May 2006 Theme Competiton Entries

This months theme is : Bulidings and Bridges (the built environment)

Clicking on the image will open up a new window with the original size submitted entry

Di says: This was not a difficult theme to find shots for – but it was hard to find something that was different, and that worked. Shots of buildings are easy to get, but to the right perspective, colour and that extra special ‘something’ was the hard part. All the entries this month are good, some more than others. There has been a great variety of entries and it’s good to see some of the newer members getting shots into these competitions. I hope you get something from the crits that we write. Please remember – these are comments passed by only two people. If you like your shot – then it’s a good one. Always remember that.
 
Sutton Church
Di says: Basking in the sunshine – partly hidden by trees and other foliage. It’s a romantic kind of shot that would suit a chocolate box or biscuit tin. Could have done with a bit of a more interesting sky –but on the whole this is nicely done.
Mark says: The first shot fits into the theme well, and is nicely taken in general.
There are two things I would have been tempted to do, one remove the out of focus branches above the bell tower and to its right. The second one would be to replace the sky, as it is a little bland.
 
Skyline
Di says: Lots of lens flare on this shot –but strangely it does not detract much from the overall composition. We know it’s hot, and we know from the skyline where it is – it’s a good shape of the buildings too, flowing nicely to full height in the middle. Even the Hudson river looks clean……

Mark says: An image that does fit the theme well, but is spoilt by the bright flare in the centre of the picture.
I would also have cropped the right hand side to balance the height of the buildings on both sides.
 
NY Panorama
Di says: I bet from the top of the Empire State Building. I went to New York last year, and got almost the same shot. You can see the join on this one however, through the sky mostly, which would have been easy to fix. You can’t go wrong in NY though – well done.
Mark says: This is a much better effort than the previous one, presumably by the same person. The sky is a lovely colour on the horizon, although just a little bright higher up the frame.
 
Hadleigh Castle
Di says: A dramatic colourised shot with interest in the foreground, middle and background. Nicely set on thirds, with a dramatic sky to finish. Good composition, and great focus. What more can I say?
Mark says: This is a super shot, full of atmosphere. The castle ruins is sitting perfectly on the thirds and overlooks the bay as if still protecting the coast.
 
Cromer Pier - THIRD
Di says: When the tide went out. It’s a great sky, and it’s good that the horizon is not only dead straight, but that it’s not on centre. I might have been tempted to set the camera a little lower down – to get more interest in the sand – but all in all it’s a lovely shot.
Mark says: Another good shot, although the pier could do with being slightly lifted from the rest of the image. I like the colour of the sky and that and the clouds add a sense of drama. It may well work better with a tighter crop, to drop the pier down onto the thirds.
 
Street
Di says: My entry from Vienna – I liked the way the windows were reflected on the cobbles – and I hoped for an olde worlde feel……
Mark says: This is yet another good shot, which I particularly like; the sense of mystery of what is around the corner. The verticals are nicely vertical, which is important with this type of photography.
 
The New Opera House in Copenhagen
Di says: Straight out of the Architects brochure. Good clean straight lines – a no nonsense approach to music. Good clear angles, set against a nice sky (equally no nonsense), and a rippling sea. Excellent shot. Well done.
Mark says: This is another good shot. The bright sun has made the main face of the building a little underexposed, but if the shooter had exposed for the shadow it would have washed out the rest of the scene. It has been nicely composed in the centre of the frame, but the two extremes of the roof are sitting just about on the thirds, so whilst at first glance is breaking one of the compositional rules, in fact its not. It is also perfectly horizontal, which is again very important around water as well as architecture.
 
Castello Saint'Angelo, Rome - SECOND
Di says: Lovely colours going on here, the eye is led gently round the shot gorgeous curves and a softness that contrasts completely with the New Opera House in Copenhagen. It looks like early evening, but so calm – great reflections, and a super sky. Another excellent shot.
Mark says: This is a super shot, with what looks like evening sun bathing the roof of the castle. The bridge leading in just diagonally from the right takes the eye into the shot and is held by the wall running up from the bottom left.
Nicely exposed for both the sky and the castle, this is one that should do well.
 
Craigdarroch Castle
Di says: What a great sky (we’ve been having some lovely weather) great stone work, and super colours. I really like the detail in the stonework, the grittyness, set against the smooth tiles of the roof detail. Such ornate balcony rails too. Great shot.
Mark says: I love this shot, the colours of the building and the dark blue sky compliment each other well.
The buildings verticals are just about upright, which is very difficult unless care is taken, which is has here.
This is another shot that should do well.
 
