The Online Photographer

Difficult choice. In the end it is all about personal taste.

I'd go for the first. It's a "slice of life" type but strangely perfect. Every element is right, falls into place: models, colour, movement, light,composition, props...

Second choice would be 111, an image I'm sure I would enjoy looking at today, tomorrow and in 10 years. Simple but deep and moving.

I don't enjoy overprocessed images. There is also a couple of too "cliched" b&w image for my taste (but they are the Ikea best seller type) and there is something that makes me feel uncomfortable in the picture of the girl. 113 and 114 are beautiful and awesome technically, I just don't dig them as much. 115 is great, awesome, beautiful but there is a sadness to it that makes me doubt I'll like to see it hanging from my wall. I am sure 102 and 109 would be better appreciated in print, in my monitor they are lost.
Anyway, these are all great images. Maybe next time you should envisage a "portfolio" sale... ;-)

As a photographer, I like them all. I can see a compelling reason for inclusion -- whether color/composition, photographic technique/texture, subject/subtext -- for all of them. If it were a matter of clicking "like" or posting a note of encouragement to the photographer, they'd all get my vote. And most of them are more interesting to me than anything marketed on 20x200 in the last year.

As a collector though, I have to marshal my resources and wall space carefully. In this light, I don't see any "must haves." My favorite is 116 because it strikes the right balance for me between tradition, technique and a subtle and novel rendering of an otherwise familiar subject. I can see it being something I would enjoy, contemplate and discuss with friends. 119 and 120 have similar appeal but I have less desire to see them as prints.

I have to say that I participate in TOP print sales as much to to support TOP and its talented contributors as anything else. A print sale is by far preferable to a subscription fee or other means of support. That said, the usual enticements are still important to me: Is it by a known artist or renowned print maker? Is it offered at a lower price to TOP readers for a short time and is normally sold for much more in galleries? Some such investment thoughts always enter into my purchase decisions.

102.

A few comments.
1. Truly disappointed my image didn't make it, but it was fun thinking that it might.
2. I would like more info on some of the images to make an informed decision (i.e. is this a print I would buy?) I am thinking of 113 - the hummingbird, was it photoshopped in to a different background, 101 where is this barbershop, 103 was this a peace rally, a protest, a country music concert? For some images context is important (to me anyway).
3. I think the review process would be easier if these images were organized in an online library (picasa or smugmug for example or organized in a web page where comments would appear immediately below each image).

My pick: 101, 113, 118, 119
If I had to choose one: 118

Mike,
some of the pictures contain EXIF-data with the name of the photographer, so they're not anonymous.
Perhaps a new rule for the next turn: "Send only files without EXIF-data".
I like some of the photos, my favourite is 112.
I'd really like to get feedback on my photo. You haven't chosen it for showing here, but is there any chance I get feedback? (Probably not, because you can't do that for everybody, but I had to ask.)
Thanks for this motivating contest.
Leo

I'm not going to comment on any specific photos yet, but it is a fine selection with a good variety of photos. Congrats to all who made the cut. I didn't enter, but I hope to enter next time.

Good display of talent here! Congratulations to all the semifinalists! 105, 117, 118 are the best of the bunch in my opinion, and the only ones I'd consider for purchase. Some of the others are a bit too cliche for my taste.

Tough choice; I'm glad I've only got 20 to choose from, not 600 :)

The one that stands out to me is 112; definitely my first choice for one to hang on my wall. It helps I have two young train crazy boys as well; they’d love this one even more than the Ctein “Soyuz – Apollo” that was the most recent addition to the photo collection.
After that it gets much more difficult to choose a second place. I'll cop out and give my next 3 favorites: 106, 112, 119.

105 and 112 are the ones that I'd consider.

I vote for 107 and 115

#111 would be my pick.

102, 117 or 119. of those three, i like 102 the best. to me, that's seeing. nice symmetry. something so simple.

My problem is, we have no wallspace. My wife and I can't even display any of our own work, or most of the prints we already own. And I hate buying new prints and storing them for the hypothetical future where we might be able to hang them.

That said, I'd still consider buying 104, or 101. Maybe 109 or 113. I like most of the others, some quite a lot (105, 107, 110, 114, 115) but I probably wouldn't buy.

On the other hand, if you decided to do a TOP book and said this batch were the first quarter (say) of the images for it, I'd sign up for the Kickstarter project like a shot.

I like 112 and 116 the most out of these, I think they would be the only photographs I'd purchase out of the lot.

112 is the only one out of them that I'd run to buy. It is incredibly striking and I would really love to have it on my wall.

