Weekly Challenge 191 — Roadside Discovery — WINNERS

Thanks very much to all participants! I count 28 photos submitted before the deadline (almost equaling last week's 30) and three thereafter.

Many photos deserve honorable mention and, it could be argued, inclusion in the top three.

In my comments below, I respectfully offer some suggestions based on my preferences, not any belief that I'm definitely right.

Thanks again for the privilege of selecting the topic and evaluating the photos, which are listed in the order of submission.

Infinity by PJGPix — Well seen, well framed and well captured. Thanks very much for the detailed narrative.

Rooted by Tamia — I'm glad you stepped into the woods, saw this and submitted the very successful photograph. Again, thanks for the detailed explanation. If this image was mine, I'd be even happier if the truck in the background was obscured by a tree trunk or if positioning myself differently allowed a good view without the buildings and truck. On my monitor, I see only subtle — if any — aging you sought to achieve.

Ethyl and Her Favorite Green Dress by atupdate: Detail, color, composition and the title are excellent.

The Village Bicycle by Gerbermeister — This is another example of excellent narrative. I like the image. The choices of presentation don't convey the rust to me, but I don't consider that to be a major minus. If the image were mine, I'd be tempted to try to tone down or eliminate the hot spot on the saddle.

Special K's image from Peach Springs, Az. — Thanks for taking us there. Conventional wisdom might say that the sign shouldn't be in the image's center, but I think this image is quite successful.

Bluestringer's country church in south Georgia — The sky and illumination of the buildings are beautiful. I have mixed emotions about the flaring.

A Final Sunset by jheu02 — Applause for the title and for taking time to explore angles for the image. Sorry about your bike tire's blowout.

tessfully's image of fall foliage at Bancroft, Ontario — The foliage is gorgeous, and the church spire is a pleasant element. Allowing the vehicles, the person in the blue cap, the stop sign and the red and white building or sign to be in the foreground captures the scene. So the image succeeds in that regard. If the image was mine, I'd crop out the vehicles, the person, the stop sign and probably the red and white building or sign — or I'd try to photograph the sweeping foliage without them.

noelcmn's image of the bee and flower in Addo Elephant National Park. — Thanks very much for the interesting narrative and very pleasant image. The smooth, out of focus background is a big plus. You might see if you like the image even more if you crop a bit from the left.

xkkohnno's drunken pig — Delightful!

normhead's Moose on the Loose — A well-titled and memorable image capturing the moose's movement and proximity to people plus the environment.

Feed the Birds by Bramela — The girl's expression, open (waving?) hand and direction of gaze make the image for me.

Jools' sign with sunflowers — I would like this image very much even if the narrative didn't say Jools has been returning to the site. It sounds like an excellent project. He skillfully captured the crackle. I like the composition. After I asked whether he meant that the flowers were brought to the scene or added in processing, he clarified for me that neither's the case.

Have a Nice Journey by Sudhakar — Another very nice title. I like the sharp critter and out of focus background.

Voytech's image of the dead squirrel — Black and white was a good choice.

I Yield for Turtles by Pentaximus — Delightful title and image. I like the sharpness of most of the turtle. I wonder whether a different aperture would have preserved the nicely blurred background while achieving more detail in the turtle's head. PS: Thanks, Pentaximus, for rescuing turtles. I did that once and narrowly escaped wet feet from a downward spray. (The big turtle must have been frightened.) Also, thanks for the instructions on rescue procedure.

Workingdog's image of Jayne Mansfield's tombstone — Beautiful composition places the tombstone in context. Having the flowers in the foreground is an excellent contrast with the stone.

Early Morning at the Street Fair by NaClH20 — Successful image.

Dunerunner's image of turkey vultures or some such birds — Successfully cropped. Good capture.

Swirl Hole by bjake — The difference in color of the water in the foreground and in the background interests me.

Dugger's image of a carriage outside a red building in Amish country — Well seen and captured. I enjoy Dugger's comment about the woman's reaction to that stuff on the pavement, to the carriage's right.

"Anyone for some lobster?" by pbancr — Thanks for taking us to dinner with this image.

Highway 93 by EyeSpy — I'd enjoy knowing the story behind this rocket with Peanuts characters aboard.

Ramsebyckey's fallen oak — Good composition and cropping.

mecock's image of a "sickly bicycle" — Good control of focus. Background is nicely out of focus. If the image was mine, I probably would crop out the bright area of the wall at left. And I would consider allowing the last little bit of the tire to remain in the frame.

"World's Edge" by Woolly — Congratulations to a new member of Pentaxforums for beautifully capturing an image in which the viewer can almost feel the horse's hair. Perhaps the horse remained still during the photo session. However, I suspect Woolly deserves credit for patience plus very good choices and technique.

"Road-ready Tee" by pacrr — This image was well worth the photographer's stop in the rain. The border is an effective addition.

Yank 21's image of an old piece of farm equipment — Thanks for the comment about the flattening of the grass by a recent wind and rain storm. That flattening adds to this bright, pleasant image.

The inclusion of the follwoing three photos in the thread is appreciated, although they were posted after the deadline:

Arn's photo of the Navy jet on display. (I plan to research the aircraft's type.)

tsakatsaka's well-captured rainbow. Thanks very much for the story behind the image, which demonstrates that following up on a glimpse can pay off beautifully.

Bruce's nicely composed and cropped image of a Chevrolet BelAir

And, drumroll, winners are:

Third, atupdate, Ethyl and Her Favorite Green Dress

Second, normhead, Moose on the Loose

First (and next theme maker and judge) Wooly — Worlds Edge

Woolly, I look forward to seeing what theme you'll choose for the next weekly challenge.
Most respectfully,
Stu

[smf]

I'm no expert, but perhaps that's an EA-6B.
Thanks very much for the additional photo! (I'm an aviation junkie.)

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Last edited by smf; 01-19-2012 at 11:51 AM. Reason: additional text

[pacerr]

The one on the left is an A-6E , retired from active service in '97. On the right is the EA-6B, soon to be replaced in active service by the EF-18. NASWI also has a 'P-3 on-a-stick'. Missing are the P-5 Marlin and the P-2 Neptune from the earliest years there.

H2 (an ex-Whidbey Is EA-6B flyer)

[smf]

Thanks very much for the identifications.

[jheu02]

Congrats all who entered and especially the winners. Great spotting of roadside finds.

[Arn]

Thanks pacerr and smf. I figured there'd be some help here - much appreciated.

[normhead]

smf... thanks so much for picking me second. It's one of those shots I almost didn't enter because it's an opportunity shot. It's like finding a quarter on the side walk. I did a few photographer things, but , it's not like those shots where you make something out of nothing and create a great picture. In any case, I love coming second... now it's like finding two quarters.

[smf]

You're most welcome. Thanks very much for posting the photo and for your message.