Weekly Competition # 256 - "Fire and Ice" Competition
Competition Details
Closing Date: 10/06/2012
Judge: milamberOne of the first photos I recall seeing on here when I joined was Galoot's one of the melting ice cube on the cooker ring. I thought it was a terrific image which has stuck with me. Also, I'm hoping to get to Iceland sometime this year so to inspire me further I'd like to see your fire and ice images.
I realise that not everyone will be able to submit a photo showing both so the photos can be of fire, of ice or a combination of the two (or suggestive of either or both).
The more creative the better. Let your imagination run free!
Link
Posted 11/06/2012 - 07:37
Not a huge amount of entries - I'll obviously have to work on my themes if I ever win again - but still some quality photos and not an easy one to judge.
In the end it came down to a decision between the photo I felt interpreted the theme best or the one I considered to be the best photo and I went for the latter.
First - ArsenAl
Second - VonBatCat
Third - AxelLuther
HC to davidstorm/Noelcmn and well done to everyone who entered.
Some more detailed comments below, but remember that I am relatively new to DSLR photgraphy still and any comments are purely my own based on my own tastes and limited experience.
Open Fire – GaryJohn
Nice sense of warmth from this shot. Sharp and well captured, the flames are particularly good. It might have been even better if the tops of the flames were visible. It just gives a slight sense of having been cropped a little tightly, but a good start to the entries.
Recipe for a perfect day – davidstorm
Not quite what I had in mind when I set the competition, more ‘smoke and mirrors’ than ‘fire and ice’, but a terrific shot which is full of atmosphere. Certainly captures the feeling of heat and the cold beer is a nice touch. I can just about imagine the condensation on the bottle. If it was obviously visible, to provide a clear contrast between hot and ice cold, the shot would be perfect.
Fiery clouds – Noelcmn
I like this a lot. If you hadn’t said it was clouds it could easily be mistaken for a volcanic eruption. The clouds even look like jets of gas. Really well captured and great colours, which isn’t easy at night.
Flaming Crocus – JAK
The colour tweak on the crocus enables a good contrast between the ice and the fiery orange. Not sure what colour the crocus was originally, but it just looks a little obvious that it’s been coloured, to my eyes anyway. I daresay if you hadn’t mentioned the colour twiddling I wouldn’t have noticed it. A nice shot and good interpretation of the theme.
Fire, Ice and Flowers – johnriley
Wow – lots of colour and things going on. Possibly a little too much for my taste. I find it hard to identify the individual elements (which might have been the intention, of course). I can see the fire and ice within the picture, but feel that flowers overwhelm it a little. Still a very artistic entry though.
Frosty night – Jyrkira
Loads of atmosphere in this one and you can almost feel the warmth of the fire and the frosty night. Nice silhouette, too. Personally I think there is too much of a gap between the fire and the moon – it might have been better in landscape format rather than portrait. It might work as a print, but on the PC I can’t get both the moon and fire on the screen at the same time, so the photo loses impact. I might have been tempted to chop some of the superfluous black out and narrow the gap between the moon and fire. A really nice shot though and a good interpretation of the theme.
Warm and Cool – TOZZA27
A different approach to the theme which works pretty well. The contrast between the two colours is a good interpretation of ‘fire and ice’ and it’s a well lit and sharply focused image with perfect depth of field for the subject. The extra rose in the bottom right is a distraction and needed to be cropped out. Obviously that was the intention by your comments, so something went wrong!
Ice Princess – Fire Princess – VonBatCat
I really like this picture. A great interpretation of the theme and a wonderful art shot. I’m a fan of fantasy/gothic/black metal as well so this appeals on other fronts other than photographic. Would be a great album cover. I can’t give any extra points for that though, to be fair! I can’t see anything that I would change. It’s a great entry.
Icy Weir – darkskies
You can certainly feel the temperature in this picture. A really good contrast between the frozen and moving water. Great sense of movement, too. I can’t work out if the ice is frozen in place or moving down the river. I’ve never managed a water shot this good and it’s something to aspire to.
