International Photographer of the Year Competition

[theduck]

Long story short, I qualified last year for an International Photographer of the Year competition. Those who qualified had to then produce a photographic essay on the theme of 'My Town'. The results were announced today and I placed 7th! yeah at first 7th doesn't sound great, but this was a worldwide competition with over £1500 worth of prizes for the winner. So as you can imagine, I am pretty chuffed! Now using this result to try and help get some work as a photographer

 

[Gregg]

Congrats, pics?

 

[sn00p]

Congrats, pics?

Indeed.

This thread is actually useless without pics!

 

[Revels]

lol, I cant believe you havent actually posted the pics that got you there, or indeed the 7th place!

 

[daviebroon]

worldwide... and just £1500 worth of junk for the winner??

 

[Clart]

do we get to see the pics that you entered? or are we supposed to use our imagination.

 

[ukaskew]

Who was the comp run by? Always on the look out for new ones to enter.

It's always worth entering a few pics into comps imo, even if you don't think your pics are that spectacular (but still fit the theme), not to belittle your efforts but it's surprising just how few entries some of the comps get.

The comp I won last year only had about 300 entries iirc, and I got over a grands worth of prizes out of that. Then a pic that I didn't think was particuarly good (I didn't even bother putting on my flickr) won another comp with a further £500 worth of prizes.

Are there better images out there over and above the ones I took? Absolutely, even of the exact same subject I imagine there are thousands that are better in every way, the difference was that I bothered to enter them.

 

[Keydogg]

I like your thinking askew!

 

[Clart]

is this a joke?

 

[Nigel]

I wonder what the competition was?

 

[Clart]

most garish socks?

 

[thecremeegg]

TTIUWP tbh

 

[theduck]

Sorry guys only jsut had chance to come back to this. The competition was run by www.fourthirdsphoto.com and judged by Tony Spore (Who runs the site) and Jay Kinghorn (Who works for Olympus) Right so the photo that qualified me for the final:

and these are the photographs that made up my final essay:

 

[theduck]

worldwide... and just £1500 worth of junk for the winner??

Wasnt exactly junk. Included an Olympus E-510, a lifetime subscription to SmugMug, and other such prizes.

lol, I cant believe you havent actually posted the pics that got you there, or indeed the 7th place!

I was going to put them in the original post and forgot, and then went to sleep

 

[White16valver]

Loving the IR pic

 

[dick]

well that concludes it.

you're the 7th best photographer in the world. well done

 

[Nigel]

Some decent images, I recognise some of the locations.

 

[Beef-Mc]

I really like the last shot!

 

[Cookie]

Cool pictures

 

[spirez]

Not to be rude but i think they lack depth/clarity/vibrance.

 

[theduck]

Not to be rude but i think they lack depth/clarity/vibrance.

Would you like to expand on that? I take critique well so dont be afraid of offending me

 

[Rasclart]

I dont think they do. You can see from the way they are shot that he hasnt exactly gone for a LOT of what you just described.

There is no real wrong and right in Photography, reagrdless what people think well done mate. You have done what 95% on this site havent achieved yet.

 

[jimmy_mac]

Not to be rude but i think they lack depth/clarity/vibrance.

Would you like to expand on that? I take critique well so dont be afraid of offending me

I agree, I can't see how you make a post like that without providing reasons why the images lack depth/clarity/vibrance. I enjoyed looking through them, well done on 7th place.

 

[spirez]

Not to be rude but i think they lack depth/clarity/vibrance.

Would you like to expand on that? I take critique well so dont be afraid of offending me

I'm no photographer so cant explain in technicals terms but to my eye the colours seem a little flat and hazy, perhaps not as sharp as they could be? The statue pic looks crisp though.

Maybe it's just because the style of photo differs to what i like? Wasn't meant to cause offence.

 

[jimmy_mac]

I can see where you're coming from, they have a soft focus to them, which creates an almost blurred look if you understand my meaning. I really like it, sometimes you lose effect by having images really sharp and catalogue like.

 

[Andi-B]

Some good photo's there, Congratulations on being one of the top ten in the competition. :approve:

 

[McBunny]

Not to be rude but i think they lack depth/clarity/vibrance.

same here they just all lack something maybe its my tft who knows

 

[Revels]

I like the actual competition ones.

