May 2006 Open Competiton Entries

Clicking on the image will open up a new window with the original size submitted entry
The Bobby
Di says : I’m told by one who knows that the ‘Bobby’ is something to do with the signalman – therefore this shot has been submitted by one who knows about railways. It’s a nice shot and the little boy in the background certainly completes the picture. It’s a good range of colours, and the only thing I would have liked to have seen, was a border – even if only a 1 px line – to finish it off. The white background fades into the white of our site background, and it’s something to consider when shots are submitted into our competitions. Otherwise, a nice entry.
Mark says : Interesting shot, with a strong, colourful, diagonal almost across the frame. It would have worked better for me with the levers diagonally across the whole frame..
The child in the background is neither really in the picture or out of it, and is not in sharp focus.
Some good ideas just not quite working for me.
 
Spring has Sprung
Di says : A lovely entry to let us know that spring is really here. Great shot of the blossom – excellent focus and good use of depth of field. I feel warmer already.
Mark says : The blossom is very nicely exposed, which is quite hard being so white. Its slightly spoilt for me by the out of focus leaves which are a little too prominent. If they had been all over, then they would have been less intrusive.
 

Delicate Shades
Di says : I tried to shoot bluebells last year, and every shot was a failure. I could not get the colours right for some reason, but this is excellent – nice macro, and good focus. Compositionally, I would have liked to have seen the stems right down into the grass, but of course this may not have been possible. It’s a lovely shot though – well done.
Mark says : Another spring time shot, which in a lot of ways works better than the previous one. The green background is nicely out of focus and because it’s uniform doesn’t detract from the main subject.
I would have liked to have seen more punch with the main subject. A little use of levels would have just lifted the picture.
 
Power Slide
Di says : Great Action shot this. Focus ceases to be an issue – as all you want is that impression of speed. Lots of mud – but how they coped with that open window is anyones guess. Great shot though, and one for the album of car No 4.
Mark says : This type of shot is one that I particularly like, unfortunately this one has too much movement towards the camera with too slow a shutter speed to catch the car properly. The car is also a little too central, if the photographer had just framed the shot with the car farther back in the frame to give some room to drive into, it would have been a stronger shot,.
 
Angles
Di says : Interesting use of colours, and it really does not matter that the perspective seems a bit ‘off’. It’s nice to see some more abstract work on this site, and I must say I like this shot very much – because it is a bit different. We should dare more unusual shots a bit more.
Mark says : I like this shot, although I think I would have straightened the verticals, which would also have had the benefit of loosing the balcony just into the frame on the top right.
Its also just slightly over exposed, the white being a little too blown. This would have also made the sky a tad bluer too.
But I do like the composition, the angles through the shot make a nice abstract
 
Falling Spanner - SECOND
Di says : I don’t know how this shot was set up – but it’s certainly a clever one. – I like the way they recede to the back of the shot – getting smaller and smaller. The focus on the top spanners is excellent – it rather looks like something that would be used in advertising. An excellent photo from one of our new members. Well done.
Mark says : This is a very clever shot. I think its just the two spanners, rotated and shrunk to get the impression of the spanners falling and spinning.
This is one shot, however, that I think the rules should be broken and the centre of the ring be in the centre of the frame.
 
The Last Leaf
Di says : I’m not certain about this entry – it conveys winter rather well, and loneliness too. It might have been nice to have seen the leaf rather more off centre – but it’s an interesting shot none the less.
Mark says : A very sharp shot of the leaf, with a good bokeh,. I would have liked to have seen the background a little less cluttered as it does pull the eye from the focal point.
It would have been nice to have the leaf colour a little more saturated.
 

Star Rider - WINNER
Di says : I took this in Vienna during May – one of the more scary rides I saw….. pity the chairs were not fully in the shot.
Mark says : I like this shot, the angle of the ride works well for me, almost turning the shot into an abstract.
The general blue colour of the shot helps the shot too.
My only criticism would be that the car on the left to have been just a little more into the frame and the one on the right, either be in or out.
 
Beacon Hill Park
Di says : Nice use of perspective…. Leading into the bench. Love all the different shades of green. Nice lighting on the water. Good focus – well done.
Mark says : Very tranquil shot, which I find my eye rooming around it looking at the detail. I wonder if the bench should have had a couple sat on it to provide a point of interest, just about on the thirds.
Good shot.
 
White Iris
Di says : White is a difficult colour to shoot –but this photographer has done very well to get all the different shades into the shot. The eye is nicely led to the yellow in the centre of the flower. Good use of depth of field, and excellent focus. Well done.
Mark says : This is a stunning shot, perfectly exposed and with the exception of the leaf or petal at the bottom of the frame, is perfect. The background bokah is lovely and smooth.
Great shot, has to be somewhere at the top.
 
