Although yesterday I announced the winner and Honorable Mentions, today I’m going to give my personal favorites in a bunch of different categories. Although they didn’t make the final cut, all of these were in the running, and I felt they were so great that they deserved recognition as well.
I think these images, and the one’s you saw yesterday, are actually even better than they first appear because:
- The photographers weren’t able to choose the location (it was chosen for them).
- Or the time of day (also chosen for them).
- They had to shoot in whatever lighting conditions at that time
- They couldn’t go back later (or earlier) to shoot in better light.
- They were only able to shoot for two hours.
Compare that to most any other photo competition, where the photographers can choose any photo from your photo library, or any photo taken in the past year, etc., but in this case, the photographers hands were really tied.
Yet they came away with images that are totally inspiring and very creative. Two hours. That’s it. And look what they came up with! To me, that makes these images all the more amazing.
You and I could both make the case that any of these shots could have been one of the top 10 official Honorable Mentions, or even the Grand Prize winner which is what made the final picks so incredibly hard, but at the end of the day, I had to make a decision. It’s harder than it looks.
Before we get to seeing some images, there were some recurring themes in the types of photos that where picked by local winners, and went into judging to become finalists. For example, there were:
- Lots of shots of fountains
- Lots of shots of shadows
- Lots of shots of reflections (in glass and in water)
- Lots of split toned shots
- Lots of shots of frogs.
- Lots of shots of insects
- Lots of shots with bicycles in them
- Lots of church interiors
- Lots of shots of statues and art
- Lots of shots of shoes
There was also a lot more nicely done post processing this year. The consistency of the post has gone way up, which is great. However, there were some shots that would have been so much better with just a simple Levels adjustment (just for fun, when I saw one, I would make a screen capture, paste it into a new document in Photoshop, and then I would fix the photo. None of those won, but it was fun to see how much better they looked when I ran across one that needed a tonal fix. I can’t help it. It’s the Photoshop freak in me).
One more thing—-Give Adorama Some Love
I want to once again thank our Platinum Sponsor Adorama Camera (the Grand Prize winner snagged a $1,000 Adorama Gift Card, courtesy of Adorama). Their support made this whole thing happen, so if you’re thinking of buying some camera gear, please check with them first by clicking right here (and NAPP members have a dedicated phone number to call for special deals. Check out the NAPP member discount page for details). My personal thanks to Jeff Snyder and the whole team at Adorama who were behind this year’s event from the very beginning.
The images that follow are my other favorites that didn’t make their way into the prize category, but are nonetheless deserving of recognition:
Best Macro Shot
Photo by: Magnar Myrtveit (Bergen, Hordlaland Norway)
Best Simple Composition
Photo by: Giselle Seibel (Blumenau, SC Brasil)
Best Shot of a Boy Who Needs To Go Potty
Photo by: Andrzej Kudlewski (Blalystok, Podlaskie Polska)
Best Tonal Effect
Photo by: Johan Ustin Sisno (Cebu City, Central Visayas Phillippines)
Best Use of Background
Photo by: Aude Chenu (Chengdu, Sichuan China)
Best Shot From Above
Photo by: Thomas Klefhaber (Cincinnati, Ohio USA)
Best B&W / Infrared
Photo by: Michael Whalen (Costa Mesa, California USA)
Best Shot in the Rain
Photo by: Fred Mancosu (Bern, BE Switzerland)
Best Use Of Lines
Photo by: Carme Frigola (Barcelona, Spain)
Best Editorial Looking Shot
Photo by: James Bautista (Davao City, Davao Region Philippines)
Best Shot That Would Make a Great Stock Photo
Photo by: Andrea Willmore (Western Cape South Africa)
Best Everyday Object Shot
Photo by: Tamara Stecyk (Edmonton, AB Canada)
Best Shot of an Adorable Little Girl
Photo by: Eline den Hond (Eindhoven, Hoord-Brabant Nederland)
Best HDR Shot Needs a Shadows Levels Adjustment & Some Desaturation
Photo by: Verne Snow (Fort Myers Beach, Florida USA)
Best “Cool Guy With Hat” Shot
Photo by: Jamie Leonhard (Granada, AL Spain)
Best Clever Composition That Creates a Message
Photo by: Nick Man (Hong Kong, China)
Best Shot Downtown at Night
Photo by: Tommy Lyles (Houston, Texas USA)
Best Shot So Good It Looks Like It Was Set Up
Photo by: Patricia Stalter (Los Almos, California, USA)
Best B&W With One Part Color Shot That I Normally Wouldn’t Like, But Here I Really Like It
Photo by: James Love (Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK)
Best Shot That Made Me Wish I Was At Their Photo Walk
Photo by: Jacques Pontbriand (Montréal, QC Canada)
Best Aged Toning Effect
Photo by: Ian Goring (Oakville, ON Canada)
Best Panning Shot
Photo by: Sabapathee Krisnamoorthee (Port Louis, Port Louis Mauritius)
Best Church Interior Composition & Post Production
Photo by: Okan Guney (Reading, England UK)
Best High Key Shot
Photo by: Stephanie Luke (Redding, California USA)
Best Waterfall with HDR
Photo by: Rick Holliday (Roswell, Georgia USA)
Best “How’d You Get So Lucky To Have a Hummingbird Fly Up” Shot
Photo by: Pam Borrelli (San Francisco, California USA)
Best Almost Fantasy-Looking Place Shot
Photo by: Dieter Schaefer (Santa Barbara, California USA)
Best Shot That I Really Wish Was In Focus
Photo by: Laylaa Ali (St. Clair, St. George Trinidad & Tobago)
Best Color and Composition Contrast
Photo by:VJ Francisco (Tanay, Calabrazon Phillippines)
Best “Why Didn’t I Hold My Photo Walk There?” Shot
Photo by: Daron Shade (Tucson, Arizona USA)
Best Shot of Windows
Photo by: Dennis Behm (Weatherford, Texas USA)
Best Lighting on a Frog. Ever.
