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Victoria - Eastwood International Inter-Club Competition 2011
Thanks to the initiative of Douglas Bain, two friendly and successful competitions between the Eastwood Photographic Society and the Victoria Camera Club were held during his all too brief time with our club. The results can be viewed on Doug's blog here for 2007 and 2008. As you will quickly discover, results for subseqent years have been patterned closely on the format established by Douglas. Visit these links on our VCC website for the results from 2009 and 2010.
This year VCC External Competitions Coordinator, Ian Faris, organized the event on our behalf and continued what has become a tradition in our Club's annual roster. Thank you Ian!
20 Images were presented by each club and were judged by Canadian and
Scottish judges. The comments and marks awarded by each judge are
provided, along with the images, below. Our thanks go
out both to Sandy
Wallace, the judge from Scotland, and to Gregg
Eligh, the judge from Canada, for the diligence, wisdom
and
experience
they brought to the task. We are grateful for the valuable feedback
they have provided to us all.
Photographs
are copyrighted. They may not be copied or used for any purpose without
the permission of the photographer.
The Results
Overall Placings:
(based
on the sums of points from the two judges)
1st Place (Tie): Dance
of the Triple Fawn Lily by Mike Wooding (from Victoria
Camera Club)
1st Place (Tie): Girl in
the Doorway by Ken Lindsay (from Eastwood Photgraphic
Society)
2nd Place (Tie): American
Wigeon in Flight by Linda Baker (from Victoria
Camera Club)
2nd Place (Tie): Bison
Dust Storm by Alex Dorrens (from Eastwood Photgraphic
Society)
3rd Place (Tie): Arches
by Dan Takahashi (from Victoria
Camera Club)
3rd Place (Tie): Blue
Darner in Flight by Mike Wooding (from Victoria Camera
Club)
3rd Place (Tie): Hard Tackle by Don Peterson (from Victoria Camera Club)
3rd Place (Tie): Please Come to My Show by Alex Dorrens (from Eastwood Photographic Society)
3rd Place (Tie): The Priory by Ken Wilkie (from Eastwood Photographic Society)
Total Scores Overall:
Eastwood Photographic
Society: 613
Victoria Camera Club: 605
Congratulations to
Eastwood Photographic Society for their win in another close
finish
between two great clubs!
A Blending of Wings
Photographer: Hanna Cowpe
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 15
Canadian Points: 14
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Scottish Comments:
Very impressionistic treatment which works quite well and the reflections give a sense of height and scale.
Canadian Comments:
Nice, soft impressionistic image. Has gentle impact. Excellent motion shot.
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A Lovely Smile
Photographer: N/A
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 15
Canadian Points: 12
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Scottish Comments:
A glorious headdress frames this charming smiler. I would like to have seen the complete head gear and the glance a bit more towards the photographer. However, charm wins out and the skin tones are just right with the background suppressed into mono, bringing forward the central image.
Canadian Comments:
Pretty portrait, but a bit static. Soft light compliments soft skin tones.
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Abstract with Rust
Photographer: Garry Schaefer
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 16
Canadian Points: 13
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Scottish Comments:
As the title suggests, this an abstract, relying more or less on the striking colours of the metal, which range from deep madder through to cadmium orange and yellow to create quite a striking image.
Canadian Comments:
Interesting graphic abstract. Good composition in placement of lines. Is the post-production “posterization” a benefit?
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American Wigeon in Flight
Photographer: Linda Baker
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 19
Canadian Points: 16
2nd Place (Tie): 35 points
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Scottish Comments:
Classic nature shot captured beautifully in flight. Sharp to the wing tips, and good detail in plumage with the bonus of a catch-light in the eye. The tip of the beak is just discernible against the dark background.
Canadian Comments:
Perfect timing, excellent placement in frame. Focus and shutter speed look tack sharp. Dark background feels a bit heavy and imposing, whereas the water tones lift the subject in the image.
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Arches
Photographer: Dan Takahashi
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 17
Canadian Points: 17
3rd Place (Tie): 34 points
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Scottish Comments:
Strong aerial perspective viewed through the sunlit rim of the arch, giving way to cool, distant hills and cloud, while still retaining shadow detail.
