Weekly competition #519 Wheels Competition

WEEKLY COMP wheels
Not a big entry this week but one that gave me much pleasure to view. Thank you all for entering a wide range of interpretations. Because of the smallish entry and also because of the closeness in quality of all the images, I've not given any HCs as it would be unfair to select just a few from the group. As always my selection of the top three is based on my personal preferences. I can't presume to say which is the 'best' picture.

Winding gear by Perspicador
Once a familiar sight in industrial areas the few surviving pit head structures are now regarded as part of our heritage and attract many visitors. This one near Nottingham is a perfect example. It's been well recorded by Perspicador to show the engine house and the huge winding wheel. The point of view covers the subject well while a dull day has subdued the colours and given the picture an appropriate atmosphere.

Locomotive driving wheel by Anthony
Good detail in this abstract of an Irish steam locomotive. The bright blue contrasts well with the shiny metal of the big end and coupling rod and the rusted metal of the firebox.

At rest by i-Berg
This fantastic wheel has seen better days, and what a powerful picture it makes. The image is full of satisfying textures, and is that just a hint of colour? It looks as if the original was very elegant but now its sadly seen in reduced circumstances. A mono photo, but there is a hint of sepia creeping in. For me it has the sadness of faded glory and I can imagine this elegant horse drawn carriage in its hey day.

Scrap bogies by JAK
More great textures as well as wonderful shapes and patterns. The previous picture works very well in almost mono, in this the colour (rust) is so important. Scanned from a colour slide? I wish my colour slides that have been scanned were as sharp of that.

The London eye by Stephen-S
Beautiful, almost pastel colours in this attractive photo of one of the biggest wheels it's possible to photograph. Its also a fine documentary shot showing the wheel and the Houses of Parliament on the other side of the Thames in perfect balance. The evening colour in the sky is gorgeous.

The wheelwright's shop by GlynM
Wonderful vibrant colours here, particularly the red and yellow of the cart components. It's a busy shot with lots going on as you would expect in the workshop and its well documented. I wonder if those huge yellow wheels are going to be fitted to the little cart which already has two smaller wheels. I like some of the other detail in the shot including pieces of equipment highlighted in the window. Good on Glyn to go out and shoot something especially for this competition.

Door opening assist contraption by Abe-Normal
My first reaction was to wonder if this really is a door opening device or some sort of medieval implement of torture in the castle. As it is it looks an extremely complicated way of getting a door open. Is it somewhere the general public go or is this something only experienced staff have to negotiate. But getting back to the wheels they look decidedly modern and are shown to good effect in this accomplished image of mechanical ingenuity

I want to ride my bike by Pippinmels
This could have been a confusing image but the repeating patterns of the parked bikes are very well defined and make a satisfying picture of a familiar street scene. The more colourful bikes really stand out and the manhole cover in the road mirrors the wheel shapes.

MV Swift's steering wheel by Mudge
Well spotted Mudge, and thanks for the historical details. What a pity the vessel is no longer steam powered. I'm sure the appropriately shaped clock was not originally centred in the ship's wheel but it makes an interesting feature and is useful for the visitors. The shot has been well handled in possibly difficult lighting conditions and even more likely, crowds of tourists.

No Water left by Ken2390
Probably a good thing there's no water left if those windows immediately behind the wheel belong to the hotel. Had it been a working wheel the creaking, groaning and splashing noise all night might have disturbed, or even delighted, some guests. Good to see this and record it.

A steamliners wheels by Drofmit
The Duchess of Sutherland as restored to its 1930s condition makes a fine sight in the National Railway Museum. The problem shooting pictures here is that the shiny paint of the exhibits picks up reflections from the many overhead lights which have ruined many an otherwise fine photo. Here the highlights seem to have largely been kept under control which makes me wonder if you used a polarising filter to dampen them. If so top marks, if not you were lucky.

Spinning wheel by Noelcmn
I hope no wheelchair occupant was harmed in any way during the filming of this picture. I had visions of the poor person lying hurt after being tipped out. However I'm sure Noel wouldn't have done anything that drastic to get this eye catching and imaginative image. The degree of blur on the spinning spokes is just about right. The shutter speed was well chosen. Too much and detail might have been lost, too little and the point of the picture would have been lost.

Time traveller by John Riley
A late entry which came galloping up on the rails in a tight sprint finish. This expertly crafted photograph has brilliantly sharp detail throughout - tightly cropped to show just enough fine detail. There's real satisfaction in seeing the craftsmanship involved in both the clock workings and the photograph.

Results:
1 i-Berg.
2 John Riley
3 Stephen-S

Many thanks David - congrats also to John and Stephen-S. As was said, quality not quantity this week.
New comp will be posted shortly.

Many thanks David for another great competition. I think 13 entries is not bad so you did not need my other pictures . As usual from yourself an excellently managed competition with a fine set of comments and judging all very promptly presented.

Congratulations to i-Berg for the superbly crafted winning image, the runners up John & Stephen and everyone else.

My archive now has 30 odd new wheel pictures so I am ready to do this all again .

Glyn

A spare wheel always comes in handy from time to time.
David

Wonderful winning image, old wheels are so evocative, this one in particular is superb. Congrats I-berg. Lovely story there! And extended to Johnriley and Stephen-s. Thanks too to Davidtrout- fine challenge and equally fine judging. Particularly appreciate the variety in this challenge.

