Firstly, my thanks to have been asked to judge this week: It is an honour and a privilege, and I am delighted to be able to do so.
And secondly, much more importantly, I would like to thank everyone who submitted an entry this week. This is not a easy subject matter, for a number of reasons, and – as always – the entries submitted are humbling in their expertise, creativity, originality in interpreting the subject matter, and mastery of the principles of photography and pictorial composition, with some lovely images submitted.
So, my thanks to one and all, and do, please, bear in mind that the judging this week – precisely because of the specific challenges of this subject matter, are even more subjective than usual.
Now, I wish to say – or rather, write - a few words about the theme and the specific challenges that it may have presented to those who have submitted entries.
And, I also wish to sketch out my own principles for judging this competition, for, while @Alexander.Of.Oz has set out his guidelines, and I shall be informed - to some extent - by them, precisely, because firstly, I am not him, and secondly, the nature of this competition means that subjective judgment will determine preferences to a greater extent than would be usual, my conclusions – and preferences – and choices, might not have been those entries, or submissions, selected by him.
The OP - @Alexander.Of.Oz – set the theme, and elaborated further when he framed it with a number of shots illustrating his understanding of these concepts.
To recap: The set theme is described as:
“One Word Feels:”
And again, to recap, I’ll repeat, or set out here, what the OP had written in his original post exactly what he envisaged this competition to be all about.
“This is a storytelling exploration in connoting an emotion or feeling through a visual still-frame photograph. By all means feel free to dive into the archives of your image repositories or to take the moment to investigate a feeling as you may see fit to express that through photographic capture and presentation.
If you are creating an image this week for the challenge, think about what you are conveying and how you can achieve that effectively for others to 'get it'.”
This is a subject matter that – in addition to the more usual physical challenges of creating, or crafting, an image, and focusing on content of the image, composition, framing, lighting – offers two further challenges – for, it is both abstract and subjective. And a third, in that this is to be described (and visually conveyed) in one word.
An abstract image presents a greater challenge, from the photographer’s (or artist’s) perspective, than does the visual representation of something concrete, where the challenges are reduced to the technical ones of lighting, composition, framing, and content, or subject matter.
More challenging still, is the fact that, nowadays, abstract images cannot be presented within a mutually understood metaphorical cultural context, or framework, or set of understood visual references.
In much of western medieval art, for example, a picture – a portrait - of a lady with a dove was not just a picture or portrait of a lady with a dove, but was a metaphor for “purity” widely understood across the western world. Or a unicorn (as yet another metaphor for female virginity, or purity).
And, within that world, tantalising teasing – as such images were played with, toyed with, inverted and subverted, in visual puns or hints - worked only because everyone in that world understood the cultural context, and references and therefore “got” the visual puns: Take a look at the stunning tapestry series The Lady and the Unicorn, (in the Cluny Museum in Paris) for an example of the abstract rendered superbly (and exquisitely). But, because we are no longer of that world, much of the meaning escapes us, though we can still recognize, appreciate, and salute, the exquisite artistry of the tapestries.
However, nowadays, we lack such a common cultural metaphorical reference, and thus, by definition, our understanding of (and portrayal of) the abstract, is both personal, often private, but inevitably, as a consequence, is highly subjective.
And, something that is experienced, expressed, or understood, subjectively, does not always travel well – or cannot be easily conveyed, least of all, visually, – to others.
In any case, already difficult to portray visually, for, while a picture may be worth a thousand words, sometimes, it may take a thousand words to explain a picture.
Moreover, as the theme is abstract, and not concrete, - and the ability to render a concrete image is one of the chief strengths of photography as an art form, or, as a means of rendering or expressing images, or merely, to tell a story, setting an abstract challenge serves, in some ways to subtly invert, or undermine, one of the narrative strengths of photography.
And then, to ask for something as subjective, and as abstract, to be expressed in an image that can best be described in one word, is a further challenge, for many “feelings” are ephemeral, and elusive, and are best portrayed in subtle nuanced brush-strokes, something that can be quite difficult to capture, convey, or, to actually do, visually.
Thus, the “feels” that can best be described in – or expressed in, an image tend to be the obvious ones; this is a theme that leaves less space for subtlety, and, if subtlety is attempted, subjective responses mean that it may not necessarily be understood or recognized.
