Weekly Competition #68 - Childrens Expressions Competition

Ok here it comes. I hope my spelling and grammar is OK so you understand everything. If not please let me know:

Beginner: A lovely shot – great smile and good eye contact. BW conversion is done nicely – suits the shot. A very pleasant shot indeed. I like it and it is a contender this round.

Haworth: Haha – great eyes – this is a classic expression. It says all. He really think it is a funny thing that camera. The top corner of the background is very different then the rest. Really to bad as it attracts too much attention. Next time clone that out – and it would have been in the top 5.

Daniel Bridge: Another great eye shot. Made me laugh. A true expression. Great light and lovely converted to BW. The background distracts me a bit and it ruins my experience of the shot. Especially the white picture just next to her head. Perhaps it could be burned a bit to take the worst of the reflection/light.

Rossi: This is a great picture. I like it a lot – and so did the wife. We both had a big smile on when we saw this the first time. I would probably crop some of the foreground. To much grass for my liking – but it is never the less one of my favourites this round.

GivingTree: Nice shot of your daughter. She seems to be thinking and I like the mood of the shot. Composition is good. I not sure if it is a bit soft – perhaps it is done by purpose to bring out the dreamy effect? A lovely shot. I might have made it BW – I made a try and think it looks better.

Cabstar: A lovely portrait. I really like his expression. He loves the camera I would have loved if you had cropped more. Too much background and to much space around him. A crop could have moved this in to my top 5.

Hefty1: I like this shot. It is very different from the rest – well done posting a shot like this. Lots of faces to look at – perhaps to many. I keep searching for a resting point in the shot. A shot of just a few kids with the rider would probably have worked better on me. Regardless I like the fact it is very different and a good approach to the theme.

Honesty: Hehe – she is funny. A funny picture to look at. You know what is going on. Nicely captured by you. A bit soft perhaps. To bad about the boy in the background. It somehow disturbs the shot that he has the girls hand in the middle of the face. I’m wondering what she is laughing about.

Galoot: I like it. Intensity – good eye contact and a bold crop/composition. Lovely done. Perhaps a bit soft – but still one of my favourites this round.

Pnjmcc: Another good crop/composition shot. I really like these close ups. The expression is well captured. My only negative comment would be that I had loved a fill in flash for this shot. It is really to bad that the areas around both eyes are so dark. Still a class shot though.

PentaxAngel: A good portrait. I’m not sure I’m a big fan of selective colour and that might ruin the chance this shot had this round. You did very well to make the selective colour. Is that really her natural colour? It looks almost too lightblue to be true. Another thing - I keep looking at her hands – wondering what she is doing and why. The hands tell their own story, but the eyes wants attention too. Not sure if this is good or puzzles me more….

Soundsofsulphur: LOL – this is a classic. As a father with small kids I can imagine the situation perfectly. I would have loved the shot to be a bit sharper – the faces. The toy is sharp, but here I want his face to be sharp. Perhaps a black and white conversion would suit this to remove some disturbing background/colours.

Darkmunk: I’m not sure the title should by EEK. Perhaps Yummy should be the right title!! Regardless I think this is a very strong entry. Very well captured and it looks very good in BW. One of my favourites this round for sure.

Deecy: A very funny shot. I really loved watching this and it made me laugh. A entry in the top but it is crowded in the top this round. Perhaps a bit to tight crop on the left. To bad that some of the arm/shoulder is cut.

Amoringello: Wow this is good – very good indeed. Lovely expression captured and good composition as well. A true contender for the crown.

Beakynet: Wow – what great colours and lovely bokeh. The lens really did its job for this shot. Still the face is very sharp with a lovely expression. A bit side heavy in composition but I like it a lot - regardless. Excellent.

Anvh: Nice portrait and what a great smile. I would have had this in the top if the crop have been a bit better. To closely cropped at the ear. I think it would look great in BW as well. I’m sure his parents love his shot regardless. Well captured.

Chelseablue: They really seem to enjoy themselves. A good situation to capture. It is a bit like Hefty1’s shot. Good to have another view of the theme with several children in the shot. What puzzles me a bit is the fact the all look in different directions Funny when doing karaoke. Perhaps a crop of the right side would have removed the black stripe. In the other side I would have loved the arm not to be cut off.

Davidtrout: Nicely done and very different. I like the idea and it is well executed. The green leafs takes some of my attention. I view it like this: 1 blurred eye, 2 sharp eye, 3 leaf. To bad about the leaf. Perhaps you should have burned the background a bit. I hope you get what I mean here.

hkyynarpuu: Lovely shot and a great situation. A classic situation which you have mastered to capture. Being on the spot at the right time. Composition wise I like it as well. I would have killed for a view of the eyes. I keep wondering if it’s possible to capture the eyes at all in a shot like this. Regardless it is a very good shot.

