Brooke Shaden

Well, let’s get right down to business! The theme for the contest this month was “EMOTION”, and boy did that theme go over well. What I have concluded is that emotion is such a wonderful place to draw inspiration from, and there was no lack of it in this round of images submitted. Our guest judge for the April contest was Jeremy Cowart, and he wrote to me noting the near impossibility of choosing winners because of the enormous pool of talent that submitted pictures. We did, however, come to a conclusion…and here are the winners and honorable mentions!

1st Place Winner: “Melancholy” by Maryanne Gobble

"Melancholy" by Maryanne Gobble

Brooke: The first thing that I love and appreciate about the image is the framing. I love how he sits in the top third of the frame while the rest is left as empty space. This helps drastically to amplify the lonely feeling that you get from it. His body language says so much in the way that it is balled up, as though he is protecting himself. This is a pose that so many people can relate to, and so the picture opens up to allow our own emotions to seep in. The entrapment happening from the grass is the extra clincher to turn this into something really special. Everything draws the viewer’s eye in toward the subject, and we yet are aware of the negative space at the same time. The black and white works so well here, furthering the feeling of melancholy as implied in the title.

Jeremy: This photo is just original. I’ve never seen this before. I have no idea how it was accomplished either. It’s beautiful, it’s sad and makes me ask all kinds of questions. I love the composition as well. Extremely intriguing. I find myself wanting to see the rest of the stills behind this story….

2nd Place Winner: Laura Zalenga

Image by Laura Zalenga

Brooke: The first thing that is apparent about this picture is the feeling of solitude, the way the walls almost seem to be closing in on her. The reflection of the walls in the water makes the image even more claustrophobic. You can tell that there is daylight coming from above, but the walls are too tall for her to climb. Despair is what I see in this image, a girl who has given up and hunched over on the ground. She appears to be in a prison. The coloring to this image, with the dull blue overtone, makes it even more sad to look at, as though the color and happiness has drained from the world and all that is left is this scene of anguish.

Jeremy: I love how cinematic this shot is. Love the tones, the composition, and colors. And I feel very sorry for this girl. She looks to be locked in this chamber of sorts and I want to help her. It’s a call to action for me. Great stuff.

3rd Place Winner: “Antigione” by Sireless aka Eva

"Antigione" by Sireless aka Eva

Brooke: The moment I saw this photograph I knew it would stay with me. That, to me, is what makes an image great: the staying power. The way the colors meld together with blues and greens makes this image almost seem happy, yet there are so many signs saying otherwise. The movement of the girl toward the grave, the swinging necklace, her hunched position on the ground. There is deep sadness here despite beauty all around. There is only the girl and the wide open field, the mountains, the beautiful sky. The juxtaposition of that beauty and her sadness is palpable in this image.

Jeremy: I had to include this one cause there’s no emotion stronger than the loss of a loved one. This photo captures that so well. The colors, composition and tones are also very beautiful and fitting. Love this shot.

Honorable Mentions:

Thank you SO much to Jeremy who helped judge this contest (be sure to visit him on twitter!)!

The theme for the MAY 2012 contest is “NATURE”! April showers brings May flowers, right? Well, then better get outside and enjoy it! Showcase your best photographs that include nature to join in the contest! The winner will receive a prize package in the mail of props/costumes!

Click here to enter!