Weekly competition #504: People performing Competition

WEEKLY COMPETITION 504 People performing
Thanks to everyone who entered for the entertaining pictures. My choice of awards is just my personal opinion and is not meant to identity the 'best' pictures, just the ones that I considered the most appealing. I've enjoyed them all so again, many thanks

Be very afraid by go4IT
Just the sort of thing I was looking for; you see many grotesque performances at various events, no more so than this . I'm glad you got close enough or used a long enough lens to fill the frame to give this plenty of impact.

Emma and Behla by Perpiscador
Great use of vibrant colour and two attractive girls to calm us down after the Barcelona street performer. I'm not sure if the girls were actually performing at this point because the act seems to have a between-numbers- feel to it or whether they were warming up for the next number. But it's a very good capture. I like the way the back drop design perfectly frames the two women.

Uriah Heeping it on by Pipinmels
The lights here are terrific. Set up to illuminate the act they become part of that act and a very important part of this eye grabbing shot. Love the character of the lead singer in action while the silhouette of the guitar makes a strong addition to the narrative in the foreground. On top of an Alp? It must have been cold up there

Day of the dead by Mag07
Spookey or what? The faces of the departed on the banners are a disturbing reminder of the loss of talent while the faces of the living look equally ethereal, one wearing a death mask and the other with a sinister smile. It was a serious event but also a fun tribute. Lighting must have been difficult so well done there.

Joan - Drag King, Hull, City of Culture by laupd
This is a picture full of character, Lucy looks like a star performer. I don't know if she's comedy or music but she's certainly giving the show full blast. You've got to be inspired just looking at her facial expression and body language. And I really like the out of focus guy with a slightly anxious look, playing a secondary role. Presumably he's audience rather than part of the act. And there's an even more indistinct face peering through the gloom in the background. Delicious. Hull's year as City of Culture seems to be going well. An excellent entry from a new member.

Air commute by i-Berg
This and the previous entry really appeal to me. Both feature strong characters and quality black and white photography. The strap hanging mime commuter has the sort of face photographers die to portray . His props work so well, the dummy hanging strap and the crumpled newspaper.

Medieval canon fire by JAK
Talk about the decisive moment. JAK's picture was shot in video mode as it seems unlikely the burst of fire at the point of discharge would not be captured even at a high shutter burst rate. This colourful image, complete with the re- enacters in period costume, captures the moment to perfection. The icing on the cake for me is the OOF figure on the river bank with hands over ears to cut out the noise of the explosion. I also like the crowd on the bridge, keeping a safe distance.

At the circus - Stretching things a bit too far by Vic Cross
Indeed, it's quite a stretch but she seems relaxed with the situation. No doubt years of practise and expert training went into perfecting this act. And the girl is a pro, smiling for the audience, or was that specially for you Vic? The limited colour palette, lime green, works very well and the act is separated from any distractions in the background by the lighting. The veils make for an interesting pattern.

Bubble man by Paul531
Well caught action in this very colourful scene. I wonder how many frames you took before getting one that you liked best. Action like this is virtually impossible to predict with everything moving rapidly so you have move with the flow. You caught the two bubbles well with gorgeous colour. I like the audience although the woman on the right edge of the frame might not be too happy about being sliced down the middle. On the frame edge, left, the sleeping dog is perfect.

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons by John Riley
The action and mood of the event is caught very well. I don't know if their extremely red faces are due to the lighting, could well be, but perhaps this could have been toned down just a little. I always admire the work of photographers covering live music events because of the challenges involved in capturing sharp action in difficult lighting conditions. You've nailed it here.

Parading at the Venice Festival by Michaelblue
This is a lovely colourful image taken in muted lighting on what appears to be a damp overcast day. The brightly coloured costume and umbrella stand out vividly against the muted tones of the beautiful backdrop of architecture which is so characteristic of Venice. It all adds to up a good example of travel photography.

Another night in Menxiang by JGI
A powerful eye grabbing shot caught at the height of the action from a brand new member. Extreme lighting and contrast add to the drama, even the small areas of burned out highlights contribute to the story rather than distract from the image.

Capoiera Group, Cale Verdi by Pauline Sunlady
What a colourful image. You can imagine the hot sun beating down on this attractive location while the performers do their stuff. The yellow trousers add a warm glow to the scene set against a wonderful mountainous backdrop.