All of this means that while I am very aware of the challenges – both in conveying an abstract concept in a visual medium, and the fact the subject matter “feels” is, by its very nature, exceptionally subjective, - in arriving at, or selecting images for podium spots, I am also guided by addressing whether the image presented works, firstly, as an image, (the classic rules of photography) and secondly, in the context of this contest, whether it works a as a metaphor for what it claims to describe.
And thirdly, whether it evokes (visually) some semblance of, or allows one to recognise, the emotion – or feeling - the image claims to describe, in fact, or in feeling, and/or as a metaphor.
And, fourthly, and finally, whether it manages to capture all of this in an image and metaphor of one word to convey a feeling, a limitation that I, personally, think may have been an ask too far.
So, without further ado, to this week’s images:
@Clix Pix: “Frustration”.
As a metaphor for “frustration”, a particularly timely, Covid-19 related frustration, this image works very well; one cannot swim – or use the swimming pool - this summer, which must be exceptionally frustrating for those who like to swim.
Moreover, I like the lines of blue cover on the inaccessible covered swimming pool, - and I love the stacked sun-loungers, stashed in the distance, a detail that would normally only be seen at the end of the summer season, when coverings are replaced, and the sun loungers put away for the winter.
While I like the vertical lines of the room, which intersect elegantly with the squared pattern on the pool covering, to my eye, they are too strong and run the risk of dominating the image; I think the image would have been better if the vertical lines of the door (or French window) were less prominent.
@deep diver: “Defeated”.
As a photograph, an image, this works: It is a very nice head and shoulders shot of someone I assume is a footballer. The face is well captured, the composition excellent, the color contrast very well done.
However, the problem is, his expression does not necessarily convey the emotion, or the “feeling” of “defeated”. It could just as equally easily convey, or signal, that he is bored, frustrated, fed up, annoyed, and this would be my reading of his expression. “Defeat” should lead to greater emotion, if he “felt” for his team, or cared deeply about the result. Thus, as a metaphor, this doesn’t really work for me.
@kenoh: “Monday”.
I love this: It is clever, witty, - it brings a grin to your face just looking at it - an excellent image and works really well as a metaphor.
Okay, I love a well shot black and white image – then, the subject matter and composition and lines are what matter, without the distraction that colour can bring.
Anyway, I love the monochrome nature of the shot, the lack of distractions, the composition, - normally, I prefer it if an image is not in the centre of the shot, but here, the image in the centre of the shot is the whole point of the picture, and it works.
And, best of all, it works wonderfully as metaphor: That curled up ball of fur, that paw over the face and eye, that rejection of the dawning day and refusal to want to face the coming week, this is brilliant. Who hasn’t felt this way on a wet Monday morning in the deepest, darkest depths of winter? Not I.
@Hughmac: “Nurtured”.
I like this image: It works well as an actual image – lovely subject matter, the colours adding to (rather than distracting from) the subject matter of the image, very good composition, and clean, elegant lines.
And, it works as a metaphor: Nurturing, caring for and feeding your young, the kind of shot that evokes a warm glow internally (thus, emotionally, in terms of feeling, it works), a warmth added to (or supported by) the use of colour: While I love black and white, to my mind, portraying the theme of “nurture” works far better in warm colours.
@Strider64: “Itchy”.
Lovely shot. This is another image where the use of colour – especially the heightened contrast between the alert squirrel and its verdant, vibrant, (but fittingly, just a little out of focus, nice use of depth of field) green surroundings – works well.
As an image, it is lovely, and the actual squirrel is precisely, sharply and very well taken, and a striking contrast with its background.
But, as metaphor, and, as a “feeling”, is the squirrel itchy, or inquisitive? Is it curiously surveying its surroundings, or pausing while hunting for nuts? I don’t know, and the picture doesn’t really tell me.
@mackmgg: “Summer”.
Terrific image, as a visual composition, or construction, lovely control of light and shade, - it looks as though it could be a black and white shot, even though it’s not.
The rain, and hailstone shower looks ferocious, and freezing. Visually, one shivers, and the starkness of the shot is arresting, and the strong lines add enormously to the power of the image.
But, but, but: Quite apart from metaphor, indeed, entirely removed from the world of metaphor, this is not – by any stretch of any imagination – a shot that can credibly pass as any kind of representation of “summer” – (“summer storm”, or “summer shower”, perhaps, but we are confined to the use of one word, not two, or three), even ironically.
