Amateur Photographer Magazine

Here are the results of the May Forum Competition.

Wasn’t it ‘Not The Nine O’clock News’ that ran a series of spoofs of the Volvo advert where a piano would come crashing down on unsuspecting pedestrians? It became a popular joke that you should look right, left and up whenever you crossed the road, but now falling pianos have slipped into the history of British comedy I wonder if we ever take the time to look straight up at the sky to see what we are missing all day. Here in London you actually have to look up to see the sky as buildings block the horizon in most places, but once out in the countryside, at the sea and even here by the river the sky can be visible even to those who only look straight ahead.

This month’s images has us looking up, looking forward and even looking down to see what the sky is doing in a traditionally diverse collection. Once again you have pleased me, surprised me, shocked me and made me laugh with your interpretations of the theme. It’s a wonder that one idea can become so many different things once it has passed through the imaginations of the AP Forum photographer.

The shortlist above shows the first harvesting of potential winners. Special mentions should go to bench-ubbster for a wonderful picture that almost came third, and to seantee’s dreamlike roof, Azzi’s Space, datawise and glyn-gagetta.

Just to remind you of the prizes: the first placed image wins a wonderful Nikon Coolpix S210 compact camera – kindly donated by Nikon UK, and second and third placed pictures win a highly coveted ‘AP Loves My Pictures’ mug.

The winners are:

3rd place: Neil_L

In third place this month is the most striking shot of all – Neil_L’s amazing red lightning. The image has immediate impact firstly through the subject matter but also because of its colour, shape and composition. It really is a brilliant piece of work.

2nd place: OneTen

Second this month is another brilliant composition – from OneTen. We’ve all seen vapour trails before, but shot in this way, in stark black and white and cropped to the square format, the effect is really great. It looks a simple shot, but it must have required quite some thought to get it looking that way.

1st place: gmack

The winner this month is gmack, for this beautifully atmospheric skyscape. The sun streaking to earth to form patches of brightness, and that distance reflection in the water has created an ideal opportunity, which seems to have been grasped with both hands. I’m sure the scene would have looked great in colour too, but it is the soft tones and well-chosen exposure that really make it for me. It’s like a view you could stare at all day from a window.

Conclusion:

Damien Demolder