[Sammy]

Let´s look at the winners of a recent foto competition organized by the "Fotocommunity" and the German magazine "Colorfoto". The topic was "Strand und Meer" ("Beach and Sea" that is) and it was required that a beach and/or the sea must be the main subject. Only one image per photographer was allowed.

http://www.fotocommunity.de/blog/wettbewerbe/monatswettbewerbe/die-colorfoto-siegerbilder-strand-und-meer

Some comments: the #1 winning shot is a fail (wrong main subject, neither beach nor sea are relevant to the image) and was taken at the same location as image #5. Moreover, images #2 and #8 are almost identical. At least 4 out of the 8 winning images are long exposures. Most of the 8 winning images are technically good but nonetheless utterly boring mainstream "kitsch", which can be sold as trivial Ikea-poster.

I wonder why a leading German foto magazine doesn´t care about quality? I also wonder why they don´t stick to their own rules? This is an ugly example of a very bad taste and probably of dodgy decision making as well.

[JJ_SO]

Was there a "readers trip" to this places before? I used to read this magazine ages ago and bought 3 copies within the last 30 years or so. Outstanding quality was never their strength.

[Sammy]

Was there a "readers trip" to this places before?

Nope, there wasn´t. The competition was afaik open to all paying members of "fotocommunity".

[JJ_SO]

I just thought because of the nearly identical pictures, that's rather strange to just go by accident to the same spot. Although I remember the pictures of ship wreck on the Irish coast, one taken by Karl Johaentges (travel photographer) and the other by Eberhard Grames (guy with a large front camera doing a reportage about the widow of one of the sailors of the wreck).

[miro]

They are not so bad Sammy,
the winning picture requires more time to see all details, lines shapes and subject.
I have won competition with similar composition /leading lines , instead of north light was just cloud with similar shape.It seems that jury like it
I agree that overal quality could be better, but I'm afraid that the rest of the pictures ware even worse.

[Sammy]

They are not so bad Sammy,
the winning picture requires more time to see all details, lines shapes and subject.

The winning picture does not address the topic of the competition "Beach and Sea", it may be a deserved winner in say a "Weather Phenomena" competition but here it doesn´t even qualify to take part.

[miro]

Well the beach and see are in the picture , however they have support function.
The beach on the right side has nice S-shape border with the see. This S curve surve as an leadin line to the main subject.
S shape of the north light is also good addition.

I like the image because is not standard. The standard cliche for beach & see are
- sunny day happy pepole /dog,cyclist on the beach.
- Nice HDR image of sunset sunrise.

I should agree that beach and see must be more dominant but autor has chosen more natural look Maybe the image look beter on print. At exhibitions they use often artificial light. I have received feedbacks like - too dark while it wins at the exhibition
PS: photographing the North light is becoming cliche too . All those millions of north light pictures are created with modern high ISO FF camera and wide aperture lenses