And, nor does it work as a metaphor for “summer”, and nor does it evoke any sense of “feeling” for, or a feel of, summer. It is a great shot, but it does not suggest summer, not in fact, in thought, (or metaphor), or feeling.
@oblomow: “Horny”.
As an image, firstly, despite the subject matter, I would have liked to see the colour contrast (and yes, as with all wildlife shots, colour seems to work a lot better than black and white) between the two animals, the roebuck and the doe, and their background – muted, seasonal autumnal colours notwithstanding – more sharply delineated.
Secondly, I would have liked to see more of the female, the doe. Visually, the way the picture is shot, her eye is obscured, the old “the eye is the window to the soul” sort of stuff, whereas his is wild with desire, and black with focused distraction (or, perhaps, one is simply attributing such to him); at any rate, his eye is in focus, and so is he. She is not.
And, I think it would have been a better shot of something depicting “Horny” (or indeed, “horny, and/or perhaps not?”), for few things are funnier, to my female eye, than two well endowed – and, here, I mean with autumnal antlers – not anything else – male deer, two bucks, clattering wildly and furiously and energetically into one another with forest shattering violence, while the female object of their desire, crops, or nibbles, or snacks on, grass in the glade nearby, not so much oblivious, as entirely indifferent, to their challenge, the ferocity of their fight, and to their mastery of the art of antlered combat.
And this is my beef with the subject of this shot – and much wildlife photography in general - when sex comes into the equation, or, is depicted; it defines desire (horny) exclusively in terms of male desire, which is but one side of the story.
Indeed, in photography, as a more general aside, I cannot count the number of shots (male photographers starting out with a model in tow for the purposes of building a decent portfolio) where the lines and composition, and indeed, content, are fine (but tediously reminiscent of the old “male gaze”) but – unremarked by most, because that is not where their gaze lingers, or eyes rest – is the fact that the eyes of most female models are deader and less animated than the most moribund corpse, and the eyes are what I want to see, although, I’ll readily concede, with animals, I may be falling prey to anthropomorphic tendencies with this discussion.
Anyway, visually, I’d have liked to have seen the animals more prominently defined, especially the doe.
However, again, this picture describes what it says it describes: The buck is indeed horny. Thus, this is not a metaphor, and nor it is something that evokes a feeling: Rather, it is what it says it is, a visual image of a deer about to mount a doe, and he is indeed, horny.
@mollyc: “Komorebi”.
I love learning new words, and this is one of two new words I have learned this week. For those who have not clicked on the link @mollyc so kindly attached to her entry, “Komorebi” is a Japanese word for “sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees”, or, a word that describes this effect.
Visually, this picture is gorgeous; I love the image, the actual subject matter, the composition, the colours, complementary in their dappled contrasts, and the elegant control of both light and shade.
It is a lovely rendition of the concept of “Komorebi”, and would not be out of place as a Japanese print, or postcard.
But, it is not a metaphor, because it depicts exactly what it describes; for, this image shows us a “fact”, - the fact of sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees – but does not depict a “feel”, (other than, that is gorgeous).
@redshifted: “Pareidolia”.
Another new word, one I had to look up, so thank you for it, I love to learn new words, and facts, and things, no matter how obscure.
“Pareidolia” means the tendency to put (private, mental, visual) shape or order on images, to make some sense of them, to identify – and superimpose familiar patterns or shapes (what the dictionary calls “an incorrect perception”), such as seeing shapes in clouds, or a face on the moon, or, as is the case here, in a carved wooden door, or fence.
Personally, I love black and white, and this is a lovely image.
I love the black and white, the spare image, the clean lines, the composition, the contrasting light and shade, and the actual image. As a photograph, and an image, - a visual representation - it works more than well.
However, again, while this works well – very well – visually, as an image depicting the human tendency to try to put some order our world by seeing that which is not there (in this case, some of the features of a face in wood), it is not a metaphor, - it describes (visually) what it purports to describe, rather than metaphorically, and neither does it evoke an emotion, or a “feeling”.
@akash.nu: “Warning”.
I do like the somewhat ominous and threatening sky (which adds nicely to the sense of “warning”), and the landscape, which is not welcoming, but, overall, this does not convey a sense of “warning”, or menace, or of danger, if one disregards the notice and proceeds; rather, it conveys the sense of a the kind of sign one sees outside a child’s bedroom, the one that belongs to a child with a highly developed sense of personal space, the one that reads, “Do not enter; this is Jack’s/Jill’s Room”.
