Every year it’s a big challenge. Looking at images from more than 1,000 walks all over the world â” ones that have already been selected as the best from each local walk â” and then trying to narrow things to just one grand prize winner, and 10 finalists. There’s just so many great shots that it makes the process really tough.
The Process
I take this judging role very seriously â” I put a lot of thought and careful consideration into each selection. Every image gets viewed, and reviewed and considered and reconsidered to death because you can make a great case for so many of them. Think about it â” this is a group of photos from every corner of the world, and there are a lot of captivating, fascinating, cute, fun, and very serious images, and so I view every image full screen size, and then tag the best of the first round.
A lot of images actually make this first cut. Then I look at just those tagged images, and narrow things down to just the best of that group (this year I got down to around 79 images at this stage). Then I do it again and again until I have just 11 left. One of those 11 will wind up being the winner. That’s when it gets really tough. It takes a lot of time, and I sweat every decision, but in the end a decision has to be made.
Even though this round of judging is over …
You'll still get to make your own picks in our People's Choice Award, and we have a Leader's Competition, and I always list my ‘Honorable Mentions’ (images that are so good that even though they didn’t win a prize, still deserve recognition) so while this is the official announcement of the Top-10 Finalists and the Grand Prize winner, the competition phase still has a few more components left.
First, let’s reveal this year's Top 10 Finalists (in no particular order):
By Macbeth (Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea Photo Walk)
This shot just looks happy â” even though you can’t see the expressions on the people walking down the hill, the vibrant colors, and sun beams, and the whole thing makes it look like a scene from the Teletubbies, and I just loved it. I love the placement of the people on the hill, and just the overall vibe of the shot.
By Jean-Christophe (Lyon, RA France Photo Walk)
This shot has a lot of graphic appeal on its own, with its angular lines in either direction, but the placement of the man on the stairs really made it all come together. Very simple, but very cool.
By Tinnakorn (Chiang Mai, จ.à¹à¸Šà¸µà¸¢à¸‡à¹ƒà¸«à¸¡à¹ˆ Thailand Photo Walk)
What a great scene! I just love the juxtaposition of those three large hero photos above with this gentle looking man just having a beer â” it really caught my eye right away. I love the colors and how it all works together. Makes me wish I was at the next table over having a cold one myself. Nicely done.
By Joseph (Charleston, South Carolina, USA Photo Walk)
OK, I know this isn’t a technically perfect shot, and that plant on the far left is distractingâ¦but it’s still a great shot. It’s so simple, and casual, and I like the post processing and it was so different than any of the other entries that it really stood out to me. It’s not the typical type of shot I’m drawn to, but I sure do like it.
By Phongphanich (Bangkok Thailand [Rattanakosin Island] Photo Walk)
This is just a wonderful combination of color and composition, and I love the post processing on this shot. It makes me want to know more about the shot â” what’s the rest of the story. Who is the guy in that picture? There’s a lot going on here for such a simple photo.
By Sonata (Kaunas County Lithuania Photo Walk)
The first time I saw this shot, it was like looking at a still shot during a movie. It has a real cinematic feel and I love the way our subject, and the birds, are all back lit, and I love her position in the frame. Really makes you feel like you came upon a moment in a movie and that was all I needed.
By Eman (El-Gamaleya, Cairo, Egypt Photo Walk)
What captured me about this shot was the light. From the light beams streaming behind our subject, to the soft light on his face, to how the overall scene is lit â” the lighting is just really wonderful. Plus, I really like the subject’s expression and care that’s being given to his work. Very nice capture.
By Mark (Hoover, Alabama, USA Photo Walk)
This is another one of those shots where the first time I saw it, I loved it, and of course what I loved the most is how the mushroom is lit. It just stands out so beautifully in the otherwise dark scene. I wish that little spot of white wasn’t there at the top of the frame, because it does draw my eye a little, but it’s such a lovely shot that I’m willing to look the other way on that, and just enjoy the beautiful scene. Nice!
By Andrew (Seoul, South Korea Photo Walk)
This shot just cracked me up, only because it’s such a real scene. I love how the women are in very traditional outfits, but they’ve got a cell phone up on an “extender for selfies” pole and they’re flashing peace signs. It’s kind of surreal, but at the same time, you’re looking at something very real. Great shot!
By Daniela (Haarlem, The Netherlands Photo Walk)
First, there’s the subject â” a young girl on stilts, which is something you just don’t see every day, but the lighting in this shot is so subtle and beautiful without the scene being dark and dramatic. I feel like I walked in upon a quiet moment and I want to know where she’s going, why she’s wearing stilts, and how she’d get so lucky to be learning to walk on stilts in such gorgeous light. One of my favorites for sure.
â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”â”-
AND NOWâ¦THE GRAND PRIZE WINNING IMAGE IS:
By Michal (Warszawa, Mazowieckie Polska Photo Walk)
There is just something about this shot. I kept coming back to it again and again. I love the overall tone of the image, and how you see these individual drops frozen in time like that. There’s not enough water so that it looks cheezy (which can happen when freezing water in a fountain), and I love the composition with that wide open area to the right. I wish I could give you a better technical reason why I like it, but I think it’s 100% an emotional response. If you keep coming back to it again and again, then you just know there’s something special there, and I think this is a very special shot.
