Forum competition results for the August 2013 round – Human Life
The brief for this month’s forum competition was simple: we wanted you to photograph the ‘human wildlife’ you found on your travels. It didn’t matter where or how you found this unusual species just so long as you were able to effectively communicate a story through your image. Here we take a look at some of the best images.
One of my favourites is Adrian Sadlier’s ‘Rare glimpse of a functioning nuclear family!’ It’s a sweet idyllic image that makes fantastic use of location and subject. The golden glow of the light is truly beautiful. It feels almost like a dream or a half-remembered moment from childhood.
Next I’d like to mention Helander’s ‘The Shear Inn’. There’s a lot to like here. The moment has been captured perfectly and shows us all we need to know about the role of the gentleman in the image. We can build a story around this moment, and that is a true virtue.
Finally, I have to say that Fen’s image of pigeons made me stop and look. While you could argue that the subject is not really people, I still wanted to highlight the picture due to Fen’s expressive use of the camera’s shutter function. It’s a really interesting shot.
The winner of the Forum monthly photo competition will receive a National Geographic Earth Explorer NG2346 Midi Messenger Bag. It’s an everyday, functional shoulder bag that holds all your personal gear along with a tablet, camera or camcorder and associated accessories worth £79.95 provided by Manfrotto. Runners-up will each receive an ‘Amateur Photographer Loves My Pictures’ mug.
3rd Place
Zou – ‘Leopard on Zebra’
Zou’s ‘Leopard on Zebra’ image brings to mind William Klein’s famous image Piazza di Spagna, Rome (1960). Although perhaps a little too busy, this is clearly a shot that Zou happened across by chance. Rather than let the image go, the wise decision was made to capture the moment. Not every shot has to be perfect. Sometimes the subject is strong enough to shine through any shortcomings.
2nd Place
Tonycro – ‘Let’s go fly a kite…’
I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling quite nostalgic when looking at Tonycro’s image. It’s the kind of nostalgia felt either by those who remember breezy summer days spent flying kites or those who feel a warm glow every time they take their children out on daytrips. The colours, particularly in the sky and foliage, are stand-out features. Perhaps a different angle would have elevated this picture – the kite’s string gets a bit lost in the trees – but that’s a minor quibble. It’s an image full of the joys of summer and childhood.
1st Place
caledonia84 – ‘Alpha Male’
I really like Caledonia84’s image ‘Alpha Male’. It’s a shot that manages not only to tell us something about the sport caledonia84 is documenting, but also a little about masculinity. The spectacle of combat is of endless fascination to the majority of us, whether we like to admit it or not. It’s a subject that caledonia84 has spent a lot of his time photographing and therefore he understands exactly what he needs show in order to communicate his story. Does the image need to be in black & white? I think it does. It forces us to concentrate on the narrative and composition.
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AP Forum competition results – sponsored by Manfrotto