So, the threat conveyed by the sign does not seem to be especially credible.
And, it is not clear whether the prohibition on not entering – and it says “warning” not, “private, no entry” – applies to the house in the foreground, or to the larger mansion (or two) style dwelling – dwellings? - in the background, which might convey a greater sense of danger, because to seek to deny entry to such a building would be somewhat more credible.
And, visually, I think that there is too much going on here, in terms of colour, contrast, and content, and it does not come together as a single (united theme), let alone one that suggests warning, or danger.
And nor does it really work as a metaphor, or (apart from the lowering, threatening sky, which is genuinely ominous) in the sense of evoking a feeling, or sense of threat, or danger, or menace.
@Laird Knox: “Love”.
Absolutely superb; I love the fact that the shot is in black and white, and love the lines, the lighting (and the shading), the composition, the framing of the image, and the strength and depth of the image, an image yet tempered with tenderness.
As an image, and, as a metaphor to convey a feeling, a one word feeling, in this instance, “Love”, (once upon a not too distant time, a love that dared not speak its name, for it was an illegal love), this is stunning.
It is also a object lesson of how to convey the concept of gay “Love” in a way that is sensual, sexual and thoughtful, respectful of the people who comprise its subject matter and who are its subjects, yet is not remotely crude, or coarse, or vulgar, and neither offensive nor seeking to “objectify” its subject matter, as so much male photography of matters sexual sometimes does, especially if the person photographed is a woman.
That brings me to the podium places for this week:
Third: @Hughmac: “Nurtured”.
Nailed both metaphor and image; a lovely, heart-warming shot.
Second: @kenoh: “Monday”:
Loved it, a lovely – and clever, and witty - shot that works brilliantly as both image and as metaphor, and one that worked so well that I laughed aloud.
First: @Laird Knox: “Love”:
Superb. A fantastic and powerful shot that is both sensual and sensitive yet beautifully composed and framed. And one that works superbly both as image and metaphor.
Once again, thank you for inviting me to judge this week's competition, it was an honour and a privilege, and thank you also for taking the time to submit such excellent entries, putting yourselves and your images forward, in what was a very challenging weekly competition.
And secondly, much more importantly, I would like to thank everyone who submitted an entry this week. This is not a easy subject matter, for a number of reasons, and – as always – the entries submitted are humbling in their expertise, creativity, originality in interpreting the subject matter, and mastery of the principles of photography and pictorial composition, with some lovely images submitted.
So, my thanks to one and all, and do, please, bear in mind that the judging this week – precisely because of the specific challenges of this subject matter, are even more subjective than usual.
Now, I wish to say – or rather, write - a few words about the theme and the specific challenges that it may have presented to those who have submitted entries.
And, I also wish to sketch out my own principles for judging this competition, for, while @Alexander.Of.Oz has set out his guidelines, and I shall be informed - to some extent - by them, precisely, because firstly, I am not him, and secondly, the nature of this competition means that subjective judgment will determine preferences to a greater extent than would be usual, my conclusions – and preferences – and choices, might not have been those entries, or submissions, selected by him.
The OP - @Alexander.Of.Oz – set the theme, and elaborated further when he framed it with a number of shots illustrating his understanding of these concepts.
To recap: The set theme is described as:
“One Word Feels:”
And again, to recap, I’ll repeat, or set out here, what the OP had written in his original post exactly what he envisaged this competition to be all about.
“This is a storytelling exploration in connoting an emotion or feeling through a visual still-frame photograph. By all means feel free to dive into the archives of your image repositories or to take the moment to investigate a feeling as you may see fit to express that through photographic capture and presentation.
If you are creating an image this week for the challenge, think about what you are conveying and how you can achieve that effectively for others to 'get it'.”
This is a subject matter that – in addition to the more usual physical challenges of creating, or crafting, an image, and focusing on content of the image, composition, framing, lighting – offers two further challenges – for, it is both abstract and subjective. And a third, in that this is to be described (and visually conveyed) in one word.
An abstract image presents a greater challenge, from the photographer’s (or artist’s) perspective, than does the visual representation of something concrete, where the challenges are reduced to the technical ones of lighting, composition, framing, and content, or subject matter.
More challenging still, is the fact that, nowadays, abstract images cannot be presented within a mutually understood metaphorical cultural context, or framework, or set of understood visual references.