A Big Thanks!
A special thanks to Canon, our Premier sponsor (and provider of amazing Canon prizes) and to flickr, Adobe Systems, Peachpit Press, Tamron, KeepSnap, B&H Photo, and Wacom â” thanks for all your support and for offering such awesome prizes to our winners (we are very grateful).
Thanks to our Walk Leaders who did such an outstanding job once again of giving of their time and talents to make their local walks happen, and to the wonderful photographers from around the world who created such inspiring, creative, and beautiful work.
P.S.: We still have the unveiling of the Honorable Mentions (images that didn't win a prize, but that are so good that I felt they needed special recognition), so make sure you stop by on Friday for that. Don't forget: Although this phase is over, we still have the People's Choice Award to pick, and a special competition for your Walk Leaders, so there's more to come. :)
Congratulations for all photographers who participate this year in Worldwide Photowalk and my special congratulations for 1st place winner. Every year it’s real pleasure to met all fantastic people and see passion and fun when we walk together. Thanks to all crew from Kelby Media Group and Scott Kelby. Scott maybe this is best time to think about visiting Poland ;)
This couldn’t have been an easy job Scott! Well done on an amazing project.
Great images, wonderful project! Hope you are resting up and getting well my friend!
Well, those were worth the wait! Terrific images, all. I don’t envy you taking on this task, Scott.
How hard would it be to judge photos from around the world without being personally subjective!!??
I can see why it took you a little extra time, lol. These are all so fantastic I have a hard time deciding which I like more. Great job everyone!!
Thanks to Scott, R C, KelbyOne, Canon, and all the sponsors for keeping it interesting.
This is a great event Scott. So glad the kids made out well this year. It was an even great idea adding that option to the walk. I have an idea…. let’s do it again next year — same time.
Beautiful entries! Andrew’s shot from South Korea is my favorite ^_^
Congrats to the winners!
The winning picture reminds me of the scene in Gladiator when they arrive at the Coleseum…
I am one of the photo walk leaders and wanted to know how to deliver prize to the walk photo winner? Thanks!
Nice top 10
Thank you Scott to picked my photo to the 10 Finalists, however, for the photo by Phongphanich (Bangkok Thailand), the guy in photo is a king of Thailand so…. :)
And I kept going and going to first photo. Great collection overall.
superb :-)
I like By Joseph and By Eman.
Wow! I just checked my messages this morning and found out that my photo made the finals. Thank you Scott, I’m flattered to say the least!
Congrats to all of the winners, such stunning images, especially to the first place winner.
Scott, thank you for selecting my image as part of your final top 10. I am honored and I do thank you for your constructive criticism. It will make me a better photographer and I do sincerely appreciate your comments. For those of you wanting to know how I lit up the mushroom, I used the Stylus Penlight by Streamlight, product #STR65018. This is a pen light I learned about from the greatest light painting guru of them all: Dave Black.
Link to penlight on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Streamlight-65018-Stylus-4-Inch-Penlight/dp/B00008BFS5/ref=pd_sim_hi_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1XWQ1R4P9WBPJ7ZNJ87B
Had a wonderful walk in Boothbay Harbor this year – the weather cooperated perfectly and all were very pleased. A special thanks to Jenn for all the help with the multiple glitches at the website – without her I would not have been able to choose the winning photo from my walk. I forwarded comments and many positive suggestions that I hope will factor into the next walk.
Thanks for sharing! It’s great to see a variety of shots from around the world. It’s a breath of fresh air to see the cultures, humanity, and the creative vision displayed in these photos!
So happy to see one of the participants in my photowalk is a Finalist! Way to go, Mark!
amazing, thank you for voting !!! Great contest :)) Good luck to all ;)
Thank you so much Scott to picked my picture…..to the 10 Finalists, I would like to explain in my story picture…..I called this pictue….”King Birthday is coming” and He is a great King of Thailand…All Thai people will hanging the King picture everywhere because they love him so much…..By the way, I used Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CC to process this picture with simple adjusting and put one preset….
First of all I would like to congratulate to all the winners there are some great images in top 10. My personal fav are from Sonata, Mark and Daniela, fantastic work guys!
Second of all I would like to say thank you to Scott Kelby for choosing my photo as the the Grand Prize Winner! I’m really flattered and honored :)
Kudos to the whole Kelby Media Group and all the sponsors for creating such a great event.
And last but not least, special thanks to Photo Walk Leader in Warszawa, Maciej Blaszczuk. Without this guy and his effort this photo probably would not exist.
Once again, thank you all!
great choice of the winning piece… i love it …
the winning piece is excellent.. love the way it was composed and frozen in time…
Great event and wonderful people, looking for another year to come. Thank you Scott for such a momentous activity! Cheers!
Good Choice .
Scott, thanks much for your effort in making the event worthwhile. It is always fun to be on the street in Hollywood to capture the beautiful chaos. Here are my images form the photowalk: https://flic.kr/ps/2XDgZY
Congratulations to all the winners. Scott when can we see the Honorable Mentions?
Scott, you said
“P.S.: We still have the unveiling of the Honorable
Mentions (images that didn’t win a prize, but that are so good that I
felt they needed special recognition), so make sure you stop by on
Friday for that.”
Which Friday? and would we find it here on your blog?