Spring 2015 Competition

[Testudo Man]

This is an "interesting" thread.

Not sure if i really want to "get involved" though

I like a bit of photography myself, i own (and use) both a Bridge Camera and a Nikon DSLR...so i ought to have a valid opinion on the merits of both types of cameras?!

Whilst equipment certainly plays a role in obtaining good quality images, it really isnt the "camera that makes the shot"...its the shooter/photographer, a combination of their field skills, and knowing the behavioural patterns of their chosen subjects...and maybe a little editing/PP, to fine polish the finished images.
I dont "buy into" the fact that some have said, "their "puny" bridge cameras cant compete with a DSLR"

PS. Im pretty sure i could capture better quality "clean/pure" butterfly images myself...but Im a lazy photographer I dont do "silly o'clock" 4.00am early starts where the butterflies are all photogenic at roost...No, i prefer to chase the blighters around the countryside, in the blazing heat, at the hottest part of the day, when the butterfly will never settle long enough, for a chance to capture that winning image

[Testudo Man]

My apologies it appears no one on this thread has used the "ole chestnut" saying - My puny bridge camera cant compete with your superior DSLR"

That will teach me in future to read the whole thread rather than skim read it, and assume the usual content on a thread such as this

Having looked a bit closer at the top 5 images now, they are all very nice images too ...I personally would have chosen different crops/angles for most of the images myself...but thats just my personal opinion/preference on how i would crop my images.

[Tony Moore]

Wow - I've been away for 14 days and what a can of worms has opened!

Personally, I think the winners were about right - well done the judges... But, as I suggested before, it would be interesting to see what would happen if only entrants were allowed to vote, and NOT for themselves. Each entrant could give a 1,2,3, and the results could be added together to produce the winners. It would be especially interesting if this could be done in retrospect a couple of times to see if the result varied from the judge's opinion. If this system were eventually adopted, it would save the judges much time and effort, allow them to enter the comps if they wished, and confine the competitions to those who were really interested in that aspect of UKB. It is, after all, a butterfly site, not a photography forum.
I await a plethora of brickbats...

Tony M.

[Pete Eeles]

Given that these discussions are deterring members from entering the photo comps, we're going to put the following into effect from now on to provide some clarity and do away with the nonsense that always rears its ugly head whenever we have a photo comp. The gist is as follows:

1. Photos will be judged by Gary and Lisa Richardson, and Pete Eeles and their decision is final. Comments that try to undermine the results by suggesting an alternative voting system will be ignored.

2. Any critique should be constructive and the moderators reserve the right to remove any comments that are considered disrespectful.

3. Accusations that a photo has been artificially synthesised (e.g. using PhotoShop), without any evidence, will also be removed.

If you don't agree with these, then don't enter

Cheers,

- Pete

[Tony Moore]

Spot on ! Thanks, Pete. .

T. M.

[The Annoying Czech]

To avoid ruining Czech-English international relations

Hello Marek,
I notice you had a side swipe at my effort as well....and I am no Englishman. We Scots are a canny bunch and take competition a little lighter than most. As a Scotsman I am over the moon to be given 5th place. Constant failure to win breeds a steely resolve we are famed for.
On a more serious note though Marek. I would be happy to hear from you on how I could have improved my image. For what it is worth to you now, I thought your image was very nice, almost an artistic feel to the background. Your subject the Southern Festoon...well...if only we could get such a species in good old Scotland. Not that the Northern Brown Argus can be in any way sniffed at.
There are a very talented bunch of photographers within this forum and beyond. Its not easy to find that image. I often think that I may have a winning shot only to see a couple of late entries clearly trump me...yep...those pesky Kiteleys. Beautiful images. The Pearl was a very worthy winner...by miles I would say.

So Marek, as I said, constructive advice would be good to hear. Sharing our ideas and thoughts is what the forum is really about. In a generally good natured spirit.


Iain.

Sorry to reply late, I was heading to the other corner of the country and did not have time to reply but bookmarked it. Anyway, if I were you:

• I wouldn't shoot that animal from that distance, as it is sitting on such an ugly, anything-but-shallow piece of dead / last year's vegetation, especially under rather average light conditions

• I might consider avoiding that disturbing bokeh in NW corner (right after the butterfly itself) which could be hard with respect to angle of the photographed object

• I would do something with rather high ISO (recommended, but not necessarily... sometimes the ISO might even be your friend, but this is not the case)

I think sharpness, colors and part of the composition are quite OK, generally solid (but definitely not overwhelming) picture, at least that's what I think. Keep shooting.

[IAC]

Brilliant, I really appreciate the pointers Marek. You are absolutely right on all counts. I probably had better photos to post for the Spring competition. Its not easy being critical of your own photos. It is good to hear some honest criticism for a change...people can be very well mannered and well meaning...and that does not help at all.

Thanks mate,


Iain.

[The Annoying Czech]

Brilliant, I really appreciate the pointers Marek. You are absolutely right on all counts. I probably had better photos to post for the Spring competition. Its not easy being critical of your own photos. It is good to hear some honest criticism for a change...people can be very well mannered and well meaning...and that does not help at all.

Thanks mate,


Iain.

You're welcome. Expect always the worst brutal truth from me, as I clearly prefer sincerity before popularity and politically correct lie.

Anyway, this Amandus Blue or whatever name you have for pretty much represents the way I try to work with bokeh and drawing on modern AF lenses. This is only me though and 9 people from 10 may see it differently which is perfectly OK, indeed.

Can't kill much ISO with some handy software in this case, as the drawing would be gone, but I think this is only a secondary problem worthy to "sacrifice" just to keep the scene slightly choppy in the background. I value more the fact nothing disturbes the background and yet something is going on in the OOF areas.

Don't upload such a photos to competitions though, because punk and manual focus lenses are not dead.

[The Annoying Czech]

Bump!

I just wandered when the Summer comp 2015 will be opened?

Come on, guys! Don't be soft