Winners Announced! Steem Photo Awards - July 2017
Congratulations to everyone who entered the first Steem Photo Awards (spa)!
The theme for July 2017 was PORTRAIT.
Thank you to everyone who entered the #steemphotoawards correctly. There were a few enteries that didn't follow the entry criteria, but hopefully they follow the rules in this month's Steem Photo Awards (August), which will be announced shortly.
Congratulations again to the winners and be sure to follow them to see more of their fantastic photos!
Image by @dijana969
1ST PLACE PRIZE WON: 50 SBD
Judges notes
The composition of the child's eye was well aligned with the centre of the image, both vertically and diagonally. The use of a shallow depth of field at f1.8, blurred the ipad in the foreground evoking a sense of depth, reflecting the stare of the child looking at the endless screen of possibility.
Finally, contrasting shadows and highlights were perfectly exposed, allowing for a well balanced skin tone. The lack of color was refreshing as my eye wasn't distracted by stray colors. Overall, this is an excellent capture of a child absorbed in the moment. Congratulations to @dijana969 for capturing a great portrait.
Image by @faceofbear
2ND PLACE PRIZE WON: 25 SBD
Judges notes
@faceofbear the use of overcast light was well used here. There are no harsh shadows on either face and the eye contact between the photographer and the people is spot on. The warmth of the white balance creates a freshness and healthy glow, making the people 'pop' out of the frame, a soft vignette also contributes to this.
Image by @mrwanderlust
3RD PLACE PRIZE WON: 15 SBD
Judges notes
@mrwanderlust this is a great image. I liked the use of an aperture of f5.6 as it led to a beautiful background blur, it seems as though there was plenty of space behind the subjects which helped seperate the people from the background. The striking color of the wardrobe against a cool color temperature in background proved to be a winning formula.
There were a few things that let this image down though. The person in the background is quite distracting from the two males in the foreground. I would have like to see a vertical crop of the individual on the right hand side, which would have contributed to more of an interesting, less distracting image. The choice of metering mode really contributed to a well exposed image which is one of the reasons why this image has placed so high. Great job.
Image by @faceofbear
4TH PLACE PRIZE WON: 5 SBD
Judges notes
@faceofbear I thoroughly enjoyed the sense of fun portrayed in this photo. The choice of a wide angled lens at a shallow depth of field made for an interesting perspective that captured the joyous emotion in the scene. The color captured in the reflection proved to only add to the strength of this image.
Even though the composition is good, I would have liked to have seen more of the face to include the chin. I would have liked to have seen this image taken from a different nearby location. For instance, if the girl would have been facing more of the yellow wall in the background (by being on the otherside of the rail), it would have contributed to a higher placing photo. By changing the location you would have ended up with less grey in the reflection, contributing to a more vibrant image.
Image by @chrissymchavez
HIGHLY COMMENDED PRIZE WON: 5 SBD
Judges notes
@chrissymchavez, I feel you captured the cheekiness of the child in this photo. Black and white was a good choice as it enabled you to remove the distracting color of the bricks in the background. The position of the eyes was well balanced with the rest of the scene and proved to be a good reflection of composition.
I would have liked to have seen a slight edit to the child's face by lifting the shadow areas to reveal more of the right eye. Also his right hand needed some extra space between it and the edge of the frame. Overall though, you have captured a child that I'm sure has a lot of energy, making it a good photo.
@myday is a qualified imaging educator and professional photographer. Having photographed many genres, the feedback provided on each winning image is meant to be constructive and should not be taken personally.
Congratulations to all the winners!
Those photos are absolutely stunning!
upvoted and resteemed
Thank you for the kind words to all the winners. Appreciate the upvote and resteem too :)
Hey @myday! Thanks so much for the contest and making me third place, I am honored.
As to your critique, I want to add two points: 1) Yes, a vertical crop of the right monk would have been the more "perfect" and "conventional" shot. I totally agree. 2) However, I like the person in the center becasue while the two monks in front appear to be "sure" and strict about what they think, the one in the back looks at them in a kind of doubting way. To me, that is what makes the picture more than a normal portrait, it makes it a statement about religion.
And that is not my work, I was just really lucky, just pointed the camera and shot. So, I agree, it is imperfect, but the imperfection makes it a more "speaking" picture in my taste. And again, I dont wanna blow my own trumpet, everyone with a digicam could have done it.
Anyways, I really like that you take your time and say something about the pictures, this way we can have a productive dialogue! Thank you!
@mrwanderlust, thanks for entering the Steem Photo Awards and again congratulations. It always is hard judging photos and I agree it can be hard to capture the moment and control it when it happens in the blink of an eye. It's a great capture. Keep up the great work and feel free to enter this months theme..
Congrats on 3rd place!!! Well deserved :)
Oh, I'm so honored! This reward is totally unexpected. Thank you @myday for this opportunity and great reward! Congratulations to other winners! Unlike other contests on steemit you put a lot of effort into critique so competition has a serious, more professional note to it. Thank you again! I'm not that good with landskapes but maybe I will try to take a shot worth next entry.
Well congratulations and thank you for the kind words. My goal is to create a premium award. This is just the start! Thanks for entering
Thanks for the feature! And congrats @mrwanderlust I knew that picture wold get some attention, great work!!
I am honored to have placed in your contest! The 1st place submission is fantastic. Capturing the essence of youth in the child's eyes of wonder really warms the heart. The foreground being entirely out of focus leaves the audience to interpret what the child is holding. It, to me, shows that it doesn't really matter. Children approach all things with infinite curiosity.
With regards to your feedback on my photos: thank you for your kind words. Looking now at the photo of @aschristyseesit, I see what you are saying about the crop. I went in for the tight crop and slightly overshot the cut. I went back and looked at the photo, and after playing with it, couldn't come up with a better tight crop. But, in revisiting my photo, I realized that perhaps the best crop is the original. I agree with the slight greying in the reflection. As this shot was totally candid, I think I got pretty lucky in my framing.
It might be fun to recreate old favorites under optimal conditions and see what results we get!
Oh, and also props to you for your in-depth judging. I gained insight in your technical breakdown. Thank you.
I'm really looking forward to next month's contest.
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Your friend, @faceofbear
@faceofbear I thank you for your response. My goal is to offer as much feedback about the image. I think you did a great job in all your winning photos.
Next month's theme has been announced so be sure to check it out on my latest post. Congratulations again!
Looking forward to it 😋
Congratulations for the winner! Hopefully increase the spirit and age
This post received a 2.8% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @myday! For more information, click here!
This post has received a 2.17 % upvote from @booster thanks to: @myday.
Amazing blog @myday thanks for sharing us i just upvoted your post
i hope you will upvote me back
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Thank you for sharing @zeeshankhan
upvote back if possible
Thanks for upvoting.
upvote me back on my post if possible
Sorry I don't upvote for an upvote.
ok bro no issue
nice to meet you have a good time
Congratulations to the winners!
Thank you for your supportive comment @evgsk. These sort of comments make steemit a great community.
Thanks dear @myday! I agree with you!