Detroit....bummer!

[P3D <JValaVIDI@xxxxxxx>]

   Gee George, I thought for sure I could tell your images when they show up
on the screen.  We are going to have to figure out a way for you to signal me
or something during the judging so I know for sure when they come up.  Only
then can we be sure of how your scores may turn out!!!  As one of the other
judges at the Detroit meeting I can agree with Gerorge that we have seen
better assignments.  As far as I could tell there were only a few which were
truly nostalgic, the rest were just...... not.  

   I must say that the first place winner deserved it, this was a very nice
image taking advantage of a low setting sun in a winter scene with a pile of
old gnarly, sun bleached branches in the near foreground, an old red farm
implement in the near distance, and an old red barn in the background.  It
was composed in such a way that your eye started in the foreground, moved on
to the old tractor or plow and them on to the barn which had something at the
base of it that brought your eye right back to the old pile of wood again for
another go around.  The long shadow of the wood pile lead right to the red
tractor/plow and the red side of the barn was face on into the setting sun
giving it an exaggerated brilliance.  If I didn't know our club members
better I would have thought it was enhanced in Photoshop or something to give
it the vivid colors it had.  But I knew better... it was just a good Stereo
image with all the right things in it.  It got first place.

   But George's images didn't!  I do remember taking my time to score the
image George mentioned with the B/W photo in it.  It had excellent
composition but.... George needs some good studio lights and a few sessions
on lighting.  I know I've mentioned this to you before George.  He actually
took a hands-down first place once with a table top image that was so grossly
out of color balance it looked nice.  Remember the CD's arranged in a box?
 These were otherwise shiny silver CD disks which were stereographed with a
desk lamp(?) that must of had a color temperature of 2000K!  The silver disks
came out a beautiful golden color with the diffraction effects of the CD
adding to the beauty.  I remember him saying he wasn't going to submit it
because it didn't turn out to good.  But I know that's only because he knew
what he started with and it didn't turn out like he remembered seeing it!

   I feel if the B/W photo scene had better lighting, it would have brought
out the natural colors that were actually in the scene (a very nice flower),
it would have better defined the background which would have better defined
the depth, and I believe it would have given the image an overall "crisp"
look which I'm sure it had before it got into George's camera.

   Don't give up George!  You just keep submitting them and we'll keep
calling them like we see 'em.

   Oh!  And about the $80.00 B/W image of the swing, I must apologize.  When
I first saw the image I thought it could have been composed a little bit
better but it wasn't so bad, but IT LACKED COLOR!  Wow, do I feel stupid now!
 Since when did we start projecting B/W stereographs?  I've got to get in
touch with that woman and learn how she did that!!!  I'll look closer next
time.


John Vala

Omnipotent Judge
The Detroit Stereographic Society


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