Entries: Fortnightly Competition #82 - Preparations

Inspired by the build up of pre-Christmas activity going on around me I have set the subject for this competition to "Preparations".

I do though want to keep this competition open to a broad interpretation so I am looking for an image that captures the preparation for any task or event from the very simple, like an alarm clock or making tea to mark the start of a day, to something more complex and/or unusual. This can of course cover the current seasonal activities.

I want to see something that captures an essence of anticipation and remember that your image is always enhanced with the choice of a good title.

If you want any inspiration try putting "Preparations" into Google images.

The usual rules apply. The image has to be taken with a Pentax camera or Samsung DSLR equivalent and be shot within the duration of this competition. Please include camera details and shooting time and date with your image.

The competition will close at 6pm GMT on Wednesday 14th December.

Good luck and I look forward with some anticipation to seeing your entries.

Glyn

Nice topic...makes me have to think???

Lets Roll!!!!

Regards:

JA

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!




K10d
20-90mm lens
f/8
Exposure time 1/60
ISO 400
Special Treatment in Picnic
DATE TAKEN Dec 2 2011


Kids at Work!!









Sorry about my comment in the wrong place,,,should have been in the discussion forum

"Be Prepared"




Scouts all over the world share the universal motto, "Be Prepared".
As a Scout master this is a small portion of the equiptment I carry in a 90L pack which reciently started including my pentax gagets .

Model PENTAX K-x
ISO 1600
Exposure 1/180 sec
Aperture 7.1
Focal Length 28mm
Flash Used true
White Balance 0
Metering Mode 5
Exposure Program 6
Exposure Bias 0.0
Date and Time (Original) 2011:12:06 11:49:50

Showering, Step 5, Warming The Water:




11 Dec.
K5
18-55WR
ISO800
1/60th @ f5.6

Preparing for the Evening Rush

[IMG]http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s30/Hyram_Hare/IMGP1008-1.jpg[/IMG]

St. Malo, Brittany
Saturday 10th December 2011
K20D + DA 12-24 @ 18mm
ISO 400
f6.7
1/20 second

On Saturdays in the run up to Christmas in the old walled City of St. Malo, it is not particularly busy in daylight hours. But as dusk falls, the crowds start to 'pour in' and the shopkeepers & cafe staff are then rushed off their feet.

This competition has closed.

I would like to express my thanks to the four of you that made the effort at this very busy time of year. While slightly disappointing to get such a low number of entries it has reduced the amount of effort needed to review and judge them at busy time for me as well. With this small number it was great to see a completely different interpretation with each entry.

Just a reminder that I'm no expert at this. Everything here is just my personal opinion and the results reflect my personal tastes. I have tried to make useful comments for each entry and hope that I have not upset anyone as this was definitely not my intention. As always it is a terrific, high quality, set of images which have been a privilege to review.



JudithAnn - It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
Many thanks Judith for starting off this competition with a very nice early topical entry.

I guess what we have here is a pair of gingerbread houses that have been assembled but are waiting to be decorated with the wonderful selection of sweets and icing gathered around. Actually it is not much of a guess as you have kindly shown some extra small images capturing the decoration being done.

I certainly hope you have a picture of the finished articles to show us.

I think it is a very well lit, well composed, image and captures some terrific colours. I am not so sure about the black background. I guess if you were selling these items then perhaps it would be fine and the black does certainly bring out the colours. However for me, particularly having seen the smaller images, I think I would have liked to have seen a bit of context in the background, perhaps a soft rendition of the kitchen environment.

It is though a lovely colourful image which captures the preparations of a very topical activity for this time of year – Well done.



RPLSF – “Be Prepared”
I think this is a lovely set-piece image which certainly well meets the subject requirements for this competition, both image and title wise.

I think it has been very well laid out. I would certainly have lots of trouble choosing which items to use and where to place each one. I like the diagonal setting of the items in three of the corners and the way that the whistle in bottom left corner breaks this symmetry. I also like the way the cord of the compass curves up and around the title of the book creating some connections.

Initially the items all looked so clean and unworn but then I saw the dog eared corner of the “Knotting” book which I think indicates that these items are all really well loved and used.

I like the sort of sepia tint as it creates a feeling of longevity. I am not quite so sure about the surrounding background which I find a little bit distracting when I should really be exploring the individual items and their relationships. I think I might have gone a bit tighter onto the map book, possibly having to move the rope, to minimise the surround.

It is though a very well-crafted image of the preparations for an age-old traditional activity – Very well done.


