Judges Comments Northern Ireland Vs Spain

The results were Bangor, 465 points and MACC, 399 points. Of the individual 9 themes 6 were won by Bangor, 1 by MACC and 2 were tied. Congratulations to all members who took part and, as you can see below, many members scored top marks (18/19/20 out of 20). To visit the MACC web site and view all the images and judges comments please click here .

 

Abstract, image 2, Alan McMorris. "really like the strong colour and the lighting captured is top notch…..very well processed and great saturated colours. given the “abstract” theme i don't think its abstract enough. score 13/20". [Note: this photo won 2nd place at NIPA]

Abstract, image 4, Mark Allen. "if you want abstract then this has it for sure. i have no idea what this might be, so it is indeed abstract. very well worked out the the lines and patterns in the shot are really good and make a pleasing image. score 19/20"

Abstract, image 5, Trevor Craig. "absolutely excellent…wonderful shapes and colours. whilst i know what ( not where !!!LOL) it is , the treatment given has turned it into an abstract image that would look good in any gallery , home or office it can also be rotated to any position and still looks top notch. score 20/20"

 

Architecture, image 3, Gerry Coe. "falls between two styles….is it record or is it pictorial; I cant decide which. I wonder if the photographer was in the same dilemma ? there is such a lot to look at in that roof, i think the photographer should have been more selective in the viewpoint from which it was taken it make s you want to visit the place to look at all that the building has to offer…but for a photo competition its a bit too much to take in. score 12/20"

Architecture, image 5, Hugh Rooney. "a little bit or record work and of pictorial too. I like the moody treatment and the recession of the arches. the relief is clearly shown in the near arch and is rendered very well indeed i just feel that the 2nd and 3rd arch would have been better shown in full and not cropped as presented the lighter area to the rear pulls the eye away from the main arch. score 16/20"

Architecture, image 5, Hugh Rooney. "a very close runner up to #4 wonderful rendition of the sky and building. this photographer knows how to make a hand print for sure. the moody light gives a great atmosphere which moves it more towards pictorial than record., so given that the convergence is not a problem very powerful and challenging image. score 19/20" [Note: due to a mix up, this image should have been Alan McMorris's photo of the Victoria Centre, displayed below. I am not sure how this happened, but apologies to Alan. - Mark Allen.]

 

Black and White, image 1, Hugh Rooney. "wonderful shot and so well controlled under difficult conditions . great sky with fitting dramatic effect….excellent range of tones as befitting a worth section winner. excellent processing too as a Black and white its hard to fault this picture. score 20/20" [Note: due to a mix up, this image was submitted twice. See above.]

Black and White, image 3, Trevor Craig. "O this is lovely, so well composed, you can feel each of the rails in that wonderful sweep of the stairs. the rails look almost like the perfect grey scale chart. detail abounds in this tranquil image. quite lovely! not an obvious shot to be had here at first glance most would pass on by…but this photographer can “see light”. score 19/20"

Black and White, image 3, John Miskelly. "the 2nd portrait which is not only a portrait but also tells us a little about the lads home and life. full of youthful happiness and bloom, this shot is so well captured. side lighting enhances the whole scene and makes us feel that we are welcome to look around his room. score 17/20"

 

Landscape/Cityscape, image 1, Hugh Rooney? "the sort of picture that must be taken, usually you find yourself there and have to make the best of what's available. there is nothing which forms a centre of interest and the eye darts all over the frame without finding something to “rest” on. the photographer did well to capture the image so sharply with so little light available. I wonder if the colour version would be more confusing or more interesting. score 13/20"

Landscape/Cityscape, image 4, John Bennett? "great silhouette shot….strong graphic lines and well saturated sky. just a wee bit of a jumble of shapes to make it a winner, but it is very close. score 18/20"

Landscape/Cityscape, image 5, Trevor Craig. "wow what great lines to the main subject. the S curve grabs your attention and takes you right to the centre of interest. clearly the photographer knew what they were doing when they framed this up….really like the division between sky and land. maybe a bit more “pop” to the colour and depth of shadows was needed. score 18/20"

 

Patterns, image 1, David Best. "if photographer input is a factor then this shots has got IT !! so easily it could have been a jumble of shapes but the pattern has been looked for and the angle of view has been cleverly worked out. lovely saturated colours and nice colours to make this all work so well. score 20/20"