Canadian Comments:
Stunning framing, exposure, composition and tonal range. This shot has ‘WOW’ factor.
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Basket Star on Sponge
Photographer: Carole Valkenier
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 15
Canadian Points: 17
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Scottish Comments:
Good underwater detail. Well lit and sharp. Having a fellow diver handy to fill in the otherwise empty space was a good idea.
Canadian Comments:
Very well lit and exposed. Creative framing and use of foreground and background.
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Beating the Tide
Photographer: Gordon Griffiths
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 13
Canadian Points: 12
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Scottish Comments:
Given the title, the chap on the beach does not seem in too much of a hurry. However, he does provide a sense of scale to the scene, from the high viewpoint. The lighting has been fairly flat, and the author has done well to get a shot on the day. A crop off the top would remove the distracting elements at the edge of the frame
Canadian Comments:
This shot seems too broad, with too many elements for my eye to explore without finding a point of interest. This results in a weaker composition.
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Beautifully Dangerous
Photographer: Dan Takahashi
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 17
Canadian Points: 13
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Scottish Comments:
Strikingly lovely lady, but, at the same time, very threatening. Simple but very meaningful, this semi-portrait has great skin tones, with the eyes well lit under the Stetson. The background highlight is slightly distracting, but only slightly, as the main subject is intriguing and strong enough to overcome that.
Canadian Comments:
This shot has dynamic energy and gets attention – hey! a beautiful woman with a gun – pointed at me. But I think a subtle change of camera angle would not have obscured part of her face, emphasized the gun and minimized the gun supports.
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Bison Dust Storm
Photographer: Alex Dorrens
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 20
Canadian Points: 15
2nd Place (Tie): 35 points
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Scottish Comments:
I hope the author was not too close when this was taken, as the CCD would need degaussed afterwards! Taken at a fairly high ISO to capture the action, the noise only acts to accentuate the grittiness of the scene. Head detail is superb, with the rest of the animal fading into the dust. The overall composition and use of colour makes this a winner.
Canadian Comments:
Beautiful light, framing and composition. I feel your dust storm vignette is a bit too heavy.
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Blue Darner in Flight
Photographer: Mike Wooding
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 18
Canadian Points: 16
3rd Place (Tie): 34 points
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Scottish Comments:
Quality nature shot, well captured and sharp where necessary. A subdued background helps to separate the insect from its surroundings.
Canadian Comments:
Amazing detail and focus!! Excellent framing and use of space. But I feel something is lacking for reference within the frame.
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Canine Horsepower
Photographer: N/A
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 14
Canadian Points: 16
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Scottish Comments:
Forerunner sharp with good eye detail. Would crop top light area and right hand rail to concentrate on central runners.
Canadian Comments:
Great timing and stop motion. Beautiful focus. I’m arguing with myself over the track railing, frame right. I would have preferred a bit more of the ground on the bottom of the frame to the blue space at the top.
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Cathedral Twighlight
Photographer: N/A
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 15
Canadian Points: 14
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Scottish Comments:
A floodlit Glasgow Cathedral creates a dramatic centre piece to this well - balanced urban composition, taken from the necropolis, with the museum of religion on the left, Strathclyde University in the distance, and the Royal Infirmary filling in on the right. Taken at just the right time, before the sky loses detail, and framed by the foreground bushes, we are presented with a pleasing view of the city.
Canadian Comments:
Very well exposed. Good colour balance. Could use a bit more space at bottom of frame.
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Centre of Purple Flower
Photographer: Peter Reid
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 13
Canadian Points: 14
 |
Scottish Comments:
Well lit from above and the author has gone in close to capture detail. However, lack of depth of field requires attention, a smaller aperture being required. I would also prefer if a name could have been given to the bloom, such as ‘Campanula’ to complete the title.
Canadian Comments:
Good, creative composition. Asymmetry gives nice balance. Selective focus is just a bit too short.