DrOrloff – Showering, Step 5, Warming The Water
I think there is definitely some bravery involved in this unusual but exciting shot.

I don’t think I would have had the nerve to take my K-5, even with a WR lens, into the shower. Certainly for me it would have taken several attempts to capture the flow of water as well as performed here so the camera would have got very wet. I hope your's suffered no ill-effects.

While an unusual approach it is certainly a very well composed image. I like the way the tiles and structural elements are so nicely parallel to frame edges while the shower mechanism and head is dissecting the bottom left corner. The curve formed by what I guess is the curtain rail nicely breaks up the otherwise rectangular components.

Of course the most prominent feature is the flow of water from the shower head and the way it is captured by the light creating some great depth. I think using black & white here is very good as I imagine this removes any unwanted distractions.

A very well thought out, well executed and unusual shot of water in motion as part of the preparation of having a shower – Very well done.



Hyram – Preparing for the Evening Rush
I really like this image. It has great combinations of colour and depth as well as conveying a little story.

I like the composition particularly the way the stone wall, canopy and the front glass panel are used to create a frame. I think this creates a feeling that we are looking into another space and adds some intimacy. The lighting on the edge of the stone wall gives a feeling of the close-of-day which of course is reinforced by the title of the image.

The perspective of the side panels and the foreground display create a great sense of depth, reinforced by the internal lighting, which draws the viewer in to explore all sorts of details. I love all the colour in this shot from the yellow lemons in the foreground to the blue lamp of the fly catcher in the background.

There appears to be a resigned look of determination on the shop assistant as she makes her preparations for the busy night ahead which I think creates an interesting little story element.

A very nicely composed and well executed image of a shop/café assistant making her preparations for a busy evening ahead – Very well done.




While I guess having so few entries should make the judging easier each person adopted a completely different interpretation so it was actually quite difficult. All the images met the competition subject requirements and all were of outstanding quality.

So in the end it just boiled down to which ones I liked the most. I’m sure others could have easily ordered them differently:

1st – Hyram for Preparing for the Evening Rush.

2nd – DrOrloff – for Showering, Step 5, Warming The Water.

Joint 3rd – JudithAnn & RPLSF for It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! and “Be Prepared”

Thank you very much everyone.

I think this completes my responsibilities here and hand over to Hyram for the next round. I wonder if we might want to consider extending the length of the next competition to, say three weeks, so that it ends a bit further beyond the New Year and possibly encourage a few more entries.


Glyn

Congratulations Hyram, a wonderful depiction of prep indeed. .

So DrOrloff how is your camera? as Glyn wrote, I too would be afraid attempting something so... splashy. What a great shot.

To Judith Ann, as we live in the same country, why don't you drop by and make a ginger bread house with my daughter, she would be thrilled. Whats 3000 km between neighbors .

and lastly, Thank you Glyn for the detailed judging, this is what I love most, the polishing of my skills with the guidance of a talent such as yourself !!!!

Very many thanks to GlynM for the competition, the judging and for selecting my entry as the winning shot

I only took three shots of this particular cafe, due to the risk of being run over - quite a hazard in France

I was just thinking about the weekly competition, when it dawned on me that it is Wednesday today.

Having taken Monday off from work, I keep thinking that it is Tuesday

A shame about the low number of entries, but the time of year is no doubt the main reason.

I shall think of a new topic and perhaps with the latter part of the time period falling over Christmas, there will be some more entries.

Thanks for the excellent judging as always Glyn and well done to Hyram, JA and RPLSF.

I've always tried to support this competition as I think the assignment based idea is more interesting than dragging up something for the archives. However, it has got to the point now where the decline in participation seems to have reached a new low and I regretfully think it's time to bow out. Things ain't what they used to be.

DrOrloff, as a new member I find this sad. I always take a picture fresh even for the weekly. Your work will be greatly missed by myself...
Your photos are sharp and I have learned so much from your participation as a contributer and a judge So thank you and Farewell

Not only have I not entered a comp in ages, I haven't shot a single frame in at least a fortnight! Ah well I guess these things go in phases.

I have not had the time to enter the Fortnightly Competition recently but taking a few days off to go to France, I specifically checked what the topic was, with a view to entering if I found suitable subject matter.

I had an entry for this competition but i accidentally deleted from the card on monday and i did not have enough time to do it again, As for lack of entries could it be that quite a few folks who used to enter this comp have now left this forum and and are now on the new pentax forum!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday...to one and all.

To RPLSF...I am on my way!!!

Congrats to the winner and thank you to our Judge.

Regards:
JA