Photo by: Paul McLeod (Caledon, ON Canada)
My sincere congratulations to every one who entered the contest (it does take guts), and especially to all these fantastic photographers whose work I really felt deserved some extra recognition.
Scott, I am shocked and appalled by the misleading, inaccurate, and downright incorrect information you spread on this blog. In fact, the magnitude of what you’ve done boggles the mind. I can only conclude that it’s not a mistake, but a deliberate deception on your part.
I understand you’re a “creative” and all, but you’ve gone too far this time–your artistic license will be revoked for sure. How can you look yourself in the mirror? How can you face your wife and children? How can you face your employees? How can you sleep at night? How can you hold your head up high after calling that toad a frog?
Is this a joke? If it is……it’s not funny. Sarcasm doesn’t work well on comment sites. There is no reason to attack Scott on a personal level. You went a little too far. I think i get the joke, but i had to read this entire comment.
Think twice before posting.
Scott’s an intelligent, articulate adult, and if he found my suggestion that his artistic license be revoked offensive, he should have: A) not allowed it to be posted (it got caught in the spam filter, so I know he had to personally approve it), or B) said so himself.
But, on the off chance I’ve offended Scott, I’ll apologize here:
Scott, I hope the DMV renew your artistic license without fail until you turn 65 and are too blind to safely use the clone stamp tool. And if you’re ever in the DC area, I’d be happy to help you with your frog/toad ID problem.
And as for thinking twice, I put a bit of thought into my post. You’ll note that I started with accusations of an some non-specific deception, then made the patently ridiculous suggestion that his artistic license be revoked before launching into the self-righteous and personal “how can you…” tirade, finishing definining Scott’s crime as the unbelievably common inability to tell frogs and toads apart.
Anyone who had any doubts about the nature of my post after the first sentence of the second paragraph has a severely underdeveloped sense of humor, and anyone who feels the need to post a reply questioning my intentions after the patently obvious closing punchline needs to get to the ER right away for an X-ray–your funnybone is obviously broken.
Think twice before posting indeed.
James, you didn’t read the rules. No whining.
I thought I was bitching not whining, but I’ll concede that it sounds an awful lot like a tortured artist whining about how no one understands the true depth of his fingerpaint portraiture.
Hi James:
I totally took it as a joke—-no worries. :)
I gotta tell you though, when reading it the first time, I was really relieved when I finally got to the Toad part. :)
-Scott
Why the votes are being changed?
I have to mention that the promotion and participation of people in this event in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic has been overwhelming, with such a success that the People’s Choice votes are being taken very seriously. The event was announced in major publications and now everyone is taking advantage of the opportunity to vote for the picture representing our country. However, last night we had over 1,000 votes and now is down to 33… why is this? Please, provide an answer because people are asking me and I don’t know what to say.
Great work by so many people participating in these walks! I am looking forward to doing these again next year!
I figured you would take it as a harmless joke–even if my delivery was sub-par.
But seriously, if you’re in the DC/NOVA area in the spring or summer and have a free evening, I’d love to show you around some wetlands and play “Professor James” while showing you all the frogs and toads. I guarantee you’ll leave with more knowledge of the the little guys than when you arrived. And there will be some great photo ops, provided you don’t mind the mud–but living in FL, you’ve probably got scads of amphibian pics already.
