Forum Competition #102 "Stairs"

[Critical Mass]

If you read my introduction thread then you will know my main passion is shooting abandonment/decay. Exploring these amazing buildings fuels my passion for photography and architecture, as the majority of locations I get to see are some of the most stunning buildings you don't see everyday. Now at the heart of these buildings almost certainly is a staircase that can take your breath away. We seek these out on all our visits and 90% of the time are not disappointed.
Now I'm pretty sure that most of you out there have shot some form of staircase, so this is my theme. I hope this is ok

[John]

Excellent choice of subject, the deadline should be midnight Tuesday 5th February if that's OK.

[Janice Freeman]

Moving stairs - the competion 'escalates'!

[Tracey McGovern]

Steps at Seizer Castle.......

Flowery Stair Carpet

IMG_3023-Edited-Web.jpg (139.18 KiB) Viewed 11717 times

[John]

"The Staircase" - There are many abandoned bothys in Scotland. This one is on the Isle of Skye, quite close to Elgol. A modest find in comparison to some of the more exotic locations that we see in Urban Exploration, but still exciting enough to want to explore.

[yachtsman1]

Before I post my entry, can someone explain how some of the entries were placed on an external server & opened at full res' when clicked on, with a low res version visible on the ADAPS page. I don't think posting a linking URL is sufficient. The reason I ask is, the size limit on entries seems to degrade some of my pictures, in fact I changed my entry on a couple of instances because I wasn't happy when I saw it. There was one in the last comp' that when clicked opened on a Flickr page at a much greater res' than a direct post into the ADAPS server. Sorry if this sounds tiresome.
Regards Eric.

[John]

I don't want the thread to digress from the entries, but I recommend using an image no longer than 800 pixels on the longest side, sRGB, up to 250K file size. You can either upload directly into the forum using Upload Attachment, which takes space on our server, or you can use Photobucket or similar to store the file and use the Image link to connect to it, which is what I do.

It should be possible to end up with a sharp picture - plenty of them are. If the image is too large the forum software will alter it, so that would cause a loss of quality. Or it might reject it if you try to upload directly.

[bazzasmeg]

Stairs at Tatton Hall

Best regards, Barry

[kevinlowe]

Of Sheffield Descent



Man on steps by beeblebear, on Flickr

I hope this counts, I got myself all confused over whether steps outside count as stairs.

[yachtsman1]

The picture is the wooden staircase in Ripon Cathedral.


DSC_2833 by E & MS, on Flickr
Whoopee
Regards Eric.
PS If anyone is interested in how I used Flickr to do this PM me & I'll start another thread.

[paulinefisher]

Oyston Mill stairs (model Precious Mwale)

[attachment=0]Stairs.jpg

[Myra]

Floral Steps

[Matthew]

Stairs in Venice

[Ian Yarwood]

my competition entry. Good luck to everyone who has entered.

[Critical Mass]

ok here goes, now just let me say I feel i am in no way experienced / qualified enough to judge anybody's work but I will try and give an honest and impartial opinion.


!- Janice Freeman
Great idea using the escalators and I love the stories within the picture. What is the guy in the blue hoody looking at ,the 2 getting intimate near the top and the 2 at the bottom, are they together or just passing strangers. The only thing that let's it down for me is the angle it has been shot at. I don't know where abouts you shot this from but i think the shot would have benefited from a more central POV.

2 - Tracy Mcgovern
I think the focus on the flowers, superb as it is, takes the emphasis away from the steps. Every time I look at this photo i am drawn to the flowers and have no interest in the steps. Maybe a wider view incorporating more of the steps may have been a better approach. The contrasting colours however is great. Almost like 2 triangles placed on top of each other

3 - John
A great subject as i am a lover of all things derelict and abandoned. I love the tone and feel but I maybe would have moved the cupboard in the foreground ( if possible ) to grab a lower POv looking up the stairs.

4 - Bazzasmeg
Great framing and I really like the impact of the contrast in colours with the red, blue and greens, mixed with the stone. The way you shot this allows me to follow the route with my eyes. Great shot!

5 - kevin Lowe
Another great shot and use of the portrait view. The leading line of the stairs take me to the gritty view at the top of the shot which is emphasised with the BnW tone.

6 - Yachtsman1
A lovely shot of a beautifully crafted set of stairs. This angle really brings out the sweeping curve. I would have added just a little bit more height to the shot so both arches were complete.

7 - Paulinefisher
As a model shot ( which i have no expertise in at all ) i think it's great but I think the stairs are totally lost here. The model and the red door are too overpowering and overwhelm the stairs, but where they ever meant to be a focal point of the shot?

8 - Myra
I am presuming this is another from Seizer Castle? I like the balance between the steps and the flowers and the contrast between the colours of the flowers and the steps. I also like the portrait view which leads my eye up the steps.

9 - Matthew
Great shot of a fantastic set of steps, exactly what i was looking for when i set the theme. The black and white really compliments the scene and the light on the steps is superb. Great shot

10 - Ian Yarwood
Once again another great shot. The mix of light and shadow really makes the staircase pop. Great!!

A great set of shot but here is my winning 3

3rd - bazzasmeg
2nd - Ian Yarwood
1st - Matthew

It was a toss up between 1st and 2nd as they were the 2 shots that really stood out for me

Thanks