MSA March/April 2015 - "Stone"

[peter k.]

Nikon F2 28mm - f11@100 Hand held - Fugi 200 -Arista C-41 Dev

 

[peter k.]

Dang it still came out small...

 

[MattKing]

Dang it still came out small...

Not when you click on it.

 

[NedL]

The blue in the sky is fabulous. It's not small, just click on it, and click again for full size!

 

[peter k.]

No, I understand it will enlarge when you click on it, but wonder how one gets it larger, to start with, like the images in #27 & 28.

Yeah.. that ole Southwest sky.. with polarizer, looking almost due south.
Location is the Tuzigoot National Monument.
The left ruins of stone... seemed to go with the theme for this month.
http://www.nps.gov/tuzi/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtour.htm

 

[I.G.I.]

A question to (there was a url link here which no longer exists) as the MSA host: are multiple entries allowed?

 

[MattKing]

A question to (there was a url link here which no longer exists) as the MSA host: are multiple entries allowed?

They are encouraged.

Just a caution though - if you increase the number of entries, you may increase your chance of being chosen as the "winner". And if you are chosen, you will have to:

1) choose the next subject; and
2) have to choose who the "winner" is of your segment!

There are so many good entries this time. I really have my work cut out for me.

 

[peter k.]

They are encouraged.

Just a caution though - if you increase the number of entries, you may increase your chance of being chosen as the "winner". And if you are chosen, you will have to:

+1

(paybacks are a bitch)

 

[I.G.I.]

They are encouraged.

Just a caution though - if you increase the number of entries, you may increase your chance of being chosen as the "winner"

In my case this cautioning is very appropriate since I post images to share with and, hopefully, for others' enjoyment; I have no objective "to win".

 

[I.G.I.]

Since multiple submissions and creativity are encouraged; and 'any interpretation of "Stone" is okay' I hope there will be a little room for some metaphor too.... Here is my second and last entry, "a portrait" of an old Gothic stone sorceress gazing at herself in the mirror...
(Pentax and KM gear; Fuji Pro 400 commercially developed)

 

[TheToadMen]

BUMP
Last day to enter - I guess - before (there was a url link here which no longer exists) will have to pass judgement?

@ (there was a url link here which no longer exists): get yourself a good fresh pot of coffee and a nice bottle of Green Spot to prepare yourself

 

[MattKing]

BUMP
Last day to enter - I guess - before (there was a url link here which no longer exists) will have to pass judgement?

@ (there was a url link here which no longer exists): get yourself a good fresh pot of coffee and a nice bottle of Green Spot to prepare yourself

I prefer to think of it as acknowledging creativity, rather than passing judgement.

For simplicity and to assist those in different time zones, I'll cut off entries tomorrow, May 1, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight time.

And for clarity, no Green Spot (or anything similar) until after I have decided and reported.

 

[grahamw]

Another crop of beautiful images in this month's MSA thread - not sure mine can compete this time. I particularly like sly's first climber from several pages ago. Those textures are amazing.

Well, here are my best efforts, for what it's worth. We had a few days of good sunlight here in the UK, which was promising for my usual slow colour film, but unfortunately I seem to have somehow ended up with more photographs of frogs than the planned ones of stones...

"Alice", "Stonefish", "Arches", "Lunar Landscape" - taken at Felbrigg, UK, EOS 5, 50/1.2L and 135/2.0L, Velvia 50

"Old Stoneface" - I think I can see a face in the rocks... hope you can too! Bristol, UK, Olympus mju-II, Velvia 100

 

[TheToadMen]

Another crop of beautiful images in this month's MSA thread - not sure mine can compete this time. I particularly like sly's first climber from several pages ago. Those textures are amazing.

Well, here are my best efforts, for what it's worth. We had a few days of good sunlight here in the UK, which was promising for my usual slow colour film, but unfortunately I seem to have somehow ended up with more photographs of frogs than the planned ones of stones...

