Top 10 winners of the April 'Doorways' contest
The top three winners of this month's contest contain story lines, some mystery, and even a bit of history -- and the seven Honorable Mentions are just as intriguing, in the judgment of professional photographer Stephan Jacobs. Here are the top three finishers, with a link to a full-screen gallery of all 10 winners.
FIRST PLACE - $100
"This image was a standout upon my first review of April's submissions. As I poured over the finalists, this image made its way to the top slot. I feel it is full of geometry and color relationships: the empty space above the hanging blanket alludes to an interior beyond; the cropped sliver of a dark window, leading beyond the frame. This photograph's language is about the obvious and the inferred. I imagine a window extending beyond the image frame. I see a man in a doorway, the focus of his attention obscured. This I render as well: I am free to connect with the photograph as I make part of its story my own."
SECOND PLACE - $50
"I was drawn to the abstraction and simplicity of this photograph. A dagger of light in black containing outlined features of a woman - peering into a darkness separating us, the viewer, from her well-lit world we can see just beyond. The image includes its viewing audience as participant. It establishes an exchange between our points of view."
THIRD PLACE - $25
"Though the guidelines for the submissions were specific regarding doors, the appearance of the buildings behind the photographer enhanced this deadpan shot of a neglected Victorian-era storefront. The reflection extends the space, the glass being the visual portal to the area behind the photographer's position. The combination of ship-lapped lines of complimentary color, peeling texture, and inclusion of our national flag and barber's pole enhance this nostalgic portrait of a bygone era in American business."
Here's a full-screen gallery of all Top 10 winners.
Congratulations to all of these photographers. Meanwhile, the May contest, with the theme "Landscapes", is open for another two weeks.
Congrats to the winners! :-)
Untitled by Dave Rensberger would be MY choice - great capture!!! :)
I would have reversed the order
well done folks.
wasn't surprised i didn't place, but was quite pleased that my whimsical shot at least made the 50.
third should have been first- love it!
Loved the reflection picture. It caught my eye right away when I browsed through the top 50. Congrats all!
Congrats to the winners... wish I had gone more abstract.
All of the entries were amazing ... one of the best contests to date. Bravo to all - very inspiring!
I agree -- 3 should definitely be the winner -- it is a doorway, but methinks 1 is a window --
I have to agree with everyone else. Third place should have been in first. Great shot and way to capture the reflection in the windows.
I enjoyed these a lot. Really creative shots. This was a great subject - I wish I had managed an entry, but somehow inspiration didn't strike. It's a good concept to keep in mind though for a storytelling shot in the future. I'm sure I'll be looking critically at entrances for a good few months! Congrats to the winners.
Great work by all!!!
Of the three here, the first one is the right choice - in my opinion.
Thanks everyone for the compliments. For what it's worth, I personally think the winner's shot was better than mine. I thought the color in my shot was a little bit dull. This is partially due to the subject itself (the part of Brooklyn where I took this picture is very "colorful", but not so much in the literal sense of the word!). Still, I wished it could have come out a little bit more visually stunning, so I was actually surprised that it did as well as it did.
Dave -- Thanks to everyone and to you especially for your magnanimous comment. I loved your shot also. Mine is, in fact, of a doorway to a house in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, where a religious idol known as Maximon was being housed for the year. This is the front door, but worshipers actually entered through the back. This guy was apparently eavesdropping.
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