Thanks everyone for participating in this weeks challenge. I really liked the photo’s, even though it’s not a genre I shoot myself for a couple of reasons, one off which is that the city I live in is not very well “suited” for it. The judging was not an easy one. As we all know, art is really subjective and as photo’s are (hopefully) shot with personal preferences in mind, the feeling of the photo’s is really diverse. A lot of the photo’s would work great as a big print and there are even a handfull that could easily be converted to a neon “enhanced” sign for a 50’s diner. Bit of a shame we lost CraigR’s photo during the week. I tend to do my “judging” during the week to make the final report a bit faster, so I already “judged” his when i found out that I was 1 photo short.
Then for the judging itself. My choice was between two photo’s and I have been going back and forth a couple of times. Both are shots that i like a lot, but for entirely different reasons. That makes these challenges challenging I suppose and it’s also the reason I love participating and occasionally, when I got lucky, judging them. The numbers 1 and 2 could just as easily have been the other way around on any other day, but for today this will be my choice (I think).

gump - Hear me roar : in this one I like the skewed symmetry. Also, the clean foreground offset by the “busy” background make this a photo that works well. It has the after hours city feel you see in cities where the center is mostly “unpopulated”. The lion is also pretty good in the spotlight. No idea if that was on purpose or that the lion and the lanterns are part of a bigger structure. I would guess the latter though, but the framing makes you wonder and that adds to the photo.

jacamar - metro ride : I had to check the comments as I would have assumed it was a train. This is a really strong photo created by the polar differences between the two passengers. The man is active and seems a bit excited about where he is going while reading and the lady seems bored and far far away in her thoughts. Even the coice of clothing of these passengers are opposite to each other. Also I noticed this is another GRIII photo. If this continue I will have to blame you guys for getting one, although if I would I would opt for the GRIIIx i think.

aaacb - dry cleaner : this one most certainly qualifies, so no worries in that department I would say. I really like the strong colors of the neon signs against the dimly lit store. The downtown after hours on a rainy day in autumn feelings are really strong in this photo. I saw there was a comment that suggested cropping of the car, which I think is not the correct choise. i would probably have darkened or blacked out the car as the dark space itself works really well.

atupdate - Hot : i liked your “old” photo a lot, the only downside was that it did not fit the parameters, this photoI however is what I was looking for. I like it how this photo sets the atmosphere with almost only one color, being red. The dimmed out background combined with the bright red accents work wonders on the photo.

Hattifnatt- Camden Market : what I really like about this one is the harshness. It looks like the food market is closed at the time of the photo and the person sitting there waiting for “better” times, slightly bored watching the tablet and waiting for customers. But as the gate is closed it might be some time. Even though it is more during the day, this photo brings the proper “dark” feeling.

Photos-by-Chas - Oklahoma storm : a lightning strike is still something that is on my bucket list. I have never been able to get one. Yours looks very good though. I really like the purple hues in this photo as it makes it stand out from what you normally see.

Green&White - Street vendor : really great photo. I like the feeling in this one. Everything is more or less obscured in darkness except for the one street vendor. He himself has a little light, but there is also some other light somewhere as it looks like he is sitting in the spotlight. You still have a lot of detail in de photo, although I can not make out what the man is selling. If I would have to guess I would say chestnuts.

Yaki - Easter : don’t worry, your photo is perfectly fine. Churches and chapels already have “dark vibes” from them selves, at least the old ones. New ones have modern lighting which spoils the mood. What I like in this photo is that it seems like you are a “distant” observer as the photo seems to be taken from the other side of some kind of gate. The reader is fully unaware of this observation. If you go there again, i would love to see this photo without the bigger lightbulbs, it might make it even stronger.

PintofDog - St mary’s Lighthouse : this is a bit of another take on the theme, but it is a very good one. I really like the detailed very dark and gloomy weather background. It looks like a big storm is brewing. The parent and child in the foreground in the darkness trying to reach the safety of the house give a nice contrast against the rainbow lighthouse. The rainbow colors also cheer op the atmosphere in the photo. Great photo taken at the perfect time.

noelcmn - church/chapel : this could almost be a scene out of a thriller. An empty, what I suppose to be, a church and a stranger walking in. But looking more closely I will have to assume it is “just” the pastor walking in. So, the dark vibes are really present in this photo. The symmetry also make it stronger. Your choice of making this photo in a for the rest empty church only adds to it. The only thing I think I would have liked a tiny tiny more would have been stained glass panels, although that is a bit compensated by the blue glass at the bottom of the windows, giving that tiny bit of extra color.

