[frogoutofwater]

The deadline for my company's super-competitive photo contest is this Friday, and I'm having a hard time choosing a single entry for the Nature category. (Our company has about 7,000 employees globally and typically there are about 800 entries in total spread across four categories. The winning photos are used in the company calendar (landscape format). A professional photographer selects the finalists (4 in each category) and then employees vote for their favourites. Here is my shortlist of entries. All except the first were taken in Portland a few weeks ago during a great workshop led by Eddie Soloway. The first photo was taken on the High Line in NYC.

If you think a photo is strong but that it needs a little more editing, I am permitted to make adjustments to exposure, contrast etc but I can't crop or edit out anything (except maybe sensor dust).

Thanks in advance for your input!

Attached Images

       

[micromacro]

Not an expert, but I like #3

[Gregory_51]

You never know what someone will choose as best and why they chose it. Basically you have two judges, a professional who will winnow out the entries and a bunch of people, most with no expertise choosing the winner. Which, as with all contests leave you wondering why was that one was chosen over this one. I don't know if the destination of the photo will come into play ( a company calendar ) or not. With that being said my order of preference would be # 3, #2, #1. Number 4 would be out of the running. Of course others will have differing choices.
Good luck
Greg

[frogoutofwater]

Thanks, Gregory51 and micromacro, for the feedback. I'm curious as to what draws you to #3. I like it, too, and it's consistent style-wise with some of my other work. But there's a little voice in my head saying "that's an awfully dirty-looking flower". Then again, maybe that's partly what makes it interesting.

Overall, the location of the photograph is somewhat less important for this category (Nature) than the Animals and People categories. (In those categories, there tends to be a preference for what one of my colleagues calls "who took the most exotic vacation" images.)

I try not to game this contest and instead aim on submitting the strongest image. (However, I do keep in mind that the winning images will be displayed at work - so that rules out the figure studies of beautiful, tattooed models.)

[normhead]

Any advice I would give should be intentionally ignore. Photo contests and me don't mix. That being said, I like #3. #3 is a slice of life in decay kind of image... grunge and all that, fallen beauty, the high and mighty brought back to earth. So that's why you shouldn't ask me. I like those kinds of themes, but they aren't popular with the general population. To anyone growing flowers for competitions, it's an abomination, a waste of electrons,
Why would you show something at less than it's best" they would ask.

- so that rules out the figure studies of beautiful, tattooed models.)

I hate it when that happens, it's so hard to find an excuse for photographing beautiful tattooed models, that don't make you sound like a dirty old man. "honest, I'm just trying to win a photo contest here."

[frogoutofwater]

Any advice I would give should be intentionally ignore. Photo contests and me don't mix. That being said, I like #3.

But I love your work, normhead, and value your opinion

I have always struck out in the company photo contest - although I've had some success in other contests. And at some level, I don't really care. And yet I do ... (Last spring, when I first started to get interested in photography, the instructor in my first photography course asked me what my goals were and I said "to win a prize in the company photo contest".)

[micromacro]

I'm curious as to what draws you to #3.

Again, just subjective opinion.
#1 hey, check the lens I got
#2 the same
#4 the same
#3 That's the picture. I like the feeling of fallen flower there.

[noelpolar]

With the end in mind....no 1...... bright draws you in...new growth....spring.....alive...happy....bursting...promise for tomorrow...colorfull.....etc

[normhead]

I have always struck out in the company photo contest - although I've had some success in other contests. And at some level, I don't really care. And yet I do ... (Last spring, when I first started to get interested in photography, the instructor in my first photography course asked me what my goals were and I said "to win a prize in the company photo contest".)

Well that's the thing with photo contests, what's the point in entering if you don't want to win? You don't want to get down if you lose, the odds are always against you. But it sure would be nice to win.

[mikeSF]

#3 catches my eye as having a very readable subject. Your best bet, IMO. good luck!

[Kerrowdown]

I see I'm almost out on my own as usual, apart for a couple of kindred souls here, but for me it's the first image, it's both dynamic and colourful and I could certainly live with looking at that for a month as apposed to the others.

[noelpolar]

I see I'm almost out on my own as usual, apart for a couple of kindred souls here, but for me it's the first image, it's both dynamic and colourful and I could certainly live with looking at that for a month as apposed to the others.

never had a kindred spirit before....what happens now....

[normhead]

never had a kindred spirit before....what happens now....

You invite him up to your place for a coffee?

[frogoutofwater]

I hate it when that happens, it's so hard to find an excuse for photographing beautiful tattooed models, that don't make you sound like a dirty old man. "honest, I'm just trying to win a photo contest here."

You should come to New York and take Andrew French's excellent Daylight Studio weekend workshop through the International Center of Photography: beautiful light, wonderful models, an engaging instructor and interesting/talented classmates. He teaches it 2-3 times a year. (One of the photos I made in his class, of someone clothed, was included in a juried exhibition earlier this year.)

And after the workshop, you could photograph the birds (the feathered kind) in Central Park.

[esrandall]

My opinion. I like #3 the best, though that little "hair" or whatever it is near the center, immediately catches my eye. I keep wanting to check to see if it's on my monitor (lol). I like the DOF on #2, but prefer the gritty reality (like the others) of #3. The DOF and colors on #1 are cool, but (no offense) the composition doesn't really do anything for me. Maybe if the DOF was a little wider on the subject, I dunno. And #4 is kind of cool to look at, but isn't in the same class as the other three shots. Reminds me of a shot I take EVERY time I go hiking, where I see a "mass" of something (branches, water, moss, leaves, etc.) that looks pretty neat to me, but maybe not so much to the person who has no attachment to the zing I felt when I first saw it. No offense. So in short:

3,2,1,4