I really liked this shot “Best B&W With One Part Color Shot That I Normally Wouldn’t Like, But Here I Really Like It”
Just for my own knowledge…the image inside the lens was transformed in PS to be rightside up, otherwise since it’s not reflecting off the camera’s mirror it would be reversed of what the naked eye sees…right??
I also liked this one “B&W With One Part Color”.
But the main reason I posted my comment is I really would like to know Scott, why you normally do not like such kind of pictures. I understand that it is a sence of taste. Personaly I like B&W with one/two particular color.
I would like know you opinion as Pro.
Thanks a lot for sharing.
Hi akeksART:
Just ’cause it’s usually used on a bride holding a bouquet (where everything is B&W but the flowers). I’ve even taught that exact same technique, so I’m probably just tired of seeing it, but I thought this one was really clever. :)
In the end, it’s all just personal preference, but sometimes a shot comes along, like this one, that makes you see the technique in a new light. :)
-Scott
Wow, I really love the macro shot of the bee and the frog. Congrats guys.
Thank you so much for mentioning my picture!
It really means a lot to me, since I’m a self-taught, amateur photographer who hasn’t participated in a photowalk or any competition before.
Congrats to all the people who captured all those wonderful moments!
Thanks a lot!
Indeed Adorama deserves some attention for sponsoring the event, as Scott suggests. Attention should be paid to a retailer that charges customers for workshops and events that B&H generously offers free of charge. And attention should be paid to a retailer whose business model is to have sales people talk down and insultingly to it’s customers.
Maybe Adorama was trying to BUY some love by sponsoring the event?
Do you really feel it’s necessary, or reasonable, to jump in and rant about something that has nothing to do with the effort these people put into the photographs?
Gene
I was extremely concerned to read your comments, and firstly would like to offer a sincere apology that, from the points you have noted, you have been addressed with anything than the utmost respect by any member of the Adorama staff team.
Please do email me with further details of the incident(s) and I will give it my immediate attention.
By the way, we do offer many events and learning opportunities that are absolutely free of charge, for example:
http://www.adorama.com/alc/category/AdoramaTV the fabulous videos from Mark Wallace, and
http://www.adorama.com/alc/ the wide range of product reviews and articles from the Adorama Learning Center.
In addition, although we make a charge for many of our workshops, the main reason for this is to ensure that places are reserved by people who will actually turn up on the day (important when places are limited); we then usually offer a store credit to the full value of the ticket.
Once again my apologies, and I really do look forward to hearing from you and addressing the issues you have raised.
Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
HelenO@adorama.com
http://helenoster.blogspot.com
yes.. at the photo walk are a lot of people that they have kit lenses and cant make very sharp shots… or the time in the location was very cloudy and no good ligh….
and that happend by us: http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/brasov-brasov-romania-old-town/ just take a look at that poor light… it was… not that good…
Thanks Scott for making these photo walks :)
Scott,
When you compare this year’s winning shot to the winning shot from the first Photo Walk, one must conclude: you are to flying birds what Matt is to canoes!
The “best tonal effect” is a pretty powerful shot. That and the shot of the fireworks were the only ones that really stood out. But there’s not compositionally a bad shot, just personal preference.
The other thing that should be noted, I think, is the wide range of locations. It’s really neat to see how many different places in the world are represented. I had signed up for the first one a couple years ago and it stormed, cancelling it. Since then health prevents me from walking that much, but it’s fun to watch.
I think you should have Patricia Stalter do a post on how she produced that B&W image. I would have given it best in show for its originality and clever technique.
This may sound biased but I have to agree since I was the one that selected this image from a number of really good pictures submitted by the Los Alamos Photwalk participants.
So you think it was a “set up”…
I can’t take credit for the “set up”. After wandering around for about an hour, I had reached the old Union Hotel in Los Alamos, CA . I noticed a few of my fellow photogs in the bar. Richard, (the model) was just in the process of drawing the old window shade in the background,down and filled a glass with what I’m sure was iced tea, he then put on the fedora..(now I’m not certain that it was a fedora, but I don’t know a frog from a toad either) He lit the cigar and I was happily at the other end of the bar (80mm) shooting with my Canon 7D, Tamron 18-270 lens. Mounted on a monopod. Set at f5.6, 1/160, ISO 800. I took advantage of about 5 different poses and wandered off. Post processing consisted of Nik Define to reduce the noise, Nik Silver Efex to convert to BW. Brought back the original color in the drink. Cropped a bit and added on little wisp of smoke with a Brusheezy smoke brush.
I am honored to have received the recognition for this image. Thanks to all who did the work and made this possible. I will most certainly continue to participate in the WW Photo Walks in the future!
