Photo Contest - Help Deciding

[WPhyer]

Through the encouragement of friends and family, I'm going to try my luck and enter a few photos at a small community festival. I can only enter one photo per category and I have 3 categories where I can't decide which photos to use. I'm hoping the people here can help with my decision.

Category: People
1

2

3

Category: Landscape
1

2

Category: Wildlife

1

2

 

[tirediron]

My recommendations would be this:

People: The footballers. The first is more about the firework and the person is rather incidental, the second, while cute, and technically fine is a 'dime a dozen' shot.

For landscape, I would suggest the farm scene, but I believe it needs a little more post (increase the saturation, clone out the overhead wires and crop some of the bottom off).

For wildlife, definitely the first. While the frog isn't the main subject, the blown highlights in the close up are very distracting.

Just my $00.02 worth - your milage may vary

~John

 

[Battou]

For landscape, I would suggest the farm scene, but I believe it needs a little more post (increase the saturation, clone out the overhead wires and crop some of the bottom off).

~John

I disagree with you here, I think the DOF miss will cost any chance contestwise the Pipe/creek shot is more sound IMHO. It too needs some processing, I think a little USM and a slight crop to center the pipe should take care of that.

 

[WPhyer]

Thank you for the opinions. I'm going to pick 3 (football) for the people and 2 (pipe) for the landscape. Battou, you mention "..a little USM.." but I'm not sure what that means. I did a search and the best I could find was "ultrasonic motor" or autofocus motor. These pictures were taken with my simple Olympus D-510. I don't have too many features... just white balance, ISO, zoom and time/date. Is there something I can do software wise to "fix" the image?

I liked #2 in the people category mostly for the color. Just to give a little background, this contest is in a very very rural place. The nearest McDonald's is about a 50 minute drive away. The people that will be at this festival are simple salt-of-the-earth types. Last year, some of the more "sophisticated" photos didn't even get a vote. Yet, two kids sitting on some hay gets a blue ribbon.

-William

 

[Battou]

Thank you for the opinions. I'm going to pick 3 (football) for the people and 2 (pipe) for the landscape. Battou, you mention "..a little USM.." but I'm not sure what that means. I did a search and the best I could find was "ultrasonic motor" or autofocus motor. These pictures were taken with my simple Olympus D-510. I don't have too many features... just white balance, ISO, zoom and time/date. Is there something I can do software wise to "fix" the image?

-William

:lmao: "ultrasonic motor"...USM is a Photoshop filter aswell as darkroom tecnique called Unsharp Mask

 

[WPhyer]

Ahhh... (feeling like the total n00b ) thanks...

I'm not familiar with PhotoShop (as in I don't use PS, but I know enough about it). Actually, I use GIMP to do my post touch-up work. I'm one of those Linux geeks. I can usually translate between 85%-90% of the PS tutorials and step-by-step instruction to GIMP.

Again, thanks for showing me the light.

-William

 

[WPhyer]

I just got back from my vacation and the festival with the photo contest. I actually got two 1st place blue ribbons.

1. Black & White category

2. Wild Life

You can view the original 8 pictures that were entered here:
Photo Contest Pictures

Thank you tirediron and Battou for your suggestions.

-William