Question about a winning picture on pop photo magazine

[Weichang Yang]

Hey...
For those who had read the August 1999 issue of Popular Photography,
there is a "Your Best Shot" contest featuring a photo "Return to the
fold" for
2nd prize. If you've viewed this picture, could you explain to me why
it's considered a winner? It's even not a sharp picture. Or is it
meaningful by any means? or any religious metaphor?
I'm really a beginner. Guess that's why I couldn't find any
meaningfulness
out of the picture. Any explanation is appreciated.
-Weichang Yang

[Heavysteam]

<<For those who had read the August 1999 issue of Popular Photography, there is
a "Your Best Shot" contest featuring a photo "Return to the fold" for 2nd
prize. If you've viewed this picture, could you explain to me why it's
considered a winner? >>

I was hoping you could explain it to me !! I don't get a lot of what I see
in Pop Photo. They seem to have a digital fetish that forces them to include
at least one bad (I've never seen a good one yet-- most are awful or worse)
digital photo in every contest, and the parade of over-saturated Velvia
flowers, walls and sunsets is worse than having to look through a whole Meunch
book at one sitting. I guess sometimes they just get a large pile of
hopeless snapshots and none are any good. Anyway, I'm not sure what their
judging criteria are other than what size and format they need to jigsaw
together on the page.

[pars...@my-deja.com]

Sorry your beautiful full color picture of sour grapes didnt win. Why
dont you try again when you figure out what the little red light means.

In article <19990919201313...@ng-fd1.aol.com>,

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[R. Michael Walker]

If you'd like to see good Fine Art Digital Photography check out
http://home.pacbell.net/rmwpro/index.html

Heavysteam <heavy...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19990919201313...@ng-fd1.aol.com...

[Lewisvisn]

It was said:

"<<For those who had read the August 1999 issue of Popular Photography, there
is
a "Your Best Shot" contest featuring a photo "Return to the fold" for 2nd
prize. If you've viewed this picture, could you explain to me why it's
considered a winner? >>

I was hoping you could explain it to me !! I don't get a lot of what I see
in Pop Photo. They seem to have a digital fetish that forces them to include
at least one bad (I've never seen a good one yet-- most are awful or worse)
digital photo in every contest, and the parade of over-saturated Velvia
flowers, walls and sunsets is worse than having to look through a whole Meunch
book at one sitting. I guess sometimes they just get a large pile of
hopeless snapshots and none are any good. Anyway, I'm not sure what their
judging criteria are other than what size and format they need to jigsaw
together on the page."

I second that emotion!

Actually, I agree w/ you. It seems that Popular Photography, as their title
suggests, is aimed at a "popular" audience, w/c for them probably means lowest
common denominator cliche's taken from camera club rejects slide night
(cliche'd landscapes/flowers/animal shots w/ very little vision beyond the
occaisional bland pretty composition - in other words, shots that could
probably illustrate the most beginning level book of photo techniques). I can
count on less than half a hand the number of issues of Popular that I would
consider worthwhile keeping/buying (the issues that had Coccaine Blue/Cocaine
True (powerful pictures by Eugene Richards) and the 1990 issue w/ a
condensation of Henry Wilhelm's archival findings, and possibly a more recent
issue that included Wilhelm's findings as part of the article and the article
that tested 50mm lenses). Beyond that the photography that's featured,
especially in "Your Best Shot" seems a little on the trite side to me. Few of
the photos or the articles do I ever find even remotely "inspirational" - a
monograph of my favorite photographers (and other artists) usually has to fill
that need. Oh well...

That's my opinion and I'm stick'n by it.

Regards,

Lewis Lang

"LEWISVISION" - "Fine art and stock photography (conceptual surrealistic people
and still life photography, from the real to the surreal and beyond!)

http://members.aol.com/Lewisvisn/home.htm

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