City Competition 1 - San Francisco : Results

Competition Winner : First Prize
$612.00 plus a Leica V-LUX 40 worth $800

Judges Comment
When judging submissions for this contest, we found ourselves looking at a quantity of wonderful images of San Francisco landmarks. Images included the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, Sutro Baths, and of course the fog. As we worked carefully through all the entries, we came across this simple but extremely poetic image and were taken by surprise. Deceptively simple at first, this B&W image of two women sunbathing with the Golden Gate bridge in the background functions on many levels, but what convinced the jury to select this as the winner may best be described in the words of Henry Wessel: " ...because you're suddenly seeing the coherence and that interconnectedness of everything, left to right, top to bottom, front to back, it's all connected and somehow it's in this balance and that's when you say -‐ yes! ".
Photographers Comment
On a glorious San Francisco day, I was taking a walk on Chrissy field and came across these two women sun bathing. It was a timeless San Francisco moment and I was able to capture it on film with my Leica M7. There is a sweet back story to this photograph. I received an email from a woman saying that her friend saw a picture of her and her elderly mother in an exhibit at the Jewish Community Center. The email stated that the highlight of each week for her mom was to spend an afternoon at Chrissy field. She asked for a copy of the print as she and her husband lost their jobs and had to move away from the City. The photo now hangs in her home in Israel as a reminder of her mother and the city she loved. The image was created in the darkroom. Thank you to the judges at Harvey Milk Photo Center for your comments and this exciting award!!!
www.franmeckler.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
This photo gained our favor because of a number of factors: first, the subject matter is quintessential of the San Francisco experience. The man hopping off the Cable Car is something that we see daily, whether as a tourist or a resident. Secondly, while the editing makes the scene appear to be so clean and crisp that it could be staged, we enjoy the idea (and probability) that this was, in fact, one of the moments captured that we see on a regular basis here in San Francisco. This is a fantastic image with great visual appeal.
Photographers Comment
Hi I'm Doug Berndt and I live in Edinburgh, Scotland. I had been in SF for a few days and wanted to shoot a cable car with the Bay Bridge in the background – using Google maps and street view I found that Nob Hill would allow this. When the cable car stopped I stepped on to the road and this passenger decided to get off. It was a long way down so he had to jump. I snapped 3 shots and for me this shot was "The decisive moment". The light was very difficult with strong back and side-light and so I dodged and burned a bit in Photoshop and cloned some bright highlights on the passenger's trouser legs. This image was one of my images from my successful LRPS panel submitted to the Royal Photographic Society in November 2012. You can see my panel on my website. There is also a colour version of this shot. Canon 5DMkII + EF70-200 f/2.8L, 1/1000 @ f5.6 ISO 500 (21 November 2011) Many thanks to the judges for their kind comments.
www.edinburghdoug.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
The simple, uncluttered look and elegant lines of this composition along with good technical execution make it a winner. The decision to use a long exposure to smooth out the water makes this image great!
Photographers Comment
How exciting! Thank you so much for this distinction. This image was captured using my Canon T4i with a Tokina 11-16mm lens one early Sunday morning in January. I was participating in a Bay area photo walk at the time and had decided to branch off on my own for a bit before heading home. I was happy the rain began to clear out just enough to capture the mood I was looking for with the long exposure clouds and water. Thank you kindly to the Harvey Milk Photo center for selecting my image.
www.lucashaynesphotography.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
This photo immediately drew us in because of its linear qualities, the grid-‐like quality of the photos which reminds one of the grid of lines that connect people, streets, buildings, and other parts of urban life that we can immediately connect with. The shot also draws attention to the magnificence of the face of the financial district as seen from the bay. It is a sight to behold, and this photographer captured it supremely well.
Photographers Comment
Thank you for selecting my photograph for a Mark Of Excellence, and congratulations to all of the other winners. My name is Doug Frost and I’ve been doing photography as an avocation for 30 years. My day job is in an unrelated field, so I have to do my picture taking in my spare time. I commute by ferry to San Francisco, which affords a unique opportunity to capture an endless variety of amazing scenes. The light and weather on San Francisco Bay are constantly changing and there’s always something interesting to see. I carry a camera bag with me daily, because you never know when you might encounter that once in a lifetime shot. This was one of those times. The light and the sky were perfect and the boat was in the right place at the right time. I shot it, handheld, with a Sony NEX-7 fitted with a 30-year old Nikon 105mm f/2.5 at 1/3200s, f/4.0 and ISO 200. The raw file was processed in Photoshop CS5.
www.pbase.com/dougfrost/fog_and_crescent

