Weekly Competition #339 - Stormy weather Competition

Compliments to all for a thoughtful, frequently inspiring set of shots. From a field of 17, at least a dozen conjured the words “potential winner” in my mind. On, then, with a few thoughts…

Flooding at Skippool, by johnriley
Typically, John uploaded with Usain Bolt-like reactions when a fresh competition loomed. It’s thoughtfully composed and blessed with pleasing reflections, although the tranquil puddles reflect the calm after a storm, rather than its epicentre. Nice, though.

The Green Haze of Hail on Canada’s Prairie, by JudithAnn
Sounds like a Brian Eno album title, circa 1972. Beautifully exposed and ripe with dramatic splendour, but I wondered whether it might look even better as a shallower, letter-box landscape, to draw our eyes away from the dominant clouds and towards the distant hail pellets.

Storm Brewing, by AndrewA
Our forebears shot b&w because they had no alternative, but the old ways often remain best if you want to add menace and mood to a landscape. Here’s all the evidence you need, Lovely.

Stormy sunset, by cardiff_gareth
Dark and brooding with a contrasting flourish, this is another beautifully exposed shot. As with JudithAnn’s hailstones, I’d have been tempted to experiment with a shallower crop, to dispense with some of the redundant clouds and amplify the drama. Terrific, even so.

Into the Gloom, by RalphHardwick
Scores top marks for highlighting the charms of pastoral Suffolk – and is cropped in a manner that would have suited one or two other entries – but conditions have yet to deteriorate sufficiently to add a truly tempestuous edge.

Cb, by aliengrove
I have spent several hours of my life trying to capture a decent lightning shot – usually in Malaysian downpours, where frequent forks make it look easy but the photographic results prove it isn’t. Electricity apart, I like the contrasting cloud shades – a triumph for expertly judged manual exposure. As with others, though, I’d prefer a slightly shallower crop, with the top of the image a centimetre or so above the main lightning bolt.

Ballintoy Beach, by Sean282
Broad vista, melancholy monochrome, oodles of motion… there’s plenty to like (although I’d be interested to see some EXIF data, for the sake of idle curiosity). The long exposure adds drama, but some of the spray looks a little ‘blown’ and short on detail. That said, these extreme bright spots provide a striking – and complementary – contrast to the adjacent shades of slate.

Taking shelter, by Jim-w
Stared at this for a few minutes before I’d even noticed it was wonky – and to be honest I find the quirky angles quite appealing. My eyes weren’t immediately drawn to the weather aspect, but it’s there in the background of a very striking image with some lovely, subtle tones.

Together in stormy weather, by darlene
This is terrific. It’s nicely framed – and the red coat lifts the image without being too dominant. The body language makes this a very warm image, despite the obvious wet and cold.

Ocean Explosion, by Hayzeedays
Assessment becomes trickier by the frame. Yet another fine shot – clear, crisp and amply dramatic: the top of the tallest wave appears to be merging with the base of the distant clouds. I have very little experience of Devon (although I once passed through during a single-day trip from Land’s End to John o’Groats) and this hastens my urge to explore.

Storm clouds over Valkenburg, by tyronet2000
Looks almost like a painting, but I don’t think the K-7 has a digital oil filter. Mine didn’t, anyway. Love the contrast between the splashes of brightly coloured Dutch housing and the partially leaden sky. Great composition, too, without a pixel of wasted space.

Glenfinnan, by JAK
I’d shorten the foreground slightly, but otherwise this should be a trigger for all of us to rush to the nearest camera fair and pick up an ME, Spotmatic or similar. Great atmosphere, great balance, great everything.

Calm before the storm, by Prieni
This harpoons my previous fetish for shallower crops, because it works perfectly just as it is. The bad news is more impending expense, because I clearly need to explore the Baltic, as well as Devon…

Tracking a storm in Kruger Park, by noelcmn
…and South Africa. Proof that you don’t always need to search hard to find a great photo opportunity. Sometimes, it suffices simply to look up.

Cor… look at that, by drofmit
Drama? Tick. Menace? Tick. Storminess? Tick. Shrewd composition? Tick. All wrapped up in a thoughtful explanation and with bonus points for owning a Citroën 2CV (we sold our last one 20 years ago – I keep scouring eBay for another, but prices have become a bit silly).

Aftermath, by ken2390
A disturbing piece of reportage that reflects recent reality for many UK residents. Tells an uncomfortable story very well.

An African storm, by gamka
Does what it says on the tin. As mentioned earlier, I yearn for a shot of anything with even a trace of lightning. If I were to be picky I’d probably clone out that bit of tree on the right-hand side, but that doesn’t dilute my envy…

The author cannot he held responsible for any rubbish opinions, for these are the only ones he has, but after lots of ‘ums’ and several times as many ‘ahs’, I decided as follows.

1: Storm clouds over Valkenburg, by tyronet2000
2: Together in stormy weather, by darlene
3: Ocean Explosion, by Hayzeedays

HCs to pretty much everybody, but special mentions to JudithAnn, AndrewA, cardiff_gareth, aliengrove, Sean282, JAK, Prieni, noelcmn and drofmit.

Thanks again for entering. I shall now place the ball in the court of Stan…

Thank you to our Judge this week, even though he had a rough start (weather wise) he had a sunny ending!

Congrats to our winners, and I loved the "Together in stormy weather" it was so appealing and interesting.

Thank you for making me special this week...Loooking forward to the next round!

JA

Ta for the HC... we do get spectacular skies here at times...
but I've never seen a front like that one...
dead straight and like a breakwater...
it looked as if it was formed by a mould.

The 2CV made us buy a house in France!!
Honest...

As for prices, for a good-un they are cheaper in the UK than in France...
try looking on Le Bon Coin....
"they've" realised the value...
actually, to drop temptation your way...
there is a nice Dolly in the 2cvGB Magazine this month [only just arrived]...
11 months MOT...
only 57K on the clock...
on a galvanised chassis...
dent and rust free... £1600
and that's as 'cheep' as it gets these days.
Mail me if you want the 'fone no.

Congrats to Stan and the other podium places, well timed and judged competition too!

Thank you for my unexpected 1st place as there are some cracking images, so Congratulations to the other places and Hc's. A very topical subject well judged and commented by Simon. I must get my thinking cap on now and will post the new subject asap today.

Thank s for second place congratulation to first and third place also to HC
Aways appreciate comments and well judging , thanks Simon


http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/darlenephillips

Well done Stan. Love the weather vane in that shot trying to fight off the ominous clouds.

Well done to Stan for the win, lovely image, and well done to other podiums and HC's. Thanks to Simon for comp and judging.

Jim..