"Alice", "Stonefish", "Arches", "Lunar Landscape" - taken at Felbrigg, UK, EOS 5, 50/1.2L and 135/2.0L, Velvia 50

"Old Stoneface" - I think I can see a face in the rocks... hope you can too! Bristol, UK, Olympus mju-II, Velvia 100

I like the first image best (ever heard of the "weeping angels" from Doctor Who?). The Olympus Mju-II is a fine camera, isn't it? Very good light meter and lens and very small.

 

[MattKing]

Less than an hour to go folks!

 

[MattKing]

Entries are now closed. I'll post my decision later today.

(... walks to kitchen to make some strong coffee)

 

[sly]

Bated breath, drumroll .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

 

[MattKing]

A difficult choice

Okay everyone, I've finally completed my work here - and what a task it has been!

All the submissions are excellent. It was really enjoyable to look through everything again, and to realize again how creative everyone has been.

Before I report the results, here are some comments about the submissions. It was a bit challenging to do this, because submissions were posted both in the galleries and in the thread, and sometimes in both, but I think I have included all eligible entries:


Bertus - Stone in Rotterdam 1: The strong shadows and dramatic shapes intrigue
Bertus - Stone in Rotterdam 2: The big white stone contrasts nicely with the cobblestones, and the shadows intrigue
Bertus - Stone Worker: A nice environmental portrait, and right on theme as well
Bertus - Cobblestones at the harbour: The details of the harbour are very interesting
sly - Pinhole Basalt, Chiriqui, Panama: The combination of the pinhole and the “artistic” uploading process give this a feeling of holiday snaps, while the rock formation says solid and sharp. A nice juxtaposition
Bill Burk - StoneNYC: What can I say - some people go above and beyond when it comes to the MSA. Well done Bill at “capturing” your subject
Optiken - Rocks of Laguna: Very craggy - and for this MSA, craggy is good!
sly - Climber: These stones swirl - something you don’t expect from stones. And the colour pops. And the climber seems to be battling the stone, and the stone might just be winning
sly - Climber 2 (higher): Another great view of the climber. It is tough to choose between the two.
macfred - bakestone gate - front and back: The colour and texture of the stone shown in both of these photographs is beautiful and quite distinct from the colours and textures of other submissions. These would be nice to see as prints
soncorn - a child plays with stones A very striking photograph. The graphic shadows are excellent, and the image of a child using stones as playthings makes for a very strong submission to this MSA - well done
Robclarke - Old cemetery: Beautiful, sombre colour, and as the headstones appear close to falling they speak volumes about those things we consider “permanent”.
TheFlyingCamera - Lincoln Memorial Columns and WW I Memorial, Washington DC: These two photographs, each of which show interesting details of stone monuments in Washington, both speak volumes about the use of stone. Of the two, my favourite is the one of the WWI Memorial, because the stone appears heavier and more solemn
TheToadMen - "nothing remains but a stone and some memories" #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, and #7: The series of cemetery photos submitted by TheToadMen are all strong, and interesting and evocative and slightly sad. They help show why the permanence of stone is so well suited to cemeteries. If I had to pick one, it would be #5, because of the blue colour, and the fact that it relates to an unknown soldier
TheToadMen - abandoned grave in the woods: The view from the ground in this photograph, including the leaves, makes this stone appear particularly forlorn
TheFlyingCamera - Granite Torchiere, Lincoln Memorial: This is impressive - the texture, the shapes and the mood. This granite has weight!
NedL - City Hall and Los Guilicos: These two pinhole photographs really benefit from both the pinhole appearance and the cold blue tone. The blue somehow looks very stone-like
Thomas Bertilsson - Columnar Basalt: This appears both massive and yet, delicate in some way. I’d like to see a print of this
TheToadMen - Lego building blocks: This does look like a stone toy!
NedL - Stone House: Besides the obvious benefit of this being a photo of something called a “Stone House”, the use of the pinhole, and the dark tones and corner vignettes really add to the stone-like feeling
NedL - Stone Arch Bridge: I think of this as being a frog’s eye view. In amongst the stones, as it were - another great choice for the pinhole
NedL - Mammoth Polished Stone: This photograph has presence! I can almost feel that stone looming over me. Another great use of a pinhole
TheToadMen - square stone building: The architecture shown in this photo really illustrates how flexible stone (and stone like) materials can be. An excellent addition.
TheFlyingCamera - Washington Monument: I like the strong, political allegory. The colour is really good too.
TheFlyingCamera - Tree, Stone Wall: There is such great tension in this photograph. Its as if the Wall and the Tree are readying for battle
sly Lith Lithos Ah, a play on words! And deep, rich stone tones too
bergytone - boulders: These boulders make a definite statement about “stone”. I like the Warning sign in the background
bergytone - Stone Angel: I like your little angel here, but I swear that it looks like (s)he is smoking a cigarette
bdial - Stone and baskets: This photograph really appeals to me. The juxtaposition of shapes and materials seems just right
grahamw - Alice: The colours are critical - they say “old” stone to me
grahamw - Stonefish: A great idea, given the theme. I’m not sure I would have realized that it was a fish if I hadn’t seen the title
grahamw - Old Stoneface: I really like the shape. Good choice for this MSA
grahamw - Arches: Very nice colour. It almost looks like stone candy
grahamw - Lunar Landscape: The colour pops, and the very close detail means it really stands out.
I.G.I. - Stone glass and metal engaged in a dialogue: I see two dialogues here - that which is described in the title, and the dialogue between the old and new stone
Thomas Bertilsson - Stone Detail # 08 - with vertical cleft, Stone Detail # 09 - with hole, and Stone Detail # 07 - with Leaf: All three of these stone details show great shapes and textures, but I like the one with the leaf best, due I expect to the contrast between the delicacy of the leaf and the strength of the stone
peter k. -Tuzigoot National Monument: Strong, saturated colours plus a sense that these are old stones
I.G.I. - Stone Pool: Lovely, delicate colours that provide a nice counterpoint for many of the other submissions