Scottthehat: Lol - she is cheeky indeed. Nicely captured. I would have preferred a tighter crop to remove some uninteresting things at the right and left. Perhaps BW could have removed some the very strong colours of the bars in the shot. That would give the portrait more punch in this shot.

Father Ted: Hehe – what a funny shot. I love the way she sits straight up and sleep. I wonder if the school work (or something similar) was so boring -
The pencil is very pink – and keeps attracts my attention – really to bad. Background is a bit messy as well. Funny shot though. A classic for the family book. One she will kill you over the first time you show it to her new boyfriend

Neilr: Nice capture and good expression. I like it a lot. A closer crop would have made it a stronger contender for this hard round. The rabbit, fence and bucket takes to much attention for me. Perhaps a bit to harsh light as well. A fillflash could have made it even better.

Dr. Muhni: A like the mood in this shot. Both kids have this dreamy look. Nicely captured. I think the expressions are some of the best this round. The background just kills the shot for me. It is really disturbing – if you could remove the person in the window or tone it down somehow – it would easily have made top 2.

Ganners: Classic portrait. Good expression and nice touch with the tears. I like it. It is simple but still has impact. Well up the ladder!

Pete the Caver: A funny shot – with a lovely expression. Exposure is very good in this shot. Great skill. A shot that normally would have made a top spot – but this round is so hard.

Taluca: Cute boy – nice shot and a good composition. A few flaws in the composition ruin my experience I’m afraid. 1 the dust on the censor – really to bad. 2 the leaves at the right. You should have cut them out. They take too much attention and ruins your good portrait.

Johnriley: Not sure what to think about this one. The expression is very good. Perhaps to harsh a shadow in the face - on the right side. At the same time I fell the finger is an important part of the shot, but it is very blurred. I’m not sure it is technical possible to make it sharp – but I would have preferred it. I had hoped that you did not crop of her arm at the right as well.

Womble: Ohh I like this very much. Nicely captured and good atmosphere. I played around with the crop. You should have cropped some of the bottom off. You have a black bar under the table with no interest. A tighter crop would have improved this shot. With so many great shots this round, this could easily ruin the chances. Regardless – the expression is one of my favourites.

Beebee: A very funny shot and well executed. I not able to find anything I would have done differently. It is very well executed. It is line for a good finish for sure.

Kacsoisti: I really really like this shot. Great use of subtle colours to bring out the mode. Well executed and good composition. I like the dreamy effect and her expression suits wonderfully with the effect you have created in PP. Perhaps the flower in the hair is bit to light – but regardless I think this fits the theme perfectly. An absolute stunning shot.

Gartmore: Great control – really well executed. I see I have a lot to learn when it comes to flashes. A cracking shot with a nice expression. A top contender.

Ttk: what a nice expression. A lovely little chap. Well captured. I only whished that the background would have been better. The legs behind him ruins it for me. Perhaps a bit soft as well, but well spotted.

Ok this was extremely hard to judge. I did not expect it to be this hard. The past many weeks I have wondered why they all wrote it was so hard – now I know. It is just so hard and you really do not want to disappoint anyone. My judging is my own opinion and I really hope I have not insulted anyone this round. That was not my intention. I hope I have made some valid comments and please comment anything.

This was a very strong round. A popular subject I see. I had a hard time to find the winners this round. I made a top 5 and 4 commended shots.

I hope you enjoyed this round as I enjoyed all those wonderful shots.

The winners:
1: kacsoitsti
2: Darkmunk
3: Amoringello
4: Gartmore
5: Galoot

Highly commended: Rossi, Pnjmcc, beakynet and hkyynarpuu

Best wishes to all – and over to Kacsoitsti – well done!

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www.mieritz.net

No entry from me but congratulations to Nimitz for his judging of a very difficult task.

To the casual observer, they all seemed worthy winners to me

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Hyram

Bodies: K20D (2), K10D, Super A, ME Super, Auto 110 SLR, X70, Optio P70
Pentax Glass: DA* 300, DA* 60-250, DA* 50-135, DA* 16-50, DA 70 Ltd, FA 31 Ltd, DA 35 Ltd, DA 18-55 (2), DA 12-24, DA 10-17, M 200, A 35-70, M 40, M 28, Converter-A 2X-S, 1.4X-S, AF 1.7, Pentax-110 50, Pentax-110 24
Other Glass: Sigma 105 macro, Sigma-A APO 75-300
Flash: Metz 58 AF-1 P, Pentax AF160FC ringflash, Pentax AF280T

Thanks Nimitz that was some task, well done.
2nd place eh? - as someone said before, 'perfect ', fame beyond my wildest dreams but no homework next week
I went for comic effect rather than technique, my wife is a lot braver then me looking down at those teeth several times a day

Lovely shots everyone and well done kacsoisti - beautiful dreamy image.

