Weekly Competition No. 46: Public Transport

OK, here we go. The final chapter of competition round 46:

The Pup: Railway Sleepers:
A good catch. The boredom of traveling exposed well. The yellow bar almost divides the scene in two seperate pictures. The backpacker makes the overall scene. Just looking at him, makes you wonder were he was, and were he is going now. I wonder how it workes if you crop out the kid and work on the backpacker only.

Hefty 1: Hykeham no. 9:
A detail shot of a famous bus type, often seen in red. Somehow I think a polarizer would have helped here. Now the overall scene(specially the sky) looks a bit washed out. And i think the crop is a bit to agressive for my likings. I had hoped to see more of the bus, because of its character.

Marius: Brief Encounter St Pancras Station:
A very dynamic use of the fish eye zoom. I like the way the ''distorsion'',exaggerates the wall and roof as a shelter for the couple kissing goodbye.Great detail in the shot and you managed the highlights very well. In a ideal world the couple should be more prominent in the foreground. Great capture!

Ericp: Union station ,Toronto:
A good capture of Union Station. It shows the immens size of the place. I like the blue toning. Perspective is very well controlled. But I have the feeling it isn,t critical sharp, were it should be. The foreground seems a bit to soft to me.

Clarky: Sydney water taxi:
There is public transport is Australia after all :> A good capture, pin sharp and bold colours. But because of the angle it is speeding away from the viewer. And therefore loosing interest. It would have been nice to capture the faces of the passengers, during this exciting ride.That would have maked the shot excelent..

Belinda B: Lymington ferries:
Normally this kind of ''Photoshopping'', isn't my cup of tea. But in this case the painterly feel adds a lot of mood to the scene. If this photo was untouched, it would not be as interesting.. Now the nice pastels and overall impression makes the scene. Would look nice on someones wall. ( not mine though ,i am affraid)

Father Ted: Ferry cross the Mersey:
This picture could have been great if......, you had shot from a higher viewpoint, so the ship would have been loose from the horizon. And it could use an overall contrast and color boost. Now it looks to flat for my taste.But as you said, you didn,t have the time for some work on the picture. To bad, it deserved it.

Keen2Learn: The age of steam still lives:
Well, this subject is really screaming;''take my picture''! A great subject to work on and you did well on that..Often when a moment like this passes, you are bound by regulations and local laws, who prevend you of really working the subject. I picture the scene allready. Laying down on your belly, a few inches in front of the Old Steamer, taken the extreme wide angle approach. It is inpossible these days. Still ....a slightly different viewpoint, that showed more of the train would have worked better.

Beakynet: Just passing through:
A very different view on this weeks theme. As a TP( they seem to pop up more and more these days) I think it would have worked better in a horizontal form. Vertical ones could work with high buildings , large trees etc... looking at your picture I see a great possibility in using the distorted views of the scene in the mirror sign. Combine those to a horizontal TP and you could get a very dynamic picture. Now it doesn't work for me,sorry.

ChrisA: BA 747:
A great capture (taking into account the MF lens you used) of a mighty machine. Public transport on the highest level. But it is a bit to static for my tast. I am no expert of this kind of photography and can only imagine how difficult it is, but there is to less action here to hold my attention .
As a registration shot it is 100%, but I miss the signs of the massive powers these machines can produce.

Amilner: Singapore Metro:
A good catch of the boredom of traveling the tube. A lot of humor here also. Don't tell me the woman on the right was looking at the result of a serious nosejob. If so ........,The man in front of her, with the red T-shirt must be embaresed about that scene and look down in shame.
Great capture.

Justgetoutandride: Busstop in mono:
A very good capture of a place that doesn't look to inviting. I like the mono conversion you did in LR. But given the feel of solitude and lack of people in the scene, maybe it would have worked better with a contrast boost and a cool blue toning instead of the warm tone you used in this case.
I think emphasizing the lonely feel of the scene makes it a stronger picture.

John Rily: Journeys in The Age of Steam:
A very strong and well executed picture. Perfectly framed by the window, sharp were it has to be.
The blurred woman in the backround, The old man hidden behind the woman on the left, so he doesn't disrupt the scene. All the clothes in harmony with the overall scene.There is absolutly nothing here, that shouln't be. A great one !

Gartmore: The Glasgow Subway:
Could it be I have seen this entrie earlyer last year, in a previous comp? It is a strong picture and clearly shows that film isn't dead. It breathes a mood that is still very hard to capture digitally.
Love to see this one a bit bigger, so the tonallity (wich is present) would show more of its character and quality.