In much of western medieval art, for example, a picture – a portrait - of a lady with a dove was not just a picture or portrait of a lady with a dove, but was a metaphor for “purity” widely understood across the western world. Or a unicorn (as yet another metaphor for female virginity, or purity).
And, within that world, tantalising teasing – as such images were played with, toyed with, inverted and subverted, in visual puns or hints - worked only because everyone in that world understood the cultural context, and references and therefore “got” the visual puns: Take a look at the stunning tapestry series The Lady and the Unicorn, (in the Cluny Museum in Paris) for an example of the abstract rendered superbly (and exquisitely). But, because we are no longer of that world, much of the meaning escapes us, though we can still recognize, appreciate, and salute, the exquisite artistry of the tapestries.
However, nowadays, we lack such a common cultural metaphorical reference, and thus, by definition, our understanding of (and portrayal of) the abstract, is both personal, often private, but inevitably, as a consequence, is highly subjective.
And, something that is experienced, expressed, or understood, subjectively, does not always travel well – or cannot be easily conveyed, least of all, visually, – to others.
In any case, already difficult to portray visually, for, while a picture may be worth a thousand words, sometimes, it may take a thousand words to explain a picture.
Moreover, as the theme is abstract, and not concrete, - and the ability to render a concrete image is one of the chief strengths of photography as an art form, or, as a means of rendering or expressing images, or merely, to tell a story, setting an abstract challenge serves, in some ways to subtly invert, or undermine, one of the narrative strengths of photography.
And then, to ask for something as subjective, and as abstract, to be expressed in an image that can best be described in one word, is a further challenge, for many “feelings” are ephemeral, and elusive, and are best portrayed in subtle nuanced brush-strokes, something that can be quite difficult to capture, convey, or, to actually do, visually.
Thus, the “feels” that can best be described in – or expressed in, an image tend to be the obvious ones; this is a theme that leaves less space for subtlety, and, if subtlety is attempted, subjective responses mean that it may not necessarily be understood or recognized.
All of this means that while I am very aware of the challenges – both in conveying an abstract concept in a visual medium, and the fact the subject matter “feels” is, by its very nature, exceptionally subjective, - in arriving at, or selecting images for podium spots, I am also guided by addressing whether the image presented works, firstly, as an image, (the classic rules of photography) and secondly, in the context of this contest, whether it works a as a metaphor for what it claims to describe.
And thirdly, whether it evokes (visually) some semblance of, or allows one to recognise, the emotion – or feeling - the image claims to describe, in fact, or in feeling, and/or as a metaphor.
And, fourthly, and finally, whether it manages to capture all of this in an image and metaphor of one word to convey a feeling, a limitation that I, personally, think may have been an ask too far.
So, without further ado, to this week’s images:
@Clix Pix: “Frustration”.
As a metaphor for “frustration”, a particularly timely, Covid-19 related frustration, this image works very well; one cannot swim – or use the swimming pool - this summer, which must be exceptionally frustrating for those who like to swim.
Moreover, I like the lines of blue cover on the inaccessible covered swimming pool, - and I love the stacked sun-loungers, stashed in the distance, a detail that would normally only be seen at the end of the summer season, when coverings are replaced, and the sun loungers put away for the winter.
While I like the vertical lines of the room, which intersect elegantly with the squared pattern on the pool covering, to my eye, they are too strong and run the risk of dominating the image; I think the image would have been better if the vertical lines of the door (or French window) were less prominent.
@deep diver: “Defeated”.
As a photograph, an image, this works: It is a very nice head and shoulders shot of someone I assume is a footballer. The face is well captured, the composition excellent, the color contrast very well done.
However, the problem is, his expression does not necessarily convey the emotion, or the “feeling” of “defeated”. It could just as equally easily convey, or signal, that he is bored, frustrated, fed up, annoyed, and this would be my reading of his expression. “Defeat” should lead to greater emotion, if he “felt” for his team, or cared deeply about the result. Thus, as a metaphor, this doesn’t really work for me.
@kenoh: “Monday”.
I love this: It is clever, witty, - it brings a grin to your face just looking at it - an excellent image and works really well as a metaphor.
Okay, I love a well shot black and white image – then, the subject matter and composition and lines are what matter, without the distraction that colour can bring.
