what a dull award winning mountain photo!

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 pebbles 05 Nov 2015
proof that what makes a good photo is all very subjective. I'm astonished that the winning pic, which I reckon would get about a 3 on ukc, won Trail Magazine's 2015 UK Mountain Photo of the Year over the competition, which contained some genuinely outstanding and imaginative photos. I reckon I would have gone with blencathra, corn du, glydr fawr or the cuillin ridge - but the ben nevis one? dull dull dull

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-34724709
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 balmybaldwin 05 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

It's not great, but its not bad either.... as you say many better ones on UKC and UKH this year
1
In reply to pebbles:

Agreed. Very ordinary, and I don't think the horizon is even quite horizontal. Not particularly interesting light, and a rather poor composition. Not very interesting conditions either, with so much of the scree on the ridge exposed.
3
 FactorXXX 05 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

Well, it was voted for by ramblers...
1
In reply to pebbles:

Actually, looking at it again, I think it's even worse. Scores 2 at most. It really is a ghastly composition in not very attractive (midday) light.
3
Graeme G 05 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

Completely agree. So many others in the final were far far better. And that's me with not a very good eye for a picture.
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 Dark-Cloud 05 Nov 2015
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

It is pretty poor, too much foreground, washed out sky, wonky horizon, meh....
1
 Derry 05 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

Any of the others look far better. Maybe it was the fact he had a 'death defying' story to tell with it!
1
 Dark-Cloud 05 Nov 2015
In reply to Simon Caldwell:

The only good bit is how awesome the snow looks in the bowl off the back of CMD Arete (don't know the name of it sorry my Scottish knowledge is rubbish) must be skiable ?
 Babika 05 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

Its quite nice

That's about as far as I'm prepared to go
 Steve Perry 05 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

Blimey! At most a 4, if people were feeling very generous.
1
 malk 05 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

pretty gripping story though?
it would get a 3 on UKC..
Wiley Coyote2 05 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

A stunning example of why public approval is seldom a reliable recommendation of anything. On that basis the Sun is the best newspaper and Eastenders, Bake Off and Strictly respesent the pinnacle of UK TV output
1
 buzby 05 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

agreed, pretty average and no where as good as some of the others.
abseil 05 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

> ....I'm astonished that the winning pic, which I reckon would get about a 3 on ukc, won Trail Magazine's 2015 UK Mountain Photo of the Year over the competition....

My problem is, I don't know a good photo from a hole in the ground.
 Toccata 05 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

As with most panel-judged awards, the winner is generally the overall least-bad. Scores are awarded by each judge and striking images often appeal to some but not others so get overall lower scores. Look at the overall winners of panel tastings of wine (IWC for example) where the supreme champion is often mediocre at best.
 BRUCESTRAC 06 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

If only the photographer was as talented as all of you...

I liked the shot, some of the others were possibly better, depend son your outlook/mood etc.

At least it was bright and very pretty.

Maybe they should only open these comps to "real" photographers eh Gordon?

Just as well it´s still a free country and not every where's as predictable as the forums here..
12
 Simon Caldwell 06 Nov 2015
KevinD 06 Nov 2015
In reply to BRUCESTRAC:

> If only the photographer was as talented as all of you...

I wouldnt be upset if I had taken it but I really wouldnt expect it to win anything.
In reply to Simon Caldwell:

To be fair, it rendered much better in a large format in the print version of the magazine. Some pretty mean spirited comments on this thread; I reckon its a 4-5 shot- though perhaps not from the version in the beeb story linked. It certainly isn't a 2, Gordon!

I didnt think it was the best though - several others from the short list were better I though. And of course the galleries here are loaded with much better photos, most weekly winners on here would have been better than many short listed ones from the trail comp. maybe people should enter it next year- a couple of grands worth of cameras and equipment, surely worth a punt...?

2
In reply to KevinD:

If it was one of mine I might have binned it, but most likely it would have been relegated as a 'record shot' - i.e. useful to see what the Ben looks like from that particular viewpoint etc (and a record of what the weather was like at that time of that particular day.) Whatever, it would have been kept among the 'seconds' and not among 'publishable shots'.
In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

But are you saying it's been cropped? It's just such a peculiar, hemmed-in composition.
In reply to BRUCESTRAC:

> Maybe they should only open these comps to "real" photographers eh Gordon?

