www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi folks. This thread is here to allow you to cast your votes for the December 2007 competition (see entries at http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/phpBB2/v ... php?t=1810). You need to be registered and logged into the forums, where you'll be able to cast your vote for first place. Once you've voted, that's it!

Also - you won't see the current voting until you have voted!!!

This poll will run for 15 days.

So ... vote away!

Cheers,

- Pete

Well, we have 3 clear winners this month - well done to them all!

1st Mike Young

2nd Roger Gibbons

3rd Paul Kipling

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Cheers,

- Pete

Thanks Pete ,
Many thanks to those who voted for my image congratulations Roger and Paul for your placings and well done to all who entered.
Will try and comment on all the entries later if I get time, I think its an important part of the competiition.

That's a pint you owe me then Mike

Shhhhhhh....don't tell em all!

Well done again Mike , I voted for Roger Gibbons fantastic Clouded Yellow. I just loved the texture of the rock it was gathering salts from. I also was mightily impressed with the entry by Eccels and was stunned that it did not receive a vote As for Mr Kipplings I can only see a white box with a red cross in it, but I expect its exceedingly good.

Gruditch

Well done Mike, Roger & Paul and a huge thanks to who ever voted for mine.
Roger also got my vote this time round.

Yeah..but it was a VERY well taken red cross wasn't it.... just sussed it... I do mine via photobucket & I deleted some off there recently.. didn't realize it would delete here as well... sorry.. you live & learn!... I've just put it back.

congrats to all involved, especially the winners, I'm amazed by the quality every month & delighted I got some votes!

Ok heres my honest crit on the images this month, just my opinion and not aimed at being in any way maliceous.
The things I've mentioned were my way of sorting and judging the comp.

Padfield (Guy) Your image was certainly up close, and fitted the brief, however I found the background noise and the yellow/brown stalk rather distracting.

Gruditch(Gary) A good image, nice crop and placement in the frame, nice detail in the furry body, I looked at this one several times before deciding it was not quite as good for me as another image in the comp.

Denise, Very good image.., nice composition and subtle colours/tones, but did not for me fill the brief, ie not close up enough.

Dave, very strong colours/contrasts and shallow depth of field made it hard to view this image, also the eye of the moth was very central which for me didn’t sit well in the frame.


Colin, great exposure, and super colour, but not really close up and personal enough for me..

Gwenhwyfar (Lisa) Certainly up close and personal, good colour and nice back-lighting, but let down for me by that burnt out stem which constantly drew my eye.


V6GTO(Martin) Fitted the brief, and I like the dark back ground but it fought with the bright wing which drew my attention from the nice detail of the eye and proboscis.


Dave Mac, Nice and close with some good texture and colour, but a little on the soft side.


m_galathea Great action close up, and although we know whats going on, there isn’t really the detail to hold our attention, quite a noisy image, nice strong colour though.


Eccles, Fits the brief but only the eye and palps are critically sharp , although the eye has some lovely detail, I found the huge surrounding area of blur fairly distracting particularily the bright orange area of the wing.


Roger Gibbons, This shot got my vote , the image has impact, superb colour and masses of detail, my only small niggle would be, I think it’s a tad over sharpened, and…. is that dust on the sensor I see just in front of the wing ?

Paul Kipling . Stunning image, but to be honest, although filling the frame I felt it wasn’t that C&P , so IMHO didn’t fill the brief fully

Charles Nicol, nice image with some good colour, but although quite close up, not enough for it to dominate the frame, Lots of distraction in the fore ground foliage and back ground high lights.



FlyBy Wire, Lovely sho,t quite close and very personal, nice clean background, but would have liked to have seen the furthest Skip more in focus/view, also your finger needs burning in to stop your eye being drawn to it.


Roundwood, Good image, great detail, by oh why did ya get the garden chair in shot !


NickB Nice image, but not especially C&P, good clear background but quite noisy.



TW Quite close up with nice back lighting the head, legs and leading wing edge are nice and sharp, but theres an awful lot of distracting stems especially the large burnt out one. Top left.

Congratulations Mike, Roger and Paul.
Very well deserved. Brilliant images.

I voted for Gruditch this time around. I loved this image of a blue.
I would have voted for Gwen's fluff ball but she changed her mind.

Thanks Mike for the constructive comment (note to self, must try harder next year!)

Well done everyone who took part.

Denise

Sorry, posted twice, twitchy finger!

It's excellent to get such good critique/feedback from, in my humble opinion, the best photographer on this forum. Thank you Mike

Well done everybody !! Thanks for my vote

charles

ps i have just bought an Olympus 550 which has a "super macro" setting so those butterflies had better watch out

Yes, congratulations to all, especially the worthy winners, and also especially to Mike for helping to turn this monthly competition into a kind of photography masterclass!

As it happens, I voted for Mike but it was touch and go - really lovely pictures.

Guy

Thanks for the comments Mike, i was so chuffed to get the Bee-fly on my finger the background was the last thing on my mind, As my Butterfly picture collection grows perhaps i will be able to enter this competition with a Butterfly picture.
P.S whoever voted for me...."thanks"

Well done Mike,it comes as no surprise that you won this month.
Good shot,good lens,good bloke,3 out of 3 coudn't do better.


Cheers


Colin