[Leica] Comments from a judge about May 2007 contest

[reid at mejac.palo-alto.ca.us (Brian Reid)]

I forgot to post these comments submitted earlier by one of the judges about 
the May 2007 photo contest.

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Overall, the standard of the May images was much higher than in April. I 
think this is because the theme was easier to interpret for the contestants 
and so people had a lot more freedom to create good images. I ended up 
giving 3 stars or more to most of the images, with just a few at 1 or 2 
stars.

My favorites were:

Odd Feet Out (4 stars): I really like the composition, with not one but 
three repetitive patterns. And the one bird that is not looking straight 
ahead adds an element of humor and makes the whole scene more dynamic.

Big Wheel in Town (4 stars). A fresh take on a familiar subject, and just a 
perfect composition.

Arch (4 stars): Creative interpretation of the theme.

Homework (4 stars). I love the use of the light and shadow to make what 
would otherwise be an ordinary scene into something special.

Recital (5 stars). This is a perfect image for the theme and my personal 
favorite this month. There is obviously repetition; the girl's expression is 
one of deep concentration; the boy in the background is just enough in 
focus--everything about this image appeals to me.

Travel Book 202 (4 stars): lovely composition and color. The simplicity of 
this image makes me think of a haiku poem.

Repetition01 (4 stars): a difficult subject, I tried and failed myself to 
make a good close-up of a grain field recently. Here, the depth of field and 
the composition are both just right.

Meta-repetition (another wedding) (4 stars): I like this because it is a 
posed image, and a very traditional one, but photographed from an angle that 
makes it much more interesting than the image the other photographer is 
getting.

Reflections (4 stars): I am not sure what this is, but it is a beautiful 
photograph. The composition and the tonality are very attractive.