Congratulations to all the winners, and many thanks to Lilly for the well thought out judging, your comments are much appreciated.

The Old Fish Market, Ghent, Belgium

Like the lighting, love the rising steam (not as easy to capture as you think), like the flames. DoF is well controlled to isolate the subject whilst still keeping it completely in focus. The composition is a bit too central for my taste. If it had been framed to include a bit more space on the left, and that space was filled by a cook's hand on the handle, and perhaps a bit of the chef's apron then it would have added a bit more context to the scene.

Duncan

Tooks,

A 1.5x t/con typically reduces the aperture by 1 stop, a 2x by 2 stops. So, a lens normally wide open at f/5.6 when fitted with a 1.5x t/con becomes f/8.

Duncan

You'd better be quick. I got one from Park Cameras the week before last, but I see they've now sold out. I'd put your chances of you finding one in July are somewhere between negligible and far fetched.

Duncan

I believe the phrase you are looking for is a High Dynamic Range processing program, often abbreviated to HDR. Example here:
http://www.hdrsoft.com/

Duncan

Great photos, wish I had the nerve to do this but somehow think I'd end up with my camera rammed down my throat if I tried this in Essex.

Duncan's tip of the day for those who have to do the judging for the first time:
Write up the bits about what you like, dislike, and general commentary as and when the pictures appear in the thread. Form preliminary shortlists as pictures appear, though later entries may cause this to be drastically revised. This way, you only have to do a bit of final reappraisal/confirmation and minor edit to add the comments for the winning places, which only takes a few minutes. It's not so bad as long as you're organised and keep on top of it as the comp develops.

Boy am I glad there wasn't a rush of 10 new entries at 5 to midnight last night

Duncan

Tools of the trade critique

First of all I’d like to say thank you to all who entered, it’s been very interesting to view all the entries and think about what I like about each of them. It’s been quite difficult to analyse the pictures at times. It’s quite easy to say “I like that”, or otherwise, it’s not so easy to explain why. It’s even more difficult to pick first, second and third places! What follows is purely my own personal opinion, it has no more or less validity than anybody else’s.

Prieni, from the title, subject, and your avatar I’m guessing you are involved with undersea diving. I like the abstract nature of this shot with its interesting pattern of colours, textures and reflections. It certainly makes for an interesting piece of visual art, but it’s a little too abstract for me as I’m having to guess at the link to the theme. An imaginative interpretation anyway.

Epithet Man Really like the low angle of view, the lighting, the backdrop (surprisingly) and the sense of impending action. Would benefit from some of the empty space cropping off the bottom which would help the composition by putting the speakers and main drum on the lower 1/3rds line. It's the sense of anticipation that makes this work well for me, interpreting the theme nicely but the problem I have is the emptiness, bit of human interest with the band warming up would have added presence and given the image a lot more impact.

justgetoutandride Nice use of perspective, good viewpoint that makes it clear what we're looking at, but is still an imaginative angle. A well used bike by the look of the battle scars on the paintwork. I like the fact you've used mono to stop what are probably some bright colours on the bike from distracting the viewer, but the conversion lacks punch and contrast. I'd also like to have seen a bit more DoF to extend the interest of the viewer beyond just a single link in the chain.

dirk1000 Love the lighting in this. For me, the use of shadows and touches of highlight are very good. The well worn map adds a nice, relevant context to the picture which together with the wear and tear on the compass itself make the scene look less staged that it probably is. The compass needle pointing the way it does jars with me. If the map was aligned so that the needle north was aligned with the map’s North then I’d be less disorientated. It may seem an odd thing to say, but I couldn’t understand why the image didn’t feel right until I really thought about it.

Keith Grant Lovely range of textures here, ideally suited to mono IMHO and subject matter very much in line with the theme of the competition. I like the idea of the lines/patterns, but this hasn't been executed as well as it could be to my eye. If you're going to do something along these lines, I'd have preferred to see more tools forming a stronger pattern and a greater DoF to bring the whole set of lines into focus. As it is, there's a bit too much space. Having said that, the bench adds a nice further texture to the mix.

Father Ted Striking lighting with bold patterns of shadows make this an attention grabbing image. This very well thought out background is let down by the arrangement of the screwdriver that looks rather out of place. I would have preferred the DoF to have extended to cover the full depth of the tools, the blurred tip to the pliers detracts. I particularly like the shadow of the pliers with their implied menace but the screwdriver arrangement lets the image down. I see the strong lines of the shadows and think ‘jail cell’, I see the tools and I think ‘jail break’, a file and a hacksaw would have made me think you we’re a convict looking to escape!