Hcarvalhoalves - Street scene : great choice, of all the ones you posted I liked this one the most. I like that it is an buzzing shop in a for the rest dark environment. The photo in itself is not really “dark” though, it feels more joyful. People enjoying their late night pizza and the socializing. Somehow it has the early summernight feel to it and judging by your exif data i am not really far off. It is a scene you will not really encounter where I live, as life is more geared towards inside, but I love this kind of atmosphere.

Jheu02 - train station : a shot that looks like you took it in the early morning. People hardly awake on their way to wherever they need to go. I like the lines in this photo, especially the rails that have the reflection of the lights in them. The “floating” office building rising out of the mist ads to the feel of the photo. Although I myself do not visit train stations a lot I always like the feel of them. Somehow the connection to far away locations makes them different from other places.


1. Green&White
2. jacamar
3. Hattifmat
4. aaacb

And a honorable mention for everyone else as I really enjoyed all the photo’s and there were so many of them, and i love to see that. Normally I pick 1 or 2 for this, but this time i could not choose.

[Green&White]

I have to say I'm surprised to win the challenge. I did not expect that. Nice that there were so many entries, there were several photos that can also be winners. Thank you Vaskjebjorn for your kind words about mine and all other posts.

Now I have the task to publish the next weekly challenge. I already have an idea, please give me some time to formulate everything and look for an example image.

By the way, you're right, the man sells chestnuts. I took the photo in Rome in 2017, around 8:00 p.m.
K5, FA 31 Ltd., ISO 800, 1/125s, ƒ 2.8

[jheu02]

Congrats to all but especially G&W! The lighting and shadows of the chestnut seller are perfect.

The shot was actually late afternoon/early evening heading back to Geneva from Nyon IIRC. I was trying to project a mysterious meeting , like the handing off of a package, between the two people on the right, as if they were spies or something under the 1B sign.

[Vaskebjorn]

Well, they could easily have been spies without you knowing . Spies are spies and therefore secretive. Good thing they didn’t notice you took the photo, although, nouw it’s out in public you might want to look over your shoulder from time to time

Congrats to all but especially G&W! The lighting and shadows of the chestnut seller are perfect.

The shot was actually late afternoon/early evening heading back to Geneva from Nyon IIRC. I was trying to project a mysterious meeting , like the handing off of a package, between the two people on the right, as if they were spies or something under the 1B sign.

---------- Post added 09-25-22 at 02:53 PM ----------

Take your time and enjoy the ride. I can not remember seeing your name on a challenge before, but that could just be me obviously. I easily forget things these days. I blame that on my age for convenience reasons.

I have to say I'm surprised to win the challenge. I did not expect that. Nice that there were so many entries, there were several photos that can also be winners. Thank you Vaskjebjorn for your kind words about mine and all other posts.

Now I have the task to publish the next weekly challenge. I already have an idea, please give me some time to formulate everything and look for an example image.

By the way, you're right, the man sells chestnuts. I took the photo in Rome in 2017, around 8:00 p.m.
K5, FA 31 Ltd., ISO 800, 1/125s, ƒ 2.8

[jacamar]

Green&White underestimates his/her contribution - that's a great shot and fits the theme well - congratulations!. Thanks to Vaskebjorn for the second place. You won't regret getting the GRIII - I find it very intuitive to use in manual mode, and street photography is just the start of its capabilities.

[Yaki]

Great challenge and great judging Vaskebjorn! Congrats to Green&White - Well deserved winner photo among many wonderful examples.
about my picture it is actually taken thru the church's window. And you are right that those lightbulbs really spoil the atmosphere a bit.

[Vaskebjorn]

I am “switching” between de GRIII and the GRIIIx al the time. I am not really used to shooting wide and for a long time my widest was 50mm (the 50-135). I got myself the 15-30 but hardly use it as i am having a lot of mobility issues. I am only able to walk max 50-60 meters, so i switched to macro. I have a Laowa 100mm and Irix 150mm and depending on the weather and my mood i pick one of them. In the not so distant future i will have to go in a wheelchair going outside (couple of weeks for production) and the GRIII(x) is obviously conveniently compact and it gives good results. But its wide . Problems problems, I know. And i obtained 2 K3III about a year ago because things were way better back then.

