APAC Submissions: April 2014:dltphoto

This months images weren't particularly thought through entries. Just something I slapped though the system quickly as the deadline caught me off-guard. I didn't even know who the Adjudicator was. Mr Razor Sharp, apparently. Fortunately my images happened to be "Razor Sharp". He is one of the more fussy adjudicators, actually almost annoying but brutally honest which we need sometimes. I only hope it doesn't put off some of our new club members who might take offense from it.
As for the Images, if it's something he has 'seen' before it's likely to not do well. Don't submit a sunset pic, unless it's an amazing shot that no one has ever done before, as he has 'seen' them all. Don't submit a blue heron pic, as he has seen a million of them. So what do you submit for an adjudicator that's seen it all??? We live in a beautiful area of Canada but its also got it's limitations of what we can shoot that hasn't been done and is still spectacular. I think his expectations are rather unmanageable. Take a look at some of his images. Have you seen them before? Actually a lot of his images I see quite regularly through through the club presentations. So are his spectacular? or more of the same?, as he did those images does that make them spectacular? My images aren't spectacular, but are they unique? Have you seen them before?

'Shades of Beige". Abstract, score 7.5

'Oil Painting'. Open, Score 8

There was a request on this one by my chum Gerry regarding cropping, I cropped it as shown but I also showed the Adjudicator the full image and also another different crop, and he suggested that all worked well.

Here is the original, uncropped 'as shot' version, you can decide.

I didn't have chance to submit an assigned topic image, which was "9 seconds". Maybe I'll do next months.

APAC Submissions: March 2014: dltphoto

This Months adjudicator was not as was advertised. It was supposedly my friend Elizabeth Kowal of White Album Weddings fame but instead it was Mark Kowal of White Album Weddings fame. They own a gorgeous little Chapel, so picturesque for weddings and portraiture. Sweet. An Ex-President of the club also.  He scored me 8's across the board!!!

'I'm not looking at you right now', Domestic/Captive Animals  Score 8

'Oh Lord I need a paint job', Architecture score 8

'Fenced', Assigned Topic "Bokeh" score 8

Nothing really exciting to say about these images for this month. I was deep in School Work and don't really recall if anything was said about them! They are probably featured in earlier posts, my 2 readers may have seen them before somewhere!!

APAC Submissions, February 2014: dltphoto

This month was scheduled to be my favourite adjudicator, Allen Bargen. I picked a few images that I new he would have a hard time liking and he would enjoy telling me that they weren't technically in the correct category... Why would I do this? it's fun for me!

Anyways, my plan kind of backfired. He didn't show up! So fortunately we had a visitor that evening, the President of the Langley Camera Club, Dennis Ducklow. I have actually known Dennis for many years as he was a customer of ours at the Camera Store I used to work at and he is a really nice guy... anyways he graciously volunteered to fill in for the missing adjudicator. Now I was quite excited for my images to be viewed by him!

Since I had a run-in with this adjudicator before about abstracts and the fact he doesn't believe my images were real abstracts I thought I should put another one in. Fortunately, Dennis quite enjoyed it.

Abstract. 'Abstract in White', Score 8

And 20 minutes into the exhibition night the expected adjudicator showed up! This was quite a treat. Dennis continued to score for the rest of the evening but both of them gave critiques at the end. Fantastic!

Dennis enjoyed the images suggesting he had great lines and your eyes could easily go from front to back. My friend however piped up as to be expected suggesting it wasn't actually a true abstract as he could tell what it was..... Well. I took great delight in him saying they were "plates" and he sounded very confident about it too! Sadly, He was sooooo WRONG. Oooooh, such a large grin came over my face in the dark! I called out and suggested he was wrong and if he'd like another try, I don't think anyone knew what they were and I took great pleasure in informing him what they actually are. So now he's two for two at guessing my abstract images and getting it wrong. Brilliant. Anyways.. I won't tell you what they are.. I'll keep it a mystery for now. Wouldn't you say it's abstract if you can't determine what it actually is?

Architecture. 'Uniformity', Score 8.5

Another image from this series I shot on a recent outing that i have yet to finish up with and post here. I was working with the lines and the shadows. I also rotated it just for added fun. I enjoyed that one of the lights is missing its cover. I like it when a uniform pattern is destroyed but one element. Kind of an OCD's nightmare I imagine.
Dennis suggested he enjoyed the simplicity and the Lines, I don't recall if the other dude said anything about it and really I don't care.

Assigned 'Industrial', "Mind the Gap", score 8

Last up was an assigned image i shot a little while ago with me phone and tried to give it some pizazz... I thought it was kind of industrial looking. I enjoyed the textures and lines. It's quite 'Me'.

Looking forward to March's Adjudicator as she is another friend and fellow photographer!

APAC Submissions, May 2013

I wasn't expecting much for this months entries. It was kind of a last minute rush to get them entered. They are images I wanted to submit but may have fared up better with a non-Capa adjudicator. (this just in, here's the Judges Website.) All images were shot the Nikon 1 V1.

