Finalist Voting: "Shoot the boring/mundane/everyday in a creative way" (21mm Contest)

stewh · 07-10-2022, 07:12 AM - **2 Likes**

Excellent topic for a contest. I was pleased to see so many creative entries, had a hard time making my pick. The response brought back memories of photography study at art school where we discussed and argued over the merits of content vs technique and the place of abstraction in photography. I was usually on the side that viewed content as secondary. Hopefully we will see more contests that encourage the same sort of creativity we saw here. Great work!

**kwb** · 07-10-2022, 12:34 PM - **2 Likes**

I like #1 (creative use of the subject, made me wonder what the subject was for a while and that was fun) and #9 (creative use of the camera function to capture the passage of time) the most. One of them got my vote, but good luck for all finalists!

BTW, thank you @ebahle for your work as the judge, and if you sponsored this contest just like you did for the previous 14mm Contest, thank you for your generosity too!

lotech · 07-11-2022, 01:01 AM

#5 please, no doubt about that.

Tracar · 07-16-2022, 01:11 PM - **1 Like**

My vote for #8.
Not sure I correctly got the discussion above, but me too I was confused by some of the selected photos, out of the theme as I understood it.
Anyway, my vote is for #8: solitary grass on the street with humans in the background describes in a poetic way and with a perfect composition the "boring, mundane and everyday".

reh321 · 07-16-2022, 02:27 PM

Originally posted by Tracar

My vote for #8.
Not sure I correctly got the discussion above, but me too I was confused by some of the selected photos, out of the theme as I understood it.
Anyway, my vote is for #8: solitary grass on the street with humans in the background describes in a poetic way and with a perfect composition the "boring, mundane and everyday".

I can’t vote for anything that hurts my eyes as much as #8 does.
You didn’t include “out of focus” in your description.

Tracar · 07-17-2022, 02:24 AM

Originally posted by reh321

I can’t vote for anything that hurts my eyes as much as #8 does.
You didn’t include “out of focus” in your description.

IMHO, the "out of focus" is intended and indeed is one of the plus of that picture.

reh321 · 07-17-2022, 04:04 AM

Originally posted by Tracar

IMHO, the "out of focus" is intended and indeed is one of the plus of that picture.

I assume it was intended.
It still hurt my eyes to look at it.
It is still a negative in my point of view.
I still could never vote for such a thing.

totsmuyco · 07-18-2022, 10:29 PM

#5 is best for me.

Adam · 07-19-2022, 07:30 AM - **7 Likes**

Many thanks to all those who voted, and to @ebahle for conceptualizing & sponsoring the contest, and for picking our finalists!

I'm happy to announce that @avcb is our winner, with the entry "A Break in the Continuum" - a creative double-exposure taken with the Pentax KP. Congratulations!

reh321 · 07-19-2022, 08:42 AM

Originally posted by pentaxic

I have to disqualify myself from voting as I misinterpreted the Theme of the Contest and still can't determine whether it is Focus or Unfocus you want and maintain the limited viewing audience you have . I "Vocused " on tweaking the mondain and boring Capture to give a juxtaposition to CHANGE & INCREASE the viewing audience but it was to UNFOCUS and maintain your viewing audience I'm thinking is what you wanted . I get trapped outside the box too often I guess.

They wanted an unconventional approach to a conventional subject.
They didn’t specify how.
I personally found the defocusing approach to hurt my eyes.

avcb · 07-19-2022, 11:13 AM - **7 Likes**

Thanks to everyone who voted and participated! I had a lot of fun shooting for this contest and it re-ignited a passion to shoot creatively. My typical boring/mundane/everyday photos are now looking a lot more interesting!

I am looking forward to shooting with the DA 21mm! It fills a need nicely in my lens quiver, and I can't wait to make some starbursts!

wadge22 · 07-19-2022, 11:23 AM - **1 Like**

Congrats, @avcb , and thanks to all the other finalists and entrants for their interesting shots. These photos have definitely spawned some thoughts for me about creative and abstract photography. Also, of course, thanks to @ebahle and @Adam for putting on the contest in the first place!

