We Have a Winner!

Pete Harvison's image is our Historic New Castle Photo Walk winning image. Congratulations, Pete! It has been entered into the worldwide competition that Scott Kelby will be judging. The Grand Prize and honorable mention winners will be announced on August 16.

So, how and why was Pete's image chosen? First, let me tell you; this was an excruciating exercise for me and my wife, Assunta, because all your images were excellent! I would like to submit all of your photos!

After a laborious evaluation of the 18 exceptional images, I ended up with five semi-finalists, then three finalists. I wanted to choose an image that would have a good chance of winning a prize in the worldwide competition.

Pete's image meets my personal qualifications for a winning photograph. It succeeds because it answers three questions which I always strive for in my own photography:

1. Does the image have a theme?

Pete's image is about Historic New Castle. That is the theme, plain and simple. This image shows us a typical architectural feature seen throughout the town, plus a touch of the past with the colonial flags waving in the breeze.

2. Does the image focus attention on the subject?

First, let's consider what the subject is in this image. Is it the building façade? Or, are the flags playing the dominant role? Where do your eyes immediately go to when first viewing this image? For me, it's the flags. There are two compositional elements here that immediately lead my eye to the flags each and every time I look at the image. One, of course, is the mix of colors of the flags - contrasting with the solid blue sky. Color itself is an important element of composition. The other compositional element is the doorway which really acts as an arrow - a pointer - which tells your eye where to look!

3. Does the image simplify?

Distracting objects in an image are just that: distracting! They take away from the image. They prevent the viewer from focusing on the subject and theme that the maker wants to impart. I always check all around the frame to make sure nothing encroaches into the scene and result in my viewer missing the point of the image. This is definitely the case in Pete's image. It's clean. No blemishes on the doorway or the rest of the façade. No distracting signs on the wall, and a nice solid blue sky.

As an aside, I'd like to commend Pete for taking a look upward! In some photography talks I have given I have challenged the audience to look up when going out for a photo shoot -- there are lots of interesting images to capture there!!

So there you have it! Pete's image is successful, and the winner in our local Historic New Castle Photo Walk contest.

Finally, please remember that a photo competition is very subjective. As judges, we struggle to avoid applying our own biases and preferences when judging images that we come across. We have our own criteria, our own favorite techniques, our personal dislikes. Fact is, we each view our world differently through our camera viewfinders.

If you don't "win" a photo competition, it does not necessarily mean your image is in any way bad. Just be sure to study the results of any competition, and analyze the critiques carefully. View competition as a learning experience. You are likely to gain tips and techniques that help you develop your "photographer's eye" further.

When asked to judge a competition, I strive to avoid my own partialities and preferences. Instead, I focus on those three principles of good photography that I enumerated above. For this competition, I know that Scott Kelby, an experienced professional photographer, will do the final judging. I have to assume that Scott will use the same judging criteria, and so I am doubly sure to follow them myself in order to increase the chances that one of our own Walkers wins the Grand Prize.

Congratulations to each and every one of you for your excellent work!

Sandro V Cuccia

Leader, New Castle Photo Walk

www.DEPhotoWalk.com