![\"Miked-Winter's-Passing\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Miked-Winters-Passing.jpg\")
<\/a>\t\t\tPhoto by Miked<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n
December 2013<\/strong> –\u00a0 Winter Wonderland<\/em> The visual virtues of this shot are obvious, I think. It\u2019s a nice decision to hold the focus on the mountains in the distance. Most of the time we hold things in focus in order to draw attention to them. With that in mind, we should be focusing our attention on the background. In fact, it\u2019s had the opposite effect here \u2013 it actually places our attention firmly on the out-of-focus trees in the foreground. Seeing the background in this way makes it seem almost foreboding \u2013 there\u2019s something intimidating about it.<\/p>\n The title, of course, refers to the fact that Miked has shot this using a slow shutter speed while moving past the scene, which lends a stark and eerie quality to the shot. Despite being captured in Yellowstone National Park in the USA, the image brings to mind the trend for Scandinavian noir we\u2019ve seen in so many recent books and films.<\/p>\n\n\t\t Photo by Geren<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n January<\/strong> – Time For a Story<\/em> This picture succeeds in both creating a visually arresting image and telling a strong story through the simplest means. A woman clasps her dog as they both watch a train speed away. That\u2019s it. But what do we take from that?<\/p>\n The sight of a woman watching a train speed away brings to mind a variety of cinematic scenes, perhaps most notably from David Lean\u2019s Brief Encounter. Train stations can be a place of both love and heartache. They can bring lovers together or they can separate them entirely. Geren\u2019s choice to convert the image into black & white further emphasises this notion of a scene tinged with loss. Like the train station, monochrome is a thing of contradiction \u2013 it is both romantic and a medium of loss and emptiness.<\/p>\n\n\t\t Photo by Sarmad<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n February<\/strong> – Working With What You\u2019ve Got<\/em> Would this have been everyone\u2019s number-one image? Possibly not. But I really feel this is an image that has a great deal to say. That\u2019s the thing that can confuse people when dealing with abstract photography. What is it trying to show, and tell us?<\/p>\n Sarmad\u2019s description reads: \u2018From the mountain in southern Turkey. Overlooking the sea on a dull day. An experiment that paid off.\u2019 It certainly did. For me, Sarmad\u2019s image communicates the landscape in flux \u2013 something that is particularly true of the temperamental, ever-shifting lands found on the coast. No two coasts ever look the same. Light and landscape are always altering and reconfiguring to reveal something new each time. Shooting the image in this way communicates that idea brilliantly.<\/p>\n\n\t\t Photo by Catriona<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n March<\/strong> – In the Dirt<\/em> This was definitely one of my favourite images from the forum competition. Catriona is a regular entrant and with this image she\u2019s truly presented us with an image of absolute beauty and atmosphere. There\u2019s so much to say about it. Let\u2019s start with the way she\u2019s used the tree on the left-hand side to frame one edge of her image. It curves beautifully into the path below, which in turn sweeps us into the subject \u2013 the person with the umbrella. Is our subject a child or is the perspective an illusion? I\u2019m not sure. If it\u2019s a child, we see that shooting from a low angle has given us a glimpse of the world from a child\u2019s perspective.<\/p>\n Now add the wonderful fairy-tale quality of the toning and that gorgeous mist, and this image becomes a real winner. I even like the obscured forms in the background. Where is this person going? What\u2019s waiting for them out in the mist? This is a seriously good photograph.<\/p>\n\n\t\t Photo by Ready to Snap<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n April<\/strong> – Look At Me<\/em> I really love this shot. It\u2019s so uncomplicated, so raw and so honest. The crinkles in the brow, the detail in the hair and the arched eyebrow are all absolutely fascinating to me. I\u2019m a huge fan of portraiture and what appeals to me is the honesty of a portrait. I look at a portrait and I want to know everything about him or her. What have they seen? What experiences have they had? The look on his face goes beyond the blank stare we often associate with these kinds of images.<\/p>\n Ready to Snap\u2019s portrait has a particular aesthetic to it that I love. It\u2019s the lighting, I think. It just works. Why leave all that space on the right? Because it functions with the way the light falls upon the wall.