Apogee Photo Magazine

The Photo Contest: Strength

We intentionally left the theme of this contest vague. What we received was every possible interpretation of "Strength." We were struck by the number of identical pictures from entries from around the world. What we chose to show you here are the best of those, the ones that presented a unique interpretation, and/or those that were strong compositionally and emotionally. For all of those who entered, congratulations; this was not an easy theme.

We chose Stipe Surac's image, "Oh, My Umbrella!" as the winner. It was a humorous picture and exemplified the theme well. We can feel the strength of the wind, as well as the efforts of the boys to hold on. And we all can certainly identify with the situation, if we have ever used an umbrella on a windy, stormy day. It is hard to tell if the photo was staged or serendipitous, but either way the composition was great. And even if staged, we have to appreciate Surac's gift at posing, and the kids for cooperating so well. It is certain that everyone had fun. The use of black and white also added to the strength of the photo.

For runner-up, we chose John Sidlo's "Grip."  It is a strong study of a man's hand, weathered and aged, as he holds on while riding either a bus or train. Examine this photo carefully. There is a lot to discover.

I also chose two images, "Balance Rock" and "Stairway to Heaven," as they were very good (and the only ones) that showed an elemental interpretation of the idea of strength. These two images rely on an fundamental and universal depiction of the theme. The subject matter, itself, is less important that the graphic presentation. For more information about this "right brain" kind of composition see the article:
http://www.apogeephoto.com/mag1-5/mag1-5mf.shtml

The remaining three photos were chosen for their emotional content as well as their graphic and compositional strengths.

Congratulations to all for outstanding images!

Click on each image to see larger version.

All images copyrighted by the individual photographers. All Rights Reserved. These images are for your viewing pleasure only and not be downloaded for any other purpose.