Please dont take this as an insult, as it isnt, but whats special about the phone box one?

Im just getting into photograpy and from my point of view, thats not the sort of image id be happy with, it just seems to lack something, or am I totally wrong and thats what I should be aiming for?

 

[Andi-B]

I like the actual competition ones.

Please dont take this as an insult, as it isnt, but whats special about the phone box one?

Im just getting into photograpy and from my point of view, thats not the sort of image id be happy with, it just seems to lack something, or am I totally wrong and thats what I should be aiming for?

The contrast of the red against green theory maybe? I did a similar one with flowers,

Not his best photo I agree, but photograph-wise the box stands out on the green background which is probably why it was noticed.

 

[McBunny]

I like the actual competition ones.

Please dont take this as an insult, as it isnt, but whats special about the phone box one?

Im just getting into photograpy and from my point of view, thats not the sort of image id be happy with, it just seems to lack something, or am I totally wrong and thats what I should be aiming for?

to me it looks a bit messy there isnt anything to focus on my eyes get pulled to the branches in the center and the xmas tree on the right.
if the branches were removed i think it would be improved, the sky is also very hazy and dreary going from grey to a brown haze maybe the sky should have been swapped out. also the phone box is a bit dull lol

most of all i just dont know what the point of the photo is

 

[theduck]

No offence taken from any of what you guys have said. End of the day photography is art and opinions on art are more varied then they are on politics! :clown: Thank you for all the critique and comments.

 

[McBunny]

thats the thing photography is hard as everyone has an opinion and has their own idea of what looks good lol

 

[theduck]

I like the actual competition ones.

Please dont take this as an insult, as it isnt, but whats special about the phone box one?

Im just getting into photograpy and from my point of view, thats not the sort of image id be happy with, it just seems to lack something, or am I totally wrong and thats what I should be aiming for?

to me it looks a bit messy there isnt anything to focus on my eyes get pulled to the branches in the center and the xmas tree on the right.
if the branches were removed i think it would be improved, the sky is also very hazy and dreary going from grey to a brown haze maybe the sky should have been swapped out. also the phone box is a bit dull lol

most of all i just dont know what the point of the photo is

The point of the photo was to show a red telephone box placed in a country lane in the middle of no where. Its also, to my eye, quote an appealing image due to the contrast of red on green as someone pointed out earlier. As I said in the post above, art will always split opinion, as long as people can explain their opinions I am happy to listen to them.

Oh and swapping the sky would be cheating

 

[Revels]

As said fella, I wasnt trying to knock your photos, just trying to understand a bit more.

Just IMO, its not upto the standard of the others you took.

But I guess thats the differene, you're doing well in competitions and I just keep pressing delete! lol

 

[McBunny]

swapping the sky isnt cheating at all. thats like saying air brushing a model is cheating !

to my eyes the phone box and the hedge are both washed out. the better green is on the bush/ivy behind the box

 

[jimmy_mac]

It was a photography competition, not a photoshop competition...

I think the concept of the image was good and the contrast was interesting, not his best from the selection, but still good.

 

[Ali]

Well i think there excellent!

 

[McBunny]

It was a photography competition, not a photoshop competition...

I think the concept of the image was good and the contrast was interesting, not his best from the selection, but still good.

photographs have always been bent its just the way it is ansel adams wasfamousfor using filters and doge and burn etc

 

[jimmy_mac]

He was famous for his black and whites..he used the "zone system" as opposed to photoshop, but I understand your point.

 

[planetx]

HHMMMM????
7th best in the world???

PHOTOGRAPHY is a very subjective art.......what one likes another might not....so how can a judge be right ....or wrong and give you the title of 7th best in the world???
I see stuff like this day in day out at work.
even in this forum I see stuff that makes you go "WOW"....
I have been a Photographer for nearly 10 years.....now people go and buy a camera, read practical photographer and think they are a pro photographer over night.
I think the digital revolution is taking over the world ...making photography so much more accessible to everyone, that it is now hard to judge....who is the best??

best thing though....is Photography is making such a comeback that everyday we are surrounded by some awesome pics.
which has to keep me on my toes.

Again 7th best in the world???