Contest topic: People Working in Their Environment
The images that had their greatest impact were those that clearly depicted a person's face and their level of involvement with their work. Still, as you will see, a few of the environmental components of the images held interest as well. There were many excellent entries and thanks to all contestants.
Honorable mentions:
Inside Potter's Shop by Vijay
This image was almost a winner. The natural light, narrow depth of field, and composition are all top notch. However I didn't get as much of a sense of emotion from the image as from the three top images. Certainly, some of the readers will disagree, but there you go.
Teaching the Youth by Chasp
The facial expressions are great in this image. The background elements to the left were distracting to me, but the image is solidly in the domain I was looking for.
The Mechanic by Walter Koenig
The man's face says it all as he adds "just the right amount" of oil. However the crop and lighting weren't as good for me, though the old-time exposure adds to the overall feel of the image.
I am including three shots where you can't really see the person's face, but the environment is captivating:
Pipe Cutter by Arnie Peterschmidt
I like the action and how well the image depicts the proximity of danger to these workers. Also, a long time ago I cut and welded metal, so this one strikes home!
Old Timer Panning Gold by Markus Grompe
The image nicely depicts the man slowly panning for gold along a beautiful river.
American Cowboy by Suzanne Matthia
This could be a painting. A beautiful slice of life, nicely rendered on a snowy, cloudy day. As good as possible with less-than-ideal light conditions.
And the winners are...
Third Place: Olive Lady by Gill Kopy
This image is not lit as well as the other winners, but it does an awesome job of capturing the woman at her work, while her mind is far away. I also like the composition, as the empty space to the left emphasizes her gap in attention to the market.
Second Place: Street Violin Player by Maaike Huizer
A beautifully rendered image, nicely going from sharp to blur, and depicting the man's emotions as he plays his music, whether or not anyone is listening. The repeating elements of shadows and columns bring you into the image, listening to his song.
First Place: Navajo Silversmith by Suzanne Matthia
To my eye, this is a fine photograph. The image is sharp, the concentration of the man is evident, and, despite the tools, there is an air of mystery about exactly what he is doing, accentuated by the smoke. The brightness of the hammer is a bit of a distraction, but overall the lighting, particularly on the man's face, is just right. It's a bit of an unusual crop, perhaps to reduce clutter, but I feel that this image brings us the closest to a person and the environment in which they work.
Suzanne, congratulations and the baton is passed to you!