Deecy: No Title;
Taken at the airport maybe ? I love this composition. The way the billboard boy looks. Almost as if he spotted the raincoat man. You controlled the light and the colors very good. Too bad the first man on the right isn't a bit sharper. But you were standing on the stairs, yourself I guess? If so, you can be extra proud of this one. Very nice.

Dirk1000: Retiro station:
A good mono conversion , of a classic built train station. Was it a high iso shot, or did you add grain afterwards ? It gives a nostalgic feel over the scene.I can somehowe not decide if it would work better if you left the glass panel fence out of the scene. I kind of like the form, because it is repeated
in the main subject. While typing this,and thinking........... I think you made the right choice here.

Hyram: Ferry congestion:
A good exposed picture here. I like the way the evening sun lifted the back end of the ferry. The sunglassed crew member adds a nice detail.But further more this shot doesn,t hold my attention for long.I guess the title promises more than it delivers.

GlynM; arrival at Alresford:
Was it moving towards you, when you took the shot? If so...., its a pitty you pushed the button to soon. I would have really loved this picture if the train filled the scene more. The conducter looking out the doorway, the repeating windows in front of him. Now this overall scene shows to much, but with to less excitement.

Prieni: Paradise approach:
This one would have done nicely in last weeks round. Sea, Air-Plane. Three elements brought back to a very minimalistic picture. The plane should have been more dominant in frame to lift this picture to the hights, it could deserve. Altought technically perfect, it doesn't hold my attention for long seen in the context of this weeks theme.

Montecarlo:traveling:
You showed this one, a time ago when you introduced yourself to this forum. Then i thought, what an excelent picture this is. It would work in mono also. The curious look of the older woman, in contrast with the bored look of the young man, staring at.........nothing? The blurred country outside the train. And a very good use of selective focus. A very good entrie, whith a solid fit to the theme.
Very well done.

Galoot: At Boness station:
A very good detailed shot . Lovely tonallity and lighting. The texture in the metal almost looks 3 D.
Of course this has to be a monochrome picture. The only thing that bothers me a little bit is the very bright ( not blown out) top left side of the picture. It draws my attention away from the main subject.Have you tried cropping out everything left of the carabiner? And perhaps the rest of the highlights left of the wheel could have used some pulling down.in brightness.But never the less, a great picture.

Niblue: Honk Kong-Macau Ferry:
Well, these Jetfoils sure are impressive when up to speed, and lifted above the water. It clearly showes the brute power, those machines can develope. I think it is a bit soft though, probably by the scanning process. The original slide is sharp enough i reckon. But.......You could have been a bit more careful, in presenting this picture. The black line top right side and some serious spots in the sky should have been corrected, before entering, don't you think?

Dr. Mhuni: Addis Bus:
I believe you, when explaining by the context. And although there is very little to fault about the picture itself, it doesn't hold my attention. It doesn't show this weeks theme, it could have been everything. It is to far away to impress.In general I think when entering,... the picture should speak for it self and need no extra words to explain the theme. Sorry.

Lilly: Full Ferry to Cat Bah Island:
And again a very strong entrie submitted by the Lady from Cornwall.Tell me Lilly, how do you get a full ferry of people to pose for you, with a smile. What did you do to get and hold there attention? Some people are showing sheer joy. The most of them really look happy with this moment in time. Technical as good as expected, and the choice of film has a great deal to do with it. Excelent picture.

Mikew: subsidised public transport:
A different view on Public Transport. Or better......the absence of it. Judging this one isn't easy.
Concentrating on this weeks theme, it passes the grade.The message is clear. But looking at the picture itself.........It misses something. Maybe it would be stronger as a high contrast monochrome
version. The greenish colorcast and highlighted reflection in the centre makes it a bit.........dull??
A polarizer could have worked, and the point of focus should have been on the text instead of the nettles. There is not much going on. But then....the same seems to count for public transport in that place.

Daniel Bridge: Green bus:
A well exposed shot. Beautiful mixture of availble light and flash. Very well balanced. Personally I am always more interested in the front of a bus instead of the back, but in this case it works. Otherwise you wouldn't have captured that great last light of day. Is that bus some kind of museum piece, parked for display only? The flat tyres and lack of tyre tracks seem to point in that direction.
Technical speaking a very good picture, but it misses something to really excite me.

Unlocker: Metro's in transit.
A picture that could have been a strong contender for the top six. The strong diagonal lines of the metro's. The beautiful star shaped lights. The fence.But...., the ugly brown greenish overall light kills it for me. Personally I think that this shot would have been much stronger, if you had taken the Black & White route. A high contrast, gritty monochrome approach would have emphasized the strong forms and shapes in the picture. And by darkening everything behind the fence, you would have pulled this picture to a much higher level. To bad.