Sincerely… Pat Stalter
p.s, Frank- a special thanks for choosing my image!
This just in from Richard “Frank…..I is famous and no one knows me………thanks…..richard”
Great shots! That waterfall was from my walk. :-)
What a diverse and amazing collection of photographs!
Scott, thanks for recognizing my photo – I’m honoured by the recognition. Thank you also for helping to improve my skills over the last number of years.
Some really fantastic shots here, Scott. Glad you published them. Agree that Patricia Stalter’s shot is awesome.
You honor me! Thank you very much!
Scott,
This ones funny!
At our club meeting last week we talked about the walk and future club walks we will be having. Some of our new members were asking about “Scott Kelby” and “NAPP” (yes there are photogs who have not heard of this) and I began telling them the benefits of being a member and following “all things” Scott K. I also mentioned the discounts at NAPP from folks like Adorama….then I realized, our meeting is at Spartan Photo Center (yes the owner was there)! OOPS
PS Scott, please don’t do the Razzies.
There’s some great photos in here. I especially love the B&W shot of the Moscow Circus and the fireworks & bridge shot. Good stuff.
I am honored to have my little Hummingbird image selected as one of the favorites:
Best “How’d You Get So Lucky To Have a Hummingbird Fly Up” Shot
Photo by: Pam Borrelli (San Francisco, California USA)
I was pretty lucky for sure, I think the nectar was especially sweet because he paused for a nano second. This was my first San Francisco PhotoWalk and it was really an extraordinary experience. I have loved seeing all of the wonderful images posted.
“Best Shot That Made Me Wish I Was At Their Photo Walk
Photo by: Jacques Pontbriand (Montréal, QC Canada)”
I told McNally, Arias, Hobby and even FStoppers. Montreal is a nice place for photography ! Why nobody dare to cross the border and come check in person ? Make a workshop in Montreal !
A great job by all of the runner ups. I’m feeling esp. bummed I could not participate this year. I really, really, really like Patricia’s photo.
Thank you so much!
Wonderful post!
Some of the titles made me giggle.
Your right on the HDR photo, definitely needs a bump in black. I don’t mind the saturation as much, but increasing the black point would make it perfect, IMO.
Thanks for sharing.
Some great shots there. I really like the “Best ” tag’s you have used. Specially boy who wants to go to potty.
Nice picks.
Thank you very much for selecting one of my photos and THANK YOU for creating the photo walk.
It was a terrific experience and I think it’s great that so many people can come together and capture these moments and share them with so many people.
I can’t wait for next year!
Scott, Thanks for the mention for my “Best Picture that never happened because a photog had to be somewhere else that day”. Next year, booking that day off!
Congrats Everyone!
Well done to you all who have their photos put up on this blog. They are all really effective, although my favorites would have to be the “Shot From Above” purely because of the vibrancy of that yellow will the other colors around it. The second photograph I like would be “Clever Composition That Creates a Message” just because of the the simplicity of it and it’s cleverness. Third and final photograph I like is the “Waterfall with HDR” , just because of the sharp quality of it and the tranquility of it.
Awesome set of photography Scott!!! I really like ‘the best shot of windows’ can’t put my finger on why though!!
thanks for putting this together!!
Scott, thank you for reviewing my photograph. I really appreciate the comments. You and your staff do great things. We should never stop learning. Congrats to everyone that participated. Looking forward to next years photo walk already.
Vern
I wish to thank you for your annual photowalk around the world with all the planning there is involved to host such an event…… I really do it for the exercise and the love of photography! If you ever come to the Montreal area during the Summer months you will find a city that loves people and is very lively with all types of outdoor festivals and if I can be of any assistance to you please feel free to contact me.
Jacques
A great virtual visit around the world. I liked many of these and look forward to joining a Photo Walk here in my part of the world soon.
Hello Scott,
Big fan here. You already know that the photowalks have reached the far sides of the planet. Here’s an article in a Pakistani newspaper for the photowalk held in Karachi (one of the finalist pictures came from that walk):
http://blog.dawn.com/2010/07/27/walk-the-walk/
It is a bigger accomplishment on your part than you realize, I’m talking society building peace establishing kind. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I love looking at the shots from all over the world knowing they were all taken the same day. I hope next year the people leading this year’s walk will NOT automatically be allowed to lead again. The Pensacola guy chose the exact same walk he did last year so we went to Destin instead. He was so so. Nothing was prearranged (permission to shoot at a outdoor mall or ask for access to normally restricted areas), no communication from him before or after the walk, and he did not arrange reservations after the walk to chimp our pics. The restaurant he choose spread us all over and only served drinks upstairs. Though overall the experience was worth repeating. Thanks for all you do.