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Chrysanthemum
Photographer: Jim McCreery
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 14
Canadian Points: 13
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Scottish Comments:
A good angle to the bloom and stem, set against a soft background, gives a pleasant arrangement, although I wood crop a little off the left to give a square format.
Canadian Comments:
Feels a bit static. Nice use of light and shadow, but could lessen white space on frame left by 1/3 for a stronger composition.
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Church on Spilled Blood - Looking Up
Photographer: Peter Reid
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 15
Canadian Points: 15
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Scottish Comments:
Splendid detail in the frescoes and Pantokrator, lit up in the central cupola. A good architectural interior with good overall sharpness
Canadian Comments:
Unique perspective, but lots going on. My eye finds it too busy to see the details. Becomes an interesting “abstract”.
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Crow and Ferris Wheel
Photographer: Elaine Freedman
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 14
Canadian Points: 17
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Scottish Comments:
The author has chosen to include several disparate features in this composition, and this has been done very skilfully. However, although the main subject, the crow, has been well portrayed, with fairly good detail in feathers and head, I feel the whole composition is a bit disjointed, and too much has been included in the frame. A simpler scenario could have been achieved without the wheel.
Canadian Comments:
Nice illustrative piece. Well composed and executed.
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Cuban Girl Band
Photographer: Wyman Lee
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 15
Canadian Points: 13
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Scottish Comments:
Happy faces and good skin tones captured in an outdoor grab shot. I would suggest concentrating on the group of five girls on the left, as they appear to be more interested, and therefore interesting to the eye.
Canadian Comments:
The long, linear grouping makes it hard to compose. Try selecting a part of the group or design the group to use the space differently. I understand you kept the top 1/3 to include the sculpture detail, but then you’ve cropped off a bit, but a significant bit, off the bottom. Sometimes LESS IS MORE. Try going in tighter on 4 or 5 faces, crop more off bottom and allow the sculpture to be a more significant detail.
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Cyclists
Photographer: N/A
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 16
Canadian Points: 15
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Scottish Comments:
A gentle monochrome with a good tonal range, with the avenue of street lamps leading the eye into the frame, lingering at each of the cyclists in turn as we progress through the avenue. The canopy of trees helps to hold in the top of the frame, returning our attention to the bottom half of the picture.
Canadian Comments:
Beautiful light, depth and perspective. If the cyclists are your point of interest, wait for one or more to be more prominent in the frame. Good crop and framing.
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Fall Colours - Zion
Photographer: Gordon Griffiths
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 14
Canadian Points: 15
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Scottish Comments:
The imagination of the author takes us into a highly impressionistic landscape, diluting the scene into vague shapes and washes of colour. The treatment is very subjective, and I’m not sure if it is too successful.
Canadian Comments:
I feel the technique in post-production overpowers whatever qualities the basic photo may have here. I think that this tool can be very effective, but it seems too dominant in this case, to me. The technique here is the star, more than the photograph.
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Five to Twelve
Photographer: Brigitte Holzl
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 17
Canadian Points: 15
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Scottish Comments:
This clever time piece is straight out of Alice in Wonderland, the distortion in the branches of the tree echoed in hands of the clocks. Well imagined and constructed composition.
Canadian Comments:
Fun and effective homage to Dali. Intriguing illustrative piece. Lots going on.
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Flying Cat
Photographer: Jim McCann
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 16
Canadian Points: 14
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Scottish Comments:
Good action with the vessel filling the frame well, and the background suitably diffused. Being able to see the man at the helm helps a lot.
Canadian Comments:
Good action shot. Very nicely framed and exposed. A few give-away details of your post-production, but good job adding density to the sky.
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Free Style
Photographer: Peter De Marco
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 17
Canadian Points: 15
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Scottish Comments:
Airborne rider well captured against a suitable sky. Pin sharp but with a touch of movement in the wheels and well placed in the frame.
Canadian Comments:
Nice reaction and timing. Great use of frame and simple background.
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Goosander
Photographer: N/A
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 16
Canadian Points: 15
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Scottish Comments:
The excellent quality lighting has emphasized the detail in the plumage and, coupled with a good range of tones, helped to create a quality, balanced, profile of the bird.
