147th Show & Tell Competition: Beautiful ugliness - WINNER

[hiero]

Thank you all for entering the contest and sending in your best beauty and ugliness images. The choice of winners is of course purely subjective, which is a good thing though. I honestly let only the images themselves influence my judgement, without looking at photogs names.

Judging was difficult but fun because I had to try and read your minds as to the reason for entering the competition with these particular images. I have three honourable mentions (in no particular order) and a third, second and first place.

HM: Moved indoors by FISHIT. It's gray and derelict but I like the idea that the tree will probably outsurvive the structures. Well done Dennis.


HM: Lone tree by STUARTJR. A classic in this genre. The cleanliness of the image and the well balanced colour areas make this one very attractive. Great work Stuart.


HM: no title by JUANJOSEREYES. The stress of urban living, sounds, smells, noises and ugly dogs. Yes, probably contrary to the idea of the photographer, for me the beauty is not in the dog but in the low angle and closeness of the dog that make it all really coming at you. I like it Juan!


3rd: Up the column by PINEMIKEY. The harsh surroundings of an oil rig, the knowledge that the workers have to go through these rusty and dangerous columns contrasts strangely with the sheer esthetics of the image with warm colours and converging lines. Thanks, Michael.


2nd: WC by JLBEN. Ugly? You should see mine! Well, no, seriously, I like what you have done here (no pun intended). Your new camera and lens are ideal for this kind of indoor photography. Here again the subject's ugliness is balanced by the soft colours and esthetics of the composition. I am hoping for a series, Juan.


1st: Dead squirrel by PAJAMACAT. This has to be the winner. Death is always ugly, but the lightness of the setting and the floating flower leaves create a sense of liberation and peace. The image has very special colours and it is made perfect by the fact that the squirrel's tail arrangement makes that it resembles a flying bird, especially on the smaller version. Congratulations on this one, William!


It is up to you to host 148 now William! You should see a new contest button top left in the S&T forum.

Best,
Jeroen

BTW The semi-automated systems seems to be working again, Emily took action and also updated the S&T competition history.

[fishit]

All good choice for winners, congrats to all. Thanks for the HM nod I appreciate it.
Thanks to the PBase team for setting auto back up.

[kzaret]

Interesting topic and the winners are great!

[jlben]

Thank you very much Jeroen for the 2nd place, very good choices
I´ll study to make a serie of this kind, you can take snaps with this little camera and a free hand

Congrats to the winner and all the others above!

[pajamacat]

Thanks very much for choosing me for first place. Took this a few years back at the Planting Fields in Oyster bay N.Y. I was there to take flowers and such. Little did I know that a dead squirrel would be the best I would take that day!! Went back a year later and there was another floating in the same pool!! Yes. As Keats less studious brother once said "Beauty is ugly and ugly beauty". Never paint your mind in a corner with some trivial, subjective word such a beauty. Just snap the darn thing and maybe it will become useful some day. Thanks again William Von Gonten

[stuartjr]

Thank you very much for the honourable mention .... very much appreciated

[pinemikey]

Gee, thanks for considering my images and choosing the Up the Column image for 3rd place. I haven't contributed here is a very long time and to come back to such a positive result is very gratifying.

[juanjosereyes]

Thanks for the Honorable Mention.

Juan
http://www.pbase.com/juanjosereyes