Photography News 08

Competitions

What’shot&what’snot!

Some subjects in our salon consistently fared poorly so out of interest I kept a mental note of a few subjects you may wish to avoid when you are next selecting images for a salon. This list of course only applies to the salon I was judging and it is just opinion based on what was experienced. Some subjects might have not have succeeded purely because the pictures were not good enough. It might also be that some subjects do not possess the instant impact to succeed in this judging format. Street images could come into this category where any message is easily missed. Some subjects fared poorly because they have been seen so often: Buddhist monks, kids with bright parasols and backlit old men (oriental, gnarled, front teeth missing, smoking a pipe). Ox racing (usually in Cambodia or Vietnam) is photogenic and I saw some real crackers but not one made it to the final judging. One subject that did poorly was classic landscape and the ones that did get votes were of Tuscany which was a surprise given how popular the cypress tree scenics of the area have been. To be fair any of the subjects listed in the ‘what’s not’ section could win in this or any other salon, but they have got to be truly, truly exceptional images. Being pin-sharp, perfectly exposed and beautifully processed is not enough. What’s hot –maybe! Aerial photography. Quadcopters have made this accessible to enthusiasts and the potential for unusual images is there. Great action images. Well-executed creative blur images and also shots where you can see every straining sinew in the competitor’s face. Images done with GoPro type cameras. Linked to the two above, and means you can get unique viewpoints. Pattern images. Colour contrast, a face looking towards the camera in a sea of people facing the other direction, lines of repeating shapes and colours. Portraits done brilliantly because the fare offered up at salons is mostly stodgy. The same opportunity applies to fine art nude. Butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies Cowboys and dusty cattle drives Dancers – including those shot underwater Extreme long exposures Fine art nudes, girls draped across rocks Glamour Insects and animals procreating Kingfishers Ox racing Parasols held by oriental kids backlit Portraits of men with unkempt beards Street pictures Wrinkled oriental men/women backlit What’s not! Anything with Venetian masks Auroras Buddhist monks

votes so I had to be quick to make sure I saved the images I liked and wanted to see again. There was a running total of ‘one yes’, ‘two yes’ and ‘three yes’ images on the screen. The number of ‘three yes’ images was very few; I reckon there were just ten out of the first 1000 and then finally 22 from all 2061 images. For my selector’s image I went for something very different from what I produce: a classy montage that looked really well done. To be honest, there were three stunning images in contention at the end but the image I picked was one I’d be happy to hang up at home so it got the nod. It was late afternoon by the time our salon finished with the PDI section. The other salon had already finished and had gone back to the hotel – I thought we had rattled through the entries but obviously not. Given the standard of photography on show, anyone that got acceptances at the TSC or got an award should be proud. I really enjoyed the TSC weekend. Great company, warm hospitality and, of course, the many awesome pictures that got me inspired.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Flowers for Vera by Stanislav Solagayan; Festschmaus by Ludwig Loch; Spiral Aurora by Vivien Cotton; The Cave by Darío Sastre; Decisive Moment by Julien Lathouwers; and House of Wax by Ben Benowski.

π To find out more, go to www.supercircuit.at or email fotoforum@fotosalon.at.

Photography News | Issue 8