Project 52 - 4 - 29 Perspective - Low angle (frog-perspective) - Winners.
So, my first time judging, and a lot to live up to with all of the great comments I've read this year.
From my perspective
,the challenge called for not just a low angle shot, but one that could be the view of a bug or frog, or human right on the ground/water, etc.
Joe asked if frogs see in colour? According to the internet, they see in colour, have stereoscopic vision because they need to judge depth in order to gauge distance precisely, are mostly near-sighted (where the food is), and are very sensitive to movement. With little neck to move, they also see 360 degrees.
Now to the pics.
Ramseybuckeye/Tom, I can see that you got down for this shot. From a frog/bug perspective I really like the narrow and close DOF. Frogs and bugs are short-sighted, and the photo really emphasizes that quality. I love the trunk on the right, and how it gradually blurs away to the top, but the bokeh of the other branches is a bit busy for me.
Tamia/Tamia, Wow, what beautiful colour and tone in this photo - they evoke such a feeling of freshness. I also love the composition; water, bush, sky, clumps of weeds, and the diagonals under the water. My only criticism is that my eyes are drawn to the surface of the water, so it feels like I'm looking down rather than up.
smf/Stuart, The grape hyacinth are gorgeous. I love the colour, bokeh, and the feeling of a cycle of life in the old, withered blossoms, then those full grown, then the new ones. I also like the perspective that draws the eye up the flower to peek inside the blossom near the top. I'd like the shot better with the stem on the left either cropped out, or with the shot taken more to the left to put the stem closer to the flower.
Bramela/Bruce, This is another lovely shot that creates a feeling of fading beauty. This photo wasn't high on my list at first - looked like the flower could be better lit. But the more I looked, the lack of light on the petals, compared to the leaves and sky, helped to highlight the sense of the rose fading away. I guess that's a little metaphysical for an old rose, but i like it.
xjjohnno/John, Wow, I feel like I'm going to be squished! You definitely have the "looking up" perspective here. The b&w works in this shot, and the body and robes are lit just enough to provide more definition besides the shape. What I would have really liked would be a portrait shot (to emphasize the height), and from a bit to the right without the building.
jmschrei/Joe, I saw this shot, or one close to it, in "benches" as well - liked it both times! While frogs can see in colour (who figures these things out?), your b&w is great in what it does for the contrast and highlights. You definitely got down there! I also like the composition, with the trees echoing the bench arm, and the strong diagonals of the bench seat. My only criticism here is the clipping of the right end of the bench.
tsakatsaka/George, Another great "down low" shot, with good DOF for "frog vision". I love the greens and whites, and the contrast to the dark background. The blurred stems behind are just right, and the stem on the left side is super in drawing the eye up. I would love a few more of the taller stems to add to the sense of "looking up", and I would love it if you could have stepped on or clipped the one tall, blurred foreground stem. The others are great.
noelcmn/Noel, Yes, this shot qualifies - it is definitely both "low down" and "looking up". Great composition - the long DOF and the diagonal lines keep the eyes moving up and down on the photo. And the colours add a beautiful vibrancy - blue that fades from left to right, white that goes to grey, and then the browns and greens. I think I would have cropped out the tank on the left.
Jools/Julio, The angle of the shot here is perfect! I love the stems and the spears of the dandelion leaves all reaching up. And the two open flowers up against the silhouetted tree provide great contrast to the sky behind the tree. I wish I didn't find the horizontal branch distracting, but I do - not so much on its own, but because it draws attention to the post and chain.
Cooter, This is a shot that is fun! And the perspective, angle, DOF all work beautifully. I think that it would have been even better if the jacket colour had also blended into the background, highlighting more the hand and face of the "predator", but it's a cool photo anyway.
Xman, Yeah, the elbows, knees and neck all get a bit abused. (And just wait until you're another 50 years older!) Another great shot here! Your DOF works really well to create the little bokeh highlights on the left and right sides, and the focussed leaves are colourful with a beautiful sheen on them. My only criticism here is the one bright flash of bokeh in the top centre, which draws my eye away from the flowers and leaves.
So, that's the comments.
Now for the results, drum roll please. Like a number of first time judges before me, I don't know how to insert the photos here, so my apologies.
Third place: Bramela - Into the light
Second place: noelcmn - Untitled
First Place: Cooter - The last thing a frog sees
Thanks for all the submissions, and the opportunity to do this - Arn.