Your thoughts - Winning photo?

kjt

Howdy all,
I just got an email about this and have to say I'm amazed. Some of the
Runners up are really good, WAY beyond the winner. The winning shot
is 'alryt' in my opinion but I'm swaying more towards the term crap.
How the heck can this win out of 55,000 entries?

Am I way off the mark?


I'd love to hear your opinions.

Kyle

dreamer_ire

I think I'm missing something too, it really doesn't do anything for me. My fav would be number 4 followed by number 7

kjt

Thanks, I thought I was going crazy! I really like #2 and #7 too

Thirdfox

Do you remember the Late Late Show/Halifax photo comp controversy?

Photography is subjective, judging photo competitions is even more so. Technical skill, creativeness etc. are only part of the broader picture - politics/pr value etc. are just as important.

A photo competition I recently entered had a predictable winner - as soon as I saw the B&W photo of a bald woman who was battling cancer (and also the mother of the photographer) I knew that it was in all likelihood going to be the winner. There were some really amazing shots of Israeli IDF forces on tanks which I felt were "better" and more novel. As for me - I tried to portray China in a positive-ish light...but secretly I do feel if I chose to submit a photo in line with the judges (who are big supporters of the Dalai Lama) I might have got further.

But nevermind - for the Halifax comp there were "amazing" photos that didn't win too... people don't need judges to tell them how valuable a photo is to the photographer him/herself. (My Beijing photo has now been enlarged and printed out and is proudly hanging on my wall because I feel it is good )


Oh and as for the winning shot - I can see how is can be appealing - it did catch my eye when I first looked at it, though I can't identify any particular reason for it. Would I place it at number one? Probably not...

dreamer_ire

kjt wrote: »

Thanks, I thought I was going crazy! I really like #2 and #7 too

I think 7 is such an intelligent shot, esp given the stillness of the middle compared to the movement at each side. For me what makes it work so well is the roof

Nisio

The article reads as if there was a public vote as well as the panel of judges?

Ah so it was

Did you do any campaigning throughout the competition in order to get people to vote for you?
I have to admit that I had a bit of an Obama moment and used Facebook as my main ‘campaign tool’. I got my friends to change their status to get people to vote for me and generally bugged not only my friends, but also their friends to vote for me.
After having done this, I can honestly say I no longer loathe advertisers but actually have a new-found respect for them.
I also kept a close eye on the voting status on the website.

Fajitas!

I actually really really like the winning shot - If only they'd clone out the golf in the mist!!!

shepthedog

There would seem to be a few reasons behind this..
1. Yes it was a public vote and he utilised all options available to him.
2. The image does catch your eye but I agree that the runners up contain what I would deem "the best". It does have buckets of atmosphere though.
3. His story... Unemployed, took it with a point and shoot with cheap tripod. Its the Hollywood underdog done good story and afterall its a newspaper so they would want an unusual story to go with it.

Crispin

#7 for me, but fair play to him for winning!

thebaz

Fajitas! wrote: »

I actually really really like the winning shot - If only they'd clone out the golf in the mist!!!

i agree , i like it too , didn't look at runners up - was it an Irish comp or world-wide ?

kjt

thebaz wrote: »

i agree , i like it too , didn't look at runners up - was it an Irish comp or world-wide ?

Worldwide.


Interesting replies. This is why I like photography, everybody has a different view on it

Draupnir

I have to say, and Im a completely novice at this, I think the winner is the best of the entries on that page. I feel this way for a very simple reason, it seems to be the photo amongst them that seems the least forced and it is the one that makes me feel as though I am standing in the scene watching rather than standing outside looking at a picture.

That might make no sense, but it's what it feels like to me. Also, the atmosphere is unbelievably, I almost feel the damp mist/fog on my face when I look at it. I'd say number 3 is close to this feeling of atmosphere but the symmetry and straight lines make the picture seem forced and unnatural to me.

Anyway, that's my 2c from the inexperienced wallet of a novice!

* Final point, the way the mist is caught by the headlamps of the bus in the winning photo blows me away, I hope I can capture something like that in a picture some day.

sasar

This is what I find funny:

Terms and Conditions
3. Your photos cannot exceed 5 MB each, cannot be digitally manipulated, and you must be the sole author and owner of the copyright.

And when I look at runners up, I wonder, why are they there?

TJM

Draupnir wrote: »

it seems to be the photo amongst them that seems the least forced

Ditto. The other images seem to me to be primarily interested in showing off each photographer's technique.

Arciphel

Image #3 is amazing I think ...

Cabaal

#7, 4 and 2 are good in my view, not a fan of the winner to be honest

Don't remind me about the Late Late Show/Halifax comp, that was some joke, alot of good images loosing out

Covey

Photo competitions are generally a lottery.

I like 9 & 10 best.

Anouilh

Thanks for sharing such a great site, Kyle.

There are some very dramatic photos there that catch the eye.

Searching round on the site, I very much liked this:

http://www.metrophotochallenge.com/ie/photo/32064

It could be interesting to get involved in the challenge system. One way of improving technique?

Draupnir

A boards photo competition/challenge would be good craic!

Anouilh

Draupnir wrote: »

A boards photo competition/challenge would be good craic!

I think that is what the "Cold" theme challenge is all about.

In fact, I'm not quite sure what all the details involve. Are many posters here competitive by nature. Usually I'm not.

mehfesto2

Just found the link to the Irish Enteries:
http://www.metrophotochallenge.com/ie/gallery/top100/Ireland/contest_only:no/by:date

Some look familiar from flickr!

Dragan

To be honest, after going through a lot of then entries there is not a lot of the "theme" in the vast majority of them.

Most of them get to "urban" and then seemed to lose focus.

sheesh

I really liked the winning photo I think it is very atmospheric.

I notice that 7 of the others required photoshop I'm wondering if that had anything to do with it (not that there is anything wrong with that sort of thing ).

worthy winner in my book. Actually love them all bar 10

PixelTrawler

Have to say i really like the winning shot - i love the look of it

*agree with afore mentioned comments about the damn golf!