April Voting - Classic Black & White

[Sandboy]

something beauties there, love the underground one but ICBYD train is superb

[TiredEyes]

Steeeeed - Outstanding shot of the Sage, love the symmetry and the varying shades of grey, outstanding !! - VOTE

ICBYD - I like this shot, even with the heavy PP, probably would have won last months competition too - VOTE



Some others I think are worthy of mention and close to a vote.

MaDMaCKem - Love this shot but that pesky cloud is spoiling the harsh geometric shape of the architecture against the sky, just misses out on a vote because of the high quality this month, so close.

wor kid telt me - I like the shooting angle and the symmetry in this one, again bloody clouds and the clock bases asymmetry spoils it for me.

ayesane - I really like this shot, beautiful but I don't think it benefits from being B&W, I imagine a dazzling baby blue eye colour that's lost in B&W, also I don't like the autograph on the face !!

[sketchy]

bollocks, I didn't read the bit that said you can vote more than once! Only voted for one then submitted, too late now

[smoker]

Originally Posted by Sandboy

something beauties there, love the underground one but ICBYD train is superb

So superb he voted for it himself.

Think I voted for the car, the train, the sage, the speed boat, the flowers and one or two others.

[Icarebecauseyoudo]

Originally Posted by smoker

So superb he voted for it himself.

Think I voted for the car, the train, the sage, the speed boat, the flowers and one or two others.

cunning wasn't it

wished I hadn't now

In answer to ayesane, yes it is a conversion from Provia 400x. The colour is nice, but works better in b&w as the viaduct is pretty dark

[MaDMaCKeM]

Incredibly difficult to choose the best this month, picked a few that I would have been glad to take. As said before all were worthy of a vote so sorry if I didnt vote for you, and thanks to those of you who voted for me.

[Boldoneye]

I only vote for my favourite,and that goes to IHBB.Classy shot,well thought out,shot and processed though i would have cropped out that grating thing at the bottom,bit distracting like.

[The Great Soprendo]

My favourites and votes:

Madmackem: fulfills the brief perfectly - black and white is all about textures and shape, and this has bucketloads.

Not spavin: likewise. The texture of the brushed aluminium bodywork is great in B&W (and for the sharp lens on your Leica!)

Steed: the contrast between manmade and natural is striking and yet they reflect one another beautifully (literally, and metaphorically). My favourite of the month.

Icarebecauseyoudo: too bloody good by half. Not sure about this conversion nonsense mind

Quality competition this month.

[robcal]

Blimey, that was difficult - too many entries, too high a standard. Well done to all concerned.

Couldn't pick a winner, so went for my particular favourites:

ONE
She's fit.

Madmackem
Love the clean lines and the geometry. Some great shadows make it perfect for b+w.

NotSpavin
I really like the different shades and what top subject matter!

Sketchy
The photo is made by the spray in the foreground imo. Adds loads of depth to an interesting shot.

Tom Tom Macute
I particularly like the way the reflections on the water are enhanced by the b+w. Desperate to know if the bloke falls in as he casually strolls across.

Can't be arsed to write any more, but voted for a few.

[Steeeeed]

From my own time taking part in this competition, which I think is about 6 months, this is hands down the best standard and most difficult to pick which ones to vote for. When looking at black and white images I always ask myself what the conversion has added to the scene, so this will no doubt be in my mind when I'm looking at the shots. Here are my ramblings and which ones I've voted for (just the opinions of an amateur and hope no-one gets pissed at me!);

One - Nice composition, however for me the highlights are too blown and the model is too smooth, not enough detail, for example in the hair.

MadMackem - a very nice abstract piece and works great in B&W. I may have considered cropping a little more from the bottom and the left so the sculpture took up more of the frame. Might not have worked though. Just misses out on a vote.

Clyde - another very nice wedding pic, great emotion. There's money in them there weddings! My only problem with this is that it's not your winning wedding entry from last year, which was even better.

Robcal - works well in B&W but doesn't grab me.

TiredEyes - nice idea, nice bokeh and works in B&W. However, there is a very dominant flower 1/3 to half way into the scene and i think this is the one that should be in sharp focus.

Not Spavin - great detail in the metal and lovely composition.

Super-niall - nice little scene but I would like to see what it was like in colour. I'm not sure that B&W gives it anything that colour wouldn't.

Sketchy - my initial thought is that I would have tried to position myself at the start of the structure that the two fishermen are on, then I'm reminded that there are two moving boats and this had to be taken right then. Nice shot, really gives me an idea of the feeling of the day.

wor kid telt me - nice detail throughout. Doesn't make me feel dizzy looking at it either, which it does whenever I try one of these shots.

tom tom - nice composition and use of rule of thirds. Shame the sky is overcast (not much you can do about that though).

minkeysteve - nice idea and I can't tell if you shot in colour or converted to B&W. Nice technique.

Malmo - nice to see a live sports shot. However, the focus being on the grass doesn't work for me and I think there is too much blurred area in the foreground. The front player in focus (and with a full head) would have been close to a winning shot in my opinion.

Cook - nice pic. Fantastic detail on the blanket and the fingers.

Hebburn - nice pic and would have worked really well in the environmental portrait competition last year. Works well in this one too mind. Just feel that I lose the focus a little, should have been on the action, which is the hands.

Smoker - just feels natural in B&W. Lovely leading line of the trains on the right. VOTE

Bigmac - nice sense of isolation, which is probably added to by the B&W. Sun a bit distracting though.

Ayesane - Lovely composition, detail and bokeh at such close distance. Great reflection too. I've decided to ignore the signature! VOTE

IHBB - this is mint. My favourite of the month. Everything is great. This is the reason why I'll get mugged at Wallsend metro station in the coming weeks. VOTE

chinamackem - it's another one that has to be taken there and then so it's hard to be arsey about composition, however a little more to the left to cut out the tree and a bit quicker shutter speed would have led to a better shot. Looks fun though!

ICBYD - comp, detail in the smoke, rays of sunlight - excellent. VOTE

Paws - nice leading lines, nice depth of field and nice sky.

My left foot - really nice composition and detail throughout the scene. It's another one though where I'm wondering if it benefits from being in b&w or would colour be better?

The Great Soprendo - I wonder if the highlights could have been toned down a bit so we could see some more details in the hands, i.e. the lines. Lovely depth of field though.

Ross - Love the sky and it's a nice comp, but what's happened to the end of the wings? Thought they were straight, i.e. vertical.

Amnorrageordie - classic car in b&w, feels very natural and works. Nice one.