<\/p>\n\n\t\t Photo by Stephen67<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n May<\/strong> – Everyday People<\/em> There\u2019s something genuinely sweet about this image. It\u2019s beautifully balanced, too \u2013 the angle and composition are just right. It can often be the case that when we see an image, the reason we like it is because of the subtle little elements of the scene. Our eye is drawn to one thing that perhaps everyone else viewing the image would not otherwise notice. For me, it\u2019s the newspapers on the edge of the counter. The way the corners are hanging off the surface, for some reason, holds my attention. I think it\u2019s perhaps because they act as a way of drawing your eye to the subject \u2013 the young boy.<\/p>\n\n\t\t Photo by Chris Evans<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n June<\/strong> – My Favourite Image<\/em> This marvellous shot from Chris was lit with two second-hand flashguns and, as you \u2018The first shot was taken with Jess lying on a large plastic barrel that was supporting her in the small of her back,\u2019 says Chris. \u2018Her right foot received extra\u2028stability from a small chair. Once all the elements were balanced in position,\u2028I took the shot. All props were then moved out of the scene and another shot was taken.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018The two shots I had were opened into one document in Photoshop, one on top of the other,\u2019 he continues. \u2018The image without Jess and the props was on the bottom layer.\u2028I created a mask layer for the top shot of Jess and as I masked off (or deleted) the area where I could see the barrel, it revealed the underlying image of the sofa shot without the barrel. Illusion created!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\t\t Photo by Helander<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n July<\/strong> – Playing in the Shadows<\/em> Regular visitors to the AP gallery and forum should by now be familiar with Helander\u2019s work. He\u2019s a photographer with a staggeringly good eye for landscapes. This is another wonderful example of his ability to draw out the atmosphere of a location. In my undying quest to compare everyone\u2019s work to that of famous photographers, I\u2019d suggest taking a look at Tom Hunter\u2019s latest project, \u2018Axis Mundi\u2019. It\u2019s a lovely project and a massive departure for the artist. That\u2019s the work that came to mind when I saw Helander\u2019s image and, as always, I mean that as a huge compliment.<\/p>\n\n\t\t Photo by Ffolrord<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n August<\/strong> – The World Under Moonlight<\/em> Photography can transport us to places we may never otherwise visit. Images can give us the illusion of travel. But at the same time, photography can remind us of our place in the greater scheme of existence, whether that\u2019s in society, on Earth, or in this case, the cosmos.<\/p>\n Our world is so polluted by light that there are so few occasions when we are afforded scenes such as this. So until society crumbles and we start eating each other under starlight, we have images like this to remind us just how beautiful the universe is, and just how small we are within it.<\/p>\n\n\t\t Photo by Avt<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n September<\/strong> – Sticking to the Rules<\/em> The question is, does this image stick to the rules of photography? The trick is to look beyond its abstract nature. If you see through that and to the image that lies beneath, there is a relatively straightforward shot of architecture. But on the surface we have a surreal view of the city.<\/p>\n \u2018This is taken from my series Moscow City,\u2019 says Avt. \u2018It was shot on 35mm film and a swing-lens panoramic camera following a workshop with the great Russian photographer A Chegin.\u2019 Avt has made rather unconventional use of the camera. The building looks like it\u2019s falling through time. This is a fascinatingly different take on architecture photography.<\/p>\n\n\t\t
\nMiked \u2013 \u2018Winter\u2019s Passing\u2019<\/p>\n<\/a>\t\t\t
\nGeren \u2013 \u2018Au Revoir\u2019<\/p>\n<\/a>\t\t\t
\nSarmad \u2013 \u2018Missing\u2019<\/p>\n<\/a>\t\t\t
\nCatriona \u2013 \u2018Misty Road\u2019<\/p>\n<\/a>\t\t\t
\nReady To Snap \u2013 \u2018Other Side of the Glass\u2019<\/p>\n<\/a>\t\t\t
\nStephen67 \u2013 \u2018Hide\u2019<\/p>\n<\/a>\t\t\t
\nChrisevans \u2013 \u2018Jess: the Levitating Lady\u2019<\/p>\n
\nmay have guessed, is the result of two shots.<\/p>\n<\/a>\t\t\t
\nHelander \u2013 \u2018Callandish Standing Stones, Isle of Lewis\u2019<\/p>\n<\/a>\t\t\t
\nFfolrord \u2013 \u2018Sea & Stars\u2019<\/p>\n<\/a>\t\t\t
\nAvt \u2013 \u2018Rules and Exceptions \u2013 35mm film\u2019<\/p>\n