Anyway, I love the monochrome nature of the shot, the lack of distractions, the composition, - normally, I prefer it if an image is not in the centre of the shot, but here, the image in the centre of the shot is the whole point of the picture, and it works.
And, best of all, it works wonderfully as metaphor: That curled up ball of fur, that paw over the face and eye, that rejection of the dawning day and refusal to want to face the coming week, this is brilliant. Who hasn’t felt this way on a wet Monday morning in the deepest, darkest depths of winter? Not I.
@Hughmac: “Nurtured”.
I like this image: It works well as an actual image – lovely subject matter, the colours adding to (rather than distracting from) the subject matter of the image, very good composition, and clean, elegant lines.
And, it works as a metaphor: Nurturing, caring for and feeding your young, the kind of shot that evokes a warm glow internally (thus, emotionally, in terms of feeling, it works), a warmth added to (or supported by) the use of colour: While I love black and white, to my mind, portraying the theme of “nurture” works far better in warm colours.
@Strider64: “Itchy”.
Lovely shot. This is another image where the use of colour – especially the heightened contrast between the alert squirrel and its verdant, vibrant, (but fittingly, just a little out of focus, nice use of depth of field) green surroundings – works well.
As an image, it is lovely, and the actual squirrel is precisely, sharply and very well taken, and a striking contrast with its background.
But, as metaphor, and, as a “feeling”, is the squirrel itchy, or inquisitive? Is it curiously surveying its surroundings, or pausing while hunting for nuts? I don’t know, and the picture doesn’t really tell me.
@mackmgg: “Summer”.
Terrific image, as a visual composition, or construction, lovely control of light and shade, - it looks as though it could be a black and white shot, even though it’s not.
The rain, and hailstone shower looks ferocious, and freezing. Visually, one shivers, and the starkness of the shot is arresting, and the strong lines add enormously to the power of the image.
But, but, but: Quite apart from metaphor, indeed, entirely removed from the world of metaphor, this is not – by any stretch of any imagination – a shot that can credibly pass as any kind of representation of “summer” – (“summer storm”, or “summer shower”, perhaps, but we are confined to the use of one word, not two, or three), even ironically.
And, nor does it work as a metaphor for “summer”, and nor does it evoke any sense of “feeling” for, or a feel of, summer. It is a great shot, but it does not suggest summer, not in fact, in thought, (or metaphor), or feeling.
@oblomow: “Horny”.
As an image, firstly, despite the subject matter, I would have liked to see the colour contrast (and yes, as with all wildlife shots, colour seems to work a lot better than black and white) between the two animals, the roebuck and the doe, and their background – muted, seasonal autumnal colours notwithstanding – more sharply delineated.
Secondly, I would have liked to see more of the female, the doe. Visually, the way the picture is shot, her eye is obscured, the old “the eye is the window to the soul” sort of stuff, whereas his is wild with desire, and black with focused distraction (or, perhaps, one is simply attributing such to him); at any rate, his eye is in focus, and so is he. She is not.
And, I think it would have been a better shot of something depicting “Horny” (or indeed, “horny, and/or perhaps not?”), for few things are funnier, to my female eye, than two well endowed – and, here, I mean with autumnal antlers – not anything else – male deer, two bucks, clattering wildly and furiously and energetically into one another with forest shattering violence, while the female object of their desire, crops, or nibbles, or snacks on, grass in the glade nearby, not so much oblivious, as entirely indifferent, to their challenge, the ferocity of their fight, and to their mastery of the art of antlered combat.
And this is my beef with the subject of this shot – and much wildlife photography in general - when sex comes into the equation, or, is depicted; it defines desire (horny) exclusively in terms of male desire, which is but one side of the story.
Indeed, in photography, as a more general aside, I cannot count the number of shots (male photographers starting out with a model in tow for the purposes of building a decent portfolio) where the lines and composition, and indeed, content, are fine (but tediously reminiscent of the old “male gaze”) but – unremarked by most, because that is not where their gaze lingers, or eyes rest – is the fact that the eyes of most female models are deader and less animated than the most moribund corpse, and the eyes are what I want to see, although, I’ll readily concede, with animals, I may be falling prey to anthropomorphic tendencies with this discussion.
Anyway, visually, I’d have liked to have seen the animals more prominently defined, especially the doe.
However, again, this picture describes what it says it describes: The buck is indeed horny. Thus, this is not a metaphor, and nor it is something that evokes a feeling: Rather, it is what it says it is, a visual image of a deer about to mount a doe, and he is indeed, horny.
