Outdoor Photo Contest Winners: I got Outdoor Photo yesterday and looked on page 36 at the winning photos for their lansdscape contest. I was unimpressed. They are certainly...

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I got Outdoor Photo yesterday and looked on page 36 at the winning photos for their lansdscape contest. I was unimpressed. They are certainly eye-catching, but I would not say they were winners. They didn't look at all natural, more like images from a distant planet. They received 10,000 submissions, and these were judged to be the best.

Let me know what you think.

renomike Loc: Reno, Nevada

Need a link Jerry..... Mike

rebride

I thought two were interesting but didn't quite pull it off.
Second place, Zen like, Mystical Island.
Third place. Distant planet. Primeval. The clouds blew it.
Otherwise????
Honorable Mention #3. Mangrove tree. That stuff is all over Florida and with the cloud formations there???
Saw beautiful black and whites prints at a hotel in Naples last year. Was especially impressed with one (in my room) of a mangrove tree that might have been infrared. I was jealous, seeing as I'm from South Florida and shot B&W (and infrared) there. Check out http://www.clydebutcher.com/online-gallery-detail-new.cfm?holdid=23

gwong1 Loc: Tampa, FL

http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/photo-contests/the-american-landscape-2012/winners.html

renomike wrote:

Need a link Jerry..... Mike

jim charron Loc: Ontario Canada

I totally agree, really looks artifical or constructed?

But they have a place in art, just leaves you alittle cold.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

renomike wrote:

Need a link Jerry..... Mike

That never occurred to me. I didn't think they'd have it online.

Cas Loc: Maine

Actually, I liked the second place photo better and even the third. I did notice that on line the first looks better then in the mag.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Cas wrote:

Actually, I liked the second place photo better and even the third. I did notice that on line the first looks better then in the mag.

What immediately caught my eye with the winner was the mountains. They looked like they were cut out and glued in place. Did you read the description of how she got that shot? Sitting for a couple of hours by the side of the road, taking shots. Meanwhile, the rest of her family was eating dinner in a restaurant. That alone should count for something.

Jim Plogger Loc: East Tennessee

jerryc41 wrote:

I got Outdoor Photo yesterday and looked on page 36 at the winning photos for their lansdscape contest. I was unimpressed. They are certainly eye-catching, but I would not say they were winners. They didn't look at all natural, more like images from a distant planet. They received 10,000 submissions, and these were judged to be the best.

Let me know what you think.

Actually, I think that the grand prize, 2nd place, and 3rd place photos are excellent. The honorable mentions were good photos but nothing exceptional.

Generally, I am not impressed with most photo magazine contest winners. Makes me wonder just how bad the discarded photos were!

;-)

memorykeeper Loc: Indianapolis, Indiana

jerryc41 wrote:

I got Outdoor Photo yesterday and looked on page 36 at the winning photos for their lansdscape contest. I was unimpressed. They are certainly eye-catching, but I would not say they were winners. They didn't look at all natural, more like images from a distant planet. They received 10,000 submissions, and these were judged to be the best.

Let me know what you think.

Pictorialism lives on...

AVarley Loc: Central Valley, California

I think 3rd should be first, 2nd correct as 2nd and 1st should be third ... this of course without seeing all the other 9,997 entries!

I'm all about post-processing, but it would have been a real treat to see the "starting-point" image along with the "entered" image wouldn't it? But I suppose the contest would then have become "best post-processing" ...

twitcher32 Loc: North Carolina/Costa Rica

look a bit cooked to me

rebride

jerryc41 wrote:

quote=Cas Actually, I liked the second place phot... (show quote)

Yea, leaving her family (just skipping dinner) and deciding to go back to the scene.
Over The Edge (3) took a few tries just to get to the location. Was kind of over the edge photographically.

pigpen

I don't think they were bad, just a matter of taste maybe. I think one thing we have to consider is the digital age. Everyone who has a camera that cost over $200 thinks they are a photographer, so the other photos may have been complete crap. Or people who process the hell out of photo and thinks it's art. One of those deals where someone listens to the praise they get from family members and urges them to submit. I NEVER listen to my family!!

Don't forget the judges. I'm not saying they are not photographers, or don't know waht they are talking about. I mean we have all been in that situation where someone says "I love this", or "I love that", and you look at them and say to yourself, "Why?!"

RedRockGuy Loc: Sedona, AZ

The images look like they were all 3 merged through HDR or something. Not my approach, but valid creative Art! Kudos to the winners!