Digital competition No. 3
Acer leaves
I took this photograph in the RHS gardens at Wisley for the TAOP exercise on Cloudy Weather and Rain.
I thought that it would be a suitable subject for a competition due to the vibrant colour and use of shallow depth of field to isolate this small group of leaves. Whilst the judge liked the colour and the use of depth of field, he considered that the alignment of the leaves was too close to vertical. He suggested that I should have looked for another group of leaves on a diagonal with greater separation from the background. The score awarded was 7.5 out of 10 in the general "Club class" section (which exclude more advanced photographers).
Tropical seashore
This was a photograph I took in Indonesia during our holiday in November 2010. I selected this photograph as I liked the atmosphere of total stillness of the seawater. The reflection of the sky in the sea surface is so clear that no horizon is visible. I thought that the visual elements in the foreground of the boat and submerged palm leaf were needed to draw the viewers eye towards and into the picture. The judge considered that there was potentially a better photograph in the reflection of the clouds in the water, but not the composition that I had selected. He awarded a score of 7 out of 10 in Club Class section (in a context where the lowest score awarded was 6.5 out of 10).
Print competition No 4
Plastic floats
This was a photograph that I originally took for TAOP Assignment 1 on Contrasts in February 2010. I selected this photograph for the competition, on the basis for competition entries, a strong visual impact is crucial. I thought that the saturated colours and curved forms would be suitable for this purpose. The judge acknowledged the colours and composition of the photograph. However, he was unfamiliar with the subject matter so that the curved shapes did not convey a recognizable physical form to him. He also noted a dust spot in the print which I had overlooked when printing the photograph. He awarded a score of 8.5 out of 10, which was in the middle of the range of scores awarded in this section of the competition.
Street after snow
This is a photograph that I took in December 2010 not far from the Fondation Henri Cartier Bresson in Paris. It is an abstract composition of a wet street surface with bright sunlight reflected from neighboring buildings. I felt that the high contrast surface textures, the diagonal road markings and contrasting colours of blue sky and yellow light produced an interesting abstract. The judge had no criticism of the technical quality of the print, but he considered that the visual elements were not quite strong enough to his taste. He awarded this picture a score of 8 out of ten.
Set subject competition
The set subject for this competition was "Opposites" and I submitted one digital image and one print entry (There is no distinction in this competition between Advanced and Club class.)
In defence of ancient traditions
This is a photograph I took on our visit to a remote island on our trip to Indonesia in November 2010. I selected this photo as I felt that it showed "opposites" in the sense of an indigenous man in traditional finery face to face with a European woman dressed in modern T-shirt and shorts. Visually, the photograph is reasonably strong; there is clearly some tension in the discussion, and the figures stand out because of the strong side lighting. The judge accepted the validity as a portrayal of opposites (he did not exclude any photographs as invalid however). The technical quality and exposure were also OK. There is just enough light reflected on the mans face so that his features are visible.
White for men, black for women
I took this picture in February 2009 on a visit to Oman. I felt that the contrast of black and white of dress of Omani men and women was a good example of opposites. I liked the way the dark area of the woman's cloak on the right acts as a diagonal frame for the man standing facing the camera. The judge liked the composition, but considered that there was not enough detail retained in the white of the man's arm and shoulder.
Conclusions
There are a some lessons to be learnt from these competitions, in particular that I should take greater care in printing of photographs.
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