Corralejo Camera Club

June Competition Results: Boats, Ships Harbours.

Judge: Carol Sheridan.

Some fabulous entries this month. Please take any comments or critique as given with good intention and any views expressed as only one person’s opinion.

For those outstanding images I am looking for;

Intent; can you make the viewer feel what you were feeling when you took that picture?
Technique; is it in focus, is it well-composed, does the light do the image justice, is the main subject free of distractions and clear to the viewer?
Did you keep to the subject of “Boats, Ships and Harbours”?
Does it stand out from the crowd?

Beginners:

El Cotillo Harbour Jim Cawkwell A pleasing shot which sadly lost out due to the distracting wall bottom left, and the washed out sky. I feel this picture could have been improved by cropping and better attention to where the sun was.

Embracing Peace Steve Court Great shot, but the main subject is not obviously a boat, a ship or a harbour scene. Excellent use of scale and well composed.

Fred Olsen Passing Lobos Jim Cawkwell I am pleased to see that the photographer has left space for the ferry to move in to as many beginners do not. Getting a little closer or waiting for the ferry to move closer may have benefited this shot.

Cadiz Ferry in Rosario Harbour – Third Place Jim Cawkwell I like this as it is an honest, no holds barred, photograph of a working port. A lower angle of shot may have made the ferry a bit more imposing.

SS America – Second Place Steve Court A good record shot that captures the sorry condition of the vessel and by looking down upon the subject encourages the viewer to empathise with the lonely wreck. Good use of two thirds rule.

HMS Queen Elizabeth – First Place Steve Court Good exposure, nice use of lines, uncluttered and no mistaking what you expect the viewer to see, well done!

Intermediate:

Adrift In The Mysterious Sea Of Holes Richard Holmes Great use of macro and very imaginative. If I had a “most creative” award to give then this would be the shot I’d choose. The photographer has used depth of field to great effect.

Block Of Flats Moored In Harbour Richard Holmes A pleasing shot and an unusual take on the subject. Perhaps a bit too clever as if the viewer was not helped by the title they might fail to realise this is a ship. Good exposure, and nice use of colour.

Off To Work Gwynn I would have liked to have seen more room in front of the ferry, a level horizon and better use of light. The photograph is nice and sharp and the colours on the ferry well exposed.

Out Of Work Gwynn It is difficult to judge a photograph that is not in focus. I wonder if a slow shutter speed was used, but without a tripod. I would love to have seen this photograph in sharp focus as I think that would have taken it to the next level.

Purple Mood Daz Love the colours, the composition and the reflections but the boat is lost in the overall scene due to the lack of light at a critical focal point. Lifting the shadows in post edit may of have helped or exposing for the boat at the time of shooting.

Retired Gwynn The red paint on the dingy livens up the image but the subject itself is not particularity interesting. Try walking around and viewing your subject from at least 6 different angles to see which makes the most impactful or interesting shot.

Boats For Hire – Commended Keith Dawson A beautiful landscape. I like the serenity of this image. I dislike that the river bank cuts the picture in two, simultaneously pulling the eyes top and bottom.

Dawn at Brighton Marina – Highly Commended Richard Holmes This could be cropped into two photos, each good in their own right. This didn’t quite make a place as I feel that the dramatic sky dominates the scene and takes away from the boats.

Race Day – Third place Keith Dawson Well exposed and good use of rule of thirds, colours are spot on. Without the boats it would be a great landscape which sadly means that my eyes do not immediately fall upon the boats as the main theme. An angled viewpoint rather than face on could have added some drama.

In For Repair – Second Place Keith Dawson I like the tone of this photo and the depth of field has been maximised to good effect. I find the amount of white space and especially the old freezer a little distracting. Perhaps a different angle would have helped. It looks like the boat has a story to tell.

Low Tide – First Place Daz A well composed shot and the use of black and white suits the subject. I find the tone a little dark and would have preferred to have seen the shadows lifted a little. Importantly this photograph conveys feeling. Well done!

Experienced:

At Anchor John Verlander Nicely exposed but a bit too busy with some distracting elements. Waiting for the blue yacht to pass could have given more emphasis to the main subject.

Berthed By The Kelpies Duncan Gray An interesting shot with excellent use of perspective and light. A slight shift in angle or a move to the right may have avoided the flood lights emerging from the roof of the narrowboat which is a minor distraction.

Blakeney Duncan Gray Attractive colours, a picture post card shot. The use of an odd number of boats shows that the photographer thought about this shot. The white boat is partly in the shadows and this change of tone draws attention to the passer by which detracts from the overall scene and the background is a little busy.

Blue Boats At Low Tide Helen The eyes tend to wander around this photograph and explore, only to be caught by the cars and people which detract from an otherwise typical low tide scene.

Boat At Majanicho Wendy Kerr Is the boat the focal point or are the buildings the dominant feature? The shoreline almost cuts the photograph in two. The colours are bright and bold and the focus is nice and sharp throughout.

Boat Wreck Ken Johnson I like this as it suggests a story behind the boat itself. I feel this shot would benefit from additional cropping to remove some of the greenery and to reposition the boat lower in the scene. The path could also be removed as it add little to the shot.