Mr Toad
Di says : You don’t see many toads about these days, and it’s a shame you can’t see the eyes on this one. I believe that they are wonderful. I think the focus could have been a little better, but on the whole it’s an interesting shot. I googled for Toads out of curiosity, and came across this site.. http://www.scserp.com/SCS_Photo_Gallery_Amphibians_Frogs_and_Toads.htm interesting I thought……
Mark says : It may be the result of the compression or reduction in size, but the toad doesn’t seem to be quite in focus, and neither does anything else around it.
I think I would have liked the photographer to have moved slightly further around to get the head to look at the camera rather than turning away. It may also have been possible to slightly increase the saturation too.
 
Paull
Di says : Good shot of the trees, and I particularly like the way they reduce in size left to right. The trunks are particularly interesting and all in all this is a nice picture – one to frame I think.
Mark says : This is another good shot, with the tree to the left nicely on the third, providing the anchor for the other trees which reduce in size towards the sea,
The lighting quality looks nice too – either morning or evening I’d guess.
Well done
 
Buttercup Field
Di says : Must admit – this didn’t end up how I wanted it to – I was looking for acres of yellow and the stone wall was not in the first shot – I picked that up from another photo and cut it out from there and pasted it in. The idea was to split the shot into 3 – not sure if it worked though.
Mark says : This is another good shot, with the rule of thirds being used to great effect. The clouds seem to emanate from the tree, which in itself is sitting around the third. It’s the point that my eye drifts back to from looking along the wall and the clouds.
Good effort.
 
Palm and Sky
Di says : This I do like. The delicate fronds of the palm against a dramatic blue sky make for a shot that radiates heat…… The eye is drawn nicely from top to bottom on a pleasing curve. Good colours and excellent focus. Well done.
Mark says : Another good shot of a leaf. I think it would have really shone, if the out of focus leave in the foreground had been moved out of the way. Other than that the curve of the main stem, running sown the third, and the leaves sprouting from it make an excellent composition.
Excellent.
 
Colours Galore
Di says : Beautiful photograph of flowers – not sure what type, but look like an Iris…….the black border certainly sets them off and the depth of field is perfect. An ideal shot of something that could look quite ordinary on first glance. Well spotted.
Mark says : As the title suggests a very colourful picture which captures the flower well. The bright spots of the sky in the background are a little distracting. It may have been better to shoot from a slightly higher position to get a mainly green background.
Its perhaps just a little tightly cropped on the right hand side, with a couple of the stems just leaving the picture.
Well done.
 
Checkmate
Di says : Not sure if indeed it is checkmate – but the idea behind the shot is excellent. It must be one of those outdoor sets where the pieces are huge. A good idea, and a really good shot.
Mark says : I like this shot, some thought has been put into the composition and it works well for me.
The out of focus Queen just takes the eye farther back to look at the King.
The king itself just looks very slightly out of critical focus, but that could be a result of the compression for the web.
Has got to be somewhere at the top of the leader board.
 
Killington Lake - THIRD
Di says : Perfect landscape. Could you really go wrong somewhere like this. The lighting is incredible, and the exposure is just right. The only thing I would have changed is the bush bottom left. I think I might have cloned it out. It’s a bit distracting from what otherwise is a totally dramatic landscape. Very well done and shot.

Mark says : Another very well exposed shot, with a nice sky to compliment the hills and lake.
May have helped if the colours were a little more saturated, particularly the browns of the hills in the foreground.
 
Tulips from London
Di says : Gorgeous colours and great focus on the yellow tulip which is the subject of the shot. They seem to go on for ever, and if it had been called tulips from Amsterdam – I would not have even considered it to be wrong. I didn’t realise that tulips like this were in London. It’s a great shot – worthy of winning this month.
Mark says : This one is mine, and I’ll make no comment.
 
My First Entry
Di says : Another beautiful landscape – great reflections in the water and some lovely colours going on in the centre of the shot. It looks almost autumnal with the copper trees to the right of the picture – but the mountains behind the church are an incredible backdrop. It’s a fantastic image – one the photographer should be proud of.
Mark says : And hopefully not the last! The church is nicely reflected in the water, although is perhaps a little central.
Colours have a slight cast to them, which I’m not sure if it is because they have been scanned in from film or slide, or just the atmosphere.
 
A peaceful morning in the salzkammergut.
Di says : Truly peaceful. An amazing backdrop against the lone tree. Makes you want to be there and a shot that allows for some advertising on the right hand side – perhaps Swiss chocolate? My only crit (and it’s a minor one) is that it looks as though the grass should be straight – is the horizon off, or did the ground slope? I’m not sure.
Mark says : Another good shot, the tree in the foreground providing the focal point. It may have been better if the photographer could have moved one way or other to avoid the snow being behind the tree giving a bright spot.
Looks a lovely part of the world and one which I shall go back to some time.
Good effort
 
Apples
Di says : Such ordinary fruit. But reflected as they are, it’s a really good shot. Maybe a little spray of water would have enhanced it to pick out some more glistening on the fruit – but otherwise, a simple but effective photograph – I like it.
Mark says : My second shot and again, I’ll not comment.