Hi folks,
It was the last round of the League Challenge Cup last night and the theme was ‘Refreshing’ plus the open round. The judge for the evening was Peter Greenaway from Kidlington.
I personally thought this was one of the hardest rounds to come up with something original and there were only 15 entries in the theme round and two of those were mine.
Peter asked for a run through of all 15 of them and then said, well they all seem to fit the theme well.
High marks this evening IMO were hard to get, with some images getting much lower scores than normal.
The first one to be held back was titled,
Bath Time
An interesting one, said Peter, with the swan appearing to be falling to bits and he was having a bit of a struggle to workout what was going on. The river bank has been nicely toned down
The next to be held back was titled,
With a splash of lemon and lime
The flash used has frozen the water drops and only just losing a bit of sharpness to the right which is fine. A nice cocktail of colours in the glass
The next to be held back was titled,
Rugby winners’ shower
A lot of champagne going to waste, said Peter. The author has positioned himself well and has captured the definition in the water drops. There is a natural look in all the faces. Just behind the cup is a face which could have possibly been cloned out and others on the right perhaps toned down a little.
The next to be held back was titled,
Fizzy
A beautifully executed piece of work with the shadow reflection on a shiny black surface. The bubbles in the glass are sharp. The slice of lemon on the side is slightly blown out but being picky here.
So the final scores for those held back were
1st, Fizzy by John Timbrell, 20 points
Jt 2nd, Bath time by Chenxi Ni, 19 points (but given the Judge’s choice as it was a natural picture taken on an opportune moment)
Jt 2nd, A splash of lemon and lime by Kathy Chantler, 19 points
4th, Rugby winners’ shower by Mike Ashcroft, 18 points
Coffee time
The second half began with a run through of the open round and Peter was surprised by the number of monochrome images that were entered.
The first to be held back was titled,
Georgia Street
A moody street shot, said Peter, which are popular at the moment. The monochrome works well and the graffiti on the left has been nicely subdued. The brightness behind the model on the right has worked well but a down pipe or the corner of the building could be toned down a little. A bit dark around the models jawbone and Peter would have preferred a hard crop of the graffiti on the left.
The next to be held back was titled,
Georgia
A bright area around the model’s face and chest and the author has managed to blend in the negative space on the left. Peter said, the street lights on the left were out of focus which was good. This has got a lot going for it
The next to be held back was titled,
Boston Bridge
An interesting bridge abstract image with the wire strands coming down. There is a walkway below and the second bridge on the right is taking the eye into the distance. Peter would have toned down the sky a little, as the strength of this picture is in the bridges and not the background.
The next to be held back was titled,
Bateleur Eagle
A lovely shot of an eagle in flight, the head is magnificent and sharp. Peter would have liked a bit more detail in the wing tips.
The next to be held back was titled,
Train Stop
These images are popular at the moment and this is interesting, it may be layered but the effect is good. There is a sign down the end which is leading Peter ‘s eye to it and perhaps could be cloned out. This is technically well executed.
The next to be held back was titled,
Misty River
A nice restful picture with a mountain range to die for. The colours work well together, there is mist which is hiding the tree background just a little.
The next to be held back was titled,
Tube Train Abstract
An interest image of a guy on the left in the tube train, another character appears to be on the platform perhaps using a vending machine.
Seven were held back and the results were awarded as follows
1st, Georgia by Dave Cullinmore, 20 points (judge’s choice)
2nd, Train Stop by Chris Andrews, 20 points
Jt 3rd, Baleleur Eagle by Chenxi Ni, 19 points
Jt 3rd, Misty boats by Peter Carter, 19 points
Jt 3rd, Tube Train Abstact by John Timbrell, 19 points
Jt 6th, Boston Bridge by Kathy Chantler, 18 points
Jt 6th, Georgia Street by Dave Cullinmore, 18 points
Next week is
Visiting Speaker – Jonathan Thompson, food photographer
Tuesday May 8, 2018 from 20:15 to 22:15
Jonathan Thompson is a food photographer based in Chester. His clients range from multi-Michelin starred restaurants and chefs to Liverpool Football Club.
Jonathan brings a passion for the whole story of the food, to him it’s more than an appetizing dish, it’s the devotion that goes in to making the plate of food in front of you.
Whilst the food and clients are high-end, Jonathan has a down-to-earth reality and will explain how he can use modest equipment for high-end results.
Feeling hungry…? don’t check out his Instagram feed https://www.instagram.com/jonathanthompsonphotography/
Jonathan’s website is http://www.jonathanthompsonphotography.com