Song Sung Blue by Tyronet
We can't complain about the bright colours Stan. She looks a bit apprehensive as she warms up for the show, presumably at the back door looking for a quiet spot to practice. The surrounding scene looks good with a good pattern in the stacked chairs and a lovely warm sandstone wall. But there is an overall softness to picture, whether its camera movement or a focus issue I don't know.

Concentration by Mudge
A scene from a village or town carnival of some sort, so typical of an English summer. These women are certainly concentrating on their carefully rehearsed bell ringing act. The sun shines brightly, the flags are out but the colour in the picture looks a little flat. Perhaps something to do with the post processing?

Rather them than me by Ken2390
Me too Ken. A change from street or stage performance this one - airborne activity in style. I'm glad you managed to keep detail in the cloudy sky but this has been at the expense of the planes and wing performers being rendered rather dark. But it's good to see a different take on performing people.

Street performers by Noelcmn
There's a sad tale behind this bizarre performance. While the artist might appear to be in a wacky act Noel tells us street performance is a serious matter of survival for many unemployed South Africans. The picture is a valuable piece of documentary and not just an entertaining photograph in a city where there's an enormous gulf between the haves and have nots.

I'm a fire starter, a twisted fire starter by NigelK
This surreal shot captures the drama and atmosphere of a fire breathing act without portraying the actual performer who appears only as an indistinct blur. The story is told almost entirely in the flames. An interesting and original approach to the subject and one with a lot of impact.

The solo performer by Drofmit
Another picture shot in difficult lighting conditions and one which has really captures not only the drama of the act but also delivers a high quality photo. I really like the classy rim lighting on the performers face and the sharp detail in his arm and guitar. Pretty good with a lens at 200mm lens and a very wide aperture.

He's got it by Simonmac
In contrast to the previous picture Simon's gone wide - 17mm- with this Birmingham street scene. It makes a great documentary photograph showing the lead performer and his co-actors in full cry along with their bits and pieces, including their clothes and the usual cash bag for spectators to throw coins into. And there's a good crowd in the audience, all set against the Birmingham architecture.


Results
1, Pipinmels
2, Drofmit
=3 i-Berg and laupd.
HCs simonmac and JGI.

Congrats Pipinmels - keep on Heeping On...

Well done Tim, laupd, the HCs and thank you David for the place.

Another well-chosen topic...

Fantastic winning shot that, so atmospheric with glorious lights and as mentioned that silhouette of the guitar is a magical addition. Worthy winner. Congrats Piipinmels. Congrats extended to Dromfit and i-berg and laupd. I thought Air Commute would definitely be on the podium. Congrats too to the HC's Simonmac and JGI. Another wonderful challenge, enjoyed viewing all the various interpretations so a hearty thanks to David for the challenge and critiques, always appreciated,

Really enjoyed looking through all shots, congratulations to Pinmels, a very atmospheric shot and thank you for the feedback on my entry. Valued.

Lovely winning shot... the lights create a strange hazy feel to the shot... very Heep'ish!!
I shall have to have a Heep session.... when my wife is out.... she's not too keen on my musical tastes...
especially as I tend to use concert volume.... nearest neighbours about 800yds away
Thanks for my second place... the lens was the Tamron 70>200mm Zoom... excellent quality of glass!
A lens that I am very glad I bought... and waited almost six-months for because of a parts shortage...
and the picture was hand-held... however, my elbows were on a table!!
I loved i-Berg's shot... especially the paper which must have taken forever to make as it looks to be the individual sheets glued together....
a real "hats off" to that performer!
A great competition that resulted in a pretty good turn out! And speedy, constructive judging... although I do think, David, you read Perspicador's shot wrong...
the movement says the cellist is playing pizzicato... a cousin of mine is a well known cellist, so I am at an advantage here.... and the guitarist is leaning in towards the mike... so singing... and joy of joy, they are enjoying entertaining!! Actually, that last seems to come out in a lot of the entries!!
Looking forward to the next competition.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you David for your comments

Thank you for my second wining shot of 2017. Davidtrout, This was taken during the warmish season. Up in the alp it was a comfy 27, but down in the village was 38 so a very pleasant temperature.. But sleeping overnight in a tent, then your your answer is yes, it was cold LOL..

Congrats to Pipinmels - excellent winning shot. A big thank you to David for the completion and comprehensive feedback.

Regards

Paul

Thank you David for my HC and thank you for your comments.

Well done everybody. A great performance all round......Doh!

All the best

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