Street Photo Competition 2014 1 : Results

Judges Comment
A fantastic moment of deep love in mysterious light. A good foreground and background. Maybe in a bar, full of emotion, like a photo from the Parisian fifties, or from Robert Doisneau. And the observer wants to be the kisser or the kissed. An absolutely a great shot! Love it!
Photographers Comment
Thank you to the judge for such a beautiful comment and for selecting my photograph. I feel very honored. My name is Julia Dean and I am the executive director of the Los Angeles Center of Photography. This photo was taken on Olvera Street in Los Angeles on Nov. 2, 2010 during the Day of the Dead festivities. I was eating dinner with my street shooting students at an outdoor Mexican restaurant, with my camera in my lap. There was so much going on, it was hard to eat. My camera was on, in aperture priority and the lens was set at F/1.2. The ISO was 3200 and the shutter speed was 1/250. This moment happened quickly in front of me, so I raised my camera and focused. I shot two frames before the moment was gone.
juliadeanphotography.virb.com; juliadean.com

Judges Comment
The right moment, the right light, the right position and full of joy!!! Well done!! A master shot!
Photographers Comment
This instant was caught on a hot summer afternoon in Little Burgundy, home of Montreal's oldest english-speaking black community. A working-class neighbourhood with an extremely rich cultural life, its offsprings comprise the likes of jazzmen Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones, as well as former governor general of Canada Michaelle Jean. The children in the frame were having so much fun that they were barely aware of my presence. Technicalities: Leica M6, Summicron 35, Kodak Tri-X, 1 ice-cold beer (undisclosed brand name). Strict economy of means... David KOPYTKO
david-kopytko.squarespace.com/

Judges Comment
No matter if it's not sharp, this is pure love and emotion in very bad weather. A great capture!
Photographers Comment
Kiss NY. Some shots you can prepare for, others just jump at you at the most unexpected moments. I shoot with a Canon 1dx and and sometimes a smaller Fuji x series. I had to circle around twice hoping not to disturb this couple. Therefore the shot is taken while walking past them. Hence the lack of focus. Be that as it may what I like of the final shot is that the interior of the umbrella is clearly more focused than the rest of the shot reflecting, to me, the stillness of their kiss within an otherwise stormy winter day. Everything stops in that moment and space for them. The Black and White is processed on Silver Efex Pro and I chose a slight magenta toning effect to bring the moment more to life on screen and maintain the deepness of contrast. For Print I use a Neutral B&W toning. No other processing has been applied. Thank you for your mention and support and congratulations to the First Prize Winner as well as to all other mentions and winning photographers.
sergiomaclean.smugmug.com

Judges Comment
This picture tells a story, an not a nice one.... It's full of fear, hope and luck. What a shot!
Photographers Comment
First, please allow me to congratulate the first prize winner, all other winners, as well as thank the judges. My name is Robert Jones. I’m a freelance photographer living and working in Columbus Ga. I captured this shot while driving home from a local parade with my family. While riding down the street we heard an awful crashing sound. I immediately looked in the rearview mirror while at a red light and saw this horrible accident. We quickly turned around to get a closer look to see if anyone was hurt and in need of help? When we discovered everyone was miraculously uninjured I jumped out of the car to snap a few pictures. I was fortunate enough to catch this moment of the two drivers involved in the accident giving each other a very loving, and sympathetic embrace. It was both a sad and beautiful moment of human compassion during a difficult situation. I shot this image with my Nikon D800 and 85mm f/I.8 lens. For post processing I used Silver Efex Pro. Thanks again!
versatilitybyrnj.wordpress.com

Judges Comment
And you can guess what happens next... A safe place in dangerous surroundings, with a lot of suspense.