PPF UK, Putting Photography First. A Practising Photographers´ Forum.

Perhaps surprising, but true. Despite being one of the most popular photo-locations this is the first photograph taken on Holy Island to make it to ppf Photograph of the Week.

‘My choice for pic of the week is Norman (UK) Robson’s - Lindisfarne. http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1214659599.html
A nicely executed black and white image of a classic North East subject. Well done Norman.
Others that stood out for me were Twiz – Wark this Way (this was well worth a sausage) http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1214452369.html
and Steve Pratt – Ulverston Old Town http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1214263310.html
Happy to be of assistance again.
Regards,
Tim Richardson
Chief Photographer
Shields Gazette

One of ppf's youngest contributors, Emma Lamb, http://www.ppfuk.com/member_Emma+Lamb has chosen this weeks POTW.

My choice for POTW is: 'A Scene' by Mr Zampano http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1213865453.html

Unusual shot it gives a sense of wondering who wrote this, why and what they were thinking at the time, words explain all.

Other images that also appealed to Emma were:

STOP...and think! by Alan Brown
http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1213856282.html
A Very strong words, shows that people in Atlanta want to change their ways of life.

Violin Technikon by Kaskais
http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1213727774.html
Very well captured silhouette with musical taste, amazing shot


Thank you a lot for this :)

Emma

Laurence shows his eye for black and white stripes. Transport and Distribution Manager of a Plastics Company, Laurence Moger has chosen this weeks POTW, and has selected ‘Mountain Zebra’ by David D as his favourite. http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1213396876.html "a curious juxtaposition between taxidermy and real life" I’m intrigued to know how the spit was captured. Strong and simple

A couple of others also stood out.
- Venice#5 by Alan Ed Hawkins - http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1213268829.html This is familiar in terms of the genre but crisp and evocative of old films my father would have enjoyed. Gently nostalgic and well executed.

- Back Door#1 by Dale Brueggemann - http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1213368740.html A rather clever interpretation of the way in which society has grown and currently exists - "fed by a series of perceptions and conceptions" - very well captured.

Sticks get the vote from Primary School Teacher Katharine Chapman.

It was a very hard choice with some great images to choose from. However, after a lot of deliberation, the decision was finally made!


Sticks - Scott Robertson (http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1212137045.html) was the winner for me because of the simplicity and tone of the photo. It’s an image that would look fantastic on a canvas print on the wall.

Others of note are:-


Sweet Auburn - Alan Brown (http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1212306044.html). This was a close second as I really liked the different patterns on this one and the addition of the person in the image adds a sense of realism.

Saltburn Waves - Keith Watson (http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1211931047.html). I just loved the shapes and curvy lines on this one. It works really well in black and white.


Thanks again for letting me be the selector of POTW and congratulations to all who posted work.

Katharine

Scott Robertson, who provided a recent POTW himself, was this weeks selector. He turned out to be a rubbish selector!! ( that doesn't sound right . .. but I guess you know what is meant)

Selecting my shortlist of 5 from the pile of great photos this week was hard, but choosing a winner from those 5 was more than tricky.
I had initially dismissed 'Blot' by Dave Henderson http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1209545487.html thanks to a dodgy computer monitor at work. However, once at home I saw the image in all its glory. From the 'in your face' detail of the fence, to the texture of the grass, to the blot! Everything made me love it.
Being a Liverpool fan I was wary of 'True Blue' by Mark Bradshaw http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1209596395.html but a closer inspection revealed a rather pleasant shot. I loved the angle, the spots of rust, the lines and of course - the colour!
I have been experimenting with night time long exposure shots recently and I would be chuffed to get one as good as 'Night Lights' by Jaime Pang http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1209718234.html. With the skyscraper as the focal point of the image, the lines drawn by the traffic give you that necessary dynamic element.
'One that got away' by Angus Thompson http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1209924986.html certainly didn't get away from my attention. Like with 'True Blue' the colouring in this image is excellent. The composition too, with the tree branch cutting across the shot, helps to make this a great picture.

Now onto the winner. Photography, like most TV and Film, is a form of escapism and in my opinion the images where this is prominent are always the best. You are transported into the world of a picture so strong you can imagine yourself there. This is why I chose 'little boxes' by Paul Mongan http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1209416299.html The number 8 on the wall and the lines in the concrete floor draw your eyes to the cones. But then the lighting on the untidy pile of boxes draws you back. For a split second I was in a car park in Gateshead but then I awoke from a wonderful turmeric dream.

Well done Paul. Thanks to ppf for the opportunity to select POTW.

Scott J Robertson

I'm not much with words, but I do like a title to have some say on the image.

My photo of the week is "Landmine Victim by David D

1 http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1209105624.html
A picture with a title to match. Shocking to some, but a reality to others. Sometimes its up to the photographer to go that little further to highlight what goes on around.

2 Get a grip..... by Dave Henderson http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1209114694.html
Old and well used.
3 stairway to hebburn by Paul Mongan http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1208815286.html
I liked the symmetry of the composition.
4 Slither by Mark Bradshaw http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1208788373.html
Photography out of a piece of Art.
5 The Unseeing Eye by Simon Gardner http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1208976389.html
A bit of colour in a drab world.

