May PhotoActive Challenge Results

The PhotoActive Forum Poll for members’ favourite shots from the May Photo Challenge has ended in a draw for first place.

Equal first place went to JohnGlover and Ianproc with their pictures on the  ‘CIRCLES’ theme. Between them they polled almost 60% of the votes.

Below are the top six pictures together with my reasons for putting them forward to the poll and some helpful comments. Well done everyone.

A
Photograph by JohnGlover
Polled 29% – joint first place

It’s rare to see a close-up photograph with such a tremendous feeling of depth and perspective, but John’s shot certainly has it in abundance.

The uniformity of the pattern and the black and purple colour has added to the abstract quality. The framing is just about spot on.

The picture creates and initial impact, but more than that, it compels the viewer to keep in looking. It has that vital visual appeal and the picture owes its success to good observation and framing – maybe John knows all about the PhotoActive ‘rectangle monkey’.

B
Photograph by Ianproc
Polled 29% – joint 1st place

Well, it’s certainly abstract; monochrome, too. And that’s where its strength lies – simplicity and power. I don’t know what this object is, or how big or small it is – there’s no clue to its scale. In this case it doesn’t matter and its absence almost adds to the picture’s mystique.

And then I got to thinking. Just imagine how powerful this image would be if that pattern were broken. Depending on what this object is, and its size of course, the pattern might be broken by the likes of a man working on one of the discs, or maybe
If one of the discs was missing or perhaps a different colour – this would have create a powerful focal point.

Anyway, that’s all wishful thinking. The fact remains that this picture does have a powerful appeal.

C
Photograph by Tom
Polled 18% 2nd place

I confess that I liked this shot above all the others. It has a colourful simplicity and it tells a story. There’s narrative here. When I look at it I think of windswept seaside sand dunes. I love the combination of bright blue, yellow and orange.

The contrast in shapes of the half circle and the pointed yellow box also appeal. It is very noticeable that care has been taken to get the composition off-centre.

Altogether a simple and well executed photograph with instant charm.

D
Photograph by Yelnats
Polled 16% 3rd place

Of course, this photograph has almost certainly been set up or contrived to the point that the tomato has been deliberately placed in position in the purple container. It doesn’t matter to me. In fact I think it shows ingenuity and a good eye for a picture.

The most attractive thing about the picture to me is its colour – purple, red and a dash of green.

There are downsides to the image – it’s not absolutely sharp for one thing, and certainly I’d like to have seen higher quality and slightly more directional light source. Not too strong, just a gentle, high quality light from one side perhaps. Again, though, the overall effect is very pleasing and satisfying.

E
Photograph by Phil
Polled 4% joint 4th place

Well, I find it good to look at and that’s why I chose it. I like the patterns and the colour mixture of bright orange with black, grey and white. It’s all very obvious, but that gives the photograph its strength.

Phil has found an unusual angle and that is what gives the picture extra power. It may be my eyes though – but that table does not look completely round – I wonder if when Phil resized the image for the internet, he happened to untick the ‘Keep proportions’ box in Photoshop. Or maybe the table is just a bit oval.

Anyway, Phil. I like the shot.

F
Photograph by Anne
Polled 4% joint 4th place

One of my reasons for choosing the theme ‘CIRLCES’ was that I hoped it would entice you all start seeing them everywhere – not just the more obvious ones we see about us everyday. I hoped to see some of you spotting the more subtle circular shapes we often come across in the naturural world.

Anne has done just that with this lovely photograph of the unfurling fern. The soft light has worked well and helped pick out the ferns from the background.

However, I think the picture could have been improved with more attention to that background, which is a bit distracting. Even though Anne has managed to throw it well out of focus, those lighter areas do tend to attract the eye. A little ‘gardening would have improved things, too, by removing those brown stems on the bottom right of the picture.

Don’t forget, the June Photo Challenge is now open on the PhotoActive Forum. The theme this month is ‘HANDS’.

All photographs must be taken during June, so there’s still plenty of time for you to take lots of pictures and get your entries in.