RESULTS: Mini-Challenge #359: Black and White

sarasphotos · October 23, 2023

Oh my goodness, difficult doesn't even begin to describe it! Each and every shot was a winner. I can't remember when I've seen a mini filled with such well-considered, well-taken and well-processed shots. Kudo to all!!!

@Cavalier Jo, I especially admire your technical prowess in the "panning" shot - that's a technique I haven't mastered. Although I do like the Point Arena shot, I'd say my favorite of your three is the balloon - very nicely balanced, and as you said exuding serenity.

@grandmaR Grandma, thanks for bringing us back to the reality of "the old days". I truly am envoius of the fact that you were able to develop these yourself. My favorite of your three was #2 "Beginner cross country" - what a great stop-action shot!

@sapphire73 Gretchen, from your three I'd have to say I liked the bridge shot the best. It had a certain moodiness, where I could somehow imagine being one of those people on a bike or in a car, on the way home from work at the end of a long day. I did also like how I could feel the soft fuzzy texture of the goats' hair in the first shot. (And the night shot of Sacre Coeur is wonderful!)

@slpollett Sherry, although I liked your snow pictures, I found the picture of your father's boots the most evocative - you chose a perfect setting and I appreciated how they were framed in the picture.

@kdotaylor Kate, like Sherry said in her comment, I was mesmerized by the ripples in that tree reflection of yours. All three shots are technically top-notch. The picture I kept coming back to however, was #3, the family shot. It really grabbed me. What a great choice and composition for a family portrait!

@bfluegie Barbara, I must say, Skitz the cat is very patient and photogenic! I like how you handled the Grand Canyon shot, but my fave is Yosemite Creek - I can feel/hear the power of the water as it crashes into the rocks at the bottom of the falls and rushes towards the viewer.

So... decision time....

HMs to everyone for every picture, really!

3rd Place:
@Cavalier picture #2 Reno Balloon Race

2nd Place:
@bfluegie #2 Yosemite Creek

1st Place:
@kdotaylor #3 Family portrait

It's over to you, Kate. Looking forward to what you choose for the next mini!

sapphire73 · October 23, 2023

@sarasphotos - Sara, thank you for running an excellent mini with so many fine entries! It was great to be reminded of how powerful a black and white photo can be. I am shooting with a Fuji camera these days, partly because I love the ability to choose from a wide array of film simulations - including some great B/W options.

Congratulations @kdotaylor on 1st place. I loved your beautiful photo of the tree reflected in the water but the family portrait really caught my eye. Congratulations as well to @bfluegie on your 2nd place for the gorgeous capture of Yosemite Creek and to @Cavalier for 3rd place for that beautiful shot of the hot air balloon. @grandmaR - fun to see your stop action beginner cross-country photo (and the smiling faces in that wedding photo that you converted). @slpollett - loved the photo of your father's boots and the photo of the snow precluding outdoor dining!

grandmaR · October 24, 2023

This was a great mini, and I totally agree with the placing. Actually, the beginner cross country photo was my least favorite. I was attempting to see if I could earn some money by doing eventing photos, so I sat by that jump and photographed all the horses that jumped it. I did sell some photos but not enough to make it worthwhile and gave me a new respect for those photographers that do that work. Normally I walked the cross country backward and photographed the horses coming over the jumps towards me. Because someone told me that they didn't need to see so many photos of the horses' butts which was the view i got when I walked it the way it was ridden. This is an action shot of a rider falling.

Unfortunately since it was a film picture, the rider placed and she should not have - the mother of the rider contended that the fall was because another horse was blocking the jump
and another one - of Mike Plumb

kdotaylor · October 24, 2023

Oh my goodness, I never expected that! Thank you! I'm not quite sure how this is done, but let me consider options for the next challenge and I'll post later today.

kdotaylor · October 24, 2023

I'm so unfamiliar....how long is the mini-challenge to last? Is this where I post the next challenge?

sarasphotos · October 24, 2023

Hi Kate,

you post a new challenge by clicking on the green "New Discussion" button in "The DGRIN Challenges" page. I usually copy the title of the last one into the title line of the new mini so that I am sure to change the number to the next consecutive. Then either copy the "unofficial rules" from another challenge or post a link to the "unofficial rules" post. The challenges usually run 2-3 weeks (if it's longer than 3 weeks, people really lose interest). If you need help looking for topics, check out Gretchen's helpful "Looking Back" post for a list of all of the minis that ever were.

Cheers, Sara

kdotaylor · October 24, 2023

Thanks, Sara

sapphire73 · October 24, 2023

@kdotaylor, thank you for posting the next challenge! @sarasphotos - thank you so much for answering Kate's questions so promptly!

Hope folks feel free to message me if they have any questions about how to start a new mini, etc.

bfluegie · October 25, 2023

Sara @sarasphotos, thanks for an excellent challenge and thanks for selecting my photo of Yosemite Creek for second place. Congrats to Kate @kdotaylor for the win. My favorite was the reflected tree but I did find the family portrait compelling as well. It makes me wonder what they are looking at. Congrats to Jo @Cavalier for third place, and really to everyone for making this challenge so enjoyable. I really liked all the entries.

Cavalier · October 25, 2023

Loved this well run mini! Congrate to @kdotaylor for the win, @sarasphotos for runner up and thanks for the 3rd place!

RESULTS: Mini-Challenge #359: Black and White

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