Your guide to the region's top events, mixed with some commentary about life, media, gossip and politics in Washington, DC.

January Photo Contest: The Finalists

The judges have done their job, now it’s time to do yours! Read on to vote in our simple-pleasures photo contest.

Comments

Really... Can we all just get along?

Posted by: TinyTex, Jan 29, 2010 01:26:28 PM

Agree with "happy girl"’s post. With the comments so far I would think the prize is a $1,000,000 dollars. "no intended composition or inherent interest" I’m not a proffesional critic so these descriptions are lost on me. I guess they may not have moved you, but I’m not really sure what you are trying to get trom the simple pleasure theme. I like the overall selection, and I saw some in the runner ups that I liked too. I do not understand why people on the forum decided to be so harsh.

Posted by: simple guy, Jan 29, 2010 12:36:58 PM

Wow! I cannot believe how cranky some people seem to be about this months theme. And ironic that the theme "Simple Pleasures" has turned into something so ugly by so many negative comments! What does it matter if it is a snapshot or posed shot? Amateur or pro? There is pleasure in the spontaneity of a moment and moments that aren’t. It is supposed to be about simple things that make you happy and I would say that dogs, kids, dads, beer, ducks and birds are just simple enough to do that. Key words "Simple Pleasures" means things that are simple and uncomplicated and bring happiness - not deep and dark to evoke sadness and suffering! Geez, people lighten up! And enter next month if you think you have something better to offer instead of harsh criticism!

Posted by: happy girl, Jan 29, 2010 12:11:16 PM

I don’t agree with the tone comments, nor with the implied value judgment that manipulating an image somehow detracts from its aesthetic value. Someone claiming that is either ignorant (as in you don’t know how many choices your digital camera is making for you) or lazy (to learn how to optimize the rendering of the information captured by a sensor / film). I also take issue with someone implying that the first image looks like it’s been taken by a pro photographer. Since when did good lighting skills become a sin?
What I do agree that the selection is not stellar. Other than the duck and the dog pictures, the rest are snapshots - no intended composition or inherent interest. The dog picture doesn’t fit the theme, imo, so it’s a final of one; Washingtonian - please give us better images to vote on next time.

Posted by: Nick, Jan 28, 2010 10:37:09 AM

@ajb5100@aol.com - Next month’s contest theme will be announced on Monday, Feb. 1. Check washingtonian.com/photocontest that day for info on how to enter. Thanks for reading!

Posted by: Emily at Washingtonian.com, Jan 27, 2010 07:14:09 AM

To be absolutely honest, the beer shot did not have any editing done to it. The lens that I used for this picture is a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM. I had purchased it after renting it to shoot a concert at the 930 Club and was pleasantly surprised that with a few adjustments to the aperture and other camera settings I was able to capture not very clean, crisp shots of the band members but reflections of the spot lights used to light up their show (lots of reds, greens, purples, etc). I utilized the same methods and techniques used in the concert shoot for the shot taken at this bar (dark environment lit up by few lights except for at the end of the bar where the band was performing) and captured the same elements of a sharp image with vivid colors that I was able to get at the 930 Club show.

Of course, one can only take my word for that and if I read the above description my first thought would be, “Well that’s just a bunch of bull,” but I am being honest. I don’t know if anyone else has ever used the above mentioned lens before but it allowed me to get a crisp shot of the bottle of beer (which I wasn’t even aiming for – at the far end of the shot is the band’s singer and I was trying to get a picture of him) and the shutter speed, aperture and a few other dials I turned helped me to get the vivid colors illuminating the bar. I don’t have Photoshop or anything on my computers and do not have the capabilities to reprocess and/or edit a shot if I wanted to.

I understand that we all have family and friends out there voting for us but I do not think that it is fair to publicly discredit the work of the other photographers on an open forum (but that is what we get for submitting our work on a public forum!!). Nevertheless, whether an image is edited or left raw, the photographer professional or an amateur who is just “that damn good!” at capturing a beautiful image, I truly think that you all submitted some beautiful work, each of which interprets the theme in a beautiful and unique way! Good luck to you all!

Posted by: A Tully, Jan 25, 2010 06:12:49 AM

what is next months contest? how do you enter?

Posted by: ajb5100@aol.com, Jan 23, 2010 07:47:35 PM

what outrageous childish comments!

Posted by: Ann B., Jan 23, 2010 06:41:00 PM

I know the photographer of the beach picture and can tell you there was no "post processing" of the photo. It is a completely spontaneous, amateur shot taken with real film - not digital.

Posted by: anon, Jan 22, 2010 11:06:09 AM

All of the photos are good in the own ways but the only photo that wasn’t edited was the duck. The black and white was edited like crazy and so was the beer shot. Even the dad and son was post-processed. Is the contest about which photographer can manipulate their photo the most or is it about capturing a simple pleasure such as a duck basking in the warmth of the sun?

Posted by: Rita, Jan 22, 2010 08:59:45 AM

I agree. That bear image is awesome and creative.

I see the vet image is taken by a pro and that doesn’t seem fair.

Posted by: r. smith, Jan 21, 2010 11:25:05 PM

Allison Tully is the most talented photographer in this bunch. Oh, and she’s the only photographer who actually submitted a photograph of a "simple pleasure". How is sticking an instrument into a dogs ear causing it damage (dogs ears are VERY fragile, you will damage something if you stick things in it!) pleasurable?

I don’t even have to mention that duck. How do we know it’s not giving birth in that basket, and we all know that ain’t very pleasurable either.

That girl just stepped in goose doo doo. She’ll be sobbing within seconds. And dad and kid? C’mon guys. There’s no talent there. How many times have we seen this picture? Yeah, we’ve seen pictures of beer a lot too. But really look at Tully’s photo. Look at those purples and reds emanating from the background. Beautiful.

Posted by: HE_who_knows_true_TALENT, Jan 21, 2010 06:57:13 AM

good work

Posted by: J Brown, Jan 20, 2010 02:39:09 PM