Hi to all,
well thanks to all who entered, here goes with the judging and comments.
Paul..
I like the juxtapositioning of the two signs, and the way they divide the image. Personally I think the painting on the right hand sign could do with a boost in contrast so that it matched the blue bell sign.
John..
I really like this as it highlights the deterioration of what was once the centre of the community. A landord sat behind the bar reading, I think, waiting for the occasional customer to interupt. I would personally either have included the whole of the hanging basket or cloned it out altogether, as its not adding anything.
Sue..
Not sure what the foreground is, on this one. Is it a river or flooded street. The treatment really works as it is difficult to tell whether it is a genuine old picture or a treated recent one. Although I think the coats and baseball cap give it away.
Walter...
Like I said in my intro to this comp, Pubs are some of our most interesting old buildings and some many have fine architectural characteristics. This is a very nice example, and dare I say would make an ideal subject for an HDR shot.
I like the 'Nutters Corner' sign in the window too,especially with the 'no vacancies' sign hanging from it. Sounds like my kind of pub..
Phillip..
Talking of my kind of pub it looks like you have taken it a step further and made one of your own. I think many of us will look upon this garden extension with a touch of envy.
Gerry..
A well spotted and captured image showing an essential part of any drinking establishment. I can see why you would take this photo as the reflections really catch the eye, especially where they reflect each other. Personally I would have moved in a little closer to isolate these four silver thingies, and to blur the background, and I would certainly have left the bloke out of the final image.
Stelee..
I always expect an HDR or two to pop up when I am judging and glad to see I am not left disappointed on this occasion.
A good attempt and a good subject for HDR with all the reflective surfaces and different textures. Personally I would have considered maybe desaturating the image a little, but not too sure if it works as well in mono. When doing a mono HDR it is usually necessary to boost the contrast somewhat, in order to compensate for the contrast that the enhanced colours would usually provide.
Hope that makes sense
Ian..
I like this one a lot because the name and the location match very well and you have done a good job of fitting them nicely together. A pity the sun was coming from the other side as the front of the building has too much shadow. And I think you should have cropped the garage door out, it would have looked even stronger.
So hoping i haven't upset anyone, thanks again to all who entered and here are the results.
3rd... Ian. I like the tying in together of the name and the explanation for it, it provides its own history.
2nd.... Walter. The Nutters Corner swung it for me.
1st .... John. A well captured shot that says so much about the modern pub. ( although I would still cut that basket out ).
over to you john for the next one.