The strength in 116, and the almost disorientating angle make it for me. I love the fact that it is a different way to look at a very typical photographic subject.

These are all excellent in different ways and I can understand why people thought them worth submitting and you thought them worth highlighting.
But with any photograph that hangs on the wall and is likely looked at every day, excellence is not enough. What is needed is also an element of mystery or uncertaintity - something not too plainly stated, that enables it to engage with the viewer and re-engage, again and again, and still leave you, when you are away from it, with the desire to look at it once more.

I've looked at these maybe six or eight times since they were put up and there are only two which I still feel have meanings not yet exhausted. One is #118, a composition as beautiful as its subject. How one might like to share her dreams... but, as someone has already remarked, it is a shame that her feet were not included in their entirety and, ultimately, this would irritate.

The other is #119. I couldn't put my finger on what its attraction was at first but then I realised that those two roads, setting off in the same direction and then diverging completely - one determinedly the other hesitantly - seemed such a good metaphor for so many human relations. I look at them and feel regret and also hope that maybe somewhere else, out of the frame, they might come together again. A bit whimsical perhaps but there you go.

So of this bunch, it is #119 for me.

Register my vote for 102! As an homage to Sugimoto's minimalist seascapes, it cleverly suggests the traces left by the automobile on the environment, without being heavy-handed. It's certainly the most beautiful environmentalist photo I've seen all year.

If I were considering images I'd hang on my wall, I'm partial to 110, 115, 119, 120. Of those, 110 or 115 are my faves. I play guitar and have a natural affinity for guitar images and I've been to Ethiopia a couple times and resonate with the bike + father(?) + son(?) connection there. Not sure how I feel about the figure in the distance framed by the bicycle frame. I didn't notice it at first--only saw him/her on a second look. While visually interesting and a bit of serendipity, I'm not sure it adds to the strength of the image. For me at least.

Good candidates overall.

I vote for #102, because it is puzzling, and for #118, because it is pleasant.

Ok, after going to bed and looking again:

101: too "idealized" for my tastes, but nicely seen moment if not posed. Norman Rockwell indeed. Personally, feels strangely out-of-place given the prevailing social trends/economic climate of my country, the USA.

102: Very clever. This one I might buy a print of just to remind me to be more aware of my surroundings.

103: From an event photographer's perspective, this feels too familiar to appreciate.

104: Nice lighting and composition. An attractive photograph, but has no mystery or discovery for me.

105: Attracted to this one last night, but the novelty has worn off this morning. Not sure why.

106: On my calibrated monitor, the tones to the left of the chin on her jawbone appear too bright for my tastes, and it consequently distracts me.

107: personally don't like HDR or the subject too much. It's subjective.

108: I guess this may be one of the reasons I'd be a lousy photo editor. The "story" seems vague to me, but this doesn't add mystery in this case.

109: Like the lighting on the fish, very nice. I yearn for more abstraction in this one. The bright rocks are too dominant and the tree in the background give it a sense of reality I just don't care for. I want koi and blackness. Feels like it was taken in the lagoon of a hotel in Hawaii.

110: Nice timing with the hand placement. I like the composition. The face of the guitar, it contrasts nicely with the dark clothing and the man is a false subject here for me--the guitar is the subject. I can appreciate that trick. Ultimately, I wouldn't order it because while it is technicaly excellent, it doesn't inspire me.

111: I get the themes. My wife does not. I see a similar scene a lot in California's Salinas valley, the southern Central Valley and other places. Pass.

112: Drama. The geometry of the composition is wonderful. I like it a lot. I might buy a print of this. Although the clouds in the upper right seem a bit HDR and too dark. Did I mention I strongly dislike HDR?

113: Feels like an "achievement" photograph. Not enough detail or abstraction
to sustain my interest.

114: Great idea. The terrain's skewed horizon (not saying it is tilted) is distracting. Also, I want to see more spray, feel frustrated that I can't see more of the plume. In other words, I really wanted to like it but don't. Would love to see this subject in b&W ala Michael Kenna.

115: Clearly more to me than just a travel grab shot. There is great internal tension here and a story. Might buy a print.

116: My favorite. Iconic. The tonality is excellent. If I can afford it, I'll buy a print. I am also an American, so this photo probably has more appeal to me than others.

117: Can't appreciate this. Seen this before, taken photos like this before. Seems a little too photo illustration for me.

118: Interesting photograph. Not to my tastes for a print, but I appreciate the artistic choices here.

119: Great composition, very atrractive photo. Attracted to this at first, then lost interest, to no fault of the photographer. I just feel that I this reminds me of car advertisements, of which I already see to many of, and that takes the joy out of this photo for me. But I guess that is a complement as well--it could be used in an advert.

