Photo Finish : Episode Four : Plastic Cameras at the Races

[ricktas]

This week saw our three contestants using the Lomographic cameras for a day a the races

Which photo/photographer do you think should have won?

If you have not seen this week's episode you can view it on iView HERE

[arthurking83]

I think both the fisheye image and the photo of the well dressed man both had merit.
Wasn't entirely convinced of the double exposure image myself, and I'm sure that contestant must surely have had something that better embodied the spirit of the races.

On the whole, I agreed with the judges thoughts re the images in this episode.
Had the well dressed man image had a horse in the background, I'm sure that one would have won the comp!
So close, yet so far off the brief.

This one was a lot more enjoyable compared to any of the others so far in the series.

PS. I should have invested in a business selling plastic toy cameras!!
What's the bet there's a massive surge in sales over the coming weeks!

[Ms Monny]

Finally, photographers who didn't crack under the pressure and who actually looked like they knew what they were doing!!!

I was pleased to see the 'plastic fantastic' featuring tonight (I have a few different ones) and enjoyed the show. My kids watched with me and they are eager to go out and use a roll of film each when we go on our walk on Saturday. My son said he is going to be a photographer when he grows up and wants to invent a new camera and take pictures of animals and birds.....but that is going way off the subject here!!!

I liked Khia's - she handled the cameras well...esp love the shot of the light but that didn't really show the essence of the Races! Scott's wasn't planned well but the fish-eye is deceiving with how far away everything looks. Poor Mel kept on forgetting to wind on the film....but that is also what many love about the Holga's!! I've seen some amazing images with split-lens and double exposures.

Next week looks like a good one!

Just saw your post, Arthur, and I think you are right about the surge of sales!! Khia had one at home but didn't know how to use it!! ha ha ha

[arthurking83]

Curious results so far re the poll : indicating that the man against the rail image should have won(currently at 3:1 to the fisheye image).

The brief was to get an image that best captures the essence of the races.

That's what surprises me about some of the choices that the contestants make when deciding on their images.(in this instance the man against the rail)

Khia's image was certainly the best of the bunch, but lacked that important element of 'at the races'.

[Ezookiel]

I don't really agree. The man was clearly at the races to me, and probably reading a form guide. I didn't need a horse in the background to know where he was. That style of fence is clearly the races, as was the grass curvature behind him a race track. So I actually swayed towards that image myself, and I think it's the reason why the fisheye shot won, that there was some debate about whether the first shot showed it clearly as at the races. To me it did.
I said in another thread, that it was a much nicer show to watch, as the people were out of their depth in a harmless, painless, way, that stretched them without us having to watch something as heart wrenching as a woman in tears two seconds before the start of a wedding, because she can't turn on the camera. I like watching people being stretched to new levels, but not seeing people in serious distress. It was so much nicer to watch this episode that I actually enjoyed watching it more than any episode before it.
My vote is for the guy at the fenceline.
(and I also loved the image of the light, but of course, it was wisely not used, as it didn't fit the brief, but I did love it as an image)

[WhoDo]

Well, I think that I've finally pegged what this program is about ... it's fairy floss! Looks interesting, a bit sugary and no substance but I don't know anyone who doesn't enjoy the occasional bit of fairy floss on a stick! Since my expectations are now so much lower, I did enjoy watching to see where the plastics led. Not my cup of tea, but interesting nonetheless.

[HelenClaire]

Im glad there was a different group this week. Was starting to wonder if we were always going to see the female art student, the SNAG and the mature Mum battling it out each episode. I agreed with the judges and picked Scott's fish eye as the clear winner. Yes the horse could have been more forward but I think it captured the overall race feel which was the assignment. The man against the rail was excellent in it's own way. Film is definitely making it's way back again. I think because digital was so revolutionary when it first came out everyone just went crazy for it and many photo stores sadly went under. Now I think the pendulum is swinging back and I think we will start to see more film again. I am certain there is room for both.

[kidazzle]

I just think they could do so much more with the production of this show. I'd like to see another one like it,,,, but one in which the photographers got to use their own cameras and were given access to a few brief tutorials regarding the type of shoot they were going to be expected to compete in. We could then watch their true skills unfold and probably learn something on the way. I think that would be a lot more interesting than just seeing all of the contestants fumbling with equipment they've never used before.

[rellik666]

I actually quite enjoyed that show and agree with Ezookiel.

Some of my friends have Holga's and I have looked at getting one, I think I might now.

I like the fisheye one too......

The show is a bit of fluff, but yesterdays was an enjoyable bit of fluff!

[bricat]

I just enjoyed it for what it was. Light entertainment but with an interest to what I like as well. Perhaps because they were ametuers like myself and making the same mistakes as me. There are 5 P's when taking on any assignment Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. A very enjoyable and entertaining show with a message. I'm sure if I had been thrown in the deep end like that my results might not have been as good. I agreed with the judges choice as per the brief but IMHO the best shot was the male on fenceline.

[selaw]

As soon as the winning shot was taken, along with the brief relating to how the photographer thought it summed up a day at the races, I put it at the top of my list. I liked the posing old punter and was a little distracted by the chopped feet.

I was bewildered by the lomographic gear. Something I've seen/heard next to nothing about. Looks like wicked fun

[kiwi]

On iView, I saw the intro and turned it off and went straight to the conclusion

Utter drivel this week

[Duane Pipe]

I did the same as Kiwi and looked at the final 3 I voted for Khia Kinchella, I think she could have framed him better To me he looks like a punter at the races reading the form guide

[Bear Dale]

On iView, I saw the intro and turned it off and went straight to the conclusion

Utter drivel this week

I enjoyed it and thought it was far from drivel.

[kiwi]

More drivel than slobber ;-)

[junqbox]

I voted the Well Dressed Man shot, but thought it would have been better in mono. Agree with Ms Monny about them coming across as being less freaked out with gear and circumstances.

[Geoff79]

This one's hard to vote too. Like others have said, I think both Khia and Scott took good snaps. The multi-exposure looked awful to me. Just looked like a complete mistake trying to be passed off as something artistic. I thought Khia was consistently taking the better images on the day but I can't really vote again... because if following the brief I guess Scott's probably was the best... but I preferred Khia's.

And just quietly, she was an attractive girl... would look nice in front of the camera too.

And was it just me, or were both Scott and Khia's images crooked?