March Voting Thread - Urban Fragments - No people or skies

[AB22 Easy Tiger]

7 Days to vote, and vote for as many as you like.

Voting Guide (which you can ignore of course)
Photographs should be judged on how well they meet the current challenge topic.
Photography equipment used should not be a criterion for rating a photo.
Evaluate the photo in various aspects, set a consistent norm and give your vote accordingly
If you don't vote for a picture, please try to provide constructive criticism how the shot could be improved.

If any of you can't see one or more of the pictures drop me a PM listing what you can't see and I'll stick them on Flickr or something similar.

A great standard again this month folks, good work.

[ThankHeavenForShed 7]

Really high standard this month. It's probably going to take me the 7 days just to figure out which to vote for.

[lucky knickers]

i could have voted for most this month so gave myself a 4 vote maximum and spent an age figuring out which ones to choose. in the end i went for tom tom macute, peachbum, not spavin and mainze.

loved this months theme and entries. think it is my fave so far

[not spavin]

Originally Posted by ThankHeavenForShed 7

Really high standard this month. It's probably going to take me the 7 days just to figure out which to vote for.

Same here. There's one that really stands out for me, so it's either a case of voting for 1, or voting for about 11.

Really high standard again, 3 cracking months so far.

[Hue Jorgan]

gave myself 3 votes, voted for Peachbum, Not Spavin and Madmackem

this was a hrad month to choose, some cracking entries and I feel very 'we are not worthy' to be in the company of some photographers who clearly have a good eye.

brilliant effort folks

[Bad_mother]

Also gave myself 3 this month and it took me ages to pick - amazingly high standard, but in the end I picked on "gut feeling and personal appeal"

Ian Hesford's Bait Box...clever
Peachbum - the impact and composition (did you put glue on the trolleys ?? )
Soprendo - marvellous impact and lovel the shadow/image in the bottom left.

Wanted to vote for lots more, massive applause *I am not worthy*

[not spavin]

4 votes from me. Could have easily voted for more. Had to whittle it down by being very harsh - for instance, I didn't vote for tom tom macute and MaDMaCkeM's excellent shots, simply because they weren't quite at 'urban' as the rest. Similarly, I didn't vote for some as they were interiors rather than urban exteriors. They were worthy of a vote, but I just wanted to limit how many I picked.

My votes went to Peachbum, Lucky Knickers, Ghost of EH7 and The Great Soprendo. I'll do a full C&C over the weekend I think.

[Barry Siddall]

andrewcoates, clyde and not spavin for me - but I know nowt

[TiredEyes]

Just voted for the ones that I liked, in this order, all three got a vote.

1st - clyde
2nd - tom tom macute
3rd - taipeisafc

Well done all.

[ThankHeavenForShed 7]

Right, I've limited myself to three votes (well, four actually...but the vote for myself doesn't count. Just didn't want to end on zero!) as usual but I could quite easily have voted for the lot. As a result, I've had to be a bit tough on some shots to justify not voting for them. Please take in the spirit intended...

andrewcoates77 - a pretty strong shot to open the competition. I really like the combination of the different shapes within the frame, as well as the texture of the rock. For me, the big foreground block that contains the sign is too big within the frame, particularly when there are interesting shapes, lines and angles going on elsewhere in the frame. I'm not saying that I'm right and you're wrong - that's just my taste. Still a great shot though.

tom tom macute - vote excellent shot. It's a wonderful arrangement of light, shade and shape. The recurring shapes work really well and it shows that keeping it simple often produces the best results. I think as beginners (and I may be speaking for myself here) we tend to look mostly for interesting subject matter and often overlook good light and interesting shadows and I think that this shot - and this month's theme in general - is a really good lesson in looking more closely at the visual nuances of the world around us. I also think that I might have finally disappeared up my own arse with that last sentence.

Iain Hesford's Bait Box - A great idea and it works really well in black & white. This could quite easily have got a vote in another month as it's a great spot, but the composition just doesn't quite work for me. I would've either had the signs fill the frame completely or allow for some more background in the frame. I find that that thin sliver of background makes it look a tiny little bit awkward, although I'm aware that I am being quite tough on you and this is just personal taste.