120: this is Yosemite right? A little of Ansel in there. I hiked the JMT, so this has some appeal for me. Like someone mentioned above the pose seems to0 idealized--but I'm not sure the image would work otherwise. Wish the hiker was a complete silhouetted. Really interesting to me as it mixes genres-- B&W landscape and editorial. Ultimately, I want more drama in a scene like this to retain my interest. I want the natural landscape to be more beautiful.

Ok, 102, 112, 116 are the photos I would consider a print of.

They are all lovely but my favorite is the dog by Paul Lalonde Stern. I don't think the dog is either happy or sad. I suspect he is just topping off the pool.

Oops, my bad! In my post above, I transposed the numbers---it's #102, not 101, that gets my second vote, after 109.

105 is a beautiful abstract and would make a wonderful decorating piece for anyone. 110 is wonderful, even if I can't see hanging it in my own home, I think it would be popular. 112 simply takes my breath away. I would hang it tomorrow! 116 is similarly impactful and graphic. Abstract yet instantly recognizable. A sure seller!

#102 jumps out as the one that I would buy, must have something to do with my love of Rothko. #111 speaks to me as well.

I'm still planning to take Mike's advice to let them all soak in for a while.

They are really all quite good. I think the ones I find myself coming back to the most are 102 or 113. I'd have to spend longer looking at them to sort out whether that "keep coming back to" was likely to translate into a purchase.

I also really like 104, but in a "I have a weakness for that kind of photo", which, again, is something that I'm not sure would yield a purchase, but might.

Another way to say this is that I enjoy 104 more than 102 or 113, but that i admire 102 and 113 more, and find them more distinctive and memorable. (Of course, they're both representatives of large genres too, but, for me at least, they stand out within their genres a bit more.) I suspect that, for me, that sense of distinctiveness is more likely to translate into a purchase than a general level of liking, because it's more likely to lead to a sense of the purchase opportunity being a unique non-repeatable kind of opportunity.

Jan writes of 102: &lsuo;If you need a title to explain what it is, it works less for me.’

My position is generally that the viewer being unable to correctly identify the subject is, ceteris paribus, a sign that the photographer is doing something right.

#118 stopped me in my tracks. Just beautiful.

Well, I already have #102 on my wall... oh wait, that rubbed right off!
;)

But seriously, 105, 107, and the "painfully epic" 112 would be well worth the print offer if they looked as nice on paper as on screen...

102 breaks all the rules- without all that much to break them with! Hypnotized by its eloquent, well aligned, ultra sparse minimalism. Also like the more reassuring 111- puts me right in the driver's seat (better yet, the passenger's seat where I wanna be)..

And transitioning from ultra cool to resonating warmth, 118 is quite the sight to behold. Mesmerating in its classic lines and curves that are somehow slightly off kilter- enough to breathe life into it and make it fresh and vital.

105 is really really nice -- I would buy a print!

I zipped down them at speed. It didn't take more than a moment to know whether they grabbed me.

I like

101
105
106
111
112

and 101 is my favorite, by far.

Wow.

#1 - 112
#2 - 101

Great work!

Will

I would hesitate between 105 and 109. I would like to hang both on my walls because I know I will be able to live with them more than a few weeks.
But my favorite is the cat from yesterday.

To me #111 looks the most like "art".... something beyond craft. Somehow that's a portfolio I'd like to see more of. Not saying it's my favorite genre, but it seems to have that I-don't-know-what. I have the same respect for 101, in a nice big size.... A lot of the rest are the kind of thing you can see on flikr or photo.net.... very acomplished but not really reaching out of cliche and into something new.

108 or 118 are my favourites.

Dear Mike (and authors),
#109 and #112: if the prints go that well as the jpgs do, then you've got my money.

#119: if there is a story that goes with that shot, then I'd love to order it as well.

Thanks,
Zig

102 please.

Mike – no doubt that all these images are competent in one way or another, and with a few exceptions, they have mass eye candy appeal.

However – before I opened my wallet to purchase any of them, I’m going to ask myself:
- Do they bring any unique artistic achievement to the table? If you’re just looking for something pleasant to hang on your wall - are these better than stock images that you can buy preframed at Target for $20? Are they better than your typical Flickr Explore collection?
- Will they appreciate in value with time? Do they show promise of a budding photographic genius or some sort of vision seeping through that will convince me to take a gamble now in hope for financial returns (whether or not I like the artwork to hang on my walls)?
For me, all these images fail on either the first criteria, or the second, or both. I’m eagerly awaiting the results of the vote though, as it will provide good insight in what people are willing to buy these days.

