And the results are in! Everyone did a really nice job with this contest, definitely met the theme and then some! I hope it was fun and perhaps challenging for you to either shoot something new or to find an image in your archives which fit the theme. I had fun looking at -- scrutinizing -- each image and seeing the various interpretations. It was neat to have both film and digital represented, and B&W and color. Well done, all!
Just a few comments here on each image, but not actual critiques, simply noting my observations and what had caught my attention....
OldMacs4Me
Wow, this eye-catcher is popping with color and contrast! It took me a minute to realize that I was looking down on a scene which appears to be a small pond surrounded by rocks and greenery, with leafy trees creating a sort of canopy over it. The lighting is what catches the eye, though, with that partial "fan" of brilliant yellow light beams accentuating the blue of the water. Along with the obvious contrasts inherent in the colors, shadows and light, there is also the contrast in textures as well. A very interesting image!
Gaswerks
In contrast with the colorful image just above, we now see a B&W presentation exemplifying the traits which make monochrome images special: tonality, beautiful shading from lights to darks with multiple gradations in-between. Lots of shades of grey! We also have the wonderful textural contrasts with the mountain itself and its surfaces, plus the layer of white snow with a serene sky above. The balance of the lighting is great -- I'm guessing you used a filter or two. What gives this image even more impact is the wonderful leading line of the ray of sunshine softly, gently touching a section of the mountain. A lovely photo.
Tizeye
I'd guessed we'd see a silhouette -- and birds are especially ideal for that! It paid to get up early in order to be there to capture this scene of the wading bird in search of his breakfast! Backlit against the brilliant oranges and yellows of the rising sun coloring the water, the bird adds to the already intriguing scene by also casting his own shadow -- two for the price of one!
TheYayAreaLiving
A peaceful landscape of an area many of us never see in person, the desert.... Lots of interesting contrasts here with the visibly harsh conditions of gritty, hard clay earth and prickly, spiny vegetation against the soft beauty of the blue sky with that line / layer of white fluffy clouds. The sun turning the light into pink on the mountain range in the distance creates a touch of beauty all its own. Even in harshness there can be beauty.
Ah, but wait! Another contrast, this one reminding us that the photographer isn't a native part of the landscape, but had to have arrived there somehow. On the right side of the image, two white signs catch the eye and the viewer spots the smooth pavement of a road cutting through the rugged, rough desert environment. My first instinct would have been to clone out that large sign and the smaller one, but the glimpse of them and the road serves to remind us of nature's vastness and remoteness while we humans use vehicles as one means to get there -- another contrast of sorts.
Mollyc
There is a lot to see in this seemingly simple image! Contrasts abound, starting with the beige woven-wood lattice-type patterned subject, which one realizes is actually a door, as suggested by the hinge on one side. What a fun subject to look at, with the interplay of light and shadows creating an interesting design. Symmetry, shape and shadow..... Wonderful! Probably if I had been there with a camera I would've felt the urge to move in closer and to fill the frame with nothing but that wonderful pattern of shadow, light and shapes. However, in doing so, then I would have missed out on the rest of the story in the image....
The viewer's curiosity is pricked. What would one see if the door is opened? Is it a storage area for some kind of equipment or perhaps it houses HVAC units? We can't really see what's inside but we know something is because of the space we see under the door, with another light play of smaller shadows and pattern. Whatever is in there has an attractive and appealing door protecting it!
Moving beyond that door, we see a section of the rest of the building, with white siding which has a pattern of its own in its simple structure -- another contrasting element, although no fun shadows. Looking down, we notice that whatever is behind the door rests on a concrete base, and outside the building there is a sidewalk.
Everything is hard, solid surfaces (except for the woven wood of the door).....stark. but we're not done yet, there is more to see! On the right in this scene is a nice little clump of green vegetation (weeds, probably) at the side of the building, a happy little surprise which provides much-needed color and a refreshing change in texture as well. A very interesting image here with a lot to catch the attention of the viewer.
Someoldguy
This looks like a really relaxing place to spend a pleasant afternoon, sitting on the bench in that intriguing gazebo nestled in quiet, peaceful surroundings. The ornate ironwork and design of this structure harken back to the past, creating a delightful and nostalgic garden retreat. Lots of contrasts here in colors, shapes and textures!
Looking beyond the immediate interior of the gazebo the viewer can enjoy the sight of a serene pond and lots of green and plantings. Nature presents her own contrasts with the manmade structure of the gazebo. A wonderful place to chill out....
It's easy to get so immersed in looking at this bucolic scene and imagining oneself within it that a viewer could almost miss the most significant contrast of all -- that just beyond the gazebo and the garden is a surprising view: the skyscrapers and tall buildings of a large modern city. The eye and the mind can flip back-and-forth between the two distinctly different sights within the same image and marvel at being reminded of an older era while also gazing at the modern-day one as represented by that very urban cityscape. Fascinating!
Jumpthesnark
Wow, beautiful colors which catch the eye immediately and offer contrast and an interplay of light and shadows. I love the way the smaller, lighter color mound echoes the shape of the rich brown larger one. This is an excellent example of the classic "rule of thirds," too, nicely executed with the blue, smooth sky serving as backdrop to the two colorful mounds. The rough texture of the surfaces makes one wonder how anything can grow there, but we can see bits of green or beige vegetation, adding different colors, shapes and texture to the image.
Is that a person I see at the far left of the photo, standing at nearly top of the yellow mound? If so, definitely he or she presents a clear contrast, too, being very, very small against the vastness of the surroundings. The mounds dwarf him or her. In the upper-right-hand corner of this image we also get a surprise glimpse of something else which adds a contrasting touch of its own: a wispy bit of colorful cloud in the otherwise clear sky. An image which indeed reminds us of how small we humans are in the overall scheme of things.
Janichsan
A striking silhouette of a bird standing guard over wire crates against a stunning, colorful background of layers of purple and pink clouds with blue sky peeking though....
The backlighting effectively outlines the shapes of the bird and the wire crates, which invite the viewer to take a closer look and try to guess what might be contained within those wire crates. The colors and shapes in this image are presented with impact, really eye-catching. For more contrast, we also notice a plant of some sort growing on the left which presents a different kind of shape and texture in opposition to the wires connecting the crates and the (unseen) feathers of the bird. A compelling, dramatic image.
And here we are at the podium..... I had a hard time with this! Each image was unique and interesting in its own way, so it was difficult choosing the rankings.
3rd: Jumpthesnark
2nd: Mollyc
And the virtual gold medal goes to.... Gaswerks!