Lucky Knickers - A nice shot and a nice spot. I always love to see new takes on the bridge. My only criticism is that it looks a little flat in that there's no sense of depth or perspective. I find that this sort of flattening works well if there are strong shapes but, in this shot, it sort of leads to a tangled look. Again, this is another shot that I'm being really hard on and I feel like a right bastard! I still really like it though!

Ghost of EH7 - Sort of a more colourful version of my shot, really! A really well composed snapshot which shows a good eye for visual design. There are just stronger entries this month.

Me - I should be ashamed of how little effort I put in this month. The idea was to use just a couple of bold, simple shapes and arrange them minimally around the frame and with one splash of colour. I still quite like the shot but I understand that it probably works best as a personal exercise in composition, rather than an eye-catching competition shot.

Huge Organ - I really like that you've made the texture of the battered sign your subject. I really like the shot but it feels more like a rural fragment, rather than an urban one. I don't doubt that this is located in an urban environment, but those sorts of signs, for me, have rural connotations.

Amnorrageordie - Good spot and a good use of recurring patterns. I also like it's minimalism,although this might be the images downfall in that there isn't quite enough happening. Maybe getting in a little sloser might have revealed some texture in the wall which could have added something?

Peachbum - My favourite shot of the month but I haven't voted for it! I think this is probably just my interpretation of the theme, but I think of urban fragments as being inanimate objects in an urban environment and that any animal life is, in this context, essentially the same as people. I know I'm being a little bit hard on you and, like I said, this is my interpretation of the theme. Like I said, it is my favourite shot of the month...it's just a tough month and I'm looking for reasons not to vote for pictures this month, rather than reasons to vote for them.

Tired Eyes - Great spot, and I think you were right to switch to this from your original entry (those manneqiuns creeped the fuck out of me!!). I think that you're shot kind of reminds me of Ian Hesford's in that, if I were taking it, I would have either gone in tighter or pulled back a bit. I find it looks a tiny bit awkward to have it centred and almost filling the frame. There are a lot of recurring shapes and patterns going on that you could perhaps have played with a little more. Still, nice shot and it works well in B&W).

cook - Nice shot...just doesn't feel very urban. Not much to say beyond that, really! Actually, the plant/weed kind of gets lost a little bit in the background. Finding a way of getting it to contrast & 'pop' more would give it more impact. A shallower depth of field could help with that.

clyde - vote - Excellent shot and a really, really good spot. This is the kind of thing that exercises like this are designed to make you start noticing. Great lines and spiralling pattern. My only criticism is that I personally would've gone for a slightly different composition. I would've tried to get that central pole on more of a diagonal, with the circle at the end of it more towards the right. I guess there may have been factors that made this not possible. Still, excellent shot as always.

MaDMaCKeM - Nice shot but feels, again, more rural than urban. It might be in an urban environment but it just has rustic and rural connotations. I love the textures, the composition and the splashes of colour. It was also my girlfriend's (nee pictures) favourite picture.

taipeisafc - Nice bold use of colour. I like it! The left half of the frame being in the shade is a little distracting though. Still, nice spot, and I guess that's what this month is all about.

janiep- I like the diagonal lines across this shot and the interjecting splashes of colour. Nicely seen, but this is a tough month so I can't vote for it!

phil - Always nice to see urban night shots but I don't see anything here as an urban fragment, more an urban street scene. I also think it suffers from a lack of a clear subject. Perhaps making more of a feature of all of the parked cars or the recurring shapes provided by the houses would've been more effective.

not spavin - Great shot. I love how there's a small but vivid burst of colour in the puddle. In any other month this would've got a vote, no question.

The Great Soprendon vote - I really like the subtlety of this one and, again, the use of shadows. I like how the shadows echo the recurring panels on the wall. Not many people (myself included) would've spotted this.

Les the Scientist - Nice DOF and I like how the red on the key makes it 'pop'. It's a nice snapshot but, particularly in a tough month like this, there'snot enough going on to get it a vote.

Mainze - Nice shot and one of the few examples I can think of where the title of the photograph really adds something meaningful. My only criticism is that the brightness of the background is a tiny bit distracting but the only way you can rectify that is by shooting at a different time of day/in different light. I'd quite like to see an Andy M night time treatment of it! I've really liked both of your entries so far and, in another month, this might have got a vote.



Once again, please take these comments in the spirit they are intended. I think you're all great!