There's no such thing as a 'real' photographer - anyone can be a photographer. But there are professional photographers (as I was once, but am no longer, as I'm concentrating full time on writing now.)
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

No, same composition I think- just that on print, in a large format, it had an impact that the small version on the screen doesn't. The shot is very sharp, and I think the composition with the strong lines from the arête and the NE buttress is pretty good. I'd only give it 3-4 based on the beeb story version, but having seen the larger print one, I'd give that 4-5 for sure.

Having said that its still not the best even from the shortlist, never mind some of the ones on here

Cheers
Gregor
1
 Simon Caldwell 06 Nov 2015
In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

> maybe people should enter it next year- a couple of grands worth of cameras and equipment, surely worth a punt...?

on the basis of the winner, I'd agree. on the basis of some of the losers, I wouldn't waste my time.
And I expect there's some sort of clause about giving them free use of all entries without payment?
In reply to pebbles:

Personally I think it is the best, mainly as it isn't ridiculously manipulated as far as colour goes. It looks natural, the others all look computer-made.
In reply to pebbles:

Whaaat!? It looks like it was taken with a phone. It's crap!
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KevinD 06 Nov 2015
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

> Whatever, it would have been kept among the 'seconds' and not among 'publishable shots'.

Yup personally it might be for flickr or here depending on what else got taken that day but if I decided to try and sell photos it wouldnt get onto the "I am worth hiring" portfolio.

Looking at it the judging panel chose the top 20 and then it was online voting to get the winner. Looking at their blumf looks like they wanted a story more than pure photography.
"It doesn't have to be technically perfect; it doesn't even have to be taken in the most stunning location – it just needs to be an inspiring image that shows off what you love about the UK mountains. "

http://www.livefortheoutdoors.com/Latest/Search-Results/Competitions-and-of...
 Robert Durran 06 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

I hope that would never have made it out of my camera............but then I've occasionally thought that about POTW on here!
 felt 06 Nov 2015
In reply to malk:

> it would get a 3 on UKC..

Nah, a 4 (although I probably wouldn't give it a vote).
 ScottTalbot 06 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

It doesn't stand up to any of the other photos on that page!?! No thought to composition at all, that I can see....
Removed User 06 Nov 2015
In reply to Paul Phillips - UKC and UKH:

It doesn't matter what it was taken with. Some brilliant photos have been taken on phones. I don't think the kit is the issue here...

In reply to pebbles:

No one's yet mentioned that one reason why the harsh midday light in this shot is so unattractive is that no attempt has been made to filter out the UV. In the days of film cameras we all had a huge range of filters, which we changed the whole time, as required. All my lenses, as standard, had either UV or 81a filters on them (the latter on the longer lens). For this shot I would have used an 81b.

Of course, none of this is necessary nowadays with the ease of Photoshop. So why wasn't that easy correction work done here? It's just a raw snapshot with two serious technical problems in need of correction. But, even before that, there's the problem of the very odd, slightly claustrophobic composition ... of a subject that's one of the airiest places in Britain, and with the most expansive view!
In reply to pebbles:

Personally, I preferred the Blencathra and Cuillins shots.
 Morgan Woods 06 Nov 2015
In reply to abseil:

> My problem is, I don't know a good photo from a hole in the ground.

Well getting out of the hole and standing up to take the photo would be a good start.
moffatross 06 Nov 2015
In reply to Dark-Cloud:

> "... how awesome the snow looks in the bowl off the back of CMD Arete (don't know the name of it sorry my Scottish knowledge is rubbish) must be skiable ?" <

It's called Coire Leis, and along with The North Face gullies, and both sides of Carn Mor Dearg, it's all skiable ... https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7210/14077620003_6918c7bdd5_h.jpg


abseil 06 Nov 2015
In reply to Morgan Woods:

> Well getting out of the hole and standing up to take the photo would be a good start.

