Help me pick photos to enter in a Photo Comp

[CameraDan]

I need help.

I'm entering my first photo competition sponsored by my work. I've talked about doing it for the past two years, and never did. So I'm finally doing it, but I'm having a hell of a time picking which pictures to submit (I can enter up to three pictures). I've narrowed it down to about 40 pictures.

I realize I should just pick the ones I like best and go with it, but I'm curious to get some other input just to see how it compares to my top choices.

So, if you'd like to help me decide, take a look at this album and let me know which ones you think I should submit. Feel free to leave me a comment here or in the album for ones you like.

[Chip]

My 2 cents, for whatever it may be worth:

I suggest #27, the one of the boy looking out the window. I like the contrast in the photo, and the contemplative nature of it.

And just a suggestion: how would you feel about cropping some off the bottom and right, so that the boy is moved towards the right edge of the photo? To my eye, doing so might help bring the photo into balance.

Good luck.

[Athas_orm]

Are you allowed enter three at once?

[Athas_orm]

Also I like little fingers. If your entring more than one.

[BCampbell]

Is there a theme? Do you know what kinds of photos have won in the past?

You have some variety in your photos. It might help narrow down if you have some kind of theme or style to stick to.

Personally photos of kids tend not to do it for me, so most of those are right out, for me. Not sure how to refer to these so we'll just go by number, starting from the upper left and working over.

A couple jump out at me. #20 is nice, I think #33 is interesting, and #40 grabs me.

#6 and #18, maybe.

Other than those... like I said, pictures of kids, not for me, generally -- the ones I liked seemed to not exactly be "about" the kids and that's why I liked them (they hint at something happening outside the frame). The seascapes and sunsets are nice, but they're fairly generic, and with no other context to tie them to or anything else to make them stand out, they don't jump out. Eliminating pictures of kids and water takes 25 photos out of your set. A lot of the ones that are left are tough. A tractor, not bad, but the composition could be better and there's some overexposure. The eagle and the goats look like snapshots, I'm not feeling the horse on the horizon. Flowers, a butterfly... you need to really nail those kinds of photos to grab some interest.

I don't mean to bag you here. It's especially good if you have your own style, which it seems like you do. If you shoot a lot of seascapes and kids on the farm, you'll end up with some of the best shots of seascapes and kids on the farm out there. It's just that a lot of these pictures, without a wider context, don't say much on their own. I have the same problem most of the time, which is why I like to blog about my photos so I can organize them into stories and explain them. I don't have a lot that can stand on its own, without any explanation.

I think again, knowing the nature and rules of the contest would help.

[LeeR]

Let me keep it simple: 2, 4,6, and 8. I think they have the best shot; 2 for its dramatic lighting and the rest for their unique perspective.

[sk66]

I'd go with #6 then #4.
Some others could be good, but I think they would need some post work first (i.e. #27). A few jump out at me at thumbnail size, but fall a little short when viewed larger (i.e. #37).

But a lot of this would depend on what kind of competition and where it's going to be held (the "target audience").

[Tony Canon]

All Good Shots, However I liked number 44 best.
Good Luck with whatever you choose.

[awinn]

My 2 cents... #44, 42 and 18 were the first to jump at me but looking again... I like #2 and #9 also.

[listenthenspeak]

I like #4, #6, #18 (but think it could be cropped and the light is a bit harsh), #20 (also think it would be more interesting cropped differently), the light in #33 is really pretty, but the house is distracting (again, a crop would help, as well as increasing the exposure a bit)..I usually try to crop things in camera, but also do it in post-processing. I might see something I didn't see before. Your crops in #4 and #6 are great...they keep my eyes focused on your subjects and are visually interesting.
That's my $.02. As another poster asked, it might be helpful for us to know exactly what the competition is about. Are there different categories? Theme?
Anyway, good luck! Let us know how it goes!
-Naomi