Forum competition results for the September 2013 round – Reach for the Skies
Thanks to everyone who
submitted a photograph for such a strong selection of entries. As in previous months,
‘Reach for the Skies’ was a theme that was very much open to interpretation.
There were some nice ideas contained within a lot of these images, and it’s
worth looking back at them to see the various creative ways in which the theme
of skies has been tackled.
Great entries include
caledonia84’s ‘Room with a View’. The colours are truly spectacular and the
whole scene bleeds atmosphere. I also really like Vettahead’s ‘Kites in the
Sky’, taken at the kite festival in Lytham. A good photographer is a person who
can spot and compose scenes that others may miss, and to be honest this one
would have passed me by completely.
Next we have lfc1892’s
‘Cleaning the Skies’. Scenes like this are common in the city and they are
popular subjects for photographers. However, I particularly like this shot as
it presents the subject in a graphic way that we don’t often see. The scale of
the scene is the real draw here. The task of these cleaners seems as if it will
take forever, and I’m going to assume that this is only a small section of the
building.
Finally, an honorary
mention must go to Helander’s epic picture ‘Buachaille Sky’. It’s an
extraordinary scene. There are so many little details in the shot that work. It
took a little while to register the half-rainbow on the left-hand side, and even
the small section of trees just underneath that detail work well. A big well
done, Helander!
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
mmab – ‘Sky Crane’
This is perhaps not a shot
that would immediately jump out at people, but this image caught my eye
immediately. There’s something about the simplicity of the arrangement. The
shot is barebones and very much concerned with form. That’s the appeal of the
image for me. Many photographers – myself included – can spend too much time
searching for big complex scenes. Just recently I’ve begun to focus my own
personal attentions on creating clean, formalist images and it’s nice to see
that others are doing the same. Great job!
2nd Place
miked – ‘Transition’
Excellent as always was Miked,
with this stunning shot of the transitional period between night and day (or
day and night). It’s an extraordinarily painterly image that makes subtle use
of a slow shutter speed to capture the passing of time and light. The tide
advances and recedes. Waves build and fall apart. Slowly, the sun extinguishes
behind the horizon. Time passing is a theme that often crops up in the works of
artists, photographers and writers. Coastal regions are particularly popular
when tackling this idea (the elements eroding the landscape is a perfect
metaphor) and Miked has thrown his hat into the ring. It’s a great image and
one to be proud of.
1st Place
JStockley – ‘Brightlingsea Beach Huts’
My favourite shot from this
round comes from JStockley. It’s an image that most definitely speaks for
itself in terms of its composition and colour. I particularly like the fact
that while the colours of the huts are vivid, they’re not overwhelming -
they’re just enough to hold your eye for the appropriate amount of time before
allowing your gaze to wander off into the other parts of the picture. I’m a big
fan of the sky’s reflection in the water. It’s a nice variation on the theme. I
suspect most people would have been tempted to crop the amount of space given
to this, but in my opinion that would have been a mistake. It works perfectly.
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AP Forum competition results – sponsored by Manfrotto
