City Competition 1 2014 - all cities! : Results

Competition Winner : First Prize
$632.00 plus a Leica C worth $700

Judges Comment
The jury unanimously selected this photo as the top pick for its near painterly quality and superbly crafted composition. The photographer's skillful use of space through control of light and dark areas leads the viewer to focus of the subject. The image also exemplifies perfect timing and placement working with the sliver of light which adds emphasis to the gentleman in the image and allows the viewer to feel connected the scene. We appreciated the intricate narration of the fabric within a city that elevates a common view onto a plane that invites viewer to imagine the rest of the story.
Photographers Comment
Thank you very much to the judges for their comments; I am very honoured. My name is Andrew Lance, and I am an avid photographer based in Canberra, Australia. This picture was taken in the Sydney CBD, Australia, using a Leica M8 camera with a Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit-M Asph lens. Post processing was done in Lightroom 5 and Color Efex Pro 4.
www.andrewlance.com/

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
The superb composition of geometrical elements, which is unified by the individual textures in each component of the image and the overlay of snow, really makes this image sing. The biker who stands out in the image because the motion blur helps add a human component that tells the viewers this is a city image, but perhaps more importantly, he or she travels through the image on not just a path, but also on the visual path of the composition that a viewers eye travels, and this helps complete the image.
Photographers Comment
The man on the bicycle is passing through a park in Berlin, the weather is a mix of rain, snow and hard winds. I was overlooking the park seeing the snow creating patterns and stood there waiting for people going to work. Leica Monochrome, Summicron 35/2.0m, post processing in LR5. Bengt Kallenberg, Gustavsberg, Sweden.
www.kallenbergphoto.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
While the judges were reviewing all the excellent submissions, this image jumped out - almost surprising us, because of the photographer’s different and creative approach. The bright harmonious color combinations take the stage in a pleasing composition without losing the subject. We applaud the photographer for coming up with a fresh and fun way to depict the hustle and bustle of NY city life as an abstraction of colors and shapes.
Photographers Comment
I was on a photo workshop with Bryan Peterson and we were playing with light and motion. This is the NYPD substation at Time Square. Shot with Nikon D90, 1/6th, at f22, 16 to 85 zoom, zooming while shooting, ISO200.
www.thomasgbyrne.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
This photo captures the beauty and innocence of youth in an almost iconic sense, yet it appears not as a remake but as fresh because the photograph is in color rather than black and white. The image is successful because it is also technically excellent - timing, composition, and exposure are all perfect. As the water sprays the kids in the photo, we can feel that connection between the childhood of today and that being lived in the past, and the viewer is reassured that while it feels like we're speeding along faster and faster in our modern world, some things never change.
Photographers Comment
Thank you very much for your comments! My name is Tommaso Galli i'm an amateur photographer from Italy. The shot has been taken on 2013 in Havana's Malecon with an Olympus OMD E-M5 and the Zuiko 75mm 1.8, PP in Lightroom.
www.iwasthere.it/

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
We found ourselves being pulled deeply into this image. Seemingly simple on the first glance, a deeper look uncovers the patterns and alignments of color and forms that make it successful: The pop of red found in the H&M sign, along with the red coats, shoes, and handbags of the pedestrians all in a line; the yellow of the sidewalk bricks going in a 2nd parallel line, with the mostly blue cars on the street a third row - all of which work together as patterns but also as harmonizing fields of color. It's a photo that begs the viewer for a longer look, to get engaged, and to find out more about the location in the hopes of an eventual visit.
Photographers Comment
Thanks for the "Mark of Excellence" and judges comments which are much appreciated. This photo was taken from the Scott Monument, Edinburgh in February 2014 using a Nikon D7000 + 50 mm Lens. The Old Waverley Hotel is where pioneering Scottish Photographer George Washington Wilson is said to have stayed when visiting Edinburgh. There is an old picture which shows his portable darkroom parked outside the hotel! Thanks also for opening the competition up to "All Cities", Trish Thomas, Edinburgh.

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
This images strong compositional elements held our view long enough for the building's hidden smile to be discovered. Even though there are no people in the image, we feel their presence, and perhaps even the life personified in the building. The images stands on its own merits of color and composition, however we felt the creative extra vision of finding the hidden face brought this to the top.
Photographers Comment
Thank you. My name is Robert Robertson, I took this photo at the end of a city lane in Melbourne, Aust. - using an Olympus OMD EM1 and a 75mm Oly lens. I did a minimal amount of tweaking in Adobe Camera Raw. That building at the end of the lane speaks to me every time I walk by........
www.robertrobertson.photography

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
This photograph spoke to the jury on so many levels: The opulence of what the billboard is hawking juxtaposed in a provoking way against the man in the mobility scooter whose cap reads the message that "Life is a gift". When looking at the airbrushed beauty of the model in contrast to the smiling eyes of the elderly gentleman, we might step back and ask ourselves the question, "what really does fulfill us?" It's hard to miss that only one is smiling. Besides being technically well executed with a superb composition, the image succeeds from an thought provoking standpoint as well.
Photographers Comment
First, I would like to thank the jury for the recognition. It was captured with Leica MM and a Summicron 50. My daily world is largely immersed in financial transactions but photography is my deepest passion and my escape from the insanity and pace of my financial career. I travel often to exciting cities to such places as Milan, Paris and NYC where it is easy to be photographically inspired. Yet, whilst home, I found myself wanting. So, I now force myself to take just one image per day outside my work place. By doing such, I am finally seeing things that have always been there. I had walked by this poster and this man for years. But never before had I seen the juxtaposition that was constantly before me. And never before had I stopped to talk to Jim. He is bound to a mobility scooter and lives on charity but his spirit and his love of life lives up to the motto on his hat and the warmth in his smile. I am quite sure he has a leg up on Cameron Diaz and her fancy watch.

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
One of the hardest things for an artist to do in any media is to keep the subject simple and still convey a depth of feeling and a complexity of idea. Without the ability to rely on form and color the artist must rely even more heavily on composition and shape to convey these feelings. The linear and angular components in this photograph combine with the engineered elements of the light post in juxtaposition to the shape of a person challenges the viewer to figure out how man fits in his environment. The judges appreciated both the composition and simplicity of this image.

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
The photo speaks volumes of mystique and adventure. The framing of the subject alone facing a world of cars gives it a majestic feel, that is eloquently portrayed in a cinematic sense. The balance of headlights with the fading darkness of the image, and with the subject partially silhouetted and nearly off-centered has a magical tone to it.
Photographers Comment
Thank you for this mark of excellence! It's such a common scene in all large cities but when I saw the streets empty, headlights of incoming taxis and the lone lady in black, I thought I might have something. I took this shot in NYC with a fuji x100 and edited the photo with Lightroom. Again, really appreciate the recognition.
www.davidfigueroaphoto.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
The man with his back turned to us and looking out adds an extra layer to the distant skyline of the city; the photo captures the imagination of a wandering soul. Additionally, the placement of the subject in respect to the background creates a complimenting relationship both in composition and in color. The body language of the person, with hands in pocket and relaxed shoulders- suggests a hypnotized subject and this works with the dreamy blue tones added in post.