition, your great set of comments and judging.

Congratulations to Adrian for the excellent winning image, the other podium winners and everyone else for another great set of pictures.

Glyn

Cheers Jon for the second place, I am really pleased with this considering the standard of the entries this week. Many congratulations to Adrian for a worthy win, as soon as I saw his image I knew it would be there or thereabouts as it is so well shot and so imaginative.

Great judging comments too, all in all this was a great weekly competition.

BTW Jon, sorry about the camera in the shot, as I mentioned this was not a staged image and I had been using that K-m earlier in the afternoon to take some macro shots in the garden!

Regards
David

Thanks for the comments... but...
"I can't say however that I find the image particularly atmospheric. "
You obviously have never sat in a hide....
by calm waters...
only to have the peace shattered by a pair...
or more...
of Coot having a chase like this....
or worse, a kick boxing session!!

It may not be up your street...
but give it a try sometime!

Nice subject...
had to give it a lot of thought.

Congrats to the winner and I am a bit surprised as well aliengrove