Photo Hold'em ::: Round 4 Results

So I received this little teeth-gnasher in my inbox this morning:

"Can we get some results? We're all dyin' here bro....Who's in the FINAL FOUR?!?!?!?!????"

Alright, okay, we get it .. gotsta post the results. The orders of the week around TRL central command have been influenza, (real)work & Peru-planning. But yeah, now we're ready rock.

1. Chan Jones vs. Erik Boomer

CHAN JONES


ERIK BOOMER

Bryan Smith sez: "I'm going with Boomer on this sweet shot of Daz taken somewhere on their 05 BC mission. Thus far Chan has done an amazing job. I absolutely loved his angle on Oceana & his next shot of Talullah as well. He obviously played his aces early on. While I appreciate the comment that comes with the photo, I see so little of this person's face & expression, I almost have to just take Chan's word that the emotion is actually there. The full-face helmet & low light don't show me much. Boomer's shot is well framed & captures the glacial landscape responsible for all the summer water in BC."

TG sez: "Chan has some cool elements with the explosion of water enfulfing the boater .. but the highlights are blown so all that detail is pretty much imperceptible. Compositionally, if I can't get the detail in the explosion of water, I'd like to at least see more of the rapid. I'm with Bryan on not feeling the emotion that Chan describes. I mean, I'm sure the paddler is feeling that, but the photo doesn't actually show it as such. Boomer's shot is close to being classic IMHO. It's a bit overexposed. Given bluebird skies & an abundance of high overhead light & a pretty much static subject, the background AND subject should all be very crisp & in focus. Why is there a lot of blurring & soft edges, even on the subject? In those conditions, he coulda maintained a fast shutter speed with a smaller aperture for greater depth of field for a crisper shot overall. My sense is that Boomer put it on "auto" & pushed the button. Either way, when I ask myself the critical question (does it make me want to go kayaking?), Boomer's definitely takes it this round."

WINNER: BOOMER
*******

2. Lane Jacobs vs. Brian Vogt

LANE JACOBS


BRIAN VOGT

Smith sez: "I have to say Trip's balls for hucking Koosah are pulling more weight than the photographic quality. The photo does capture the Northwest gloom & doom accurately, & I also like how the pool/landing is just visible, but also unknown. The IK'r swimming the left side of Landslide on the Elwha is almost as scary...that drop is nasty. Tough one for me to call, as the colors and spirit of the Elwha really pop in this shot. But Lane edges Brian out on overall depth to the shot. But goddamn, if he plays another shot of a huge waterfall that makes me feel like a complete pussy, I'm not sure I can continue to vote for him."

TG sez: "This was not an easy call for me. While the subject in Lane's Koosah shot is sharp & color-saturated, overall it's underexposed & could benefit from some subtle retouching in Photoshop -- the whitewater ain't "white". Check it out:

Before | After
Brian's shot is sunny & bright, & I totally dig the different tack he's taken with this submission (& throughout the comp) .. but in this case, the subject's face is out of focus & the rock in the foreground just kills it for me."

WINNER: LANE
*******

3. Evan Ross vs. Evan Stafford

EVAN ROSS


EVAN STAFFORD

Smith sez: "Ross's shots have been absolutely ridiculous in terms of colors. The black rock in this one combined with the slightly muddy water are so well captured. Must've been an ugly swim. The consequences of blowing it are so well captured visually. Too bad he faced his buddy who threw down big, using a shot OF Ross AGAINST Ross -- clever. Maybe Evan won't feel so bad about losing this one to Evan. Stafford's is such a cool pre-imapct shot & so well timed. Stafford just edges Ross out."

TG sez: "Tough call. I like the timeliness of E-Ro's submission from his recent trip to Madagascar. Similarly, I like the "exclusivity" of Dotcom's (Stafford's) shot from the expedition he's kept a tight lid on since this summer. I love the fact that Dotcom used a shot of his opponent! Overall, I think that E-Rock's beautiful shot leans a bit more toward the "cliche" than Dotcom's badass perspective on the landing zone. Lovin' the greenwater detail in the foreground. A wider lens might have even added to this shot, but retaining the sharpness would've been more challenging. It's visions of this kind of off-vertical/sloper-to-death hole that wakes me up, wimpering & heart racing, in the middle of the night."

WINNER: STAFFORD
*******

4. Mark Basso vs. Barbora Hollan

MARK BASSO


BARBORA HOLLAN

Smith sez: "I can't believe Basso played this card when he knew he was up against Barbora. He must've been feeling generous. I love scenery shots, but this one is not super crisp & the trees really clutter the shot for me. Barbora's shot captures the state of mind we all experience from time to time in the winter (wish I was kayaking, but nothing is running). The depth in the sky and the body language takes this shot a long way."

TG sez: "I can relate to what Basso is going for here. But like Bryan (& Kennett's comment), I feel like something is amiss with this shot. Given the afternoon Rocky Mountain light, it's not contrasty enough. The blue of the sky is saturated, but the greens don't pop at all. I like the big tree that anchors the left side of the shot, but the others obscure the creek & clutter the landscape overall. The subjects are out of focus & are dead center in the comp. Barbora's shot wins on subject matter, artistic concept & for working with the beautiful soft lighting .. & for nice hair. But this shot would benefit from some differences in comp: given the sparse landscape, I'd like to see more of the road drawing a line deeper into the image (wider lens?); I think the subject should be farther to the left in the frame & not compressed into the same vertical plane as the buildings. Still though, this shot is a very nice departure from the "standard" kayaking shot. Sorry Canookie!"

WINNER: BARBORA

******

There you have it, the Final Four

Boomer | Lane | Dotcom | Barbora

So, the 4 Leuzers from this round, if you want to be thrown back into the wolfpack for the Leuzer's Round, get me your submissions right away. Last chance motherbastards.

******