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Weekly Competition #75 - Boots and shoes Competition

Competition Details
Closing Date: 14/12/2008
Judge: lenscape

Footwear. Nice and new and shiny or old and full of character. Sexy or muddy. I'll leave further interpretation up to you. Mono doesn't impress. rnGood luck.
Winner
Photo has been deleted
Competition Entries
lenscape
Posted 15/12/2008 - 00:30 Link
I know this was a tricky subject and the low number of entrants confirms that
many people thought it too dull to contemplate.

I wanted to see what people could make of something really mundane.

I have to say I've been really surprised.

I think all four placed pictures are excellent shots and even the two similar
shots which I placed at joint third are imaginatively constructed and expertly
executed. Both are just boots but still good enough to frame.

I am envious of their talent.

---

Here are the results and my comments:


johnriley: Boots

A nice shot with a lovely feel of fond neglect and the sort of character I
mentioned in the introduction details. It isn't as sharp as it could be and I'm
not sure about the vignetting.

beakynet: These boot are made for...

A dynamic shot that might go with a magazine article. You can almost feel the
splash but it isn't a picture I'd return to.

bigcog: Boots...just

Just the right amount of saturation both in colour and the mud. A lovely
colourful shot although, as suggested in the title, the boots are barely in the
picture.

Deecy: Cinderella

An appealing arrangement that is well lit and has an attractive shallow depth of
field. It looks like it might be part of a wedding photo set. For some reason,
the wooden surface just doesn't work for me.

beebee: National Memorial Arboretum

Overlooking the title, it took me a few moments to decide if these were real
boots or a statue. The background looks like the corner of a door and I
can't figure out how it fits together. The boots are quite bold and striking but
the background is distracting.

Prieni: Laced up

A simple detail that is well executed - except for the background. It's not
an appealing colour and the blobs, especially the one on the end of the lace,
are distracting.

Hyram: Shoes on Parade

I expect if this chap had known his shoes would be picked out for show, he'd
have given them a good polish. Plenty of contrast and more dynamic than most
other entries but not a very interesting picture.

gartmore: En pointe

A grainy shot but it suits the picture and the soft lighting is beautiful. To
pick holes in a great picture, I would have preferred a more eccentric layout
with much more space on the left. But a lovely picture. This was my first choice
until it was pushed out by later entrants.

josh: BOOT HILL

Much more about the grey cowboy character than the boots but a great picture
that has a real feeling of grime about it. He probably hasn't washed anything in
weeks. Again, because of the grayness, I had to look hard to decide if it was a
statue or a person. The guy's grey face made me think it was a mono but the
tufts of green grass suggest not. Surely his face has been de-saturated?

cabstar: Wedding shoes & bouquet

Another wedding picture but it seems a bit low on highlights and contrast. It's
very sweet but the shoes are less of a focal point than the bouquet.

Tony-O: BOOT SQUIRREL

Quaint quilted boot with a curious wooden squirrel. Nice lighting with a good
range of tones on the boot. The squirrel and the orange blobs in the background
don't add a lot - in fact, I think it might have been a better picture without
them.

GivingTree: There's No Place Like Home

Kids these days don't understand the concept of paired socks (I know mine don't)
but at least the shoes match. There's not a lot to interest the viewer here
except sparkly shoes. Had the socks both been white, it would have been more
striking but the concrete background is a bit dull.

johna: Just like my shoes

This is not a particularly attractive composition. These shoes are built for
comfort not good looks. I imagine you could make something of them but I don't
think this is it.

Ben76: My walking boots

These boots have seen a bit of life and shot in an environment they are
doubtless all too familiar with. A nice affectionate shot.

Bernadette: Night Before the Trek...

A great shot that looks like a peep into a tidy shoe cupboard. A nice arrangement
and perfectly lit. 3rd place (joint).

Rossi: Boot

This is a shot that I think would have been better defined with a bit more
context. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of its surroundings. You can
feel the cold coming off the frosty rim which seems to have defined the bright
spots on the image. The boot itself could have been better lit.

Malo1961: Framed

I like this. It's a clever composition that is good enough to put on the wall. I
admire the imagination and the work that clearly went into it. You don't have to
look too closely to answer the puzzle behind its creation but that doesn't
matter. It's a real tribute to the humble shoe and a great bit of art. 1st
place.

Darkmunk: incongruous

Excellent atmospheric shot with a hint of a mystery. Did he shed his shoes in a
last ditch effort to escape the torrent? The small aperture and long exposure give
the endless depth of field and misty river. I really like this. I'm tempted to
say that this is a nice shot that just happens to have a pair of boots in it and
that the boots are not really the subject. But I won't. 2nd place.

womble: Seduction

Another picture that tells a little story. A great idea that would have been
enhanced no end for me with a glimpse of bare bum just visible above the sheets.
That aside, it's well lit and imaginative.

Father Ted: Hoseshoes

The first picture that departs from the expected. A nice idea but the execution
doesn't quite work. The background is too fussy and I would have preferred a bit
more of the subject in focus.

SPB: All shapes and sizes

Although an attempt to create an interesting arrangement, it doesn't really work
for me.

GlynM: Glyn's Boots

Masterful composition and lighting. It has a cartoon feel to it. You almost
expect them to start talking to each other. A great shot and interesting enough
to hang on the wall. 3rd place (joint).