GlynM I was very pleased to see this. I like the fact that your dad is pictured in the context of his workshop, using his skills. I like the expression on his face, the concentration. There's a lot to look at in this picture with plenty to explore as your eye moves around the frame, yet it still gets drawn back nicely to your dad. The white of his shirt is rather blown out, but I'd rather see this and get to see the detail in the darker areas of the frame than have the shirt not blown and dim, invisible recesses in the shop. Perhaps tweak the highlights recovery in photoshop? It's not the sharpest of images , primarily because you appear to have focused on the door of the tool cupboard below the drill bits rather than your dad, but the picture fits the theme beautifully and the overall context of the image is so right.

ThePup Very good interpretation, really nice to see someone thinking beyond the obvious. The composition is better for having the inclusion of the pilot on the left but the overall balance has the standing figure rather too central. Good use of DoF to get the main subjects as the centre of attention and not blur the background so much that it’s not clear what setting we’re in. Great look of concentration on the left pilot’s face. I’d have liked to have seen a bit more of the face of the right hand pilot by having the picture taken a little bit more round to the right and a bit more space on the far left but the biggest improvement to me would have been to crop a bit off the top and right of the image to bring the two pilots on the ‘thirds’ composition lines.

Galoot What a great bit of subject material. There’s a great deal of potential for variations on this theme. Like the mix of colours, like the shapes, I even found my eye exploring the different patterns in the cultures. There’s some interesting textures in there that I’m sure would make a wide range of still-life images. It would have been nice to have had the blue dish in the front left in focus and a better balance between the blue, the yellow and the red. Use of flash has been relatively well controlled with only the odd hot-spot; given the shiny subject matter this isn’t bad at all. It fits the theme very well and is an imaginative interpretation, but I keep looking at it and thinking how much the red dominates, which is a shame as there’s other colours around that could have been brought in to balance things up, the blue dish off to the left in particular. Nevertheless, I'm giving this a Highly Commended.

Hyram You have a good eye, being able to get an interesting picture from some everyday objects is a skill I admire. Good use of colours set against a background that adds a great deal of context. Like the lighting because of the way it brings the shapes out on the pens, also gives some drama with the shadows. I like the inclusion of the rule, adding more context to the image and turning it from ‘art’ to ‘trade’. The background is well thought out and the catchlights on the pens are a nice touch. The tip of the green pen gets a bit lost on the background, but this is a very minor issue for me. The biggest improvement would be to move the green pen left a bit to balance up the large space that is there.

Lilly Very effective mono conversion with a good range of tones. Tricky lighting, but you’ve still managed to get good detail on the man’s face in spite of him being in shade. Good pose, good expression, lots of interest to keep me looking around the picture. Plenty of visual clues to tell me what’s going on and what the trade is. Really like this. There’s a bit of burn out on the old exhausts, but this is a very minor issue. Overall, with the lighting, the subject, the context, this has to be the WINNER for me.

Dr. Mhuni Tremendous human interest to this. Lovely lighting, super colours, joyful expressions, a very good ‘people’ image. The problem I have is that to me, it doesn’t seem to fit the theme. On a competition with a different theme this would be a winner, but not for me this week I’m afraid.

Belinda B. Punchy, in-your-face colours. Nice showing of a tool in its intended setting, good use of the gloves to add more interest and context. The lighting has emphasised the plasticity of the hedge trimmer body which together with the colours gives it a bit of a ‘Fisher Price’ feel. Sorry, but this doesn’t really work for me.

Malo 1961 I saw this and had a real mix of feelings. Beautiful, beautiful softness to the lighting, yet pin sharp focus and DoF is spot-on. The lighting does wonders for the subject, the arrangement has a bit of the feel of an old Dutch Master about it. Great mix of textures with plenty to look at and keep me exploring the image. The composition has good balance with the spaghetti and knife handle forming good lead lines into the picture. But, I can’t help looking at it and visualising the colours that are missing. Tomatoes are red, basil is green, pasta is yellow. I’m looking at this picture in colour, but you’ve put it in mono. Having said that, I can’t help admiring all the bits that are right with this picture, so I’m going to award it SECOND PLACE.

Daniel Bridge Nice colours, nice lighting, an appropriate setting for the subject, pin sharp, well placed in the frame giving a nice composition. Technically excellent but I can’t help thinking that there’s much more interesting potential in the subject that looks like a product catalogue image to me.