Icy bush and burning sky - AxelLuther
Another excellent interpretation of the theme and a great shot. Fantastic contrast between the warm sky and frozen landscape. An all-round beautiful picture and I can’t think of anything I’d change about it.
Man of fire – ArsenAl
This really stands out. A stunning shot and beautifully captured. Great technique, great subject and wonderfully executed. Almost primeval. Shame he wasn’t on a snow covered field, but you can’t have everything!
Firewater and Ice – tyronet2000
Another novel take on the theme. A well lit, nicely focused and well arranged photo and I like the black background. Certainly gives the feeling of cold in the glass and I’ll take your word for the fiery whisky as I don’t drink it!
ICE – AndrewA
A nice macro of a good subject. Great detail in the ice crystals and a real feeling of cold. Very shallow depth of field which suits the subject well. A nice photo.
Heat vs frost - drofmit
The final entry shows a good combination of the two elements. Another good close-up of ice crystals set against
the flames of a fire which work well together. Nice sense of heat and cold and the black background works well.
In the end it came down to a decision between the photo I felt interpreted the theme best or the one I considered to be the best photo and I went for the latter.
First - ArsenAl
Second - VonBatCat
Third - AxelLuther
HC to davidstorm/Noelcmn and well done to everyone who entered.
Some more detailed comments below, but remember that I am relatively new to DSLR photgraphy still and any comments are purely my own based on my own tastes and limited experience.
Open Fire – GaryJohn
Nice sense of warmth from this shot. Sharp and well captured, the flames are particularly good. It might have been even better if the tops of the flames were visible. It just gives a slight sense of having been cropped a little tightly, but a good start to the entries.
Recipe for a perfect day – davidstorm
Not quite what I had in mind when I set the competition, more ‘smoke and mirrors’ than ‘fire and ice’, but a terrific shot which is full of atmosphere. Certainly captures the feeling of heat and the cold beer is a nice touch. I can just about imagine the condensation on the bottle. If it was obviously visible, to provide a clear contrast between hot and ice cold, the shot would be perfect.
Fiery clouds – Noelcmn
I like this a lot. If you hadn’t said it was clouds it could easily be mistaken for a volcanic eruption. The clouds even look like jets of gas. Really well captured and great colours, which isn’t easy at night.
Flaming Crocus – JAK
The colour tweak on the crocus enables a good contrast between the ice and the fiery orange. Not sure what colour the crocus was originally, but it just looks a little obvious that it’s been coloured, to my eyes anyway. I daresay if you hadn’t mentioned the colour twiddling I wouldn’t have noticed it. A nice shot and good interpretation of the theme.
Fire, Ice and Flowers – johnriley
Wow – lots of colour and things going on. Possibly a little too much for my taste. I find it hard to identify the individual elements (which might have been the intention, of course). I can see the fire and ice within the picture, but feel that flowers overwhelm it a little. Still a very artistic entry though.
Frosty night – Jyrkira
Loads of atmosphere in this one and you can almost feel the warmth of the fire and the frosty night. Nice silhouette, too. Personally I think there is too much of a gap between the fire and the moon – it might have been better in landscape format rather than portrait. It might work as a print, but on the PC I can’t get both the moon and fire on the screen at the same time, so the photo loses impact. I might have been tempted to chop some of the superfluous black out and narrow the gap between the moon and fire. A really nice shot though and a good interpretation of the theme.
Warm and Cool – TOZZA27
A different approach to the theme which works pretty well. The contrast between the two colours is a good interpretation of ‘fire and ice’ and it’s a well lit and sharply focused image with perfect depth of field for the subject. The extra rose in the bottom right is a distraction and needed to be cropped out. Obviously that was the intention by your comments, so something went wrong!
