Weekly Competition #301 - Feet Competition

Thanks for all the entries. A varied selection with some admirable creativity on show. And a few shots taken during the competition which is always good to see. As always here are my thoughts, neither the right nor the wrong opinions, just my ones:


En Pointe - Gartmore

A classic motif and a nice one to kick start the competition. It's all rather soft and noisy, but I rather like that look without really knowing why. There's something evocative about it which I think is enhanced by the lo-fi look.

Walk On By - Aliengrove

A striking image with a clear message enhanced by the interesting viewpoint. I like the strong connection of the viewer with the beggar. The motion blur adds to the message. I might clone that white patch on the left edge.

The 199 Steps - John Riley

This scene I think is made as interesting as it can be with this imaginative choice of viewpoint. I like the worn contours on the steps, which speaks of the passage of time, That is enhanced by the fact that we can't identify any of the visitors, they aren't important, transience contrasts permanence. The dead sky is a bit of a shame.

Rollerblades - Johnha

I like the idea of the colourful rollerblades standing out from the trainers around. Difficult I know, but I am left wanting a bit of a wider view, especially with just the toe top right.

Sunbeam stiletto - Simonarron

A really well spotted photo opportunity. Red is just the right colour for this shot. A real tease of an image with a frisson of the erotic.

The Final Six Feet - Tyronet 2000

Nicely interpreted, brought a smile to my face. The desaturated sky has given the image a rather odd feel and I rather like that. I can see that you have taken the vertical from the headstone but the jauntiness of the church isn't quite working for me. I'd prefer it straighter or jauntier. Maybe jauntier in this case to further enhance the strangeness. Brownie points going out and getting it last week.

Bare Feet Feat - Jim-W

Good wordsmithing on the title and interpretation. Very difficult to shoot this on a bright sunny day, which is invariably what you get, and not have the coconut picker shaded, so the detail here is well retained. It's not immediately obvious what's going on without the description but limited web display sizes don't help.

Feet In Time - Pixelshot

Another good interpretation. I like the idea of the shot but 10mm seems a bit wide and ends up looking more of a record of the moment. The portion of the image I find interesting is the woman's hands and the pallbearers, less so the rest. If we could see the mobile phone screen then I think a closer crop would pay dividends.

A Dog's Life - Dr Mhuni

I like the weariness and resignation portrayed in this scene. Nice detail on the mutt, good choice of depth of field and the motion blur again enhances the image. The blue/purple colour on the apparel does seem a bit strong to my inexpert colour vision. Good timing and a sparse scene concentrate the interest.

.....Up to Imaginiation - Velimir

I agree, I like images to speak for themselves. I presume here we have a scene from a play. I like the pose and sense of motion and the couple of scattered books, it does make you wonder what it's all about and I prefer that to knowing. I do think true verticals and a less central composition would benefit the image, the right hand side space I find a bit redundant.

My Day On The Tube - Toner_monkey

Something very imaginative from a very ordinary moment. I like it. It is the amusing from the mundane. Is there scope to align the horizontals a bit more? Quirky and interesting.

Hangers-on - Perspicador

Strong yellow isn't easy to photograph, it blows easily and I think that has happened here in parts. Good looking caterpillars but if there were a closer view and we could see the feet then I think it would match the theme better.

Little egret - Coker

The pose is very good, well timed. The feet are striking an prominent enough to put this wildlife shot well on theme. I do find the image quality rather lacking and there are blown highlights resulting in loss of detail, white birds are always so tricky. Whereas some image types can get away with it I think wildlife shots are rather less forgiving.

Walk This Way - GaryJohn

A handsome looking shot and the low, close viewpoint enhances the clear tracks. I don't mind the barrel distortion as I think the curved horizon somehow partners the oversized looking footprints. I would lose the dark top left corner though, probably just losing a slice from the top, including the clouds, and thereby simplifying the scene even more. I think there are a couple of dust spots on the horizon too. Nicely done.

Splash - Aokisani

Another amusing image. At first sight it looked like the head of a dog, then I saw the foot sticking out. Not much needs to be said, just a funny moment and an enjoyable shot. I'm not sure it was shot with the theme in mind but the timing was ideal.

