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Weekly Photo Contest: Dec 15 to Dec 22 | Holiday Light

Jumpthesnark

Jumpthesnark

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 24, 2022
1,242
5,146
California
It has always been important for people to chase away the darkness of long nights at this time of year, so many of our winter holidays are associated with displays of light. For this week's contest, any lights that are related to the winter holidays will work.

You can shoot a lit-up Christmas tree, Kwanzaa candles, decorated homes whether they be garish or simple, a Menorah in your home or in a window, a business with an illuminated holiday display, warm light coming through cozy windows as a snowy blue dusk settles, Solstice bonfires or candles, an illuminated Nativity scene, luminarias.... you get the idea. Your photo can be from this year or years past.

Photos with a human element are preferred! A sterile snapshot of the neighbor's house with no people, no matter how crazy their holiday light display, is going to count for less than a much more humbly lit home with carolers singing. A human element is not a requirement, but I think we all agree that it provides the viewer with an entry point into the photo, and helps us imagine ourselves in the scene. Other things (such as an inflated Santa, an Elf on the Shelf, or pets, including but not limited to reindeer 🦌) can substitute for that human element if you think it works.

I wanted to make sure it was a contest subject that anyone could have access to, and that anyone could shoot regardless of their gear. Here's an example.

AkAirZoolidays_004_WEB_RES.jpg


The lights don't even need to be the main subject, as you can see.

The usual rules apply:

· The photographs must be your own work.

· You may only submit one photo per contest.

· No commenting or liking photos until after the judging has taken place.

· This contest runs for one week, starting now.

· At the end of the week, the judge (last week's winner) will choose a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place photo, providing as much feedback as possible.

· The 1st place winner will start a new thread with the topic/theme of their choice, and act as the judge for that contest. (Winner has 48 hours to create new theme, after that it defers to 2nd place).

Have fun!
 
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Jumpthesnark

Jumpthesnark

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 24, 2022
1,242
5,146
California
Thank you to everyone who submitted this week. The photos were so close together in quality, and such a joy to consider, that you really made my job difficult. But spare no pity for the judge! It's on with the judging.


@mollyc - Lovely quiet moment with the lights on a picture-perfect tree serving as the only illumination needed to cast a glow on your little subject, who is looking at the tree in apparent wonder. Beautifully done. I did find some of the background elements, such as that lamp, a bit distracting. But they only hurt the photo's aesthetics (a little), not its feeling.

@lkalliance - normally I don't like long exposure zoom photos, but for some reason, yours captivated me. The simplicity and the shape, maybe. And the holiday colors helped. Nicely done, I can see why you used it on your holiday cards.

@mtbdudex - What a lovely home! And a lovely photo, too. I like the contrast between the warm lights and the cool dusk sky.

@someoldguy - Very nicely done, with good balance between the people and the three illuminated tree-shapes. I wish the horizon was straightened though. The slight angle kept throwing me off when I looked at it.

@LiE_ - It's got holiday lights, yes, but there's something missing. You've recorded what's there, but you didn't bring yourself to the photo. What makes this photo special is the subject, but I wanted the photographer's vision to come through.

@OldMacs4Me - Nicely framed and exposed, but like the previous photo, most of what is in that picture was created by the designer of the display. I would rather see more of your vision.

@thirsty_monk - This is charming. The more I looked at it, the more I liked it. The boy and the display seem to be considering one another, as they're similar in shape and space in the frame. There's balance between them, even though the lights are larger than he is. Even the peak of the boy's beanie cap echoes the shape of the top of the display. And I like how much light is bouncing off the snow and kicking back up into the frame, giving the whole image a glow despite the obvious cold. Well done.

@tizeye - I can see from the filename that this was taken at Lake Eola. I used to live just a few blocks north of there! I like how you framed the two wooden soldier statues on either side of the tree. The crop is just a bit tight though. It could have used a tiny bit of breathing room.

@TheYayAreaLiving 🎗 - I don't know what it is, but it's captivating. It looks like a Christmastime Barbie dream house inside a giant Fabergé egg. (I later did some snooping around and found that the "B" is for Bellagio, which explains it.) Though the subject is very pretty, like some of the other images, I wish there was more of the photographer's spirit and eye in this photo.

@Janichsan - I really appreciate this photo. A lot. I know that many of the German Christmas markets are cutting back on their usual lighting displays this year, due to the expense and restricted availability of energy in Europe. Normally the Christmas markets are aglow with light and crowds, but this year is different. But there is still light spilling out onto the cobblestone street and the crowd there. Though it's not the usual holiday light display one would see there, it still counts. I think you could have gotten a little closer, or moved around a bit, so the modern lights from the building in the background weren't as distracting.

@dwfaust - I like the subject being right in the foreground, and they have such happy expressions. But I think this is one of those very rare times when I think the b/w actually may hurt the photo. And that's something I normally never would say. But as I looked at your photo, I kept thinking that it needed some warm colors from the lights.

@PhilBoogie - Another image that I liked more and more as I continued to consider it. Like many of the photos here, the light display itself is great to look at. But on top of that, I really appreciate that you worked in a long exposure (people walking around and flags waving are given ghostly blurs), a deep blue hour sky and the reflection of the lights on the wet sidewalk, accentuated by shooting from a low angle. Though the horizon is a bit tilted on this one, and the crop is a bit too tight at the top, it is a very good photo nonetheless. Bravo!

So with no further ado:

Honorable Mention: @Janichsan
3rd Place: @thirsty_monk
2nd Place: @PhilBoogie
1st Place: @mollyc

With their warmth, your photos have indeed chased away the darkness of the longest nights of the year. Congratulations to the winners and to all who entered! I hope you have the happiest of holidays.
 
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tizeye

tizeye

macrumors 68040
Jul 17, 2013
3,241
35,946
Orlando, FL
Congratulations to @mollyc and everyone for the great selection of photos submitted. Looking forward to next week's topic.
@Jumpthesnark, didn't realize you use to live close to Lake Eola, and presume you've left Orlando. Just FYI, my thermostat greeted me this AM with 29 degrees outside temp! For 'old home week' I've placed many photos this week of my walk around Lake Eola in POTD and will continue this week...with one of my favorites posted today and was one of 3 considered for this contest. The one posted was at the entrance by the bandstand - so catching it between groups of people was the issue with limited time to set up - still had that one person. A bit of a quandry on future POTD sequence as today is free admission to Morse Museum (for other's info - major Tiffany Glass collection), allowing cameras, with violin setting atmosphere. But yesterday, went to Orlando Wetlands Park near Christmas where I have posted many wildlife photos from the access roads, but Monday they opened a mile long boardwalk through one of the retention ponds. Unbelievable photo opportunity with some I am dying to post!
 
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