Hatley Castle
Di says: This shot leaves me a bit cold to be honest. It’s a roof, and a bit of wall, but it’s not telling me anything. The focus is good though, and although it looks as though it was shot at a time of day when the light was harsh, it’s come out well. Needed to be a bigger picture though, get some more of the building in.
Mark says: Another nicely exposed shot of the castle. The verticals on this one though are not quite as upright as would be preferable. I’m sure a few minutes with Photoshop or similar could correct this, as there is plenty of room at the top of the image to pull this straight.
I also don’t like the drain pipes running down the building, particularly the middle one as my eye keeps being drawn to it.
 
The Deep
Di says: I think this is the Oceanography place…. But I’m not sure. It looks like a sinking ship – and perhaps this was the architects main idea. It’s been sympathetically taken, and I find it interesting. Nice sky behind sets it off. Well done.
Mark says: Very strong diagonal composition from the building apparently rising out of the ground. A little bit of levels adjustment could have improved the contrast a little.
The main thing that bothers me, is the bit of wall just peeping up at the bottom of the frame. Its not a consistent depth all the way across the frame, so should have been cropped out or otherwise removed.
 
Lowery Bridge
Di says: I took this one for work – we wanted a shot that epitomised Manchester’s new build. I leave you to judge.
Mark says: My first impression of this shot is conflicting! I like the bridge and the deep blue edge to it and the overall blue feel to the image, but I don’t like the building behind. It may be that there is nothing that can be done to get the strong angle of the bridge.
 
Linlithgow Palace & St Michael's Parish Church.
Di says: Good shot, and dramatic sky – looks like a storm brewing – though the sun is shining. Good crop and dramatic lines make this quite stunning. Wish I could have seen a larger image.
Mark says: I find the bright green grass draws the eye away from the main focus of this shot, i.e. the building. It may have worked better in black and white, to remove that element of the picture and place more emphasis on the buildings. I also have a problem with the water line – its not level and appears to be falling out of the frame. Having said that the buildings themselves are nicely vertical.
 
Bridges
Di says: Architecture at its best. Wonderful view of Scottish Bridges, another one I wish I could have seen larger. Great use of perspective though – the eyes nicely led to the horizon where the two bridges merge. Fantastic.
Mark says: A panoramic shot of the two bridges in Scotland. It’s a shame the sky wasn’t a little kinder on the day of shooting and been more interesting.
As I look at the picture more, I find myself trying to see more of the bridge on the right, the other bridge, from this distance, providing less to look at.
 
The Bullring
Di says: Great use of an odd angle here. There’s no way I would have known it was shot off straight, if it hadn’t been for the church spire. It’s the amalgamation of the old and the modern. Great focus on the foreground, and it’s fine that the church spire is darkened out. It sets off the modern building wonderfully well.
Mark says: This is a stunning shot, except for the angle of the church, which doesn’t nothing for me. There is also too much negative space to the left for me.
It is, however, well exposed and somewhere I’d like to go and take some photographs of in the not too distant future.
 
Black Mill
Di says: I’m not certain where in the world this was taken, but it is exactly what it says on the tin – a mill, and it’s black. It’s stark and it’s hard against the softness of the foliage. I would have liked to have seen the sky a little darker, to give some more of the detail there – but otherwise an interesting shot.
Mark says: The mill has been placed within the frame well, but another shot where the sky is a touch too bright. A neutral density grad filter may have helped or some post processing to darken the sky as the foreground is exposed well.
 
Millennium Bridge - WINNER
Di says: This reminds me of the Lowry Bridge Earlier, but this is somehow different. The eye is led round the shot and the curves of the bridge are in a good contrast to the upright buildings in the background, and the fencing in the foreground. Good focus, and lovely exposure. Well done.
Mark says: Another good shot of a bridge. This one is generally well taken with the white structure retaining enough detail of the shape yet still look crisp and white.
I’m guessing that a really wide angle lens wasn’t available at the time of shooting, because I think it would be better if the foreground didn’t have the railings,
 
Dublin Bridge
Di says: I’ve been across this bridge. Love the way it arches across the Liffy. It might have been nice to have the light and shade a little more balanced on the shot – it’s almost burnt out on the right, and a bit too dark on the left for my taste. Otherwise a nice shot.
Mark says: This is my first entry and I’ll comment no more.
 
Town Hall
Di says: An excellent night time shot in the rain (the weather does not have to stop you going out with the camera) – the reflections in the puddles are excellent, and the focus is spot on (use of a tripod I expect). It might benefit from being a touch darker on the building, so show the lights being on – I do like the shadows of the lights on the wall, and the chap with the umbrella. A good lively shot…. Well done.
Mark says: This is my second entry, and except to say that as shot, the building leant back something terrible – and this is the result of some perspective correction in Photoshop Elements. The flare from the left was a very bright spot light. It might have not been present if I’d had the hood on the lens!