Guildford Photosoc Digital competition No 3

I entered two very different pictures that I took whilst we were in Amsterdam in August 2009.











Dutch Farm (Nikon 70-210 mm at 70 mm, f/11 at 1/250th)

The picture was taken from the top of a church tower in a small village just outside Amsterdam. The dog leg shape of the canal and the parallel cycle track and irrigation ditch dominate the image. The farmhouse seems equally important to anchor the right hand side. I also liked the small details of the bridge in the distance and farm animals around the edges of the picture. The judge gave a score of 9 out of 10 for this which I felt was a very good result. He mentioned that the bridge and canal in the top left hand corner is particularly important for the composition. The other three corners are similar green fields, and the image would be less interesting without the contrasting interest in the fourth corner. This is something I had not previously considered.



















Proud to be gay (Nikon 70-210mm at 210mm, f/11 at 1/250th)
Amsterdam was holding its Gay Pride Carnival when we were there, with a parade of different groups travelling on barges around some of its central canals. There were crowds of people on the canalside, but I was able to capture several photographs of the carnival floats. I chose this image as the three individuals seemed to convey some camaraderie/intimacy between themselves and the crowds of spectators. I thought that the three individuals create a strong image despite the background clutter of other people. The judge liked the postures of the individuals and the rich red colours of the costumes. He gave this image a score of 8 and a half out of ten.

Personally, I felt that the second image had more impact than the Dutch farm. On reflection, however, there was maybe more evidence of compositional intent in the first picture.