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Facebook Page
Plymouth Photographer

Another great round and kacsoisti now please take up the task....

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Best regards, John

Well done Kacsoitsti on winning with a very artistic picture. Good judging Nimitz, its certainly a nerve wracking job judging the weekly competition. I appreciated your remarks on my entry.
david.

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PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

I wouldn't be so sure, Darkmunk. Kacsoitsi last logged in on the 21. October when the picture for the competition (taken with a Fuji Finepix BTW) was uploaded. No topics created, no contribution to any topics, forum-wise pretty much a blank sheet. Only one contribution so far (but that one really is a stunning pic).

Nimitz, well done judging this round. I didn't submit anything as I didn't have any fitting shots with model release (well, didn't even have good enough ones without model release ).

Prieni

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How inappropriate to call this planet earth when it is quite clearly Ocean. - Arthur C. Clarke
Prieni's PPG page

Thanks for the highly commended, and congratulations to the winner, a great shot and a very good example of what Photoshopping can add.

I do have a confession on my image though, I had my camera on program at the time and had not selected the apature and the picture presented itsely too quickley. The wonderful bokeh is really down to getting it right in Paintshop Pro! The origional background was out of focus but still too distracting. The tree is there to 'tell the story'.

Thanks again for very good judging.

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Bodies: K5IIs, K7, MZ5n, LX, MV
Lenses: DA*16-50, DA18-55WR, DA18-135, DAL35, M50 F2, A50 f1.4, FA50 f1.4, DA*50-135, DA55-300, Tamron 70-300, DFA 100 WR Macro, M135 f3.5, Sigma 120-400 APO DG HSM, Tokina 500 f8.0
Flash: Metz 58, Metz 48
Accessories: BG4, Pentax right angle finder, Pentax mirror adaptor lens, O-ME53 Viewfinder Loupe
Auto 110 System: Auto 110, Winder, 18mm, 24mm, 50mm, 70mm, 20-40mm, AF100P, 1.7x telecon

Well done Nimitz, good judging of a difficult subject. I have to say though, although I like the winning shot (a lot!) I thought the rules stated only pictures taken with Pentax/Samsung equipment would be eligible for victory?

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Joining the Q

I did not run the shots through exif viewer. I will ask John if this is a break of the rules and what to do about it.

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www.mieritz.net

I dont envy you having to judge that one Nimitz you did a good job and picture wise a worthy winner.

Thanks for the commendation.

Regards
PaulM

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All cameras are equal but.....
Some are more equal than others

Thanks for the judging Nimitz. You were always going to have your work cut out with this subject.

You're quite right about the background in my shot, of course. But I'm only just starting to learn the dark art of pp-ing, so the pic was minimally processed.

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Mhuni

500px

I find it quite upsetting that with the Forum Competition in its new location we receive entries from people who never post anything on the Forum.

It is great that we are getting entries from new people but not great that they do not contribute to the Forum

It is after all a Forum Competition.

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Hyram

Bodies: K20D (2), K10D, Super A, ME Super, Auto 110 SLR, X70, Optio P70
Pentax Glass: DA* 300, DA* 60-250, DA* 50-135, DA* 16-50, DA 70 Ltd, FA 31 Ltd, DA 35 Ltd, DA 18-55 (2), DA 12-24, DA 10-17, M 200, A 35-70, M 40, M 28, Converter-A 2X-S, 1.4X-S, AF 1.7, Pentax-110 50, Pentax-110 24
Other Glass: Sigma 105 macro, Sigma-A APO 75-300
Flash: Metz 58 AF-1 P, Pentax AF160FC ringflash, Pentax AF280T

Good judging, Nimitz. Congrats to the winner, I hope to see a new topic soon.

As for mine, I tried it in BW too. I guess I'm too partial to her golden brown eyes! Classic example of being too "close" to a picture to really see it. Thanks for your comments.

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"Just put your eye to the camera and push the button-thingy."
Flickr page:
link

What a shame that you feel people should be contributing more to be included in these competitions - I am new to this site and have posted in a couple of forums, but these competitions are fantastic for getting to know people and tap into their expertise. My confidence is growing and I will be taking a more active role as I become more comfortable with the layout and tone of the site. I have learnt so much just in a couple of weeks.

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Everything is possible - just not today.
K7, K100d, 18-55mm kit, 50-200mm, Sigma 70-300mm, 50mm f1.4, 16-45mm f4.0, 50-135mm f2.8

It is great to have new people submitting their photographs.

My point is that the Competition was 'born' in the Forum and has only moved recently to its current location, a move that has caused much controversy, since it was carried out with minimal consultation of the views of the forum members who actually created the competition.

When the competition was within the Forum, anyone submitting an entry was by definition, taking part in the Forum.