Utopia poppy: 121020:
A good capture, but I am not sure of the building, growing out of the train's rooftop.And the colors
could have a bit more Oompf ! The light that day was a bit flat and dull, I guess. Push up saturisation and contrast a bit, and the picture would be lifted. Now it is kind of flat.

And now the final conclusion:

First place: John Riley.
This picture grabbed me from the moment it was entered. Not only because of the points already mentioned above, but specially because of the joy that is expressed on the faces. The pleasure they show for the ride to come. It reflects the excitement everybody must have felt going on a train ride, those days. What a difference compared to the present days.

Second place: Deecy:
A very well earned second. I love the bold colors, but specially the way this picture works as a counter point vs the first place from John. It showes the present day feeling of public transport. Annonymus, hasty to get out there. An artificial kind of mood created by the interiour designers. So ''Modern Times'', but never warm and welcome.

Third Place: Lilly:
A lovely picture which deserved to be in the top three. Of course it workes best in mono.
But you already knew that, obviously. Nothing to fault here. Please explain how you got those smiles on all the faces. Well done.

A very firm commended goes to the next participants.They all deserve mentioning in no particular order:
Montecarlo, Amilner and Galoot.
It wasn't an easy one, this round. But again a very enjoyable one. Congrats to the winners and now it's over to you John. To get our creative juices running again.

Wish you all: ''Good Light''.
Martin.

Once again more thoughtful and constructive judging and done so quickly! Congratulations to the well deserved winners.

Mike

Congratulations to John, Deecy and Lilly.

Many thanks to Martin for the judging.

I could not decide what my winners were, although I was tending to favour the architectural shots.

Well done everyone, a really strong field this week!
Quote:
"John Rily: Journeys in The Age of Steam:
A very strong and well executed picture. Perfectly framed by the window, sharp were it has to be.
The blurred woman in the backround, The old man hidden behind the woman on the left, so he doesn't disrupt the scene. All the clothes in harmony with the overall scene.There is absolutly nothing here, that shouln't be. A great one ! "

Apart from the grass that wasn't removed below the basket handle
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.............and the grass that overlaps the window frame on the far side of the carriage

Excellent job of judging Martin, well done.
Congrats JR on your winning entry and the other medalists

I really liked Montecarlo's entry.

Congratulations to John Riley, Deecy and Lilly.

Thank you to Martin for the judging.

It was not difficult to comply with this week's theme but a lot more difficult to producing a stunning entry

Well done to the winners, I Seriously don't know what I'd do if I ever won one of these weekly comps, as I know I couldn't do nearly as good a job of judging!

Just have to say, that 'Kid' is my son, and was initially the focus of my pics until the sleeping backpackers friend came and started talking about cameras and showing off his as well!

Thank you Martin for a great job, congrats to Deecy and John, look forward to J's next subject. Oh what will it be!
I did like Montecarlos entry and like you can see it wd look great in mono.

Well, it was a combination of the very friendly Vietnamese (which they truly are) and me attracting their attention by probably making a pratt of myself indicating in sign language that I wanted to take their picture. I always ask if I can and usually it makes for a more interesting image. Nothing very exciting I am afraid!

Lilly,

You have posted quite a few photos from Vietnam.

Did you live there or go on holiday ? Sorry to appear to be nosey but it is not a country that most of us here in the UK will have visited.

Excellent judging Martin and congratulations JR, looking forward to this week's competition already.

I spent a month on holiday travelling from the far north to the south by various modes of transport!
I would recommend anyone who has a sense of adventure to visit this fabulous country and as soon as you can. Because, like a lot of third world countries, it's charm is becoming diluted with the inevitable toursim that is beginning to sweep the country.

Well done to all - and another one where I didn't have time to get out there and take anything... !

Now a simple plea - can we have another 'Rain' theme again now, bearing in mind what happened last time

Good idea - the weather in Hampshire is currently awful

Well done to the winners and to Martin for an excellent bit of judging. Broadly agreed with your choice including John Riley’s humorous (as ever) pic – in spite of the improvised background!

By way of justification for my photo (which as far as I was concerned was totally on theme): Based where I am, these blue & white minibuses scream out public transport to me - as would red buses in London or yellow taxis in NY. Meanwhile, although the bus isn’t close up I thought the pic placed this form of transport in (picturesque) context - with Addis in the background top left and the bus going up the hill to the right I felt it had a sense of the journey. However, I can see how this might not be evident to non-residents of Addis and take your point that perhaps entries shouldn’t need explaining.