@mollyc: “Komorebi”.
I love learning new words, and this is one of two new words I have learned this week. For those who have not clicked on the link @mollyc so kindly attached to her entry, “Komorebi” is a Japanese word for “sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees”, or, a word that describes this effect.
Visually, this picture is gorgeous; I love the image, the actual subject matter, the composition, the colours, complementary in their dappled contrasts, and the elegant control of both light and shade.
It is a lovely rendition of the concept of “Komorebi”, and would not be out of place as a Japanese print, or postcard.
But, it is not a metaphor, because it depicts exactly what it describes; for, this image shows us a “fact”, - the fact of sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees – but does not depict a “feel”, (other than, that is gorgeous).
@redshifted: “Pareidolia”.
Another new word, one I had to look up, so thank you for it, I love to learn new words, and facts, and things, no matter how obscure.
“Pareidolia” means the tendency to put (private, mental, visual) shape or order on images, to make some sense of them, to identify – and superimpose familiar patterns or shapes (what the dictionary calls “an incorrect perception”), such as seeing shapes in clouds, or a face on the moon, or, as is the case here, in a carved wooden door, or fence.
Personally, I love black and white, and this is a lovely image.
I love the black and white, the spare image, the clean lines, the composition, the contrasting light and shade, and the actual image. As a photograph, and an image, - a visual representation - it works more than well.
However, again, while this works well – very well – visually, as an image depicting the human tendency to try to put some order our world by seeing that which is not there (in this case, some of the features of a face in wood), it is not a metaphor, - it describes (visually) what it purports to describe, rather than metaphorically, and neither does it evoke an emotion, or a “feeling”.
@akash.nu: “Warning”.
I do like the somewhat ominous and threatening sky (which adds nicely to the sense of “warning”), and the landscape, which is not welcoming, but, overall, this does not convey a sense of “warning”, or menace, or of danger, if one disregards the notice and proceeds; rather, it conveys the sense of a the kind of sign one sees outside a child’s bedroom, the one that belongs to a child with a highly developed sense of personal space, the one that reads, “Do not enter; this is Jack’s/Jill’s Room”.
So, the threat conveyed by the sign does not seem to be especially credible.
And, it is not clear whether the prohibition on not entering – and it says “warning” not, “private, no entry” – applies to the house in the foreground, or to the larger mansion (or two) style dwelling – dwellings? - in the background, which might convey a greater sense of danger, because to seek to deny entry to such a building would be somewhat more credible.
And, visually, I think that there is too much going on here, in terms of colour, contrast, and content, and it does not come together as a single (united theme), let alone one that suggests warning, or danger.
And nor does it really work as a metaphor, or (apart from the lowering, threatening sky, which is genuinely ominous) in the sense of evoking a feeling, or sense of threat, or danger, or menace.
@Laird Knox: “Love”.
Absolutely superb; I love the fact that the shot is in black and white, and love the lines, the lighting (and the shading), the composition, the framing of the image, and the strength and depth of the image, an image yet tempered with tenderness.
As an image, and, as a metaphor to convey a feeling, a one word feeling, in this instance, “Love”, (once upon a not too distant time, a love that dared not speak its name, for it was an illegal love), this is stunning.
It is also a object lesson of how to convey the concept of gay “Love” in a way that is sensual, sexual and thoughtful, respectful of the people who comprise its subject matter and who are its subjects, yet is not remotely crude, or coarse, or vulgar, and neither offensive nor seeking to “objectify” its subject matter, as so much male photography of matters sexual sometimes does, especially if the person photographed is a woman.
That brings me to the podium places for this week:
Third: @Hughmac: “Nurtured”.
Nailed both metaphor and image; a lovely, heart-warming shot.
Second: @kenoh: “Monday”:
Loved it, a lovely – and clever, and witty - shot that works brilliantly as both image and as metaphor, and one that worked so well that I laughed aloud.
First: @Laird Knox: “Love”:
Superb. A fantastic and powerful shot that is both sensual and sensitive yet beautifully composed and framed. And one that works superbly both as image and metaphor.
Once again, thank you for inviting me to judge this week's competition, it was an honour and a privilege, and thank you also for taking the time to submit such excellent entries, putting yourselves and your images forward, in what was a very challenging weekly competition.
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