March Voting Thread - Urban Fragments - No people or skies

March Challenge Winner

  • Total voters
    66
  • Poll closed .
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ThankHeavenForShed 7 said:
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.
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phil - Agree with the earlier comment that it's less urban fragment, more street scene. Loved the eerie calm of the shot though.
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Thank you for the kind comments makes me feel better about my zero votes :-(

My thinking was fragment of a whole city - ok tenuous.

TBH it was not the shot i wanted, it was originally planned to be a shot of satellite dishes on the sides of houses but even though i found quite a steep hill i could not get a decent angle without getting some night sky in.

That is the eerie calm of 4.00am in the morning lol - there were still people coming and going though, probs thinking wtf is he up to!
 


OK here's my C&C and voting details:

Andrewcoates77
I like the interaction of the different lines in this, nicely composed and good depth of field. I guess it would have been even better if the steps had actually been wet. Doesn’t quite meet the theme 100% for me though, not especially urban. Nice shot though.

Tomtommacute
Great use of texture and repeating shapes and shadows. Would be a good chiaroscuro entry. Loss of focus towards the distance works well too in drawing the eye to the detail in the foreground. As above, not a massive sense of being urban (even though it might well be).

Iain Hesford’s BB
I like this compositionally, and I think it meets the theme well. Would probably have got a vote with more interesting lighting, eg from one side, emphasising one of the signs with the other more in shadow, and helping draw out the texture in the stone pillar.

Luckyknickers
Interesting angle on the bridge and its surroundings, and a very urban feel. It’s quite a low-res image but I think that works in its favour, giving a kind of painted look.

Ghost of EH7
Like the colours in this and the composition is good. Has a real evocative Latino feel.

Thankheavenforshed7
Like the simplicity of shapes and small bold red section. The textureless surface says “crappy modern anonymous shed” to me, which fits the theme very well, and a different take on the urban theme – this is unfortunately the kind of building that our generation will leave behind (though thankfully it won’t last the test of time).

Hue Jorgan
As commented elsewhere, this is more rural than urban. However, it’s a very well composed shot and I love the texture in it.

Amnorrageordie
Not sure about this one. I can’t say I like it, but I find it slightly disturbing and eerie, and that is still appealing to the senses. Would be interesting to see it with more directional lighting and what happens to the textures, but that might spoil the eeriness. Perhaps a more straight-on composition would improve it too (perhaps not), in evoking that blankness.

Peachbum
I’m afraid I fall into the camp that doesn’t see this as an urban fragment, due to the presence of the birds! I love the shot however, an amazing opportunistic capture and great photoshopping of the birds so neatly onto the trollies ;). If I can be hypercritical it seems a little overexposed, blowing out the background wall, and making the highlights on the birds seem a bit unnaturally ‘high’. Did you brighten this up in post production? Also strikes me as a bit too ‘sharp’? Anyway, that’s all potentially just a matter of taste and I don’t want to take away from what is a great shot – well done.

Tiredeyes
Nice composition, with very well positioned camera to make the symmetry work. Perhaps lacking a bit in terms of the texture that would make this a great shot. Having said that, perhaps this is the kind of shot that would need perfect lighting conditions and a large format camera to draw out every nuance, so it’s definitely a good effort in the absence of Ansel Adams’ kind of cameras, resources and time!

Clyde
Like this a lot – fascinating shapes, colours, modern atmosphere, great camera work/composition. Kind of shot that is busy as hell but still works. VOTE

Madmackem
Great textures, colours, sense of urban decay. Film-like subtlety (or even film perhaps) works very nicely.

Taipeisafc
I really like this – the composition works really well for me, with the bold yellow slab of the building alongside the subtle shaded area, with the horizontal lines holding it together. Perhaps would be interesting to see a bit of a higher exposure on the shaded area, but that might detract from the overall effect, so possibly not. To me this is exactly what urban fragments as a theme is about – seeing shapes, patterns and textures in pieces of the urban environment, rather than objects as a whole etc. VOTE.

Janiep
Like the bold splashes of colour of the flags against the plain coloured (obviously not plain textured) background. Also like the composition which tells you enough to know the mood of this urban environment without stating the obvious. Nice shot.

Phil
As has been said elsewhere, this isn’t a fragment to me, but it does give off the mood of the dead of night. Maybe would have been improved by trying to make more compositionally of the two No Entry signs – eg using them symmetrically and from closer.

Notspavin
Like this a lot, great splash of colour juxtaposed with the filth on the street. Interesting shifting focus too across the scene. Well spotted and well executed. VOTE.

Me
Since I’ve suggested we should critique our own, or at least discuss how they were taken, I suppose I should start here. In a way, this doesn’t meet the theme brilliantly, because the subject is the light and shadow, and the urban fragment is a rather plain wall. But what I liked about the scene and wanted to capture was the interaction between the complex shadows and the rather plain geometry of the wall. It was a bit opportunistic – on my way to work and the light was just right (and the camera was in my pocket). I don’t think it’s a great shot but it worked out quite nicely. I only had a point-and-shoot (Olympus mju-ii) with me which doesn’t allow a lot of control but I tried out its spot meter, aiming for the midtoned section near the middle and hoping that would retain a little detail in the darker shadows without blowing out the bright areas. This was helped by the latitude of the film (cheapo Fuji Superia 200, which did the job fine). Might have been better with some really fine-grained black and white film but the colour adds a touch of warmth. Best bit about this is that I had the camera with me – which is always the most important thing in photography!

Les T.S.
I like this as an image but it doesn’t say ‘urban’ to me particularly, I’m afraid. Still, very nicely composed and I do like the selective focus.

