WINNER ANNOUNCED 31st Serious Compacts Salon Challenge - PAUSE

Sometimes there are moments when it seems like everything in life is moving a little too fast.
In those moments, at times, one needs to stop.
To take a deep breath.
And sometimes, to come together with other like-minded individuals.
To share a brief moment of respite.
Of quiet.
A moment where the world around you is momentarily forgotten.

Moments like this -

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Zombie family hug
by MiguelATF, on ipernity
 
Sometimes there are moments when it seems like everything in life is moving a little too fast.
In those moments, at times, one needs to stop.
To take a deep breath.
And sometimes, to come together with other like-minded individuals.
To share a brief moment of respite.
Of quiet.
A moment where the world around you is momentarily forgotten.

Moments like this -

View attachment 121579
Zombie family hug by MiguelATF, on ipernity


Very cool image Miguel!!
 
OK well thanks @Luke . Before I begin two things:

1. I hope all is well with Milan, @pictogramax has been a steady presence around these parts and so his sudden disappearance is not that usual. Please check back in with us mate.
2. I've never judged, nor watched, one of these Salon Challenges before, so forgive me if I go wildly off script.
NB: I know I could just read some past examples but I'm doing this over lunch and before I need to get back to my farmyard chores.

Judging this was not easy. "Pause" is a great very open brief...even if it appeared to morph into "paws" a few times ;). So this is my complete subjective judgement that was weighted heavily towards execution against the brief....so if I were an advertising exec (oh please bring back the days of Mad Men) which would I pick to best sell a product that was about PAUSE.

Before I announce the winner and runner-up, I'd like to provide a brief sentence on my first impressions of each image:

Jumping in early with an old X100 one. My idea of a pause is this... a really good cuppa.

View attachment 121264
How can you be rushed looking at this scene? Great perspective and depth of field.

I could have a beer with this guy.

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I agree, a beer with this guy would be great. Nice crisp sharp image.

A pause while someone went to fetch the next drinks...
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IMGP0117 by Martin Connolly, on Flickr
As an Australian in the middle of an Aussie summer I can so much empathise with this. So refreshing....great composition

Pausing to admire the view during our trip to Maui last summer.

View attachment 121278maui_view1 by donlaw200, on Flickr
Great colours and depth to this image. The subject looks so immersed in the amber of the tone.

I know this sight all too well. I don't need to see the rest of the image to know what's going on....and I like that about the abstract capabilities of photography. Nicely done.

This frame is packed with feeling. This subject has full of character, and the expression of the overall image is like an in-breath.

View attachment 121328Civil War Days by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

Civil War re-enactment. Pause from the 21st century, Pause from firing his Cannon, Pause working a project for me to get out.

1936 CZJ 5cm F1.5 Sonnar, Yellow filter, wide-open, M Monochrom.
No one can recreate timeless images like you mate. This could just as easily be a cyanotype. Love it!
...I need to talk to you about a lens for my newly arrived IIIf :)

Hi, it's been a while since I posted an image. I've been busy this year with buying a house and a bit of renovating.

But we also made time for a trip to Japan:)

View attachment 121374Untitled by Paul Jacobs, on Flickr
Degrees of pause and repose happening here. Very dynamic image that makes the viewer feel very present.

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Pawse in causing mayhem...
The composition and depth of field here are superb. You can't help but be spellbound and transfixed by the centre of the image.

the late, great Kiki pauses to "admire" Goldie.

View attachment 121376The Night Fisher by Luke, on Flickr
The light here is divine. The transitions from light to shadow are crisp and evocative. This is so nicely executed mate.

View attachment 121407Day Out at Aberavon
by Roger Evans, on Flickr​
Really like the composition and use of lighting here. The high-tones draw us 'to the door' but the subject anchors us to stay. I like how this touches the PAUSE theme.

A pause in the rat race.

View attachment 121489puck_interior by D Payne, on Flickr

The elements included in this image as well as the tones really make me feel calm. I want to rest a while, maybe leaf through a book, take in a long drink and just bask in the light. I can only imagine what lies outside the windows. I can bet it would look sublime.

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Admiring the view, Assisi Italy.
Be still my beating heart. A perfect brochure about what you want to taste and see in Italy. Beautiful textures and a well composed subject just in the right place. As usual impeccably processed.

View attachment 121531 Waiting for the sun to drop into the sea.
The composition here is so powerful. Strong lines that balance the frame. I'm a huge fan of minimalist images and this one satisfies that genre in nines.
Sometimes there are moments when it seems like everything in life is moving a little too fast.
In those moments, at times, one needs to stop.
To take a deep breath.
And sometimes, to come together with other like-minded individuals.
To share a brief moment of respite.
Of quiet.
A moment where the world around you is momentarily forgotten.

Moments like this -

View attachment 121579
Zombie family hug by MiguelATF, on ipernity

Great write-up. A great matching verse. I think these guys will be uncomfortably pausing for a very, very long time yet mate (y)


I'm so, so there! Love the first person perspective and the lines created by the legs.

Now this bird is chilled and grooming. So crisp and clean an image. I can see the texture of the feathers from here.

So as you can see it's all too hard to pick a winner and runner up. Well instead I've gone for two runners-up and an ultimate (by the slimmest bee's proverbial of a margin) winner.

First runner-up:
24823814166_5f30f4d69a_b-jpg.121407


Again I really like how dynamic all the elements in the frame are - the bright light that draws your eye to the door, the walker bound for the door, the repetition of chairs going towards the door. But you have a solid yet soft anchor paused in frame. Great work @ReD

Second runner-up:
31012185770_3f648f250a_b-jpg.121489


It was really difficult to put light between this image and the winner. I am so drawn to the overall feel. It is about PAUSE. Soft light. Soft cushions. Warmth. Books about roaming. The suitcase at rest. Cool drinks. Lunch is a possibility at any time. I feel like pausing here. Stopping with another and just enjoying life together for a moment. @dougpayne you should be proud mate.

So that leaves the winner.

Again this has everything to do with the brief - as that strikes me as the key criteria of this breed of challenge. So for me, as one of the Mad Men I finally send to presses:

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There is a real sense of pause here. The three saxes betray a time before of great activity and concentration, and the fact the subject sits there fixed to the distance tell me there is much more to come. I can feel the breath. And here, at this exact moment, I feel I'm with the subject experiencing an in-breath. There is noise all around but not immediately around the subject. Part of his pause too is betrayed by the eyes. They seem tired. They seem to have seen a lot. And they are midway through thought. And the fingers fidgeting betray it's a more complex thought. One that needs mulling over. The eyes, the fingers, the mind, they are all pausing on something much deeper. @Covey22 I just hope I haven't undersold your intent here. Well done.

Congratulations all. Great work!
 
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