Clarky It is a picture that fits the theme well, it is a tool and it’s clear we’re in a workplace. The central placement and bright colour of the digger against the grey background certainly make you home in on it. It does hog the limelight though, I’m having to drag myself away from it to look at the rest of the picture. When I do, I’m seeing lots of other things that can’t really hold my attention and the eyes get dragged back to that thing in the middle. What is actually quite a big machine looks quite small in the frame, I’m thinking ‘get closer, get lower, much lower’. This is a machine that demands a picture that emphasises its size which unfortunately doesn’t come across in this image.

Ikillrocknroll Nice to see some human interest, nice to have some punchy colours with the purple, yellow and blue working well together. The DoF has nicely kept the main subject in focus, though it’s also allowed the orange bin off on the left to be rather too attention grabbing. The attention the car cleaner is paying to his job is good, there’s a sense of work being done and the tools are clearly on display in context. I’d have liked to have seen a tighter crop to remove everything above the top of the rear window and everything to the right of the right wing mirror.

Grendel There’s certainly some interesting shapes in this picture, but to me, the DoF is all wrong. For such a shallow DoF to work, there has to be a compelling point of interest that is in focus. The nuts have shape and texture it’s true, but they are too small in the frame to grab attention.

Gully The subject would fit a theme of “Faded Glory”. I expected several still-life pictures of Pentax cameras, but I didn’t expect something in such a state of repair, so thank you for avoiding the obvious. I like the mix of textures here and the lighting and DoF work for me. The strap is rather distracting and the picture would be better for having the strap out of sight.

Tyr This is one of the shots that I was expecting to see. The mono conversion is good with a reasonable range of tones and textures, though the blackness of the Super A does get a bit lost against the background. The thing that spoils this picture for me is the DoF is too shallow. If the front element of the MX (if that’s what it is) lens was in focus, and the top of the pentaprism on the Super A was also in focus, then it really would have worked very well for me.

Timbo Certainly something different, and so far off the wall from anything I’d expected. The trade appears to be cheese seller (cue Monty Python sketch recital) and the tools a pair of spoons, not something I would normally associate with cheese sellers, but then that’s not my trade. The dark background makes the cheese stand out and be noticed. Focus and DoF is good, but the flash is harsh and unflattering to the subject.

serendipity Whilst it certainly fits the theme, and the inclusion of the stump adds some context, I think the dead-centre composition and the viewpoint used don’t create the most imaginative composition. Focus is good, and the red stands out nicely against the green of the background but it looks like a catalogue image to me.

Deecy I like the angle of the lighting in this and the patterns of the lights reflected in the front elements. I like the way the lights have shown as different colours. You’ve used DoF to draw attention to particular lenses, but the composition draws your attention to the Tokina 28-70 which unfortunately has run out of DoF around the text ‘Tokina AT-X PRO’ The composition draws attention to this slip-up. Nice light, nice colours, nice arrangement, real, real shame about DoF.

mikew The direct lighting has nicely emphasised the textures on the paint, metal, paper and rubber. I like the fact the handbrake and gear lever are worn smooth and clearly still in use, contrasting well with the semi-derelict remainder. The problem I have is that if you hadn’t told me it was a tractor, I wouldn’t have known, it lacks context to the theme.

hefty1 The thing I like about this picture is the human interest, the whole scene is busy with people working, using the tools of their trade. The scene contains plenty of visual clues about what the line of work is, and what the job in hand is. Packed with activity, lots to look at. I’m giving this picture THIRD PLACE.

Unlocker DoF nicely used to isolate the unit under test as main point of interest. Lots of colour to grab the attention and this looks very much like a ‘real world’ bit of electronics testing rather than a posed set-up. A bit of a crop off the top to remove the black circular object would help I think.

Xbow An attention grabbing image due to the subject matter. Love them or hate them, they will get a reaction. Nice soft lighting and nicely exposed. This image makes me think “What’s the trade? Cop or Robber?” A simple catalogue style image, it doesn’t grab me and make me want to look at the whole picture.


Conclusion:

First place Lilly
Second place Malo 1961
Third place hefty1

So, if Lilly could set this weeks theme and start a new thread I’m sure everyone would be pleased to know what this week’s challenge will be.

Thanks again to all who participated.

Duncan

Any interpretation you like of this theme. Be imaginative!

Good Luck to all who enter.

Duncan