R o b: Old Boot gets £200

A slight departure from the norm. A clever idea and nicely constructed but not
really interesting enough for a place.


Results:

1. Malo1961: Framed
2. Darkmunk: incongruous
Joint 3.
Bernadette: Night Before the Trek...
GlynM: Glyn's Boots


Thank you to all the entrants.
lenscape
K20D, K10D, K-m, MZ3, Metz 58-AF1, Optio MX4 & Linux.(No Windows)
(Gone: *istD, ME Super, Super-A)
Malo1961
Posted 15/12/2008 - 06:01 Link
Well......,that was a rude awakening, this morning. Thanks Lenscape, for the nice words.
I didn't expect it, but of course....I don't mind at all You were right on the prep. for this shot. It's a merge of 10 pictures. One wooden frame from an old mirror, and 9 shots of different shoes on the same wooden plate. Put together using separate layers in PS, resulted in this.

Now I will think hard about the next theme,
and will post it early this evening. Thanks again and congrats to all the other winners. It was a fun round.

Martin.
Best regards,

Martin.


Curious about my photography?? Just Follow the Light.
Darkmunk
Posted 15/12/2008 - 07:05 Link
Thanks lenscape.
Well done Martin, lovely shot and realy well executed - a deserving winner.

I was going to head up river looking for a place where the river would swirl around the boots (or just one boot, eerily) and create a nice effect but I had to go straight home again and charge the batteries and then it was my turn to look after the children
hey ho.
well done everyone!
Prieni
Posted 15/12/2008 - 08:46 Link
lenscape,

this was a very good competition subject as it turns out. Yes, I thought it a bit odd at first but seeing what was produced (and I guess most shots were "freshly" produced) shows that you did it right.
By setting odd topics you can bring the members to go out shooting, something we should keep in mind...

Martin's shot is a deserving winner (congratulations Martin!) and one amongst a few that could have made top spot.

On the critique of my shot: The background is the wooden floor, I thought that this would be a good "base" for the shoes to stand on
The "blobs" are knots in the wood. I thought about removing them but the one at the tip of the lace would have been a difficult one and it was the only clue (apart from the "not appealing" colour) that the shoe is standing on wood.

But it seems you had more serious problems in interpreting the subject of josh's shot

And I know that there were much stronger entries than mine anyway.

Excellent round again!

Prieni
How inappropriate to call this planet earth when it is quite clearly Ocean. - Arthur C. Clarke
Prieni's PPG page
josh
Posted 15/12/2008 - 09:18 Link
Well done Martin, excellent composition. Thanks for judging and comments
Lenscape. No his face was not de-saturated, apart from a crop and minor tweaking that's what he appeared. He was a street artist in Rome and could pose and keep perfectly still for ages.
JOSH.
Bernadette
Posted 15/12/2008 - 09:47 Link
Well done, Malo1961! I simply loved your picture as soon as I saw it, and I could definitely imagine it as a poster hanging on my wall! Darkmunk's 'incongruous' also sent my imagination flying... was it one of Morse's case? And I feel very honoured to share my third place with GlynM!

Thanks for the judging and useful feedback on pictures, Lenscape. I cannot wait for the next assignment! I've got the bug...

Have a good week all!

Bern
Edited by Bernadette: 15/12/2008 - 11:53
Father Ted
Posted 15/12/2008 - 10:30 Link
Well done Martin.

Thanks Lenscape for the judging. It was a difficult subject (IMHO) and I nearly decided to give it a miss. But, hey-ho, if I gave up at every attempt I'd sell my camera!

And yet again, my sure fire winner didn't win, shows how much I need to learn.
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.
GlynM
Posted 15/12/2008 - 12:24 Link
Many thanks for my joint third with Bernadette.

I spent an hour or so arranging the entire household's collection of shoes without much success before wondering if getting low and close to my boots might work.

I think my boots have earned a clean but I'm sure they are never going to be as good as Bernadette's.

Glyn
Edited by GlynM: 15/12/2008 - 15:54
davidtrout
Posted 15/12/2008 - 12:37 Link
Well done to the brave souls who tackled this challenging and original subject. And extra well done to Lenscape for his choice and judging talents. His selection of winner and runner-up gave me personal satisfaction - I also had Malo and Darkmunk in the two top positions but I'm not sure which way round I would have placed them. But congratulations to both of them and the joint 3rds as well.
david
womble
Posted 15/12/2008 - 12:49 Link
It was a fun round to take a photo for and rather pushed the limits of my lighting and photoshop skills. By the way, if there had been a hint of bare bum just above the sheets I don't think I would have been spending time taking photos.....
Kris Lockyear
It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head. Henri Cartier-Bresson
Lots of film bodies, a couple of digital ones, too many lenses (mainly older glass) and a Horseman LE 5x4.

My website
Hyram
Posted 15/12/2008 - 13:37 Link
Congratulations to Martin and thank you lenscape for setting and judging the competition.
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
beebee
Posted 15/12/2008 - 16:31 Link
Loved this week's entries, and one of my favs won.

Thanks for the comments - maybe I should have cropped it more!!
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
R o b
Posted 15/12/2008 - 20:58 Link
Glad someone else had the job of deciding between the top two, though the "hang on the wall" test seems like a good one - well done to Malo1961. Thanks also for he judges comments. It was my other half's clever idea, but it's fair enough to say it wasn't really interesting enough.

Robert.

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