Thank you!!!! I shall certainly try that, and take the lens cap off AS WELL!
altirando 06 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

Coincidentally, I met a young woman out in the Welsh border country a few weeks ago who had been nominated for some sort of landscape photographer of the year. I actually bought one of her framed prints. Presumably not this winner, as her shots are far better visually and technically. Name Sarah Canton. Worth looking up I suggest.
 Enigma 08 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

If you want to know why this guy won look no further than his instagram account. He has something like 30k followers and has been encouraging people to vote for his photo for weeks.

https://instagram.com/p/9y5crQBwPg/
 FactorXXX 08 Nov 2015
In reply to Enigma:

He even has a few kind words about this very thread!

 Sean Kelly 08 Nov 2015
In reply to Enigma:

Nothing happens on that link apart from a blank white screen?
Incidently I saw the photo in Trail recently and thought it a very poor choice. But at the end of the day it all depends on the judges and how it is assessed. I remember a long time back Ken Wilson saying that he would never publish a photo of someone on a pinnacle, whcih I thought strange. You could say that you would never publish an out of focus image, but I remember an out of focus image of ballet dancers that was stunning. It's all about vision, which was obviously lacking from the judges in the Trail photo comp.
 Glyno 08 Nov 2015
In reply to Enigma:

>... and has been encouraging people to vote for his photo for weeks.


To be fair, he's not been the only one

In reply to Sean Kelly:

Judges were his 30000 followers on Instagram....

Good for him, perhaps his 2500 quid worth of equipment which he brags about winning on his page there (link worked for me) will help him take better photos... One day he might actually take one which will win a competition without recourse to getting his mates to vote for him...

(Said as someone that actually quite liked the photo and was supportive of him upthread...!)

Cheers
Gregor
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OP pebbles 08 Nov 2015
In reply to Enigma:

Haha, presumably someone of this parish then. The power of crowd sourcing....Never mind, have a look at this week's top photos list instead which includes some genuinely stunning pics.
moffatross 08 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

Fishing for likes is a sign of the times (the UKC forum button is a good example) and I'm sure all the entrants will have done it to some extent. You don't enter a goody give-away contest if you're not going to self-promote. What I mostly find odd is that the BBC have taken to giving air time to what's basically a viral marketing campaign from a commercial organisation.
1
Jim C 09 Nov 2015
In reply to BRUCESTRAC:
> If only the photographer was as talented as all of you...

You have hit the nail on the head there, I am constantly impressed by the very high standard of photographs taken by UKC photographers.

My guess is their own high standards would have stopped them even entering this photo, perhaps unaware that the bar for winning would be set so low. ( I guess it depends on the calibre of the judges, and what impresses them)
Post edited at 02:21
 Dark-Cloud 09 Nov 2015
In reply to moffatross:

Cheers, your link doesn't work......
moffatross 09 Nov 2015
 Dark-Cloud 09 Nov 2015
In reply to moffatross:

Nice, like that shot, got any more ?
 Jimbo C 09 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

I agree, it's a very uninspiring shot. Pretty flat contrast, nothing interesting going on and poor composition. Having said that, the one thing he did do well was to promote himself which is something not to be under-rated if you're looking to make a living from your camera. One only has to look at the poor quality of some of the photos on postcards and greetings cards to see the truth in this.
 FactorXXX 09 Nov 2015
In reply to Cobine:

Have you really joined UKC to post that offensive twaddle?

1
 Mike Highbury 09 Nov 2015
In reply to FactorXXX:
> Have you really joined UKC to post that offensive twaddle?

Why not? I did.
Post edited at 18:29
 FactorXXX 09 Nov 2015
In reply to Mike Highbury:

Why not? I did.

Good point, but at least you probably had the courtesy to be offended by other UKC'rs first!
 sid68 12 Nov 2015
Well there's no accounting for taste but I quite liked the winning photo, but then I have a soft spot for the CMD; going again over Christmas.
BTW, quite like the runners-up as well! lol
 stp 15 Nov 2015
In reply to pebbles:

Agree. Much preferred the next one down, the black and white of Blencathra, Lake District.

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