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Entries for round 2 are going well, it looks like its going to be another cracking month.
I can confirm that all the judges have got headaches after judging round 1 - Landscapes . The entries were so good, well done everyone.
The judging is being done in three levels. So far everyone has chosen their five favourite photographs. If all eight judges chose different ones then we would have 40 but we have actually got to a list of about 20 as some judges chose the same one. The judging was done seperately and without discussion between the judges. It was also done off screen rather than by printing. No judges knew who had taken the photographs.
From this list each judge will choose their favourite. They might choose one they origonally selected or on second viewing one another judge pulled out.
From this second judge they will put them in their order of merit and if all judges chose a different one in level 2 then the top one will get 8 points etc. All the points will be added together and the winner created.
My own observations were that the overall standard of MHF member's photography is still, as ever very high. I went through all the photographs and made a selection based on my initial reaction to the photograph.
As well as I could I did not judge them against previous ones. I then looked at the selected shots and cut out ones that, for me had small irritants. These are just personal points but if a pic has a tree in it then it should be either severely cropped or have its entirety in, not just the top bit missing. Horizons should be level unless again they are dramatically angled. Pics relying on shapes should be graphically balanced and symmetrical.
There were some shots that potentially were winners but were spoilt by these small aspects.
Another aspect I toiled with was black and white. I love black and white and it so seems to fit landscapes, but should I let it rule out colour ones? In the end I kind of compromised and went for a selection of black and white ones and ones that had used intense colours, but without blowing the colour gamut to aid the photograph.
I tended to appreciate the extra effort that I could see the photographer had put into creating his work and I think this scored well with me.
There were a few others that would have been winners but lost detail in important areas due to exposure latitude. If you are interested in why this happens then google "The Zone System" and read up on Ansel Adams. Today there are many great landscapes photographers but in the opinion of many Ansel Adams was and probably always will be the greatest landscape photographer ever. He created the zone system.
Put very simply he worked out that if we accept Zone V is 18% grey then deep black is 0 and X is white.
So how do we use it? Well supposing we look at our subject and we want to show detail in a very white area. Our exposure meter ( a spot meter reading setting is ideal) off a Kodak 18% grey card will burn out all the detail in zone 10. If you look on the chart below you will see that in zone VII detail will be shown. Using the exposure meter reading off the card as a guide we then change the meter by a 2/3 to change the exposure. Blacks will go really black and whites will be less white but will show detail.
The zone system takes a lot of understanding and when understood becomes very simple to use. If you are interested read up on it, and a question to see how you get on - to move to zone VII and to show detail in the white would you underexpose or overexpose?
0 - Black, no texture or detail.
I - Near black, no detail. Darkest beginning of gradation.
II - Dark gray-black, possibility of slight texture, you think you see it - maybe. Mostly gradation.
III - Important Zone, very dark gray, but good texture and detail can be seen. Dark textured bark on shadow side of tree. Where you will probably want to "place" your shadow details. Darkest detail and texture.
IV - Medium-dark gray, dark green foliage, shadow side of Caucasian skin. Details plainly visible.
V - Your meter's suggested settings. Medium gray, Kodak 18% Gray Card, clear dark blue Northern sky, excellent detail visible.
VI - Rich mid-tone gray, average Caucasian skin in sunlight, shadowed snow on bright sunny day, sharp fine detail visible.
VII - Bright light gray, highest Zone that will still hold good details. Weathered white paint, silver hair.
VIII - Light gray-white, shows last texture (minimum) but no detail. Reflected highlights from light colored skin, textured snow in sun. Gradation exist.
IX - Almost white, must be compared to white to tell difference, no detail or significant texture visible. Lightest gradation values.
X - Reproduces as paper base white, no image recorded. In print, will appear as specular highlights, sun reflection from chrome bumper, sunlit drops of sparkling water, etc.
Hi Stew, would it be possible, after the judges have picked their 5 faves, that we could see which ones were in the running or would it be more trouble than it's worth?
Hmmmmm.......exosure settings.......zone control........whatever happened to point & shoot, like what I do..........do us mere mortals stand even the slightest chance of winning......
incedently, I have a print of an ansel adams pic in my bathroom.......snake river and the tetons....brilliant picture but I bought it coz it reminded me of my holiday to the area.
______________________________________________________________ Be nice to people on your way up in life, as you may meet them again on the way back down.
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I have had three favourite photographers - Ansel Adams, Lord Lichfield and Bob Carlos Clarke. I found out today that Bob Carlos Clarke died last year - or more accurately killed himself by throwing himself in front of a train.
Apparently being married to an ex page three model and photographing the world's most beautiful women in varying stages of undress (normally totally) was not enough for him
Hmmmmm.......exosure settings.......zone control........whatever happened to point & shoot, like what I do..........do us mere mortals stand even the slightest chance of winning......
incedently, I have a print of an ansel adams pic in my bathroom.......snake river and the tetons....brilliant picture but I bought it coz it reminded me of my holiday to the area.
Nothing happened but if you were choosing a photo to frame or enter in a competition you might look for detail in both the lightest and darkest parts of the photo.
If you use the histogram on your camera then that shows this in a graphical way.
______________________________________________________________ Regards Frank - - please follow me on twitter @FrankieBryant
Denn wir haben nichts in die Welt gebracht; darum offenbar ist, wir werden auch nichts hinausbringen.
RIP Peter and Fiona Our thoughts are with you Chris and Graham. Fighting with Mavis and Ray
Plusnet, Safari 5, G5 PowerPC iMac running OSX 10.5.8, Salisbury UK : Get behind early - it gives you more time to catch up.
Ansell Adams certainly wasn't point and shoot - not only did he spend hours, sometime days, waiting for exactly the right moment to take the shot but he spent hours in the darkroom creating, often many, dodge and burn masks and using multiple enlarger exposures to get his range of tones. He kept very detailed records so that he could exactly reproduce a photo. He would have loved photoshop!
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France
. The entries were so good, well done everyone.
Our thoughts are with you Chris and Graham. Fighting with Mavis and Ray 