Canadian Comments:
Excellent focus and exposure. No background distractions – well done. It seems a bit more of a static moment rather than a moment of some “action” to increase interest.
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Hard Tackle
Photographer: Don Peterson
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 17
Canadian Points: 17
3rd Place (Tie): 34 points
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Scottish Comments:
Ouch! A play on words, if ever there was one. Great action, and good expressions, conveying the essence of the situation. The fact that the feet are truncated does not really bother me as the moment captured is powerful enough to hold the eye. Good, sharp, reportage photography.
Canadian Comments:
Strong action shot. Nice crisp focus on a fast moving subject. A few distractions (but they belong and are difficult to control) in background. I’m happy I’m not getting tackled like that!!!
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Hornby Sunrise
Photographer: Linda Baker
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 14
Canadian Points: 16
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Scottish Comments:
Wide angle taken to extreme, and although not to everyone’s taste, does bring out all the detail in the foreground rocks.
Canadian Comments:
This feels crowded at the top of the frame. Would it have still worked if you’d included the full curvature?
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IMAX Reflections
Photographer: N/A
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 15
Canadian Points: 14
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Scottish Comments:
Iconic, modern, Clydeside architecture, well represented here in strong contrasting light which brings out the best in the reflections of the Science Centre complex
Canadian Comments:
Nice use of the reflection, but I feel the reflection is crowded and cropped tightly while the space on frame right is a bit too loose.
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Loch Chon - Early Autumn
Photographer: N/A
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 14
Canadian Points: 17
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Scottish Comments:
Strong, angular foreground elements give way to a soft, misty, distance. The shape of the middle-distance clump of trees echoes the shape of the foreground rocks, and helps tie the two together.
Canadian Comments:
Very nice use of the elements and frame. I’d be inclined to look to compose this with the green point (island) more off centre. Asymmetry can add strength. Wonderful serene image.
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Pensive
Photographer: N/A
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 16
Canadian Points: 17
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Scottish Comments:
Low-key mono portrait, with a slight tilt to the head and catch-light, conveying a sense of pathos. The splayed fingers provide a good base to the shot.
Canadian Comments:
Strong, moody, dramatic, beautiful. For composition I’d have moved the face off direct centre side to side and (if you have it) include just a bit more on the bottom of the frame.
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Please Come to My Show
Photographer: Alex Dorrens
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 16
Canadian Points: 18
3rd Place (Tie): 34 points
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Scottish Comments:
Use of a slow shutter speed resulted in a good separation of the subject from the surrounding crowds. The girl’s hair colouring also gives a three dimensional, isolated affect, and works well.
Canadian Comments:
This is a wonderful image. It shows creativity and strong input and “value added” on the part of the photographer by using some simple, but very effective and appropriate, techniques.
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Reflection
Photographer: Giuseppe Buccoliero
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 14
Canadian Points: 14
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Scottish Comments:
Some good use of colour in this impressionistic reflection, but for me it works better as a horizontal composition.
Canadian Comments:
Dynamic abstract, encourages the viewer to interpret what they’re looking at. Always a plus to have a method to “draw the viewer in” to an image. I feel that the diagonal could be a bit more pronounced, leaning to the left and giving more life to the brighter, upper left portion of the image, while reducing the heaviness of the prominent dark space on the lower left.
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Seaweed on Rocks
Photographer: Omer Ahmed
Club: Eastwood Photographic Club
Scottish Points: 15
Canadian Points: 16
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Scottish Comments:
Slow shutter speed giving soft ethereal effect to water, contrasting with strong, harsh texture of the foreground rocks, provides conflict in the composition, while the high horizon coupled with a pleasant backdrop, completes the picture.
Canadian Comments:
Good effective use of long exposure and I like how the line of rocks leads us into the frame, but it seems to lead us away from the other point of interest – the highlight in the sky. I do feel the subject is a bit crowded in the frame.
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Seed Heads
Photographer: Chris Everett
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 15
Canadian Points: 12
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Scottish Comments:
Delicate still-life, well composed but simple, with the individual heads reaching for the corners of the frame. Fairly monochromatic, with a gentle range of tones.
