I personally found it quite hard to choose an image i thought should have won. I didn't feel particularly excited by any of the images, don't get me wrong there were plenty of great photos but none of which stood out to me as a winner.
So i've chosen the image i liked the most and
that i thought was a "portrait" picture.
I like this image because there is a definite connection between the subject, photographer and viewer. The image is explained to be from a collection called intimacy, the fact that there is no other explanation of the image leaves the viewer intrigued and interested to find out more about the subject. The image portrays an emotion of fragility, it leaves the viewer thinking about what was happening the exact moment the picture was taken, you cant help but wonder what it was that the boy was thinking when the shutter was pressed. I also like the use of lighting, the skin tones are great. The viewer is drawn into the picture and walks away feeling as thought something was revealed about the subject
although your not quite sure what.
The image i personally felt shouldn't have been included in the exhibition was Jozef Vissel's "The painter".
I didn't feel that it was anywhere near as strong as many of the other images in the competition. The formal elements within the frame are confusing to the eye which gives an overall messy appearance to the image. I don't feel that the photographer made any connection with his subject or revealed anything about him other than the fact that he's a painter. I really didn't like this picture!!
The image i felt was ruined due to bad presentation was Peter Luck's "Pat and Lewis Morley 50 years on".
I thought this was a beautifully sweet image, but when i saw that it was presented inside a canvas box thingy (i don't even know what it was!) it ruined it! I think it should have been presented simply as it was just the picture maybe with a little white frame around it maybe a little bit bigger although not to large because i felt that the intimate nature of the photograph was enhanced by the viewer needing to come in close to engage with the image.
