Weekly competition #469 On The Move Competition

On the move

Thanks for entering the competition and providing a good range of interpretation. The choice of winner and runners up, as always, is a personal one by the judge and no way does it undermine the value of the rest of the entry.
Splash landing by Perspicador
This certainly has movement with the birds in action taking off. Possibly too much movement as the birds are blurred as well as the background. Your shutter speed was 1/250sec which I thought would have been sufficient but working with a 200mm lens but you also need a steady hand for this type of shot.

Who dares wins by Tyronet 2000
Good panning here. Although the racing craft are not pin sharp they are sufficiently focussed to separate them from the surrounding water which clearly has dramatic motion blur. Fine colour and good action.

Cable power by wozfromcov
I'm nervous of heights too but I'm ok in cable cars, planes or even on top of mountains providing its not to near the edge. But can't stand going up ladders. I love the vibrant colours in this shot and the cable cars are certainly on the move. But the scene is just a little static for my taste, I would like to have seen some evidence, or at least a suggestion, of movement in the picture.

Drive by bforbes
I did a double take when this popped up because I have some of my own very like it. But then Barrie and I were at the same Durham Regatta a few weeks ago. This captures the action well (those boats go at a helluva speed) and you can see the effort involved by the crew. I like the movement in the water but wish the boat and crew were a little sharper.

Traffic through the fence by ramseybuckeye
This is a clever shot, not least because its shot through a wire fence. By getting very close to the wire you've managed not to let the fence spoil the picture; it's totally out of focus. The strong lines of the car trails lights are depicted very well and the exposure is finely balanced to create an accomplished night shot.

Spinning The Eye by Mag07
Wow I ducked when this came up on my screen. I thought that if it broke free from its bearings this thing would roll for miles creating havoc on London's Southbank by laying waste to all in its path. It's such an eye grabbing shot and so different from most views I've seen of the London Eye. And I love it in black and white. I'm not sure I know what you mean when you say you used the camera in composite mode. Didn't you just stick it on the tripod and use a slow shutter speed?
PS Just seen your post in The Forum about achieving this effect with interval shooting. What's the advantage of doing that rather than using very slow shutter speeds?

Sunset in the back garden by Glenn Thirlby
It's the sort of view we all enjoy in our own back gardens, restful, colourful and giving you the feel-good factor. But I'm not convinced it displays movement, the requirement for this competition, other than in the implication The Sun going down is a solar statement of motion.

The morning commute by JAK
Actually there's no motion in this shot either but it fits the competition topic perfectly because rush hours are tense and stressful daily experiences. The image is a clever piece of story telling, it's all there with the queue of traffic move at snail's pace, men at work signs and traffic signals. It was a fine touch to convert it to mono while retaining all the red in the warning signs and brake lights. Colour popping seems to have gone out of fashion these days but when it's done for a reason as it is here, it can be very effective.

Swinging pansies by davidwozhere
A vibrant example of ICM photography giving an impressionist feel to the picture as well as providing a large splash of colour to the competition. With intentional camera movement there's a lot of trial and error involved. Sometimes it doesn't quite come off and at others you end up with a brilliant image that many people will love and others remain unmoved. The success or otherwise can depend on the sensitivity of the viewer as much as on the skill of the photographer. I find this one a valid entry in the competition but not a winner. But full marks for giving it a try. And keep on experimenting; your next effort could turn out to be a masterpiece.

Validation Mission Possible by GlynM
I haven't seen the film but I enjoyed the shot of this huge plane coming in to land. What an impressive and dramatic image perfectly captured. Landing wheels are down and appear to be positioned forward-pointing looking just like a graceful swan coming in to land. I'm glad you included the tree tops to give the image context. The design of propellers is interesting; I wonder if some multi-screw ships have the same arrangement.

Shaky duck by MikeG
This is lovely. The colour is gorgeous and the action of the duck shaking the water out of its feathers is beautifully captured. The spray of water droplets is impressive but it's a pity they merge tonally with the darker background water. A greater separation of tonality might made this image even better. Its best seen large on screen.

Two gone, three to go by Mudge
It's an excellent combination of striking image and clever title. The Red Arrows can always be expected to provide great colour images and this one doesn't disappoint. The composition is wonderful with the trails of the two 'gone' aircraft leaving us in no doubt where they've gone to and the balance of the remaining three planes is in perfect harmony. The formation appears to be emerging from a knot of vibrantly coloured trail smoke to complete a satisfyingly balanced shot. Not an easy one to get right in camera but this certainly pulls it off.

Screaming young swallow waiting for dinner by MarqueeMoon
Yes it's got movement, birds don't stay still for long, but it's a pity about the cropped off tail although I can understand there was no chance of taking it again. I appreciate this was probably an instinctive snatch shot and full marks for giving it go but it's not sharp enough to make it a top contender this time round.

