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10/11/2008
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For the final week of our first month of the contest we asked David Ferguson
- one of our favourite local lensmen - to go through the 242 entries and choose
a winner. Week
Five - and our second month of the contest - is now rolling but we still
need to decide on a first month winner and award Helly's March grand prize;
The Zone Jacket.
Be sure to check out the sweet Matt
Hunter Vid on hellyhansen.com as well.
Cam McRae
The winner from Week Four takes home the Packable jacket from
Helly Hansen. Perfect for stuffing into your pack. On the right is the
Zone Jacket - set aside for the March Winner which has yet to be decided.
First of all, I want to congratulate everyone on the fine
set of photos in the week 4 gallery. I saw a lot of good composition work.
It seems to me that people are starting to put more thought into leading lines,
perspective and composition in general. This is a great thing to see. Keep
it up!
David Ferguson
Disqualified.
Originally David chose this image by Duilio Polidori. Something about
the image - his proximity to the stage shoulder to shoulder with the other pros
probably - lead me to wonder how much of an amateur he really was. After
a couple of emails it was determined that he didn't meet our criteria.
It was inadvertent (Duilio is Italian and hadn't read our rules which are only
in English) and he was very gracious, but according to the rules he's bumped.
Paul Basagoitia shot by Duilio
Polidori
I shouldn't need to point out the obvious attraction of this photo:
pure emotion! Paul Basagoita has just won the RedBull Catania, and
he's damned excited about it. Timing is very crucial in photography
- not just with action shots, but with any shot. This is a perfect
example of good observation and good timing and a compelling reason
to keep your camera ready at all times. The other aspects of this
photo that I really like include the arms and camera coming up from
the lower left, the person on the lower right grabbing a shot and
the low angle from which it was shot (elevating Paul that much more).
This shot almost looks like a still from a movie set with the classic
architecture in the background and the uncanny placement of people
all around. Paul and his bike are the clear subjects of the photo
with their almost center placement working well with the people framing
either side. I don't think this image would have the same impact if
it was in colour. Nice work!
David
Ferguson
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First place for week four. Rider ~ Paul Basagoitia. Photo ~ Duilio
Polidori Click image
to see original file.
The New Week Four Winner
This is now the winning image for week four. We go from Italy to Poland.
Congratulations to Piotr Marek - who now will receive the Helly Hansen Packable
jacket to stuff in his bag for his next ride. Congratulations!
Such great light! The natural desaturated
look of this image is great. There is just barely enough light to reveal
the green of the trees. If it was any brighter I think the patches of
sky between the trees would be blown out. The exposure works perfectly
as it is. The environment is great - I love the fog and the curiosity
to where the ladder bridge leads. The photo is good enough to allow
me to overlook the crooked angle at which it was shot. I am not certain
if the crookedness was intentional, nor if it works. Perhaps yoonior
can let us know. Great photo.
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Second place. Rider ~ Rafal Adamus. Photo
~Piotr Marek, Jr. Click image
to view original.
| Gnarly roots, gnarly ladder bridge, gnarly
ground - I love it. The gritty b&w look really works well for
this photo. There's a lot of texture and detail to look at. The exposure
works well and the slower shutter speed allowing for the blurred rider
gives a good sense of movement. With so much detail and texture to
take in, I think the blurry rider would work better than a tack-sharp
rider in this shot. But hey, that's just my opinion. Strong work.
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Third place. Rider ~ Tom Petrin.
Photo ~ Rene Gouin. Click image
see original.
Ben Boyko taking a moment to let that
great afternoon sun shine on him. The colours & light are really
nice - especially the contrast between the steal-blue sky and any
of the yellow-orange sunlit objects. Maybe this year Crankworx will
wrap up the final runs before the sun drops behind the mountains.
It would make a lot of photogs happy.
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Honourable Mention 1. Rider ~ Ben Boyko. Photo
~ jon ashelford Click image
to see larger, uncropped version.
| Good use of the flash to freeze the
rider (and light up his face). The distortion from the wide-angle
lens working with the blurry background draw me into the photo to
the point where I think the background is moving around behind the
rider's head! I'd like to see a landscape version (rather than the
vertical portrait style) to reveal more of the trail behind the
rider.
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Honourable Mention 2. Rider ~ unknown.
Photo ~ Michal Jurewicz Click image
to see larger file.
Week five is now cranking. Click
here to see the entries. This week's winner will receive a
Volition Jersey and a pair of Shackle Gloves from Mace.
Treats from Mace: A Volition Jersey and a pair of Shackle Gloves
Cam McRae
Money Shot 2007 prizes are being provided by
the following sponsors.
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