Canadian Comments:
This feels as if it has been oversimplified. The shadow and background with no detail feels contrived and unnatural. The diagonal line is effective for composition, but this shot needs something more.
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Stacks of Duncansby
Photographer: Mel Leiper
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 14
Canadian Points: 14
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Scottish Comments:
Strong, contrasty lighting here, which suits the harsh environment. The clump of thrift in the foreground provides a welcome touch of foreground colour.
Canadian Comments:
Beautiful, pleasant scenic. Well framed with foreground and coastline. Excellent detail including flowers in lower right corner, with strong front to back focus.
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Surfing Main Street
Photographer: Richard James
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 13
Canadian Points: 12
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Scottish Comments:
Shop window conglomerate, mixing mono and colour. I felt the author was trying to include too many disparate elements into the picture, and it has ended up a bit of a clutter.
Canadian Comments:
The elements of this just don’t “come together” to create a complete whole. A lot is going on, but something important is missing.
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The Priory
Photographer: Ken Wilkie
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 18
Canadian Points: 16
3rd Place (Tie): 34 points
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Scottish Comments:
Well constructed scenario, well lit and balanced, with detail both in backdrop and figure. The lady looks quite at home, in fact, although the guy in her arms has been waiting around a while.
Canadian Comments:
Great sense of drama creates an interesting illustrative piece. Strong post-production techniques. When a composition is assembled from multiple images, the key that holds them together is believable, compatible lighting. This is the element that is missing here.
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Trees
Photographer: Ann Cooper
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 14
Canadian Points: 13
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Scottish Comments:
The implied movement here gives quite a ghostly atmosphere to the composition, but I feel it needs some other element to hold the attention, whether in colour or object.
Canadian Comments:
I don’t feel this technique is most effective with this subject matter, and my eye wanders looking for a direction or focal point.
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View to Hilton Towers, Manchester
Photographer: N/A
Club: Eastwood Phtographic Society
Scottish Points: 14
Canadian Points: 12
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Scottish Comments:
What lifts this out of the ordinary is, of course the wet walkway reflection, which provides an interesting lead-in to the figures in the middle distance. The right hand side of the composition seems a bit empty to me, and I would suggest trimming down to remove the car on the right. The tower then takes up a more prominent position in the frame, and balances the strong reflective element on the left.
Canadian Comments:
Strong perspective and crisp infinite focus, but the Hilton Tower is too small an element to clearly be the primary point of interest for this shot. When I crop some from both sides it reduces distraction from (what your title tells me is) your point of interest and encourages me to “find” the tower.
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Winter Wonderland
Photographer: N/A
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 15
Canadian Points: 17
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Scottish Comments:
The alto-cumulus clouds provide a good backdrop to the warm reflection in the river and a contrast to the cold landscape. The tree on the right balances those in the middle distance. Perhaps I would take a little off the foreground snow.
Canadian Comments:
Beautiful scenic with excellent exposure that leads the eye very effectively from foreground to back.
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Dance of the Triple Fawn Lily
Photographer: Mike Wooding
Club: Victoria Camera Club
Scottish Points: 16
Canadian Points: 20
1st Place (Tie): 36 points
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Scottish Comments:
Can you just imagine this coming to life with the music of Tchaikovsky? The meandering stalks carry the eye up to the three delightful lily heads set in a tri-form composition, and set against a suitably subdued backdrop. Sharp throughout and well lit composition.
Canadian Comments:
This image “looks” like dance and “sounds” like music to me. Beautiful selective focus and background. Nice spacing and use of the frame. Gorgeous light!
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Girl in the Doorway
Photographer: N/A
Club: Eastwood Photographic Society
Scottish Points: 17
Canadian Points: 19
1st Place (Tie): 36 points
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Scottish Comments:
Delightful street portrait, with lovely skin tones. Curiosity tinged with a touch of uncertainty in the little girl’s expression.
Canadian Comments:
Beautiful framing and use of environment. Lighting and composition work with you. Moody, personable, inviting and a strong portrait. Well done.
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