MSA September/October 2014: Two
I wanted this theme to be broadly interpreted and it certainly was! 50 submissions overall (even more when you consider the unofficial ones). I've really enjoyed looking at all of the images posted here in the thread and in the gallery -- I'm certainly glad that I'm not in the running for this assignment, although to be honest, I tend to look at the MSA as challenging me (and any other photographer) to think a little beyond the norm, or what they are comfortable with, or to reinterpret a theme they think they know. So in that regard, everyone here is a winner. However, in the end, there can only be just one...so here we go:
If we went with total number of submissions, I'd have to give it to Scott (the Flying Camera) with a record or 13!
In colour we have: Corvette, Deck Chairs, Clocks, Two Streetcars Two Stoplights, and Two Models
In black and white we have: Two Wheels Two Windows, Two Columns of Bricks and Windows, Two Street Lamps, Two Buildings, Two Brick Windows, Two Pizza Guys, the Mailbox Diptych, and Mother/Daughter (Two people?)
Of all these submissions I have to admit that my favourite is of Two Street Lamps: not only is it a visually arresting photograph, almost abstract in its geometric confusion of buildings and windows, but it really made me look for the "two". A great challenge and a great photograph.
Next we have The Toadmen (aka Twinbert 1) with 6 images: Twinberts 1, 2, and 3, Drive-by-Shooting, and the two images of cross-bred sheep. I really enjoyed each and every one of these images, and have to say that the Twinberts did go above and beyond to get the Twinbert portraits. I also like the fact that it brought together two Apuggers who had not yet met in real life.
Sly, as always, had a fair number of images herself, with Outlook for Two, Bug Eyes, Fort Rodd, Inside Outside, and Kayakers. I particularly like Outlook for Two -- the lith + toning makes the colour really arresting, and the simplicity of the two chairs facing the horizon is very effective.
Siompa also submitted 5 images: Untitled, Two in the Trash, Two Canoes, Two Oars, and Split in Two. My favorites here were Two in the Trash, which almost has a negative look to it, with the transparency of the glass adding to the effect, and Split in Two, with the distortion and out-of-focus to focus effect adding some tension to the image.
Barbara Ann had four interesting submissions: Light Tribute, Empty Skies, Boy and Girl, and Footprints. Of these I like Light Tribute the best: the memorial twin lights echoing the lost twin towers, and the resulting shakiness from being handheld provides a kind of immediacy we often don't get from the steady weight of a tripod.
In the "two-per" submissions category we have:
I.G.I. with Two Eyes (Art Nouveau) and Class War -- the colour and movement in Class War works really well
Bertus (aka Twinbert 2) with Two Girls, Twin Lens Cambo and Two Chairs -- the simplicity in Two Chairs makes it a favorite
Aremesal with Two Friends, and Two Headlights, Two "R's" -- Two friends is a beautiful image overall
And last, but certainly not least, with one each we have:
Ned L, Dos Piedras -- the big sky overpowers the two powerlines below, but all the openness just begs you to look at it in more detail
J Roosa, Two of Mine -- never mind the graininess, it's a lovely portrait of kids at play
Nodda Duma, Lost in Time (double exposure) -- a great story of how this double exposure created by two different people at two different times has successfully come together (and having done a fair number of double-exposures myself, I know it's not always easy to get one that works!)
Optiken, County Fair -- so many twos here, it's hard to count!
Alex Gard, Two and Three Quarters -- an amazing image of two (and 3 3/4) trees
Jovo, Power and Light -- wonderful reflection, contrast and light
Polyglot, Two of Two (sterogram) -- 2 images, 2 cameras, 2x2 lenses -- fantastic interpretation!
Terry Christian, Yin-yang -- a really dynamic shot of photographer and photographee
Old-N-Feeble, Memorial -- a touching photograph of the burial place of a beloved pet
Pelo78, Magnetic Dipole -- almost Rorschach-like, this simple phenomenon could be interpreted in many ways
soncorn, Lake of the Red Mountain Shadows -- a lovely colour photograph with two children by the lake
So I have to say that this round was a real winner in my books, although really difficult to judge. My top five picks in alphabetical order are:
Alex Gard: Two and Three Quarters
The Flying Camera: Two Street Lamps
Jovo: Power and Light
Nodda Duma: Lost in Time
The Toadmen: Twinbert 1 and 2
And the honour of choosing the next shooting assignment goes to:
The Toadmen, aka Bert, aka Twinbert 1, specifically for the images of Twinbert 1 and Twinbert 2 (or two in the can), although I think that every image Bert submitted was well thought out in terms of it "two-ness". Twinbert 2 works on so many levels -- 2 Berts, 2 toilets, 2 trashcans, 2 Bronicas, 2-second exposure...too funny. Twinbert 1 I like also -- even though it's a simple portrait, it's very engaging with the twinberts gazing directly at the viewer, and the off-kilter mirror makes it a bit more dynamic. So congrats Bert!