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
While dark and mysterious, the scene captured in this photo is one that is seen but not often made to work so well compositionally. The way that the pointed rock works with the two towers to create a rising triad is wonderful, and the deep black tones help develop a elevated tone and sense of mystery. This classic black and white photo has a timeless quality that could have been taken anytime between the advent of photography to the present day.
Photographers Comment
Thank you for selecting my photograph! This was taken from Fort Baker, in the Marin Headlands on February 15th, 2010. I used a 4x5" large format film camera, an Ebony 45SU, with a Fujinon-W 250mm f/6.3 lens. This is taken with a special infrared sensitive film, Efke IR820C, through a Hoya R72 filter, which allows light not visible to the human eyes to expose the film. The exposure was 1 second at f/16, and even that was a little underexposed, which is why the bridge and rocks are so dark, there's just no detail there! Infrared film darkens skies and water, and causes fog and clouds to be very bright as compared to shooting normal film. I scanned the film and processed with Photoshop, but most of the processing with scanned film is removing dust and scratches, then correcting the contrast. -Drew W. Saunders

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
We selected this beautiful image of the woman doing a yoga like pose on the sea cliff while the hang gliders float over the beach in the background because it conveyed a real sense of San Francisco and some of the popular activities done here. The image is well executed technically and compositionally. The play upon flying gliders and the woman with arms out like their wings was fun and added strength to the image.

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
Some images have the ability to speak beyond their technical merit. The judges found this image of the iconic Transamerica Pyramid to evoke a strong emotional quality. The tree branches included in the foreground give the viewer a strong sense of place. The image allows for the viewer to be there, in the exact location where the photographer was, and experience the view rather than simply seeing it.
Photographers Comment
Thanks for the vote. I live in San Francisco and I'm currently working on a bigger B/W collection. check them out on my 500px page below.
www.500px.com/adamoe

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
This aerial shot pulls together many of the elements which make a photo beautiful while simultaneously reminding us of the gorgeous land that surrounds our beloved San Francisco. The undulating lines of the hill, along with the winding, clean lines of Highway101 along with the rich texture of the sea, land and hills all make the photo pleasing. The style is reminiscent of an older time, one that calls to mind the calmness and beauty of life before everyone else owned a car.
Photographers Comment
Thank you I-SHOT-IT Team and jurors for taking the time and words to judge my work. It is an honor to be selected, I really appreciate the "Mark of Excellence"! My name is Dirk Nerling, I live in Germany. The photo was taken in February 2005 visiting SF on a business trip. We booked a flight above the SF bay with a seaplane, starting below the Bay Bridge. I used a Canon EOS20D with Tamron 28-75 at F8, ISO100 1/400 and 28mm. The picture was post processed with Lightroom and NIK Silver Efex.

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
The act of photographing transforms a 3-‐Dimensional plane into a 2-‐Dimensional plane. In this image the judges were captured by the dynamic layering created by the composition, giving the viewer the illusion of multiple dimensions. The overall sharpness of the image and use of color and other compositional elements allows for our eye to navigate the frame continuously refocusing. This image may not be of an iconic Bay Area building or landmark but speaks to the blending of the old with the modern, creating a unique space.
Photographers Comment
Joeann Edmonds-Matthew took this photo in Union Square, San Francisco. I was using a Cannon Powershot SX30, my walking around camera. Nothing was done post processing except a bit of a color enhancement push using iphoto. Thank you for choosing my photo.
joeannsphotos.photoshelter.com

Mark Of Excellence

Judges Comment
This photo of the iconic San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge has a wonderful composition that draws the eye through all parts of it. The vantage was different from many of the bridge images, and the inclusion of the chain fence by waters edge helped create a space that allows the viewer to imagine being part of and additionally creating compositional lines that draw the viewer to and across the bridge. The photographer's computer/technical skills were noted in the achievement of sharpness and clarity through the image.