City Competition 3 2014 - all cities! : Results

Judges Comment
Sometimes the best images can appear simple or as a casual snapshot, because in a well crafted image the photographer's thinking, planning, and craft often becomes invisible - transparent to the viewer. Looking deeper into this image we understand that compositionally its divided into to halves, two spaces , where the top is all about the city at large, while the bottom half is about the individual and his enjoyment. The echo in the clouds of (his) relaxed repose helps bring together the two sides of the city together as a whole in a symbolic way. We unanimously selected this image as the 1st place winner for the 3rd 2014 city competition. Congrats!
Photographers Comment
Thank you for your beautiful description. I love this photo, and I am glad that you like it too. It was shot during a photo trip in Hamburg this summer, which I really enjoyed. My name is Norman Hoppenheit and I live and work in Hamburg where I study communication design.

Judges Comment
The beautiful mix of color in this image first caught our eye, and the whimsical placement of the chairs put a smile on our face. We applaud the photographer's creative discovery here, and how they made use of these components in a well composed and executed image.
Photographers Comment
Thank you so much to the judges for selecting my photo and well done to the winner. This photograph was taken in the seaside town of Folkestone, Kent, England. I was lucky to get this shot because when I walked past again a few days later the scene had completely changed. All the chairs had been smashed up, what a waste!
www.facebook.com/pages/Gwen-Mortimore-Photography/109682222432366

Judges Comment
The feet almost flutter like birds flying here in this beautiful lyrical abstraction of activity in an urban environment. A real sense of motion and life is conveyed to the viewer in a lovely creative way.

Judges Comment
Soft painterly light employed in this image along with the bottom weighted composition project a quality of stillness combined with quiet anticipation that is hard to describe but easily felt. What are they watching? What is going to happen? The juxtaposition of the idea that something important is going to happen against the soft quiet visual rendering energizes this image and adds a dimension.
Photographers Comment
I feel honored to have this one featured with a mark of excellence. Thank you very much. The photo was taken at Rockefeller Center in New York (apparently). I knew a lot of the postcard kind of photos from Empire State Building with lower Manhattan shot from Rockefeller Center, there's millions of it I reckon. I wanted to have a different one. As I love street photography a lot I thought about combining a well known landmark with the people looking at it. And of course, I took the obvious ones as well :) Shot with Canon EOS 450 D and Canon EF 50mm 1.8 II, Adobe Lightroom used for pp.
www.martindietrichphotography.de

Judges Comment
When we say “Wow!” it’s very likely it’s up there in the ranking. In this fantastic exposure the roller-skater reaches high as he catches air and stretches his arms to the sky. It keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat. The perspective elongates the horizontal image, leading the eye upward. We love the even formation of the crowd. Awesome shot!
Photographers Comment
Congratulations to the winner and the other short-listed photographers in this All Cities competition. My passion is street photography. This shot was taken in Paris using a Leica M Monochrom with a Leica Summicron-M 50mm f/2 lens, wide open. Processing in Lightroom 5 and Silver Efex Pro 2. Andrew Lance.
www.andrewlance.com/

Judges Comment
We always enjoy viewing the night shots of cities, but this one stands above for its near flawless technical execution and well planed composition of color and space. We appreciate the symmetry which at first looks like a mirror but after inspection shows very careful placement of the camera. Congrats!
Photographers Comment
Thanks a lot for the mark of excellence! This was taken in Paris and the glass-pyramid is the main entrance of Louvre museum. I took this with Canon 60D and 8mm Samyang fisheye lens. The photo is indeed not mirrored but carefully composed so that the image was as symmetrical as possible. Best regards, Janne Kahila
jkahilaphotography.com

Judges Comment
Of the photographs we have seen from all over the world, the Sydney Opera House has outstandingly inspired this set. This perspective of the performance center is the most dramatic and scenic. It places the world famous venue for an outsider. The angle is far away from the Opera House but maintains an intimate point of view. The fog is very appealing as well as the shape of the right side of the rooftop leading into the bridge. Extraordinary eye.
Photographers Comment
Thanks for this mark of excellence, it's a great honour! I made this photo with a Panasonic FZ38 with a neutral density filter attached, which enabled me to use a long exposure to create the fog in the foreground. Cheers, Bart
www.bartbrouwerphotography.com

Judges Comment
We love analog style photographs that pop. This image is retro looking and structurally organic. The composition creates a strong and celebratory setting. The foreground’s beautiful torch looks like the gills of a mushroom. The flame leads our eye to a beautifully shaped building with flawlessly exposed windows. Excellent!
Photographers Comment
Thank you judges! This picture was taken in Baku, Azerbaijan, Flame Towers hotel. Shot by Olympus E-M1 + Oly 14-35/2 SWD. Processing Topaz Clarity and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.
www.flickr.com/photos/ssfilin/

Judges Comment
An all around fantastically executed image. We love the warm lighting and setting. The photographer did a wonderful job exposing this image—the moving objects are captured clearly and frozen in time setting it apart from the competition. The clouds create a unique halo around the tallest building and the image is full of smooth transitions. Simply put: a beautiful image.