Thanks to Gareth
Tate and Adventure Technology who will
award a paddle of choice to the champion.
Juding at this point is tough work, all the images are fantastic and
there are no glaring technical issues that make it easy to dismiss an
image.
Bracket 1
Darin: I think I'd like this image more
if I had not been there in person. This is one impressive falls when
you're standing at the lip, and this actually makes it look smaller
than it is. I do love the big boil at the bottom though, but the green
kayak blends in too much, and the high saturation makes it blend in even more.
&
Darin: This is a super interesting rapid and a solid move to avoid what looks
to be a nasty spot. It's also very back lit and the paddle blocking the
face is a shame. It has drama but slightly awkward timing with the paddle stroke and that glare is rough.
Clay on B:
Still very close - i think the photographer of the 1st group is better
but chose the wrong paddling partner.. dark green kayak just
doesn’t ‘pop’’ the green surroundings like the
Red and the blue do.
BUT - the first shot from B is such a bad line into a big hole… love the drama of
it all, did he swim? Is there a better way to run this? Great
shot and puts the 1st pairing up a notch.
VS
Darin: The Verzasca is such an
incredible place. This image of it is bothering me though. I like the
rock formations a lot, but the tip of the mountain is cut off and the
paddler is leaving the frame, so it's not an image that tells much of a
story. It just leaves me wanting to see more of the whole scope, or
just a closer crop of the paddler and rock formations, but the paddler
back upstream about ten feet.
&
I like this photo a lot, often images of this style are of one horizon
line, and the second one downstream creates a higher feeling of unknown yet somehow it doesn't have a feeling of tension.
VS
Darin: At first glance I wasn't too into this shot because I dodn't
like the
paddlers position. If you soak in the image for a little bit it's
obvious that the drama is downstream, and really draws you in.
Clay: It has that kayaker way off the the side but on an angled charc
that shows how much he wants the eddy below, then your eye wanders down
to see why. I like that stress level given to the
viewer. What is the next drop like? HAs he
scouted? Is it clean? My mind lingers with this
image.
&
Darin: This is my favorite of the round, the canyon and wall texture are
superb and the red pops, and it's at the critical moment of peak action
that makes you wonder how well the line went.
Clay: This is also an ‘’I want to be there’’ moment
and while the boof may or may not work out it’s a great dark rock
/ red boat / green bush / brighter canyon walls above shot that gives
some idea that you wouldn’t want to lose a boat here.
Darin: Well I'm a bit torn. G
advances for sure. I like the variety from C but the whitewater of B.
As the shots are judged in pairs, overall I like the pairing of C over
the pairing of B. Clay: G is #1 by just a touch over the first group
(B) and the middle group is 3rd (C). Popular vote says G and B advance
to the finals! Thankfully for C they will "go home" with some prize
money and a sweet pair of shorts thanks to Immersion Research.