Mainze
I like this, especially the simple red framing, instantly recognisable as a telephone box, with good lighting to bring out a bit of texture in that as well as the broken glass, and the background and reflections sufficiently out of focus not to distract too much, yet still retaining a touch of detail confirming this as an urban scene. Very nicely done, and a VOTE.
 
some great comments and constructive advice, thank you

shame some have not voted coz mine is deemed too 'rural' (ish)

taking the subject title a little too literally methinks there are 35+ houses and bishop town centre is a stones throw from here, its art, and you can interpret it how you wish, can't you?. maybe I shouldn't have posted the rejects - lol

Not that I even thought for a minute I would get close to winning - lol but very happy with a fourth place (as it stands)
 
Some good stuff this month, voted for taipei (my winner) who always seems to supply a decent effort, this is his best though, and spav for the great use of colour

Honourable mentions to Soprendo, EH7, Clyde and Shed 7
 
Hue Jorgan said:
some great comments and constructive advice, thank you

shame some have not voted coz mine is deemed too 'rural' (ish)

taking the subject title a little too literally methinks there are 35+ houses and bishop town centre is a stones throw from here, its art, and you can interpret it how you wish, can't you?. maybe I shouldn't have posted the rejects - lol

Not that I even thought for a minute I would get close to winning - lol but very happy with a fourth place (as it stands)
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35 houses = village surely. And Bishop is just a big village innit? Anyway, for me it was more that I thought others fit the theme better as well as being good shots. It was a tough month and most of the photos were very good IMO, including yours. And you've got twice as many votes as me, so why are you complaining ;).
 
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peachbum said:
I'm not going to comment on every picture this time as I just typed a "critique" out and was virtually at the end and then checked the time and closed the page, losing all my typing, and there is a match to watch in a minute.
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I will now try to précis my critique from memory.

The next five that would have got my vote, and I did like them, but maybe just didn't quite fulfull the challenge to the same extent as the six I voted for.

TomTomMacute (possibly crop the right hand end off (different shape?))
Lucky Knickers liked the unusual take, but the colouring seemed wrong, was it photoshopped?, is it my eyes/computer? your camera? I don't know but the tree branches are the same colour as the bridge in places and the wall behind the barbed wire looks different from the wall in front of the barbed wire - sorry if it is just my eyes.
MadMackem
Phil - I admire your dedication of photography at the nono hour of four am!Nice photo.
Taipeisafc - my favourite of yours by a long way. I liked the composition, but the left hand side was just a little too shadowy for me and not sure about fragments but that is a debatable point I know.

The next ones just missed out for me

Andrew Coates - love the colours, would have cut out some of the left, got down lower perhaps - liked your idea of fragments but the composition itself didn't work.
Ian Hesford - if that picture had been cropped taking the left hand edge off the left hand sign and the right hand edge of the right hand sign leaving two partial signs and the stone background, it would have jumped right into the reckoning (for me).
Amnorrageordie - this photo was crying out for a frame and either a touch of cropping or taking again - the top "thing" is neither in nor out of the photo.
LesScientist - nice idea, but just a bit too much nothingness in the picture - very original though, never seen a picture like it
Cook - just not quite enough to grab the attention, and it looks like a beach. (Yes I know beaches can be urban:)). The front stone is competing for attention with the weed. Nice idea though. Maybe if there had been a few more weeds?

Indoor things ?

- it was hard to vote this month so the three photographs that appeared to be internal rather than "urban" got rowed out.

Clyde - I like the colours - did you add? or is that how it was? The central pole seems to be out of focus at all points, I think it may have looked better marginally to the right
Tired Eyes - I like the photograph
Great Soprendo - I think it is an excellent photograph in itself, it just didn't quite meet the theme for me. If it is an outside shot then I'm sorry. The lit bit also looks like sky (This sounds harsh, but is why it didn't come into the top six for votes - had to row some out.)
 
that's me in too. Peachbum, TomTom and Spav.

Peachbum's a clear winner for me though. Did you use superglue on the trollies??? :lol::lol:
 
I've cast one vote and it went to Notspavin, well done, love it!

Reason, I had considered giving the competion a go and was looking at photographing colourful fragments/waste on a refuse tip, rubbish dumped in an urban setting or something similar. The reflection in the puddle on a grey road is excellent (to me!) and the bits of debris in the background whether intentional or not clinched it. It's the type of photograph I'd have gone out to get and been proud with had I.

I also viewed the photographs with my left hand over the side of the screen so I couldn't see names!

Really liked Tom Tom's as well, very striking.
 
Hmm strange this, I honestly thought my photo was a bag of crap and only put it in as I wanted to enter - yet it seems quite a few people think it is my best shot. Really appreciate all the feeback and hopefully I will get a vote in tonight - still cannot see all the photos and my VPN doesn't work in the office.
 
taipeisafc said:
Hmm strange this, I honestly thought my photo was a bag of crap and only put it in as I wanted to enter - yet it seems quite a few people think it is my best shot. Really appreciate all the feeback and hopefully I will get a vote in tonight - still cannot see all the photos and my VPN doesn't work in the office.
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I am familiar with this :lol:

It's a Rothko of architectural photography
 
Peachbum got my vote this month, love the shot good composition and the birds landing there just made it that much better. Superb shot.
 
Bugga, not one vote for my view of an urban park bandstand dome ceiling, bassads !!

:-D


Well if it went to a second vote between the two, I think I'd have to go with peachbum, as not spavins looks too post production heavy with the big colour boost.
 
It says this poll is closed, so thank you to who ever gave me the winning vote as it has been 25-25 since last night. Thanks everybody for the votes and commiserations to NotSpav.
 
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