Boats Alan Hillman A beautiful scene, bright colours and good use of light and depth of field. This kind of photo can be difficult to balance as the small white dingy on the jetty is not pretty but the scene overall is. I feel the dingy detracts from the overall scene.

Brixham Harbour Alan Hillman Clearly a lot of work has been put into this shot to create an artistic effect and it makes a very pleasing image. The loss of sharpness towards the outer edges gives the photograph a vintage feel which is a little at odds with the modern vehicles and buildings in the foreground.

Clipper Class Steve Goldsmith I like the idea used in this shot as a pattern although the cropping cannot remove cargo ship directly behind the line of yachts. Unfortunately some shots just cannot work due to circumstances beyond our control. Without the cargo ship this would have made a great photograph.

Coming Out John Verlander I feel this is purely a record shot as there are a number of objects that steal the limelight from the boat itself.

Dry Dock Steve Hall Nice lines and good exposure. The main subject is very close to the left of the image and the bottom of the image appears to include roof tops. I feel this shot could have been better composed.

Early Morn On The Fish Quay Helen Good vibrant colours, well exposed. Red always seems to draw the eye. Perhaps making the first boat more of a feature either by changing the depth of field or by changing the position from where the shot was taken would have helped this shot stand out.

Empty Harbour Alan Hillman The eyes are drawn to the empty space in the middle of the scene which may have been the photographers intention but the viewer is left without a main focal point. Half a Golden hind on the right further highlights the importance of good composition.

Fishing Boats At Howth Harbour Dave G I love the colours and the huddle of boats. Depth of field is good and the shot is quite sharp front to back. Had it not been for the large blue truck, upper right this could have been a winner of shot.

Incredible Hulk Keith Vincent The positioning of the wreck leads the eye to the tower which suggests a story. We can even feel sorry for the little boat. The foreground is in sharp focus but the boat is not and this detracts from an otherwise excellent shot.

Lanzarote Ferry Wendy Kerr Good composition, a little blown in the centre but most disappointing of all the main focal point, the ferry, is not in focus.

Lazy Sunny Afternoon Syeve Hall The three boats work well in terms of composition. The people to the left of the scene detract from the calmness this image otherwise exudes. The image might suit a portrait crop to include only the middle scene, top to bottom.

Leigh Rays John Verlander Clearly this is an attempt to draw the eye in through the use of the lines formed by the buildings but the yellow buoy draws the eye to the rubbish near to the shoreline.

Maltese Bow Ken Johnson Beautiful colours, lovely lines and perfectly exposed. A shift in angle of view could have avoided showing us the other boat and turned a very good shot into a great shot.

Marino Del Cotillo Steve Hall A nice memory shot, I could see this on a postcard. The green of the water in contrast to the rest of the scene makes this quite a restful image.

Sailing Boat Off The Isle Of White Steve Goldsmith The photographer has done well to include the rigging. The apparent, slight vignetting, intentional or not, doesn’t add to the shot. It is a pleasant shot but doesn’t stand out from the crowd.

Should Have Followed Maintenance Schedule Steve Goldsmith The sky is as interesting and the shot is well exposed. To the viewer it is not immediately clear what is in the foreground or why the photographer wants us to see it. The title explains all, but I feel an image should speak for itself.

The Detritus Of Fishing Helen An unusual take on the theme, nice and sharp, good colours and hints of a story. The vignetting disguises the shadows but also draws the eye towards the edges where the boats, top of scene appear incidental to the shot.

Cruise Ship – Commended Wendy Kerr I have commended this photograph as it demonstrates the importance of depth and light to convey mood. The resolution is not as good as I would have liked and even though this image contains both vertical and horizontal subjects it works, as there is a dominant subject.

Strood Moorings – Commended Keith Vincent The eye is led gently through the scene and the viewer is made to feel as though this is by invitation rather than demand. The soft lighting adds mood and the hints of red and yellow brighten this up just enough to add interest.

Evening Calm –Highly Commended Keith Vincent I loved the tones and the serenity of this photograph. Each vessel in it’s own right would make a pleasing image and the juxtaposition of the powered yacht and the sailing yacht is quite powerful. Sadly the two vessels counterpose each other as one forms a horizontal subject and the other a vertical image which unbalances the overall scene due to neither being dominant enough to control the scene.

Sunset At The Harbour – Third Place Dave G Nice use of the available light. The quay, bottom right is a little distracting but overall balance is good and this shot conveys the mood well.

The Moorings- Second Place Dave G Well composed and excellent use of light. The reflections add dimension and interest. My only suggestion would be to increase the depth of field to give improved sharpness across all vessels and to consider dropping a stone into the water to provide a slight ripple. These are however personal suggestions not criticisms.

Grand Prix Of the Sea – First Place Duncan Gray Outstanding, plenty of interest, the photographer has successfully conveyed the action. The photographer taking a shot from the helicopter adds to the involvement of the viewer. Excellent exposure, stunning backdrop with sharpness throughout the image and correct use of shutter speed. A well deserved first place