As I reviewed the submissions, it struck me how in some cases it was a shame that I needed to choose just one. If the terms were different, I would be tempted to choose a series of images, because in some cases the collection of images submitted were, together incredibly strong. As an example, TheFlyingCamera's series on the various monuments in Washington are worthy of note, as are NedL's series of pinhole images. And TheToadMen's cemetery photos work extremely well together. So for each of those series, I would say "honourable mention" is definitely due.

'honourable mention" is also due to soncorn. The photograph of the child playing with stones is very strong, and really on point

Bill Burk definitely deserves an "honourable mention" for seeking out StoneNYC!

And sly deserves at least an "honourable mention" for Climber - I like those swirling stones!

Which leaves the final choice - the "winner" is TheFlyingCamera's "Tree, Stone Wall". I think that it is the inherent tension in this photograph that made the difference for me.

So take it away Scott, the next choice is yours.

 

[NedL]

Thank you Matt for "hosting" this round of MSA. That was a great topic and you had a difficult task at the end!
Looking forward to May-June!

 

[peter k.]

Two thumbs up to all the hosts that have done this. I've lurked around on occasion, but liked the challenge of actually participating this time.. great shots from all, and will be back and looking forward to the next topic.. .. thanks..

 

[I.G.I.]

Congratulations to the winner!

 

[I.G.I.]

As I reviewed the submissions, it struck me how in some cases it was a shame that I needed to choose just one. If the terms were different, I would be tempted to choose a series of images, because in some cases the collection of images submitted were, together incredibly strong.

I am not surprised since competition on artistic ground is a contradiction in terms. Competing and singling out a winner presuppose a definite target and measurable achievements none of which apply to (in fact they are incompatible with !) any artistic activity.

 

[TheToadMen]

Congratulations, TheFlyingCamera, on a beautiful image. A true winner!! Now it is up to you to come up with an other excellent theme for the next MSA

And thank you, Matt, for the extensive review of all the images and hosting this MSA. It was truly fun!

Now, "Up, up, and away" onward to the next MSA with new challenges ... (Good luck, Scott ...)

 

[macfred]

Congrats to TheFlyingCamera !
Thank you, Matt, for your very kind comments on all the photographs.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Thank you for selecting my image! I'm honored. I'll do my best to come up with a new topic in the next couple days.