Black-And-White Photo Competition 2 : Results

Competition Winner : First Prize
$5,520.00 plus a Leica M MONOCHROM body worth approximately $8000.00

Judges Comment
When we look at this image, the technical quality it self is blowing our socks off. But moreover, the image stands as a unique portrait where the soul has been captured and there is a location and some circumstances we keep imagining we know what are. For each time we look at this image, the people become more familiar, yet with a strong story we can only imagine, placed in a strong composition with a rock solid technical presentation.

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
Stellar Image Award This image is awarded with an unplanned Leica X2 Paul Smith Limited Edition camera to acknowledge it's stellar qualities. We feel this image is one we should have known about, have seen in posters and books. It is a very stylish and expressive image that somehow seem an instant classic. It is an outstanding for have been taken by someone who clearly had the camera ready, saw a very unusual and aesthetic situation arise, one who had the courage to use the camera in the rain, and for taking it. Furthermore taking such a photo and putting through to a competition is a completion of the workflow that is important: To realize that this is a special photo and sending it to the I SHOT IT competition.
Photographers Comment
Shot by Guillermo Ceniceros. This photo was taken in Buenos Aires, Argentina back in early 2011. The location was a couple of blocks from the Casa Rosada. It was taken using a Leica M8 and a 50 Summicron The photo was post processed with Photoshop

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
An amazing capture of an unusual situation. The angle the image was taken from as well as the execution of the photo is superb.
Photographers Comment
photographer: Andrew Reed Weller, location: Cleveland, Ohio, camera: (borrowed) Leica M9, post-processing: Lightroom
wellerisnothere.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
A situation, which normally asks for horrified and scarred facial expressions seems to be turned around. How come that the people are laughing in this war zone? Well executed and composed.

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
This tiny dog poking out the shirt and touching the man's hand, that's the smallest detail, which makes a great photo one of the great photos of this competition! Two men in an intense conversation, great execution and beautiful light.
Photographers Comment
Shot by Laura Schair with a Canon 5D MKII. Location is Manhattan, Greenwich Village at a cafe. The image was lightened and darkened via photoshop.

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
This photo is a beautiful and tight, strong composition showing the comic contrast between the ideals on the wall and the reality by the tables.
Photographers Comment
Morten Albek, Denmark. Camera, Fuji X100. Minor adjustments of contrasts and grey tones, converted from colour. Shot at a restaurant in Denmark in October, because I was attracted by the somehow odd mood and comic contrasts as the judges also perceived it. Thank you.
www.mortenalbek.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
This image is very well composed, maybe even posed. But what is interesting about it, apart from the excellent tones, is how the attention goes in a full circle from the statue to the girl, to one statue to the next, and back to the girl. It was a great photo before we discovered this, even better after we saw this every time we looked at it again.
Photographers Comment
Steve Jackson, Dijon, France. A photo of my daughter shot using a Canon 550D and supplied kit lens in the beautiful Musée des Beaux-Arts. A museum that were happy for me to wander around taking photos! I am happy the judges noticed the interaction between the statues and my daughter and very pleased to of recieved an award of merit. The photo was not posed as my daughter hated her photo being taken. Some adjustments made using photoshop elements
www.flickr.com/photos/steve-jack/

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
At first you may not recognize that the reflections are of the people who are in front of the ball. When you start to look for how the reflections match, you will see these groups different interaction with the ball, some more strange than others.
Photographers Comment
It's a pleasure to see that this picture was selected for a mark of excellence. The reflecting shape is the Cloud Gate in Chicago's Millennium Park. I really enjoyed taking pictures of the people that were interacting with this amazing piece of art. I took the image with a Leica M9, the post processing was done with Silver Efex 2.
www.bramplatel.nl/

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
Great composition makes this image story work, a girl that dreams big and does her utmost to make the dream reality. Very clean and clearly communicated, she is alone in the picture, almost as in a dream the girl is having with just her and Tiffany.
Photographers Comment
I'm proud for this Mark of Excellence! Thank you. I was walking by the 5th in NYC, few seconds before this moment the girl was just checking the time . She realized she was in hurry, but yet there was time to take a glimpse to the tall window of Tiffany's. I had the luck to see nobody crossing by, so I just took care to keep both the lady and the Tiffany's sign. It all passed in maybe 1minute, but it was more than enough. Shot with a Leica M8 + 28cron.
www.mauriziobeucci.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
Great capture in the right moment, well composed by a photographer who clearly had remember to bring his camera.

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
A funny picture because it is like something - a kid for example - is missing. Great composition of tones and shadows, empty spaces and exact cropping down to what is the essence.
Photographers Comment
Thank you for the recognition! I am honoured to have been given a mark of excellence. This photograph was taken during the summer of 2012 in Coney Island, New York. As the title suggests, there was a sense of melancholy that I wished to capture. Something about me: I am studying to become an architect and photography is a way for me to learn about the world. My camera is a used Leica MP with a 35mm Summicron lens and I usually shoot Tri-X 400 and Portra 400.

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
Seems like in the middle of an industrial setting, two persons jumping into the water. Being framed by buildings, clouds and grey sky. A great image in its own way.
Photographers Comment
My name is Fernando de France, I took this picture with a Nikon F3 and a 28mm lens on Agfa APX100 Film, at Havana, Cuba. The negative was scanned on a Minolta Dimage scanner, and some post processing was done in Lightroom and Nik software.
www.fernandodefrance.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
Great portrait. Simple, strong, technically well executed.

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
A great image technically and very cute and expressive. "Do I really need to wear that?" seem to be the question, but at the same time a view into the room and life of a young boy.
Photographers Comment
by Balraj Jassal, Photo taken in my son's bedroom, Mono Conversion and slight Burn to edges to draw the eye into the scene This was taken the day before my son was due to start his first of school. I explained to him that tomorrow, he would be following his older brother to school wearing a school uniform. Naturally there was the stare of shock back and forth between me and his uniform. I ceased the moment, grabbed my camera and got the shot. This photo was taken with a Leica Digilux2.
www.twisted-pixel.co.uk

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
A very interesting image that sparkles curiosity and contains many layers of reflections. A play with reflections, rooms and light.
Photographers Comment
How photography is alI about coincidence. This picture is taken in Bangkok (Thailand) with a Leica Monochrom, noctilux f/1, in a photography workshop. The workshop was finished and I came from the restroom and saw this intriguing image. Capturing the moment, making others discover what they missed, is what this picture is all about and at the end coincidence doesn’t exist. Thank you for the recognition. By Maurice Warniers

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
This is an outstanding image in composition and technique, and one we know well as it also won several photo competitions. This fact does not rule it out to be Mark of Excellence in I SHOT IT (and even a winner) but maybe because we know it, it lack the impact on us now that it might have had if we saw it the first time. But it really is a great photo in so many ways.