I'm not much good at talking about pictures, just taking them with an idea of a title to go with it.

Regards

Angus

First of all I just want to say that it has been a pleasure and a privilege to review this weeks postings to select the POTW. I was thrilled to be asked to do this.
My photo of the week Is Flow by Scott Robertson, http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1208516904.html I returned to this photo numerous occasions because there is so much to see. The light, lines and water draw your attention to them and the angle is fascinating.

Other photos that caught my attention were:
Clarty Sunset by Dave Henderson, http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1208646615.html I loved the way he had captured the colours from the sunset which were reflected in the river and on the hulls of the boats.
Tribute to Dali by Kaskais, http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1208545441.html Strong colours, enigmatic, make you wonder what she really looks like.
Last Hurdle by Catherine Hall , http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1208456049.html Good action shot capturing the horses in flight.
Sunrise by The Ghost, http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1208151017.html Atmospheric, eyes drawn to rear of photo by the different layers , each one adding points of interest, almost a collage effect.

Thanks once again
Sue Rutherford.

. . . and a reminder that next week we have Angus Thompson choosing our Photograph of the Week!

With so much success going the way of the Welsh on the sporting front recently, it is perhaps apt that a welshman should be our selector for this weeks POTW. David D has cast his critical eye over this weeks postings.

Thanks for asking me to pick this week's POTW. It's the first time I've done it and I've really enjoyed going back and having a good look at all the postings in the last week.

The first thing I'd say is that all the shots really benefited from being viewed large or on the lightbox and I'd encourage everyone to use this facility.

I found the standard of shots very high but the following particularly caught my attention:

"Half Tide" by Dave Henderson http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1206938011.html
The light is lovely in this shot, breaking through on what looks like an overcast day to highlight the boats and structures on the bank.

"Rail Reflection" by Catherine Hall http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1206998706.html
The exposure's just right on this shot with nice detail kept in the shadows without blowing out the highlights, always difficult to get right.

"Van G. Boat" by Kaskais http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1207000724.html
Another unorthodox composition from kaskais that yet again works very well. I love the beautifully muted colours that complement each other perfectly.

"Stadium at Sundown" by Jay Kronis http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1207404643.html A dramatic silhouetted shot of the world's greatest rugby union stadium.

However by a whisker my top three are:

"Pallion Engineers" by Adam http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1207485373.html
I love the finish on this shot, it has a very dark feel to it and gives the viewer a definite sense of foreboding. Top technical marks for the way it's been lit too.

"Hawkshead Churchyard" by Steve Pratt http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1207507554.html This shot's a joy to view in all it's glory using the lightbox. The colours are beautifully bright and there's great depth of field with every detail from the distant snow capped hills to the lichen covered gravestone pin sharp.

Finally the pick of a very good bunch and my choice as POTW is:

"Ian Wilson" by Mark Bradshaw http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1207125900.html
A very well spotted image featuring several design classics from the chair to the winkle-picker shoes. The angle it's shot at is perfect and I don't think it would have been anywhere as effective had we been able to see any more or less of the man. The subject is ideally suited to this excellent mono conversion.

David.

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Our selector next week is Chris Best, followed the week after by Sue Rutherford.

Mark Bradshaw has been casting his eyes over postings to the gallery this week to select the ppf POTW.
'Thanks for the opportunity to do this. It's been harder to do than I imagined and a big thanks to all the contributors this week...I was amazed at the quality of the photographs and apologise if I've overlooked something I shouldn't have.
Some that caught my eye this week were
The Window by Dale A.Brueggemann. http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1206321665.html Superbly framed with rich tones, colours, lines and textures.
Upper Cut by Chris Best. http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1206352081.html Looks like Chris got in the ring to take this. A crisp shot with both boxers well captured and spotlights included to add interest in the upper part of the frame.
Looking Forwards by Alan Brown. http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1206472317.html A statement as much as a photograph. Very clever the way only part of the headline is viewable and Catherine is correct- The red top makes it.
Iceland by Fi. http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1206443195.html I liked the clutter of the dark machinery in the foreground which contrasted well with the straight lined uniformity of the buildings above. A great first offering to the site Fi.
Tony Allaker in From Borrowdale http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1206568218.html and Simon Gardiner with Rain http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1206730876.html found great light.
Dave Henderson got real drama and probably wet feet with Beacon Point http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1206523379.html and
Steve Pratt http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1206751596.html submitted a lovely snow scene in The Calf.

However my top three were
The Howgills by Steve Pratt. http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1206476751.html What a fine composition. Framed atop by the line of blue sky and the grass at the bottom. The lines in the middle lead the eye through the scene superbly.
The next and last two I couldn't separate.
Timing by Alan Brown http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1206687138.html is a remarkable picture. Taken from above but it has so much depth about it. Lines, textures, circles, layers and the most subtle shades of colours.
Ship to shore by Paul Mongan http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery_image_1206712933.html is so dark and moody and reminds me of one thing...A battle ship steaming at high speed guns at the ready engines flat out. I look at this and see nothing else and for that I love it.
A split decision they are both so very good and so different but as Alan could possibly go back and find this picture I don’t think Paul could recapture this apocalyptic image again and for that reason its the picture of the week.'

Mark.

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And this week . . the POTW will be selected by David D.