Patterns, image 3, Gerry Coe. "a close runner up this one. the pattern took some finding for this shot and the photographer has found it indeed…..not only that,but the post processing has worked very well to enhance the pattern and does not detract from the image as so often it can. if there had been a little “something” to break the pattern a little then the impact and the score would have been greater. score 19/20"

Patterns, image 4, John Bennett. "another cleverly worked out pattern shot. photographer input here is clearly seen with the tilt which gives a great dynamic to the scene. not an obvious pattern picture but this photographer found it. score 17/20"

 

Transport, image 1, John Bennett. "wow !!! this shot will stand out across the hall at the annual exhibition …..what a splash of colour !! and a great viewpoint too. it fits the bill of transport and creates a dynamic image at the same time. i also like the anonymity ( sp) of the shot…we don't know who is in the basket or where its heading….a timeless adventure if ever there was. score 20/20"

Transport, image 2, Hugh Rooney. "dramatic rendition of modern day transport, captures the speed capabilities of the train with the wide angle lens making full use of all the elements to enhance the trains sleek lines. just lost it a little at the far end of the platform. which is just edging it into 2nd place. score 18/20"

Transport, image 6, John Miskelly. "not much transporting happening here !!! :-) smashing shot…more of a portrait / social documentary / travel shot to be fair, but its interesting enough….but show it to a passer by and would they say “transport”….perhaps not. score 13/20"

 

Water, image 2, Mark Allen. "all elements of a great shot in this one. it fills the brief very well, its got great lines, lovely lighting and depth of colour. the shutter speed is just right to give movement to the water which contrasts to well to the water upstream. score 18/20"

Water, image 3, Mark Allen. "what a fun shot, there is going to be one heck of splash in a second….stand clear !!!!! great timing and another aspect of water shown….it can fun !!! score 17/20"

Water, image 6, David Best? "another fountain , but this one is dominated not by the water but by the spheres and so the water fades a little in the scene. score 15/20"

 

Weather, Image 2, Mark Allen. "great landscape with lovely light and a dramatic scene…don't know if its a “weather” shot exactly as the weather is not evident enough for me. score 13/20"

Weather, Image 5, Gerry Coe. "there is brave photographer, standing with a tripod with all that flashing around you. !!! photographer has the technique well mastered here, a little like photographing fireworks the trick is to capture more than one flash and yet not overdo it so that it looks false. slightly more detail in the land would have lifted it. score 18/20"

Weather, Image 6, Noel Maitland. "now this is a fun shot…..the weather is all there in that shot, what a horrible day, but it just goes to show there are always pictures to be had if you look hard enough. love the fun and “dry ” ( groans) humour in this shot. score 16/20"

 

Wildlife, Image 4, John Bennett. "now this one is funny.. the expression on the chicks face is excellent…if ever you run a caption competition this will do very well indeed….as it is it does very well in here too….these guys don't sit still for a moment and so the photographer chose the moment so very well. the depth of field is spot on to concentrate the eye to where they wanted us to look and in so doing prevented the shot from becoming too busy. score 19/20"

Wildlife, Image 5, Nigel Snell. "not a sign of a tether anywhere…great natural history shot, not easy to get…..apart from falconry centres i have never seen an owl , let alone get a shot like this. this is a well composed shot which shows the bird as a master of his hunting skills beautiful. score 19/20"

Wildlife, Image 6, Nigel Snell. "we have all seen ducks like this , there are as common as cats and dogs, but this photographer has found a way of doing something quite different with it. the treatment is quirky ( not quacky LOL) and so it gives what could of been a mundane image a special something. great imagination. score 19/20"

 

Judges Summary:

finally i just wanted to say how honoured I am to have been asked to judge this competition. its things like this which bring home just how great our hobby is and how many wonderful photographers are out there. congratulations to both “teams” for a great set of images. you all deserve to be winners. God must like photographers as he has made quite a few, some of whom are here in these clubs.

thanks once again, happy shooting.

David Worthington, Liverpool, UK, 30 October 2009

 

Please note: I have added the names of the authors from memory. All the file names were changed so that the judge did not know if the image was from NI or Spain. As a result I may have made some mistakes. If so, I am sure you will let me know ;-) Mark Allen