RESULTS: Mini challenge #311: Central composition

pegelli

Thanks to all who entered and as you can imagine judging with such an "open" type challenge is not easy because the entries are so diverse.

But after a looking at all entries several times I made up my mind and just followed my gut feeling and chose a winner that just "felt" best. It was not easy because there were too many great shots, even though not all were as "central" as I had imagined.

Here's some comments on the entries:
@sarasphotos :
1) I like how the colour of the flower is echoed in the background
2) The eye of the viewer keeps being pulled along the past to the middle of the frame
3) slightly off center, but a nice find with the snail or pebble below the grate
@SJOttoRodgers :
1) Nice flowers (dogwood?) but more a diagonal composition than a central one
2) Same as for sara's #2, the eye keeps being drawn to the middle and see why this dried leaf is still hanging there
@Cavalier :
1) Nice bold colours but not quite central
2) Lovely flower, but also slightly off center (I know, I'm a nit-picker)
3) Smack on, and a nice mood with the misty mountains in the background
@JAG :
1) I would have liked the spider a bit more detailed or sharp, but the web came out nice
2) Very nice find, I like the contradiction between the ordered cube and the much more flowing rocks on which it is placed
3) I like these delicate pastels in the sea of green
@jwear
1) clever use of the shadow in the composition
@dlscott56 :
1) Vere nice lighted still life
2) Clever shot, with so much symmetry (both mirror and rotational)
3) Nice composition but not fully central
@grandmaR :
1) Nice bold colour
2) Like sara's #2 the viewer really gets drawn to the center, a pity the shot lacks sharpness
3) Very interesting subject, well captured
@DavidRGillespie :
In all three the eye of the viewer is very much drawn to the center, but I find the third most striking
@shawnc :
1) beautiful building and well captured, is it an IR shot?
2) I like the tension between the central window and the off-center tree
3) Perfect symmetry, the hotel helped you by hanging the same shield on either side of the door
@sapphire73 :
1) Lovely view, the mist and the clouds all pull it together nicely
2) Impressive!
3) Not only a ceiling detail but also a detailed ceiling , also perfectly centered
@lkbart
1) I love the intense gaze!
2) Nicely isolated flower, maybe even darken the ones at the top more to not distract from the main subject
3) The framing works well to put enough emphasis on the small ship

OK, a HM goes to @dlscott56 for "More glass"
3rd place for @Cavalier for "Lone Cypress, Monterey, Ca"
2nd place for @shawnc for "the Old "Strater Hotel" Built in 1887, located in Durango, Colorado"

and the winner is @sapphire73 with "Island seen on the way to Alaska", a wonderful moody shot and perfectly centered

Congrats Gretchen and looking forward what you will give us for the next challenge

Cavalier

@pegelli - Well Pieter I've been told I'm a bit off center before, but not by someone so polite! Thanks for the third place and congratulations to @shawnc for second place and @sapphire73 for your lovely first place photo. Looking forward to the next mini.

sapphire73

@pegelli - thank you for commenting on all of the entries, and for your kind comments in regard to my images. With so many fine images, this is a surprise. But I will try to post a new challenge tomorrow after giving it some thought.

The irony is that I recently joined a local photography club and the topic for our next meeting is composition. With that in mind, I was especially appreciative of this challenge and all the images people shared. I had a lot of favorites but I want to add my congratulations to @shawnc for second place, to @cavalier for third place. I have been to Monterey Bay and see the lone cypress, but this is a lovely shot. And I visited Durango long ago and undoubtedly saw this hotel, but not sure I photographed it.

Thanks again, Pieter!

shawnc

@pegelli Thank you again for another Challenging Mini.
Congrats to all who entered and those who placed.
HM @dlscott56 for "More glass"
3rd place for @Cavalier for "Lone Cypress, Monterey, Ca"
2nd place for @shawnc for "the Old "Strater Hotel"
Winner @sapphire73 with "Island seen on the way to Alaska"

@shawnc :
1) beautiful building and well captured, is it an IR shot?
2) I like the tension between the central window and the off-center tree
3) Perfect symmetry, the hotel helped you by hanging the same shield on either side of the door

1 The Sonoran Inn is not real IR. I converted to B&W and felt it needed more so I did a IR post treatment. It came close, not like the real thing though.
2 The Stone Wall. That whole image gives me tension, but there's something about it, keeps me coming back.
3 The Strater Hotel was quite a challenge. The street actually slopes down to the left. I spent considerable time keeping things straight.
Thank you again for the honor.

JAG

Nice work on the running of the challenge and all the thoughtful comments @pegelli . Congrats to @sapphire73 for the win and the runner ups @shawnc and @Cavalier .

sarasphotos

Pieter, thanks for the excellent challenge and for the extensive comments. Congratulations to the winners - there were so many excellent shots I'm sure the choices must have been very difficult.

grandmaR

Wonderful first place photo - the only way to judge this type of mini really is to go with your gut and your gut did a good job. I did also like the spider web which I find difficult to photograph.

Thank you for an interesting mini. Just as an aside - I tried to crop my original photos very carefully so that the items would be in the exact center. I almost always have to straighten my photos so I guess that I'm naturally a little off center

dlscott56

Congrats all! Lots of great images.

lkbart

Great mini Pieter! Wonderful to comment on each photo - above and beyond! Hard selection, great images - awesome choice for winner! Congrats to Gretchen for the win, & Shawn & Jo for placing!

sapphire73

I will be posting an idea later today. Too much going on to post earlier (with some photos of my own as examples), but it will be coming soon. Thanks.

DavidRGillespie

A great mini Pieter! Congratulations to @dlscott56 , @Cavalier , @shawnc and @sapphire73 for hm, third, second and first. Wonderful images all.