#102 struck my eyes like a lightning. Better than any by that digi-faker Gursky.

My take:
#101 is a pretty cool scene, but not sure I'd want it hanging in my house.
#102, #111 I don't get at all, Gurskys?

Of the rest, were I to have a bunch of disposable income, I would buy:
#105
#107
#113
#120

As others have said, there are many fine images here.

For me, the challenge is separating what I simply like (without context) from what I would actually hang on my wall. Some of these beg for companion images to provide support and flow, but are not images that are singular enough (for me) to stand alone displayed as individual prints.

My faves are #102, 104, 105 & 112.

I missed the submission notice by a couple of hours. When the next call for entries comes around, I'll jump in myself. After all these years, my skin is quite thick...

Tom

108 and 111 I'd buy tomorrow

Man, I love 111 and 112 for totally different reasons. 112 is really upfront and BIG, but I also has get a sense of ambiguity of scale from it. 111 feels so intensely comic-sad to me... and just saying that, yeah, I feel I need 111 more in my life. 111.

Now it's clear why you punted. All of these are worthy of a wide audience. There's not a bad one among them; there's not even a good one among them; they're all excellent, and they make me want to pick up my camera and go outside and make pictures (pity it's dark out now...).

I want all of them. This is a problem.

If I had to choose one, I'd go with #107. As I mentioned in an earlier comment, I love those Velvia colors! Even the somewhat blown out section of the rim doesn't bother me.

The others that jump out at me are #102 ("Carpark Wall and Floor") and #117.

The ones that call least loudly to me are #108, #109 (but I can envision a beautiful print of the latter if the blacks are deep and the highlights are under control - this looks like a prime candidate for a Ctein dye-transfer print), and #118. I can't explain why these don't attract me as much as the others.

Someone has already suggested this, but I think it deserves serious consideration: a book of all the semifinalists from all three rounds (assuming the second and third rounds produce work of this caliber). Something printed large enough to let the pictures speak. Perhaps with a little blurb from the photographer for each? I have no idea whether this is feasible, but it's definitely something that, if I have any money at all, I'd buy.

Thank you for not limiting yourself to 12 or 15 photographs.

Just kidding ...

#117 please, Gursky-sized, on a wall of it's own, I'd love that.

101 - Delectable! Please tell me this was not staged! But then again what if it was, it's still lovely. But the clock! 10 to 2 - really? But great use of triangle & square geometry

102 - well ok... but I had to look at the title to get that it was a good photo

103 - nostalgia

104 - not my veg

105 - beautifully seen and shot

106 - nice teeth & eyelashes…

107 - makes me want to go…

108 - not sure there's any pot-of-gold there

109 - now if you'd have had my fish wrangler, the geometry would have been better

110 - compelling and very well processed

111 - beautifully seen and for me the best image. Why is it that sometimes the best shots are seen in the 'worst' light? So much for that rule!

112 - OTT

113 - superb

114 - beautifully executed - a technique tour-de-force

115 - nicely seen

116 - a new view! Hooray. Well done!

117 - Beautifully shot and processed. One for the wall

118 - beautifully disturbing

119 - wish I was there

120 - Nat Geo 1951 - well done

101 - I wouldn't want a big print of it though, there is too much empty space in the middle. How big though? I'm still looking around my house to find the perfect size. This picture, though, freezes time perfectly.

116 - I have seen her in a million different ways, but I have never thought of her as so rugged or so structural. It gives her a beauty that I hadn't thought of before.

Dear Mike,

All are superb. I might buy fine-art prints of 102, 105 and 111, which have a strong sense of "the thing itself", that I like in photography. This might be construed as boorish, but some of the chosen photos, excellent as they are, remind me too much of the type of images associated with the motivational posters one sees often in a certain type of US office or waiting room. Maybe that's precisely the point, since these are meant for a print sale.

Seeing these twenty images makes me want to see some more of each photographer's portfolio. Would it be reasonable as part of a contest/sale like this for the entrants (or some subset of entrants, such as these twenty chosen ones) to submit a set of (say, three) images?

Thanks for this educational opportunity.

Actually and honestly, I prefered the dog. A tighter crop and it would be poster material!

Most of these are interesting, although as a matter of personal taste I can't honestly say I would hang any of them on my wall. I think 113 comes the closest. I gather from the comments that 102 has some popularity, but I just don't get it; my wall already looks pretty much like that. To be honest, the one I keep thinking about is the dog you posted yesterday: as in most photographs with living things, the eyes are everything. I'd hang that one on the wall in a heartbeat.