Hang on in there by Ken2390
Is the cash strapped National Health Service hiring out ambulances to raise funds? Perhaps not but this looks like a lot of fun. Racing old bangers always makes great photo opportunities. It seems you got in close as you were just using a lens at 70mm (according to the EXIF) and that's good in sports photography but I think you were just a little too close this time as the crop is awkward and I would liked to have seen a slightly wider view to get a better idea of the action.

Spinning wheel by Noelcmn
Two spinning wheels in one competition and I love them both although the images produced are quite different. I like the way you have set this up to create a really effective and imaginative image.

Sea weed by johnjm
The wave pattern is lovely, well detailed but ever so slightly blurry to illustrate movement. I like the green colour in the foreground provided by the seaweed.

BUPA Birmingham half marathon by simonmac.
A last minute entry but a good one. The look on the face of the girl at the centre of the picture shows joy and at the same time relief that the effort is all over - and well worth it.
Results:
1, Spinning the Eye by Mag07
2, Two gone, three to go by Mudge
3, The morning commute by JAK
HC simonmac, Barrie Forbes, Tyronet2000 and ramseybuckeye.

Congratulations to the Winner and other placings. Thanks to David for and interesting subject, the judging and comprehensive comments. Thanks also for awarding me a HC.

Concur with our judge on this one-if it came of its bearings, we are in trouble,. Great shot, worthy winner. Congrats Mag07, excellent composition. And congrats extended to Mudge and JAK, and the HC's simonmac, bforbes, Tyronet2000 and Ramseybuckey. What a great challenge, loved the variety of interpretations on this one. Thanks to our competent judge for the challenge, judging and comments. As always, appreciated.

Congratulations to Magdalena, it looked to be the winner all week, You will be very busy as a judge at the moment, leading both comps. I must extend my congratulations to the other podium places and HC's and thank David for his competition and rapid judging. You'r correct David my entry could do with being sharper. I did find the boat's difficult when closer up. The speed varied through the stroke and the rowers went at differing speeds to the boat. Maybe next year?

Thank you so much David and congratulation to other winners as well as my fellow 'spinner'. I absolutely love that photo. As for the mode used; I am certainly no expert but first, it allows for the long exposure effect in daylight without the need for an ND filter; second, it gives a bit more flexibility than using a filter - from exposure 'length'; the fact that you can opt to save every shot that is used to compose the final RAW and pick and choose any 'stage' of your photo later; short interesting timelaps potential - just cycling though all 40 takes if the spinning wheel is fun on it's own; to additional stacking potential in PP - and this is only the use if 1 of the 3 sub modes available (average). Not sure if it's a coincidence or not, but it also seems to deliver very 'noise free' results. That said, it's probably not all that cost effective if used a lot considering max shutter life . Might be better to stick to filters unless the extra flexibility is actually required, still, it is fun to fiddle with! Thank you again and I will post the next competition when I get another free moment

Thank you David for the competition and prompt judging. The winner was on display moments past midnight! Thank you too for the third place. Taking that gave me something to do from the top of a bus when I was collecting my new car when on the move wasn't moving very fast!
Congrats to the winner and other podium & HCs, some fine shots.

Thank you David

Almost time defying judging

The winner was a no brainer- brilliant.

Thank you for the HC-and well done to the winner, places and HCs.

Great critique- but I would only add that the critique for the last minute entries was a little short compared to those that has entered earlier.

Good job!

Cheers

Simon

Thanks for the second placing of my Red Arrows image, and for the excellent prompt and comprehensive feedback.
Congratulations to the winner (Magdalena), and all other podium placed submissions

Magdalena, I admire your Photoshop skills and above all your patience in constructing your image in this manner. I have neither that level of skill and certainly not the patience involved. It was worth it though for that wonderful picture of yours.
David

Thank you David, but this photo hasn't been in Photoshop. This was all done in camera; including the B&W Conversion. Was bored on the Tube on the way back and thought I'd look through the available filters - this is the Bold Mono preset. Somehow, suited it perfectly. I was surprised myself how well this photo turned out. Not sure this is a result of any particular skill - rather curiosity and persistence in familiarizing myself with all the camera has to offer. I'm nowhere near close to doing fancy stacking/blending in Photoshop; not just yet Cheers!

Many thanks David for a great competition, a wonderful set of comments, excellent judging and getting the results up so quickly.

Congratulations to Magdalena for another very well deserved winning image, the runners up and everyone else for a fantastic set of images.

Glyn

Well done the winners. There were some super interpretations and equally super shots here. Thanks for a stimulating competition David