**TwoUptons** · 07-20-2022, 05:04 PM - **1 Like**

Congrats @avcb!

And nice work by the finalists.

What a fun contest…

-Eric

pentaxic · 07-22-2022, 06:31 AM

Originally posted by reh321

They wanted an unconventional approach to a conventional subject.
They didn’t specify how.
I personally found the defocusing approach to hurt my eyes.

It turns out that this very broad ; perhaps the broadest call of all Photo Contests was in fact extremely limited. One Technique (Out of Focus) One Composition ( Abstract) . None of which turned my Crank and Reh321 like you my eyes watered trying to look at some.
A bazzillion of each in my opinion were available. I move on to less challenging opportunities to Joust with my Peers .

**Serkevan** · 07-23-2022, 02:00 AM

Originally posted by pentaxic

It turns out that this very broad ; perhaps the broadest call of all Photo Contests was in fact extremely limited. One Technique (Out of Focus) One Composition ( Abstract)

How so? Half the finalists don't use particularly strong defocusing, or any at all. The high proportion of abstract photos I can see, by using more macro/tight framing to confuse the viewer, but that is expected from the theme - it's simple though effective. Yet, the winner is a deep-DoF (so no unfocus) double exposure.

In contrast, your image in the quoted post is a nice photo but I don't think it counts as "shooting the mundane".

View Poll Results: Which photo do you think should win the contest?
#1	11	6.04%
#2	3	1.65%
#3	20	10.99%
#4	10	5.49%
#5	34	18.68%
#6	9	4.95%
#7	12	6.59%
#8	15	8.24%
#9	41	22.53%
#10	12	6.59%
#11	13	7.14%
#12	2	1.10%
Voters: 182. You may not vote on this poll

07-19-2022, 07:30 AM - 7 Likes	#24
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595 Original Poster	Many thanks to all those who voted, and to @ebahle for conceptualizing & sponsoring the contest, and for picking our finalists! I'm happy to announce that @avcb is our winner, with the entry "A Break in the Continuum" - a creative double-exposure taken with the Pentax KP. Congratulations! Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

07-22-2022, 06:31 AM	#29
pentaxic Junior Member Join Date: May 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 43	Originally posted by reh321 They wanted an unconventional approach to a conventional subject. They didn’t specify how. I personally found the defocusing approach to hurt my eyes. It turns out that this very broad ; perhaps the broadest call of all Photo Contests was in fact extremely limited. One Technique (Out of Focus) One Composition ( Abstract) . None of which turned my Crank and Reh321 like you my eyes watered trying to look at some. A bazzillion of each in my opinion were available. I move on to less challenging opportunities to Joust with my Peers . Last edited by pentaxic; 11-02-2022 at 08:07 AM.

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07-10-2022, 07:12 AM - 2 Likes	#16
stewh Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 280	Excellent topic for a contest. I was pleased to see so many creative entries, had a hard time making my pick. The response brought back memories of photography study at art school where we discussed and argued over the merits of content vs technique and the place of abstraction in photography. I was usually on the side that viewed content as secondary. Hopefully we will see more contests that encourage the same sort of creativity we saw here. Great work!

07-10-2022, 12:34 PM - 2 Likes	#17
kwb Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Pacific North West Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,223	I like #1 (creative use of the subject, made me wonder what the subject was for a while and that was fun) and #9 (creative use of the camera function to capture the passage of time) the most. One of them got my vote, but good luck for all finalists! BTW, thank you @ebahle for your work as the judge, and if you sponsored this contest just like you did for the previous 14mm Contest, thank you for your generosity too!

07-11-2022, 01:01 AM	#18
lotech Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 1,312	#5 please, no doubt about that.

