MINI-CHALLENGE #295: The Back Side - RESULTS

lkbart

What a great group of entries - very hard to choose a winner, every person entered very worthy photos! I tried to comment on the technical aspects and ended up mostly saying how they make me feel. Thanks for playing!

@DavidRGillespie - What a great set to start off this mini! A beautiful landscape, a cool peddler strolling on the beach (am also a firm believer in carrying it all in one trip lol), and a great b/w that just looks so very Poe! Thanks for playing along!

@Cavalier - Nice blacksmith shot - like the authentic vibe (even with a sparkly clean shirt lol), nice hat. Harvest Dancers is a very cool shot - the variety in their attire including headdress is great, love the pheasant and owl feathers, interesting to see all the similarities yet differences. County Fair - great colors to showcase a tough job. Nice set!

@grandmaR - Window sitter - cool shot, kinda wish for the theme that her face was more hidden, but nice composition, nice capture. Great Sand Dunes has an ethereal quality, the people walking away, moving toward a vast dessert of seemingly nothing, cool shot! Made me think of a scene from a Star Wars movie. Parasailing - nice colors, would prefer more back than side for the theme.

@RalphMoon - Lighting a Candle - meaningful shot; smiled at the juxtaposition between the bright new Cars tshirt and the time worn religious statue. Visitor - beautiful symmetry, love the nice red pop of her jacket in the middle. Coincidentally, I visited SFMOMA in January of 2013 and saw this exhibit! Heading Home - You had me at meow. Might not have lol’d, but it did make me smile.

@JAG - Bobbies - nice shot, would prefer less side and more back for the theme, but still a good shot. Heading into - really like this! Great focus on the wording on the shirt, it’s like the photo is taking you somewhere - the spiral takes me to a James Bond intro, very nice! Sisters - Love this one - can almost feel the bond between them!

@slpollett - Happy - a great reason to be happy! Also a very nice shot - looks like the door to the world is open for her to walk right through, nice centering, lovely hands. Friends - very sweet shot, feeling the bond again, also like them being right in step. Laying the wreath - a precious shot, would prefer less side again, but a nice perspective and meaningful shot.

@bfluegie - Infinity - Fabulous shot! The composition is great - love the huge mountains on the side, the sunset behind the clouds, and the human element for perspective, the big splash in the distance, very captivating image & fitting title! I want to be the girl on the beach; I keep wandering through the photo. Directing - very cool shot - and with the title, funny too! The small monolith adds some interest and curiosity for me, nice dramatic "performance", overall great & fun capture! Autumn walk - beautiful landscape, makes me want to go hike there. And thanks again for the laugh - great snorkeling shot (although she probably doesn’t think so lol)!

@pegelli - Relaxed - great shot for this theme, awesome focus & DOF. Fishing - nice crisp focus & wonderful deep colors, show good dynamic range, nicely captured. Work - very pleasing colors, and another fantastic focus throughout; I think I’m jealous of your super sharp focus and large DOF! Great set!

@kurzvorzwoelf - Typing or sleeping? With that title, I can’t help but laugh, and wonder, every time I look at the photo. Nicely centered, nice exposure. Kung-Fu - cool & funny shot, composition would be better if the bottom was cropped, but good for a fun shot. Papers - really like the b/w on this shot, makes it seem a bit ominous (not sure why); also curious if he has to take off the mask for the officer to id him.

@Third_Son - Superb sunset shot - love the highlighted outline of the hand - perfect composition, very well executed! The colors in the Prague shot are great - not what you expect for a cloudy day. Also, just an fyi, short names or titles are customary for the entries, adds to the fun. Nice touch that you added technical details.

@sarasphotos - What a Catch is a great shot - I like the repetitiveness of all the masts & lines, the trio of youth looking over the side could tell several stories. The Bordeaux shot looks like she’s entering the fun zone! Evening Serenade is exquisite! The composition, colors, fog (mood), reflection, very beautiful; I do wish the guitarist was slightly more focused, but I still want to sit there on the grass and listen to him play! And love the extra - Three Lions, fitting title for a good laugh!