The Forum is a brilliant way for everyone to learn and improve their skills.

Far more photographs are submitted for comment 'over there' than here.

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Hyram

Bodies: K20D (2), K10D, Super A, ME Super, Auto 110 SLR, X70, Optio P70
Pentax Glass: DA* 300, DA* 60-250, DA* 50-135, DA* 16-50, DA 70 Ltd, FA 31 Ltd, DA 35 Ltd, DA 18-55 (2), DA 12-24, DA 10-17, M 200, A 35-70, M 40, M 28, Converter-A 2X-S, 1.4X-S, AF 1.7, Pentax-110 50, Pentax-110 24
Other Glass: Sigma 105 macro, Sigma-A APO 75-300
Flash: Metz 58 AF-1 P, Pentax AF160FC ringflash, Pentax AF280T

Thanks for the mention, Nimitz, I did 'soften' it a bit during processing, but to honest, I wasn't going to bother entering after I saw 'Darkmunk's' entry.

Have you ever seen a kid with a happier face ?

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link

Thanx for judge, and congratz all!!
Gratulálok István!!!!!

Although I didn't enter this round (kids are just not my thing ), I want to congratulate Nimitz on a job very well done. After seeing all those entries, I wondered how you could possible judge every single on, and keep on the nice words. You not only succeeded in doing that, but also managed to give some very good pointers and tips for improvement.So kudos for you, Nimitz. Of course congratulations on the winners, also. And although I liked the winner picked by the judge, for me Darkmunks entrie would have been the number one. Well done every body.

Martin.

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Best regards,

Martin.


Curious about my photography?? Just Follow the Light.

Big THANX to everyone. Big surprise to me, this is the first ever picture i submit to a contest. It motivates me to further work.

Thank you very much Nimitz for your comment and your great judging, you did it splendidly!!!
I didn’t cropped the photo though but I agree with you. I was already leaning against the wall so I just couldn’t move further backwards, the 100mm macro was just too long.
The winning shot is great and so are all the other photos, congrats to you all I would say.


Sorry I'm one of them. I just didn't had the time and I'm just starting with photography so there is still a lot to learn before I can give some helpfull advise. I could ask questions of course but a lot has already been asked (thank you all very much for that).
I’ll try to be active from now on and contribute to the forum, this even my first post so hello everyone!

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Stefan
[img]http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs28/f/2008/113/3/c/My_Great_grandfather_by_Davidgtza2.png[/img]
K10D, K5
DA* 16-50, DA* 50-135, D-FA 100 Macro, DA 40 Ltd, DA 18-55
AF-540FGZ

This picture was wrealy the first i posted on this site, because i discovered this site recently, when i purchased my first digital SLR camera, a Pentax K200d. About the forum, now that i have a pentax equipment in the future i will surely post, don't worry, i will need your advise . In the competition rules i haven't read, that only pictures taken with Pentax can submit.

Good to see you online and posting. A great job awaits you soon.

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www.mieritz.net

Well judged Nimitz, a tough comp!
Welcome to all the new folks. Maybe you'd like to introduce yourselves over on the forum in the new section so we can all welcome you properly.

Welcome to the PentaxUser site and we look forward to seeing you on the forum at some stage, where everyone is very friendly and helpful.

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Hyram

Bodies: K20D (2), K10D, Super A, ME Super, Auto 110 SLR, X70, Optio P70
Pentax Glass: DA* 300, DA* 60-250, DA* 50-135, DA* 16-50, DA 70 Ltd, FA 31 Ltd, DA 35 Ltd, DA 18-55 (2), DA 12-24, DA 10-17, M 200, A 35-70, M 40, M 28, Converter-A 2X-S, 1.4X-S, AF 1.7, Pentax-110 50, Pentax-110 24
Other Glass: Sigma 105 macro, Sigma-A APO 75-300
Flash: Metz 58 AF-1 P, Pentax AF160FC ringflash, Pentax AF280T

Thanks for the comments Nitmitz. Yeah, I thought it was a funny shot, but I probably should have tidied it up first before posting .

As the others have said..great job judging, you certainly had a lot to do.

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Getting there! Thanks to you guys

Pentax K10d, *istDL, Kit lens ( 18-55mm ), 50mm f1.7 lens, Tamron 70-300mm lens, Prinzflex 70-162 manual lens, Various old flashes.

Thank you Hyram and I know how wonderfull this forum is, the best I have ever seen thanks to the amazing people on it
Have posted something in the forum btw so I'm active

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Stefan
[img]http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs28/f/2008/113/3/c/My_Great_grandfather_by_Davidgtza2.png[/img]
K10D, K5
DA* 16-50, DA* 50-135, D-FA 100 Macro, DA 40 Ltd, DA 18-55
AF-540FGZ