28th Annual Photo Contest (March 2005 issue ModelRailroader)

[Anonymous]

[xx(] I am very upset at the selection of the photo that won grand prize! Look at the first place winner's photo, there is so much more detail and realism put into the whole setting! That snow job is outstanding! VERY REALISTIC! The grand prize winner looks good...don't get me wrong...but it is no where even close to the attention to detail that went into the first place winner.
Model Railroader picked the wrong photo this year. Even the honorable mentions by Charlie, Pelle, and Richard, and the first place winner by Mike far out class the detail in the grand prize winner.
Unusual should not give way to detail. My hats off to you Ron Furto (The First Place - film winner). Outstanding photo!

James

[Anonymous]

Hmmm. You're a diesel guy, eh?

Bob Boudreau

[CNJ831]

As a model railroad photographer of 15 years standing, I have to say it is my experience that there often seems to be no accounting for MR's choice of Grand Prize Winner in the annual photo contest. Over the last dozen years I'd say the GP more often than not went to a rather bland image, which was surpassed by the 1st Place Winner. A couple of years ago the GPW was such a simplistic, static scene I doubt it would have been likely to place in a typical NMRA regional photo contest.

Considering that there are quite a number of excellent model railroad photographers out there submitting images, I sometimes think some of the more bland, simplistic images are awarded prizes to encourage less experience photog's to submit further entries. Remember, a lot of MR's regular monthly gallery photos are cast-offs from the photo contests.

CNJ831

[rrinker]

GRRR, my March issue has not yet arrived. My father in law sent in one of the offer cards for a free issue - he got his FREE March issue today,. But my MR and Trains subscriptions? Nope. MAYBE tomorrow, more likely not til Monday.


--Randy

[Roadtrp]

I can't speak to this year’s pic because I don't have my March MR yet. But last year's Grand Prize winner was simply outstanding... one of the finest MR photographs I've ever seen. It was a wonderfully evocative photo of a couple of steamers approaching a station in the evening fog.

One post here mentioned details... I suppose last year's winner didn't show a whole lot of detail because of the fog. But concentration on detail makes photography little more than documentation of reality. Presentation of a feeling makes photography an art.