Ice Princess – Fire Princess – VonBatCat
I really like this picture. A great interpretation of the theme and a wonderful art shot. I’m a fan of fantasy/gothic/black metal as well so this appeals on other fronts other than photographic. Would be a great album cover. I can’t give any extra points for that though, to be fair! I can’t see anything that I would change. It’s a great entry.
Icy Weir – darkskies
You can certainly feel the temperature in this picture. A really good contrast between the frozen and moving water. Great sense of movement, too. I can’t work out if the ice is frozen in place or moving down the river. I’ve never managed a water shot this good and it’s something to aspire to.
Icy bush and burning sky - AxelLuther
Another excellent interpretation of the theme and a great shot. Fantastic contrast between the warm sky and frozen landscape. An all-round beautiful picture and I can’t think of anything I’d change about it.
Man of fire – ArsenAl
This really stands out. A stunning shot and beautifully captured. Great technique, great subject and wonderfully executed. Almost primeval. Shame he wasn’t on a snow covered field, but you can’t have everything!
Firewater and Ice – tyronet2000
Another novel take on the theme. A well lit, nicely focused and well arranged photo and I like the black background. Certainly gives the feeling of cold in the glass and I’ll take your word for the fiery whisky as I don’t drink it!
ICE – AndrewA
A nice macro of a good subject. Great detail in the ice crystals and a real feeling of cold. Very shallow depth of field which suits the subject well. A nice photo.
Heat vs frost - drofmit
The final entry shows a good combination of the two elements. Another good close-up of ice crystals set against
the flames of a fire which work well together. Nice sense of heat and cold and the black background works well.
Last Edited by milamber on 11/06/2012 - 07:45
Link
Posted 11/06/2012 - 07:49
Congratulations to the well deserved winner and the runners-up. Thanks to milamber for setting the subject and the judging.
Regards
Stan
To My Snaps...
PPG
Regards
Stan
To My Snaps...
PPG
Link
Posted 11/06/2012 - 09:18
Congratulations ArsenAl, VonBatCat and AxelLuther. That is a real fiery shot ArsenAl. These fire shows are always risky and I think you have captured the sense of risk so very well here. Great Shot and deserved winner.
Thanks for the HC and for judging this one Milamber. I have a close up of that cloud which I'll post in my portfolio, which you can look at sometime. Other forums have preferred the close up, and which I thought of entering here, but then felt that I would lose the other clouds. Ah well, now to see what stress ArsenAl is sgoing to give us
Thanks for the HC and for judging this one Milamber. I have a close up of that cloud which I'll post in my portfolio, which you can look at sometime. Other forums have preferred the close up, and which I thought of entering here, but then felt that I would lose the other clouds. Ah well, now to see what stress ArsenAl is sgoing to give us
Link
Posted 11/06/2012 - 09:37
Congratulations to ArsenAl, VonBatKat and AxedlLuther and to everyone else who entered stunning photos. Well done to Chris for selecting and expertly judging this competition. Sorry I missed out with an entry this week.
David
PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout
Photobucket http://s799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/Davidtrout2/
David
PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout
Photobucket http://s799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/Davidtrout2/
Link
Posted 11/06/2012 - 11:02
Fairly tough subject but some good entries! Well done to judge and entrants.
Link
Posted 11/06/2012 - 11:42
WOW - well done ArsenAl - brilliant photo and a deserved winner - well done runners up too.Great judging and the comments were appreciated and expected !
Tony
K20D,*istD ( now a dedicated M42 digital ),K100D,MZ5N,P50,ME Super,Spotmatic 1000,Spotmatic,ESII,ES,H2.18-55 II,18-55,75-300 FAJ,35-80 FA,80-200 F,28-105 FA,Sigma 24-70 AF Aspherical,Sigma 28-300 Hyperzoom , Praotor II 500 M42,Centon 500mm mirror,and a few Pentax M42 Taks,super-Taks,smc Taks,A and M lenses.Benbo trekker,7dayshop monopod and a Lowepro rucksack.
I am now on Flickr which is nice !
