12 February 2023

Judge

Over at "Geograph" one of my pictures was the winner for Week 4 in the 2023 Picture of the Week competition. 3321 eligible images were submitted that week so to come out as the overall winner was most pleasing.

There are no monetary prizes. No medals or shields, not even a holiday in the sun. Geograph is an amateur non-profit making photo sharing website.The only prize you get is to select the following week's winner. For Week 5, 2704 images had been whittled down to fifty by one of the site moderators. This was the shortlist I had to choose from.

In third place I put this excellent night picture of a shop window in Ross-on-Wye near England's border with Wales. The image seems quite surreal to me:-

In second position I put this photograph of a heron on the coast of Northern Ireland. I liked the lighting and the way the blown feathers look like hands - as if the heron is conducting an orchestra:-

Finally, the overall winner - "Mental Anguish":-

It is a quirky picture. The skewed horizon seems to echo the theme of mental desperation. The photographer is a Welshman called Alan Hughes. He has taken many wonderful photos in that part of Wales and beyond. This was his own description of the image: "On top of a small cairn on Southerndown beach someone has placed a stone with a poignant message. This beautiful, wild, forlorn area with its sheer limestone cliffs has several times been the scene of the last moments of people tormented by mental anguish. The car park above the cliffs even displays a Samaritans helpline number."

29 comments:

  1. These are powerful shots indeed.

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    1. Glad you see the merit in them Margaret.

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  2. Well congratualions, again. I know this is not the first time for you. I like the photos you chose as well, although I don't like the perspective of the last one. I understand why he took the shot that way though.

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    1. I like to win at least once every calendar year so it is nice to get my first winner so early in the year.

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  3. I think you chose well. I have to say though, that my favorite is of the shop.

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    1. The shop seems to contain some strange items.

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  4. They are all good and I really like the first one. But who nicked the church clock?

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    1. I would like that clock on my mantelpiece. Quite discreet.

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  5. That Heron could be saying: "There's got to be more fish in the sea". Whilst Mrs Heron cooked the chips in the air fryer. How do they work?

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  6. A beautiful selection and each worthy of its prize placement. I would love to browse within that shop.

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  7. Congratulations on your photo taking first place. We don't see enough of your photos on your blog posts.

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  8. Well chosen, even though we don‘t know what other, doubtlessly great, pictures were on the shortlist.
    The shop looks like a film setting for something fantastic, involving time travel. The Shop at the End of Time, maybe.

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    1. I can imagine Dr Who going in there and not coming out.

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  9. My favourite is also the first one, there's a lot to look at, and I'd love to visit the shop for a good old browse.
    They are all excellent photos and it must have been a difficult choice.
    The angle the third one is taken at does convey mental anguish, but I find it somewhat disturbing - not one to spend time looking at.

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    1. I think it was meant to be rather disturbing.

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  10. Write down the negative thoughts and throw them away, burn them, lose them.

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    1. If I burn them they might set my house on fire!

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  11. I agree with your assessment. The composition and unusual angle, as well as even lighting, make the beach photo the winner. I wonder if the photographer wrote that message or if he/she found it that way?

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    1. I believe what Alan Hughes said - he found it that way.

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  12. I think you made three excellent picks!

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    1. And I think that I will write your name in my good book!

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  13. Congratulations! What an achievement.
    I like the first two photos a lot. It does look like the heron has fingers.

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    1. You could stick a piano in front of that heron Melinda.

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  14. Congratulations, John. It is nice to be recognized!
    I like your selections! You should show us the photo that won you the award.

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    1. I haven't previously displayed my winning photo in this blog and my innate humility prevents me from doing so Ellen.... from Neil (not John)

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    2. I'm sorry, Neil. I don't know why I typed "John". I need to proof my typing better! :)

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Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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