@Lab_Tested - Beautifully captured Sunset on the Mediterranean, nice crisp silhouettes, beautiful deep colors, love the round ball of sun dropping through the clouds. Cycling is another wonderful landscape. And we do love our photographers! Nice shot that’s got just enough detail to not quite be a silhouette, good natural color & focus.

@sapphire73 - Love My Shadow - a darling photo! Sweet sunset shot for a cell, your phone has a great camera & you know how to use it!

The Honorable Mentions (or ties for third):
@sarasphotos - Evening Serenade
@pegelli - Relaxed
@slpollett - Happy
@JAG - Sisters
@Cavalier - Harvest Dancers
@RalphMoon - Visitor
@Lab_Tested - Sunset on the Mediterranean

The Humor Prize:
@kurzvorzwoelf - Typing or sleeping? You decide.

The Runner Up:
@Third_Son - Setting sun

The Winner:
@bfluegie - Looking at infinity

The torch is passed to you, Barbara - looking forward to your challenge!

grandmaR

Thank you for running such and interesting mini and for your comments on each submission. A brilliant pick for a winner.

Just as a point of interest - the sand dunes picture (which I thought was funny because we were all in rather ordinary clothes, not suitable for exploring vast spaces of sand) was so anonymous that when I looked it it carefully, I realized that I didn't take that photo - I was in it. I thought that it was my mom, but it was me. My dad took the photo.

PS - You said in the directions that you wanted "people unidentifiable with facial recognition technology" I interpreted that as a face too small or too obscured to be identified. I didn't realize that you only wanted the back of people's heads.

Third_Son

@lkbart Thanks! My wife will be pleased she made the cut :-)

bfluegie

Lillian @lkbart, thank you for running such a great mini, and for the first place selection. I was very surprised given all the excellent submissions. Congratulations also to @Third_Son for the runner up photo. I really liked the creative take on a sunset shot, or is your wife trying to extend the day? And also congrats to the HMs and really to everyone who entered. I enjoyed all the photos. That's what makes these minis fun.

For those who are interested, my photo was taken at Ke'e Beach on Kauai. Anyone who has been there at sunset is probably aware that the solitude I captured in this shot is complete illusion. I was part of a line of 15-20 photographers using everything from phones to DSLRs on tripods (that would be me). I have a lot of shots of people walking along the surf line. Fortunately they were spaced out enough that I could get a few shots without people, plus a few with just a single person.

I hope to have a new mini up in a day or so. I have a couple of ideas so it shouldn't take too long.

Lab_Tested

Thank you @lkbart for running the contest (my first) and for your thoughtful comments on the entries. And congrats to @bfluegie on the win. It was fun to see the different interpretations of the theme, and I look forward to the next one.

sarasphotos

Thanks Lilian for the HM in this great batch of entries - what tough choices you had to make!. And special thanks for the time you took to make all the detailed comments. Congrats to @bfluegie for the win and to @Third_Son for the 2nd place. Looking forward to the next mini!

slpollett

Congrats to bfluegie for the well-deserved win on a wonderful image. Thank you for a fun mini and the HM. Congrats to third_son and the other HM's. Can't wait to see the theme for the next round.

Sherry P.

JAG

Lillian @lkbart, Thanks for a great running challenge! Also for taking the time to give feedback on all entries. Kudos! Congrats to @kurzvorzwoelf for humor award, @Third_Son for runner up and to @bfluegie for the win. All great choices! I look forward to the next challenge Barbara!

kurzvorzwoelf

Thanks for running this mini and all the commentary you gave, @lkbart. I'm glad that the pic made you laugh, although might just be funny. without knowing the context the picture was taken in (I won't spoil it).

Congrats @bfluegie and everyone else.

pegelli

Congrats @bfluegie and all runners up and HM's. I'm honoured to be among them in such a strong field. And @lkbart thanks for all the comments you made, that makes these mini's such a joy to participate