Tony
K20D,*istD ( now a dedicated M42 digital ),K100D,MZ5N,P50,ME Super,Spotmatic 1000,Spotmatic,ESII,ES,H2.18-55 II,18-55,75-300 FAJ,35-80 FA,80-200 F,28-105 FA,Sigma 24-70 AF Aspherical,Sigma 28-300 Hyperzoom , Praotor II 500 M42,Centon 500mm mirror,and a few Pentax M42 Taks,super-Taks,smc Taks,A and M lenses.Benbo trekker,7dayshop monopod and a Lowepro rucksack.
I am now on Flickr which is nice !
Link
Posted 11/06/2012 - 13:44
Many thanks for the placing and well done to all entries. See you all in the next one 
Well done Arsen.
John (VonBatCat)
Rule of Thirds - I don't do fractions
link]Other Stuff
VonBatCat.Com
Well done Arsen. John (VonBatCat)
Rule of Thirds - I don't do fractions
link]Other Stuff
VonBatCat.Com
Link
Posted 11/06/2012 - 14:17
a really burning winner shot (although - I am not sure if with such a belly, the guy should make his show without a shirt 
). Also great effort and result from BobCat - could be used as a grafiti on the next OCC custome bike tank.
Was really a tough subject to remember the ice shots when sitting in the warm summer sun - but I like the contrast of fire and ice a lot. Also amazing detailed judging - thanks milamber
_____________________________________________
Colors are the lack of darkness
You find more of my pictures here: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/axelluther or on my web page: www.axel-luther.com
). Also great effort and result from BobCat - could be used as a grafiti on the next OCC custome bike tank. Was really a tough subject to remember the ice shots when sitting in the warm summer sun - but I like the contrast of fire and ice a lot. Also amazing detailed judging - thanks milamber
_____________________________________________
Colors are the lack of darkness
You find more of my pictures here: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/axelluther or on my web page: www.axel-luther.com
Link
Posted 11/06/2012 - 18:00
Well done to everyone, especially the placed and milamber.
To answer your question, milamber, the ice was stationary on the edge of the weir with the water running off behind it.
It was a very cold February here!
This space deliberately left blank.
To answer your question, milamber, the ice was stationary on the edge of the weir with the water running off behind it.
It was a very cold February here!
This space deliberately left blank.
Link
Posted 11/06/2012 - 18:11
darkskies wrote:
It was a very cold February here!
It was a very cold February here!
Cold June here, following the cold January, February, March, April & May..............
Link
Posted 11/06/2012 - 21:05
milamber wrote:
Cold June here, following the cold January, February, March, April & May..............
darkskies wrote:
It was a very cold February here!
It was a very cold February here!
Cold June here, following the cold January, February, March, April & May..............
Not so hot here, either. But at least it's not -15 deg C!
This space deliberately left blank.
Link
Posted 13/06/2012 - 09:04
Thanks all for good words! congrats to winners and HC's! very intereting competition!
PENTAX K-5, PENTAX K 20D, Pentax DA*200 2.8, Pentax A 50 1.7, Pentax 10-17 3.5-4.5 Fish Eye, Pentax A 100 4 Macro, Pentax FA 77 1.8 Limited, Sigma 18-50 2.8 DC EX, Helios 40 1.5, Tair-3s 300 4.5, Mir-10A 3.528, Mir-20N 3.5/20, tc Sigma 2x EX DG, Flash Sigma EF-530 DG ST
PENTAX K-5, PENTAX K 20D, Pentax DA*200 2.8, Pentax A 50 1.7, Pentax 10-17 3.5-4.5 Fish Eye, Pentax A 100 4 Macro, Pentax FA 77 1.8 Limited, Sigma 18-50 2.8 DC EX, Helios 40 1.5, Tair-3s 300 4.5, Mir-10A 3.528, Mir-20N 3.5/20, tc Sigma 2x EX DG, Flash Sigma EF-530 DG ST
