General POTM April Discussion Thread

[paradise]

Hey everyone.

Just want to Congratulate Simon Sng for winning the General POTM April with this photo:

http://aquatic-photography.com/forum/contests/0405n/02.jpg
Title: Pathysa antiphates itamputi (Five Bar Swordtail)
Photographer: simon (Simon Sng)

Let's discuss the photos for a second. This is not JUST a thread to congratulate the winner, but to discuss the photos in the contest. Why you liked particular photos, what was it that you found interesting about them. How they measured up......

[alanhill]

Well done Simon. A beautiful subject and an excellent photo, technically and artistically. I'm afriad that the other photos never stood a chance.

Alan

[nomaddan]

Great job!

Everyone had some very nice pics. I can see I have alot of practice ahead me.

[hir0]

great shot simon. a definite winner. i really liked the chessboard shot, but the board was turned the wrong way. the butterfly shot was definitely a notch or two above the rest. good work.

[Ibn]

Congrats and beautiful photo, Simon. Great photo with great clarity and sharpness.

[simon]

thanks :redface:, I don't see it as the best of the lot.. i find the seagull much better :-D

[RazorBlade]

Beautiful shot! Deserving winner. :)

[Peligrin]

Congratulations, Simon! No one else can compete with shots like that! The clarity and sharpness are incredible, and it has excellent bokeh (now that I know the meaning of the word, I'm going to use it! :-D )! Congratulations to the other winners, as well! Job well done, guys!

i really liked the chessboard shot, but the board was turned the wrong way.
That's because it was taken by someone who doesn't play chess! :redface:

[ladyjai]

The butterfly was beautiful and fantastically executed, however I'm not sure I was keen on how the background integrated with the butterfly.

There were many wonderful shots this time around.

For some reason, the spider with the unusual compositional elements and colors really appealed to me. It integrated forground and background much better than any shot which is focused on one element, leaving everything else to be 2nd or 3rd best. The spider was a little soft, but that played in with the surrealistic feel. I loved it, thanks for sharing Jake. Do you have any more like it?
http://aquatic-photography.com/forum/contests/0405n/08.jpg
Out of curiousity, what were the problems others had with this image? (Aside from arachophobia :-D )

[paradise]

The only problem with the spider (a great image) was that it was too close to the camera, I think, and the fron piece got underexposed. Usually this happens when you pull up very close to the piece and the flash does not reach in front of the lens.

[alanhill]

I felt that the butterfly was behaving naturally in its natural habitat (drinking from a stream bed or a sandbank in the forest).
I wasn't so sure about the spider: it was bit too conspicuous because they are usually camouflaged. Also the photo was neither a close-up of the spider or a shot of the plant with the spider on it - it looked a little 'uncomfortable' to me.

Alan

[Ibn]

I really liked the spider shot as well. Ranked the seagull, spider, and butterfly at the same level (Hir0's shot was ranked at the same rating also). Both the butterfly and seagull were sharp and clean. There are some flaws in the spider shot, but I thought that it was a very challenging shot to take in the beginning and ranked it according to this aspect (akin to Olympic divers with dives of various degrees of difficulties).

[hir0]

i like the spider shot, it's a nice shot. but i think it's just a little busy. and the square crop makes it look a little odd to me.

[RazorBlade]

I agree with Paradise - the underexposed portion on the bottom left was the 'sore point' I noted when "judging". But it was a great shot. For some reason, that composition had my attention.

Alan's comments (re natural habitat) had me thinking [and yes, I agree he's right] ... just didn't cross my mind at the time. :P

[simon]

my pov, even with the bottom left well exposed, there is still the big lump, which makes the composition strange. The seagull has a clearer background. composition wise, I go with the seagull :p (thats just me)

as for the chess set, I think if a more attractive set is used. I think it will be a diff story

[JerseyJay]

Simon,

Congratulations. Well deserved !

[tlemetry]

The butterfly is a very nice photo. I would have preferred a darker background to give a little more contrast. It appeared to be a little washed out blending with the gravel. just imagine how the colors would pop against the dark brown that is at the top of the photo.

The spider picture gives me the creeps, which is why I like it too. I like a photo that gives me a strong emotional reaction. The fronds he is climbing on is very unusual which I like also. The focus on them is ok, but the pink in the background grabs my attention to much. Nature doesn't give you the options to pick and choose your settings so my thoughts are only suggestions. My 14 yr old daughter is a spider nut. since she was little she would 'rescue' any spider that was about to get the squish treatment. She loves the spider but doesnt like the fronds, go figure. Everyone likes different things! :confused:

[rainmaker69]

The butterfly I would have moved a little more to the right, giving more space for it to "head into" and the underexposed front portion of the spider helps to lead my eye to the main subject. jmho