07-16-2022, 01:11 PM - 1 Like	#19
Tracar Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2022 Location: Rome Posts: 69	My vote for #8. Not sure I correctly got the discussion above, but me too I was confused by some of the selected photos, out of the theme as I understood it. Anyway, my vote is for #8: solitary grass on the street with humans in the background describes in a poetic way and with a perfect composition the "boring, mundane and everyday".

07-16-2022, 02:27 PM	#20
reh321 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: South Bend, IN, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,178	Originally posted by Tracar My vote for #8. Not sure I correctly got the discussion above, but me too I was confused by some of the selected photos, out of the theme as I understood it. Anyway, my vote is for #8: solitary grass on the street with humans in the background describes in a poetic way and with a perfect composition the "boring, mundane and everyday". I can’t vote for anything that hurts my eyes as much as #8 does. You didn’t include “out of focus” in your description.

07-17-2022, 02:24 AM	#21
Tracar Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2022 Location: Rome Posts: 69	Originally posted by reh321 I can’t vote for anything that hurts my eyes as much as #8 does. You didn’t include “out of focus” in your description. IMHO, the "out of focus" is intended and indeed is one of the plus of that picture.

07-17-2022, 04:04 AM	#22
reh321 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: South Bend, IN, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,178	Originally posted by Tracar IMHO, the "out of focus" is intended and indeed is one of the plus of that picture. I assume it was intended. It still hurt my eyes to look at it. It is still a negative in my point of view. I still could never vote for such a thing.

07-18-2022, 10:29 PM	#23
totsmuyco Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Iloilo City Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,276	#5 is best for me.

07-19-2022, 08:42 AM	#25
reh321 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: South Bend, IN, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,178	Originally posted by pentaxic I have to disqualify myself from voting as I misinterpreted the Theme of the Contest and still can't determine whether it is Focus or Unfocus you want and maintain the limited viewing audience you have . I "Vocused " on tweaking the mondain and boring Capture to give a juxtaposition to CHANGE & INCREASE the viewing audience but it was to UNFOCUS and maintain your viewing audience I'm thinking is what you wanted . I get trapped outside the box too often I guess. They wanted an unconventional approach to a conventional subject. They didn’t specify how. I personally found the defocusing approach to hurt my eyes.

07-19-2022, 11:13 AM - 7 Likes	#26
avcb Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Vancouver Posts: 27	Thanks to everyone who voted and participated! I had a lot of fun shooting for this contest and it re-ignited a passion to shoot creatively. My typical boring/mundane/everyday photos are now looking a lot more interesting! I am looking forward to shooting with the DA 21mm! It fills a need nicely in my lens quiver, and I can't wait to make some starbursts!

07-19-2022, 11:23 AM - 1 Like	#27
wadge22 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2021 Location: NE Ohio Photos: Albums Posts: 897	Congrats, @avcb , and thanks to all the other finalists and entrants for their interesting shots. These photos have definitely spawned some thoughts for me about creative and abstract photography. Also, of course, thanks to @ebahle and @Adam for putting on the contest in the first place!

07-20-2022, 05:04 PM - 1 Like	#28
TwoUptons Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 4,213	Congrats @avcb! And nice work by the finalists. What a fun contest… -Eric

07-23-2022, 02:00 AM	#30
Serkevan Site Supporter Join Date: May 2019 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,976	Originally posted by pentaxic It turns out that this very broad ; perhaps the broadest call of all Photo Contests was in fact extremely limited. One Technique (Out of Focus) One Composition ( Abstract) How so? Half the finalists don't use particularly strong defocusing, or any at all. The high proportion of abstract photos I can see, by using more macro/tight framing to confuse the viewer, but that is expected from the theme - it's simple though effective. Yet, the winner is a deep-DoF (so no unfocus) double exposure. In contrast, your image in the quoted post is a nice photo but I don't think it counts as "shooting the mundane".