Babyfeet - Annieogg

A classic feet shot and a nice memento of your grandaughter. There is a touch of motion blur, a little more even with this type of shot wouldn't be a bad thing. It is rather tightly framed on the left but I suspect that is absorbed more easily in triptych form.

Feet In Unison - SteveF

Good timing. I like the streak of blue to punctuate the dark tones. Difficult to capture this indoors cleanly with the older sensor and noise is evident. Ideally the space would be to the left but it's difficult with a moving target. Fun shot.

Steel Horse Feet - AxelLuther

It doesn't look like an optical illusion. If there's a rest of a horse on top then it's a colossal statue. I kind of want a wider view here to put everything into context. This is like a teaser trailer. Intriguing. I do find the background a bit distracting, it gives a sense of scale but on balance I wonder how a shallow depth of field would have looked, the bokeh with all those light sources could be good.

Rhythm Of The Feet - Noelcmn

A scene full of vibrancy and life and it fits the theme very well. The tight circle draws the eye and gives the image a very dynamic feel. The lighting isn't easy but it was about the moment. It could be levelled if there's enough space without truncating the protagonists. But I think there is enough feelgood factor and sensory quality here to overcome some technical considerations.

After The Walk - GlynM

That nice moment when the boots come off. Good composition with the opposing diagonals. Perhaps not the prettiest thing to look at, but it's what I asked for. I always appreciate an image shot for the competition too.

Cling-on Feet - JAK

There are a lot og good things about this image, the pose is spot on, the background is nicely out of focus. But the image quality could be better, it looks oversharpened to me, possibly to make up for a soft image, and the price of that is the presence of artifacts. It doesn't say 'feet' to me in the way that other images concentrate more on that aspect.

Left Behind - CMW

A nice idea, the inclusion of the boots gives this image a sensory quality as we can image the refreshment of a paddle. The light is high contrast and I might prefer some fill light on the boots which are further darkened by thee vignette, but the message is clear and the photograph is interesting. Another good example of how an otherwise ordinary scene can be made interesting by the infusion of creativity. That was really the idea behind the choice of subject so this is a fitting finale.


1st SimonArron

=2nd Dr Mhuni, Aliengrove

=3rd Noelcmn, Toner_monkey


HC Everyone else, why not.

Good choice of a winner there-as said-enough of a teaser to keep the viewer occupied. Like the angle and more so the mystery of the placard. Congratulations Simon. And of course to Dr Mhuni, Aliengrove, and Toner_monkey to be congratulated too. Thanks for the 3rd place, it was indeed vibrant and pulsating. regrettably I could get all that noisy background stuff out of the way.

Many thanks for the rapid assessment and congratulations to all the winners!

Congratulations to the Winner and other places. Thanks for an interesting subject, judging and comments. I'm pleased my entry made you smile

Blimey. Thanks for the vote of confidence - and compliments to the other nominees (everybody, basically). Fresh competition will be posted shortly...

Thanks for the judging the and joint 2nd, Dr. O. Congrats to simonarron (in particular) and the others you singled out.

Great Judging. Great Deserving Win. Great entries. Great!

Well done to the winner and places and thanks to the judge for comp and judging

Jim.

Congrats to simonarron, and thanks for the second place! C ongrats too to my fellow podium places and thanks for a great comp!

I have to say I'm a bit surprised John Riley you have commented already on this comp, but no mention anywhere on the site by yourself or any other mods on the results of the landmark 300th competition? What gives?

Thanks for the judging and congrats to the top three.

It was a very interesting theme and the winning shot was very good.

John.

Thanks to Dr O for great juding and giving me a podium place.

Well done to all the other placed entries I agreed with them all.

As for my photo, I did want the individual feet to be a bit haphazard, however I agree it was too much. Once the flatten layers button was pressed there was no going back .

Apologies for being a bit late here, its been a busy week!

Many thanks for another great subject, great set of comments and well considered judging.

Congratulations all round.

Glyn