Assigned "Trees", 'Bench', score 19

No surprises that I didn't do well with this. I like the feel of it though.

APAC Submissions, April 2013: dltphoto

This months selections are from my fabulous little Nikon 1 V1. Really enjoying this little camera. Even though this shot looked great in the original shooting format I decided it's time to try some edited shots at the exhibitions. Not a big fan of that but since I am a Level 2'er now I need to pull my socks up and put the puck in the net. So here is my wildly "action-ed" image of which I had no idea of how it would score. Fortunately I did OK!

Architecture, "the tension builds", score 8

One other shot for tonight from the same trip, but this time a shot nice and neat out of the camera, with minor Lightroom editing of course. I working again with the V1 with the "highlander" lens. Since this is now a whopping 540mm film equivalent focal length, I am playing with the wonderfully narrow field of view. Others would utilise this with sports or birds, but I am enjoying it for more artsy purposes. I enjoy the lines in this shot. The re-bar falls perfectly with the tension lines from the Port Mann Bridge. More abstract but I chose to put it in the Urban/ Rural category, which I thought would be a mistake, but it did really well.  I was one of the top in Level 2 and  had give a quick spiel about it.

Urban/ Rural, "avoiding the line up", score 9

Once again I fail dramatically at titling my images. I care not for titles. It means nothing to me. It changes nothing about how I view an image. However it didnt seem to effect my scores too much. The adjudicator tonight was pretty good, from the Lions Gate Camera Club. He did enjoy this image and wasn't aware of what the background was from. Always nice to surprise people.
No assigned image again this week. The shot I wanted to use which I thought would be good at the time ended up being to camera shaky ( cell phone) and would not have scored well. The concept was nice but the phone wasn't able to produce.

APAC Photoclub Submissions: November 2012: dltphoto

Last month saw the massive APAC Seminar here in Abbotsford. I enjoyed it, it's great to see all the reps and all our customers, at least a good hand-full of them all in one place. Also this year I had one of my images showcased and printed by Lens & Shutter. So proud! hahahahah

"motion blur" which was supposed to be titled "when two atoms collide"

First up for the evening was the assigned category "wheels". A previous shot which readers may have seen in a previous post from Barkerville. maybe.. I don't recall if I posted this shot... anyways. Its pretty obvious. It's a Wheel. Purely the title is the only thing that can save this shot! "It's got some wheel flare"... Wheel. Get it? Real Flare?...ha hahah. no. sorry. I wasn't expecting any great numbers and got punished suitably.

Assigned Topic  "Wheels",  "It's got some wheel flare" score 22 ( from 30)

Next up, A Phone shot. ooooooooh. Curses!

Abstract, "New Horizons". score 6

 It was a shot that I thought was kind of interesting. I did apply a cross-processing action to it to give it this interesting cyan/ greenish look. It was featured more recently in my "favourite shot" for September, which I showed the original capture along with the cross-processed version.
Architectural, Abstract and kinda Artsy. Perhaps the type of shot a designer may use in a Loft space to create form and interest within the minimal space.... Something like this!!!

Image ripped off from google images... thanks whomever you are.

"Abstract:  images extracted from a larger reality or subject. An abstract image is, usually, independent of pictorial references and reduced to form, colour ,tones, texture and line." ( APAC Guidelines for Category)

Since I got such a low score for this image I quizzed the Judge at the end as to why it didn't do well. Apparently it didn't fit his description of Abstract. Really. So I asked him what he thought the photo might be of and after 4-5 attempts of guessing it wrong, he then suggested that this image is an Abstraction, not an Abstract. Oh Dear and Really?? An ABSTRACTION not an ABSTRACT. This should be the point where I storm out and knock over some chairs in disgust.
This fills all the criteria that I can see.

Images extracted from a larger reality, CHECK ( its a big building)
Independent of pictorial references, CHECK ( no story line here)
Form, Colour, Tones, Texture and Line, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK and CHECK MATE!

Someone suggested I submit it again, since another Judge might lap it up. Personally, I want to show new images. I dislike seeing the same image re-posted.


My third image for the evening is definitely one my readers have all seen before. I was testing the theory that things in three's always do well, according to CAPA rules and other fellow club members. For the sake of attempting to score well, which apparently didn't work, I did remove some items from this image in order for them not to be distracting for the judge. It would appear to be necessary if you don't want to get caught out, point wise, with irritating things they don't like in the image. It can make all the difference to some Judge's, but apparently not this ummmm Judge.

 This happens to be a "real camera" shot from my Nikon D200 with the "Highlander" lens.

Architecture, "get to the point", score 7

"Architecture: images depicting  buildings, structures, interiors and  surroundings, whole or in part, that
emphasize design or functionality." (APAC Guidelines for Category)


It would appear that the Projection system for the club has been fairly bad recently so I may have to start printing to get the right image judged. Although, It probably wouldn't matter and at the end of the Day it makes no difference to me. I still enjoy all three images. That guy wants to look at nasty overdone HDR's and overly PS'd images... that's his choice, have at it.