Green&White underestimates his/her contribution - that's a great shot and fits the theme well - congratulations!. Thanks to Vaskebjorn for the second place. You won't regret getting the GRIII - I find it very intuitive to use in manual mode, and street photography is just the start of its capabilities.

---------- Post added 09-25-22 at 07:12 PM ----------

It still is a great photo Yaki and sometimes you do not get to choose the “environment”. The best photo is the one you take i guess and it works. Maybe you could turn down the highlighslider, although I doubt it will do a lot and might ruin the rest of the photo as it reasonably dark.
Ps, now you mentioned you shot through the window I can see that. One of these if you know it you know and if you don’t you don’t .

Great challenge and great judging Vaskebjorn! Congrats to Green&White - Well deserved winner photo among many wonderful examples.
about my picture it is actually taken thru the church's window. And you are right that those lightbulbs really spoil the atmosphere a bit.

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Last edited by Vaskebjorn; 09-25-2022 at 10:16 AM.

[noelcmn]

Congrats Green&White, FAB shot, worthy winner. Great atmosphere to that shot! And congrats extended to jacamar, Hattifnat and aaacb. Thanks Vaskebjorn, learned something from this challenge!

[Green&White]

Thank you very much jacamar, I really liked your photo! And thanks also to Yaki and noelcmn.

I've started the next challenge and I'm hoping for a lot of good posts.

[jacamar]

I am “switching” between de GRIII and the GRIIIx al the time. I am not really used to shooting wide and for a long time my widest was 50mm (the 50-135). I got myself the 15-30 but hardly use it as i am having a lot of mobility issues. I am only able to walk max 50-60 meters, so i switched to macro. I have a Laowa 100mm and Irix 150mm and depending on the weather and my mood i pick one of them. In the not so distant future i will have to go in a wheelchair going outside (couple of weeks for production) and the GRIII(x) is obviously conveniently compact and it gives good results. But its wide . Problems problems, I know. And i obtained 2 K3III about a year ago because things were way better back then.

Very sorry to hear about your mobility issues - Vaskebjorn - I never had to think about that until I contracted sciatica this summer. Also limited to 50 - 80 meters at first but at least things are slowly improving.
If you want to get into street photography it's handy to have some cropping space if you are shooting from the hip. I also enjoy using the wider angle attachment from time to time, though I find for landscapes I need something in the foreground to anchor the shot.
You may find these videos to be handy: Sean Tucker is a bit more thoughtful than a lot of YouTube folks.

You Tube

You Tube

,

You Tube

You Tube

[Vaskebjorn]

Thanks for the tips jacamar. I will certainly watch the videos, although the name rings a bell somehow. Sorry to hear you have your own struggles in this department. My “poison” is fibromyalgia and cfs and both are progressive unfortunately. I keep the fybro under control with a shitload of painkillers, but it’s nowhere near zero. The wheelchair will give me more freedom as in opportunities to go further or other places and that is a positive thing i guess. It took me some time to get to that conclusion though and boy oh boy, these buggers are so expensive it makes the photography hobby cheap by comparison . I hope you sciatica keeps improving. These kind of issues make your world terribly small is my experience.

Very sorry to hear about your mobility issues - Vaskebjorn - I never had to think about that until I contracted sciatica this summer. Also limited to 50 - 80 meters at first but at least things are slowly improving.
If you want to get into street photography it's handy to have some cropping space if you are shootig from the hip. I also enjoy using the wider angle attachment from time to time, though I find for landscapes I need something in the foreground to anchor the shot.
You may find these videos to be handy: Sean Tucker is a bit more thoughtful than a lot of YouTube folks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhNqHDsWipU, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpq0Bhcc_vA

---------- Post added 09-25-22 at 09:51 PM ----------

Thanks Noel, somehow this was a challenge of my heart, i liked it even more then I expected and you guys submitted so many great photos that were so different.

Congrats Green&White, FAB shot, worthy winner. Great atmosphere to that shot! And congrats extended to jacamar, Hattifnat and aaacb. Thanks Vaskebjorn, learned something from this challenge!

---------- Post added 09-25-22 at 09:52 PM ----------

Thanks Noel, somehow this was a challenge of my heart, i liked it even more then I expected and you guys submitted so many great photos that were so different.

Congrats Green&White, FAB shot, worthy winner. Great atmosphere to that shot! And congrats extended to jacamar, Hattifnat and aaacb. Thanks Vaskebjorn, learned something from this challenge!