Very disappointing to see so few people thanking David for his efforts.

It takes a lot of time, effort and commitment to run one of these competitions to David's standards and I think all entrants should just spend a few seconds writing a few words of appreciation.

Glyn

Yes I agree. Sorry I was out all day yesterday and when I had looked at half past midnight the winner was shown but no comments. As it wasn't me I just got on with my life as no one was waiting for me. So, thanks for the comp David and well done the podiums.

Thanks for the thanks and to Glyn for his kind comments. But my satisfaction when judging these competitions is to see how different people interpret the various set subjects.
Over the past year or so I've been disappointed at the drop in entry numbers for the weeklies. I've been on this forum for almost nine years and I've always enjoyed the competitions. In my early days it was quite common to get 30-40 entries every week. Now 20 seems to be about the best you can expect. This is despite the fact that membership of PUF is now considerably higher than a few years ago.
Is it time for a change in the format? Setting a subject and picking a winner is quite easy, the hard part is writing comments on every entry. I know this puts some people off. Is there another way of doing it - perhaps a voting system where the winner is chosen by popular choice. All the entrants in a competition could comment on their favourites, leaving that week's winner to just select the next subject.
Just a thought, any other ideas?
David

David - good call. Some clubs (ours included) have two parallel systems - popular choice and the judge's. Popular voting is all on-line.
No doubt though that the learning / perspective broadening for entrants is by way of the c&c, and merely giving any image a 'like' doesn't offer the former.
YMMV...

Thanks for an interesting challenge and speedy judging, David... I'm terribly late with this... as my pictures usually are... but we're extremely busy in the potager at the moment.
I'm surprised that you didn't get more entries... wheels are everywhere!!
I had iBergs winner to be in the top three... but had nothing to challenge it... well, I had one...
but one look at the end of the file name told me it was taken with my F#ji 602Pro... long departed, but still in daily use by the friend to whom I sold it!!
I really liked the second place shot... but John, there is a problem with taking pix like that, you need to get your watch cleaned!!
The London Eye shot is a lovely choice of viewpoint... it makes the "hustle&bustle" of London vanish!! And the gods gave some beautiful lighting for it, too.

One picture made me sad... the shot by Mudge showing the wheel of M.V. Swift... like you, David, sad to see that she'd been broken up.... I haven't been to the Lakes for aeons... but I never got to see her in steam, we used to go to Bognor Regis in the Fifties and eat fish'n'chips in the rain on the sea front!
No use these days for such a large boat... but the other three are still running... Tern is my favourite!! Swallows and Amazons Forever!!

David your comment about mine being lucky... not luck, positioning... you are so right, I had too many reflections off those lights.... there are still some intrusive ones near the front... but I'm not too worried about those as they seem, to me, to enhance the shape... and they are golden. Yes the lights were a problem, and there were too many people most of the time as well... this was taken at Lunchtime! That hour of relative calm... still people around, but with gaps.
The main light came from the shed skylights, but the outside light was really good which negated the spotlights.
I moved until I had the skylight running the whole length of the shape... that removed the main intrusion and made it part of the picture.
Post processing... I darkened the sky top left... it was almost too bright and very distracting... and I darkened the very silverbright, lighting gantry top left... I am still wondering if I should have removed that altogether??

Reading the above comments about judging... I wouldn't like to see this format change... but perhaps the competitions need to be more up-front... the news and reviews less so... but the rub is... that is where ePhotozine and Pentax User earn their money?
As I said at the start, I'm late with my usual diatribe because I am at the moment extremely busy with our veg for the year... and I am up to my neck in moths.... [another story]!
This, though, is a time when people are outdoors more, time spent processing pix is usually at a minimum.
And, I think people don't put as many real pictures up on the internet...
they appear... and are lost forever... on Facebook... I see pix by people who used to be entrants here on the various Pentax pages there.... Mr. Forbes is one...

Flickr, for example, and other sites like it... but especially Flickr... are just too big and heavy now... full of bland rubbish... a picture on here uploads in seconds... the same picture on Flickr takes three minutes because there is just too much traffic to them... people dumping their whole cards while on holiday!!
So... for Mssrs Riley and crew... a challenge of a different sort! :::

In relation to the judging - I have always thought that the competitions are one of the best features of this site. I think one of the key strengths is that they are set and judged by the photographer who won the previous week; it makes the participants part of the process. I also find it quite interesting to see how / what different people see in the images presented and I always look forward to constructive comments on my images. So yes thanks for you comments David.

I would not object to some sort of most liked image being added, but if the competition was judged by the same person every week I think it would loose its appeal.

Does the judging put me off entering? - not generally but being of working age if I know I have a really busy working week or will be away the following week I do think twice at times. It may be an idea to review the time the weekly competition ends, midnight Sunday is not a good idea when you have to be at work the next day... Midday Sunday would be better!

I am a member of Hexham Photographic Society we have introduced a digital competition judged by members last year partly due to a drop in participation in the print competitions. Images are judged anonymously via simple vote for your top 3 images but we do encourage comments, that are shared post competition again on an anonymous basis.

I didn't realise you were up here in the North East Stephen. I know Hexham PS very well, have visited a few times and I know quite a few of your members there.
David

Yes - its best place to be... I do remember you doing a talk at Hexham - but it was a while back.