River Forth
[IMG]http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/Davidtrout2/EarlyMorningFirthofForthflip.jpg[/IMG]

I just love your shots of decaying agricultural equipment and the toned mono treatment you give them. Very artistic.
David

Excellent image but the border does intrude a bit.
David

The set as a whole is excellent but my choice among them for top spot woudld be #2, Passing Cloud.
David

Never mind the bokeh, there's nothing wrong with the sharpness of the lens. The detail is quality stuff. I too like the way you've desaturated the pictures.
David

Lovely light and colour Gary. I particularly like the old diesel locos which seem to be abadoned in the outback. The colour and texture of the rocks in #2 is superb.
David

Beautiful light all round but my absolute fav is #2 for the sheer quality of the image.
David

Don't they do chips as well?
David

Only seven entries but the quality and variety is excellent so thank you to everyone who entered. Everyone of the pictures met the criteria of the competition theme so I was able to fully concentrate on the imagination of the photogrpahers and the quality of the pictures.
As always the result is just my opinion and not an expert overview.


Blyth Harbour, BForbes
I always thought you didn’t like black and white Barrie but this is a good one. It works well in mono and I can’t imagine it being as effective in colour. I like the control you have exercised over the sky in avoiding burned out areas but overall the picture could do with slightly more contrast to add punch. I like the distant patch of sunlight on the water near the harbour mouth but the rest of the river would improve with more sparkle.

Isometric Industry by Thoughton

This plays to my predilection for modern architecture and abstract shapes. The roof line forms a satisfying diagonal shape across the frame and the warm tones of the factory contrast well with the blue of the sky. The wispy clouds and the chimneys and masts on the roof form interesting pattern breaks.

Harvest time by JudithAnn

I sort of imagined you might come up with an agricultural scene from the prairies JA and you haven’t disappointed me. Lovely colour makes this a striking shot. I wonder about the crop, much as I like letter box formats in some situations I feel this is done a a little too tightly. There’s lots of lovely blue sky but the foreground has been sliced away abruptly making it feel unbalanced. Was there something very close by which you needed to slice off the bottom of the frame? The strength of the picture is in the colour, the bright red silo roof contrasting with the blue sky and yellow crops.

Agriculture by i-Berg.

This is a gorgeous picture. Apart from the razor sharpness of the entire image there is glorious texture in both the bark of the ancient trees and the rusting farm machinery.
The eye wanders around the frame taking in all this delightful detail. I love the treatment you’ve given it with the just the right amount of restrained toning. The scene has a nostalgic atmosphere that displays technical as well as artistic mastery.

Industry by Mecrox

There is a good entry in the competition for those who love black and white and I’m certainly among that crew. This is another quality shot and one with a sense of humour as well. Does the crane driver appear to have fallen asleep on the job? Tell me I’m wrong. Whatever, he has a face full of character so this picture is not only on topic but it also has good human interest.

Nuts and Bolts by Cardiff Gareth

Handheld at 1/10th second and at 90mm. You were pushing your luck here Gareth even with the SR activated. Despite this the picture is remarkably sharp, just not quite sharp enough to give the crisp quality image that this sort of subject demands. Even so its an enjoyable photograph and I like the idea of the nuts and bolts of industry – I can’t imagine anything more to the point for this topic. Full marks for the idea, the arrangement of nuts and bolts and for giving it a try but it needs slightly more depth of field and faster shutter speed (or a tripod) when you shoot this close to the subject.

Empty Cathedral to copper and tin by Dougf8
Excellent colour and light and again the idea is good and it ticks the industry box. The wide lens and low viewpoint has resulted in some awkward angles in the walls and an alarming slope on the ground. With the tilt so acute I’m not sure how much correction you could do in PP or even if you would wish to do any. The steel grill and fence form an interesting pattern and add a modern industrial element to
the image.
Result:
1: i-Berg; Agriculture
2: Mecrox; Industry
3: Thoughton; Isometric industry
With so few entries I didn't consider it appropriate to nominate commended pictures but I'm sure the remaining pictures would all be worth an HC in a competition with more pictures.

Graffiti at the Sage
[IMG]http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/Davidtrout2/SageGraffiti29432962_18.jpg[/IMG]
This is organised graffiti, so it can't be classed as vandalism. At The Sage music centre and concert halls at Gateshead there is a project to involve youngsters in music - and also to try their hand with spray cans on a wall at the site. Don't ask me what this means but I like the splash of colour.
David