CCC: Season 3 - Mono Compeition 1

Starting the new season off in the Intermediate group. So, although not achieving enough marks last season to automatically move up, the club has to adjust members accordingly to keep the groups fairly even.  I'm not sure if this is fair but it is what it is.  My objective last season was to achieve one 10 in the standard group. So objective this season, in the intermediate group, one 10 and an average of 8 across the board.

Sunflower: Multiple Exposure using different focal lengths.  Not a great base image I have to say. But the best out of the bunch.  Needs a slight crop, convert to black and white and perhaps process in Silver Effect Pro.  Make the background white.

Sunflower: Final.  Converted to B&W, adjusted shadows and highlights as necessary. Minor crop.  Photoshoped marks from background (seen when zoomed in).  Processed within Silver Effect Pro - using Fine Art filter.  This made the background completely white.  Printed on Permajet Omega Rag 310g - giving it a 'pencil like' look.

Judges Comment: An interesting image. Liked the framing - however the images was not laying flat in the mount, casting a shadow over the whole image. Liked the crop of half the sunflower rather than the whole flower head, And liked the white surrounding the image. Score 8.5 

Note to myself. Image did not lay flat because the image paper was too big for the 'hole'. Need to ensure the print is cut to mount 'hole' and fixed down.

So..... Hot in the City.  Taken on a ridiculously hot day in Trafalgar Square.  I love the scene, so at ease with himself and the world. It is, however, a 'scene shot' - no interaction with the subject.  I loved the photo up until I tried to process and print the bloody thing!! :)

So basic image.  Needs of course, to be changed to black and white. Needs a good crop. I want the focus to be on the 'near naked' man (Bob) - not the man in the white shirt. The white shirt, on the man next to him, of course, is the first thing that draws your eye. 

The first draft.... now I like this image.  I like the three 'workers' - they give contrast to Bob.  I like the balance of the two ladies in the image.  I like the crop of this image - HOWEVER. The rule for club photography is uneven numbers in an image - so do I take the lady (far left) and the bin out of the image. In the draft first print the white shirt is drawing the eye - so some extra darkening of the image is required. Some cloning of dirt on the wall - and perhaps a slight lightening of  Bob.

Hot in the City: Final - So here we have it.... I do prefer the image above - but there is no point sitting listening to the 'rules' if I'm not going to work with them (although I am aware they are there to be broken).  I've had massive trouble trying to print this to size, print it light enough and make Bob the focus of the image. In fact, so much trouble - I've gone right off Bob. Put your clothes on and go home, I don't want to see you in any of my images again. :). Printed on Permajet Oyster. 271g - Please note: Bob was not harmed in the printing of this image.

Judges Comment: Very harsh lighting. print itself is too dark - unable to see the detail on the head of the middle man.  Use the radial filter to lighten up the middle man and the lady - but good scene. Score 10 (by default as the best image of the night in this section was printed so poorly).

When the judge introduces himself as a harsh marker you do sink a little lower in your chair, but when he follows that sentence with 'he loves street photography' and you've entered your first street image - you do a little inward 'yay'! Learnt an awful lot tonight. And have achieved one objective the first competition - a 10