TWO RUNNERS UP SELECTED!!

© Fred Krieger

© Monica Nagy

Well, I have made my pick of two images from the Wilmington Photo Walk that, in my judgment, were close runners-up to Kathleen Buckalew's winning entry. As I mentioned in my August 1 post, I decided to have a "Second Chance" contest which included entries from four participants who did not submit entries in the first round.

Fred Krieger's "The Market Below" and Monica Nagy's image of the Taxi Stand at the Amtrak Station.

Fred and Monica win a photography book of their choice (listed in the August 1 blog entry).

We now await Scott Kelby's decision for the Grand Prize winner and the ten honorable mentions. We are rooting for Kathleen's entry! A decision will be announced on August 17th, so stay tuned.

Critiques

Fred Krieger's "The Market Below"

This image was very close to getting my pick for our local winning image. There are so many things I like about this image. The use of a rectilinear fisheye lens is perfect for this kind of composition. The symmetry present in the image is very appealing to me. The curved lines, the ventilation ducts, the wooden beams, the diagonals in the floor tile pattern -- all are strong elements of composition. My eye goes immeditately to main subject - the busy market below - thanks to it being nicely framed by the opening between the ductwork and the floor tile (at the bottom, actually present on the second floor). I also find all the detail in the market fascinating.

Monica Nagy's Image of the Taxi Stand at the Amtrak Station

This is a very nice and very interesting image that can be considered to be in the "photojournalism" category because it tells a story. I really like this picture. There is tension in the composition. There is symmetry in the way the double doors are positioned, yet the tension is in what we see through the doors. My eye goes immediately to the taxi driver on the right, who is nicely framed in the door window and is positioned comfortably to one side. He appears almost as a silhouette, yet we vaguely see his face. Then, my eye goes to the left side, and I like the way we see a portion of the front of the car in the foreground juxtaposed against the back of the car that is in the background. I also like that red column in the background for some reason!

Congratulations to Kathleen, Fred and Monica! Congratulations again to all participants!