Here are my selections for the photo contest.
First, I must congratulate all of the
participants for the excellent images they submitted – it was a joy to see them
all, and it was difficult to make the final selections. It's wonderful that so
many people share the passion for black and white images, and please encourage
all of them to keep taking photographs and to keep refining both their ideas and
technical skills.
My selection for first place is Simon_Jepsen_010210. This is a wonderful example
of “decisive moment” photography in the Cartier-Bresson tradition, and it
dramatically captures the energy and excitement of the concert. It's also a very
technically difficult situation in which to shoot, and Simon shows a complete
mastery of that, from the initial exposure to the b/w rendition of the shot.
Second place is kim_simonsen_010210. Well.... just
what can I say....!? Stunning,
shocking, disturbing and full of meaning, though just what the meaning is
depends entirely on the person seeing it. And the technical aspects are close to
perfect as well. Whether one likes the image or hates it, the reaction to it is
inevitably intense and visceral – exactly what a photograph is meant to do.
Third place is Poul Rasmussen 02.02.10. This studio
(or carefully lit location) photograph is masterfully done. It has a very strong
visual impact – lighting, tonality, composition – and, for me at least, evokes a
strong feeling of sympathy. There is a reason, or story, behind this – an
abstraction of something we all might have felt at some time.
William Stickney
