LAST DAY TO VOTE: 2012 Photo Of The Year - Semi Finals

 i guess it depends on what type of rider you are, thats how everyone seems to be voting

 Thats exactly what I thought! There are an endless amount of pictures of people throwing steezy whips but the other picture is so unique.

 I feel the same way man about #4, I dont know, but it seems like most people just chose the left photo because the atmosphere of the people, and just because of the whip. But I believe that so much more work was put into the other photo. I'm not saying the other photo is shit, I just think the right photo in match up #4 should have went through to the semi's.

 Nathan Saunders I don't think you get the point that this is a photography competition. Not stoked that Steve Lloyd's shot lost.

 Sometimes the action of the photo distracts us from its beauty. Everyone must try to be as objective as possible when viewing these. After all, this is photo of the year, not photo of the day.

 To me, it's what looks real. I prefer the aesthetics of reality, and I want a photo to remind me of experiences I have had riding. I know the losing picture wasn't photoshopped, but it was lit too heavily for me. I just can't imagine seeing that in my mind, because it's just not quite right to me. Maybe I'm crazy, but that aspect has had me voting against that picture from the beginning.

Of course, I have some of the same problems with the Brendog shot. And the winners of matchup #1 and #3...
In my world, the loser of #3 would have won.

 It's crazy! Because that photo LOOKS photo shopped, but it's not!! It's so sick!

 it's my favorite by far, too bad it didn't make it any further

 Lavender- So in other words you want shots of the stuff that you're used to seeing over new and creative stuff? Ah what's another word for that... progressive? I feel it didn't get many views because kids would rather vote for legendary bike park comps. and whips... it's a sick photo though but I didn't feel it was the better one because it was so easy to take... and un-original even though the whip off provided some of the best edits, haha.

 Steven LLoyd, you got robbed.

 That photo does absolutely nothing for me. Looks like a painting, which is cool, but it doesn't wow me in any way. I'm really surprised Bearclaws picture is still there. To me it was one of the least interesting of the entire competition. Sure it has a unique angle so its got some novelty, but other then that its rather unremarkable.

 I have a feeling that Toby Cowley is going to take it home

 flamshimzer, has anyone else done the same photo as Bearclaws? Really, I'm interested as to how it's unremarkable to you when someone brings a new and very good perspective on mtbing.

 Correct me if I'm wrong but this is PHOTO of the year so shouldn't the judging be on how good the composition of the photo is? Even if the rider Is just riding his bike its about what's around him and how it looks since that all ties in with the photo. So, the match up #4 winner has someone doing a cooler trick, but overall the looser had a better photo. Imo. Just how I look at it.

 I'm honestly disappointed with all but match #3. I feel the other shots in the selection were incredible: amazing lighting and composition. I don't think it adds up. Simply, weird. Steve Lloyd was definitely robbed, but so were the other 2 I mentioned. This is a photo contest, and it's too bad that people aren't judging the quality of the photos. The photos that have been eliminated now, are the ones that most creatively capture the essence of our sport.

 We need a recount on #3 and #4

 Match up 2 is only a sunset roost shot on Whistler's new trail.... That shot from the Rampage is insane because it's capturing something insane and you cannot beat the beauty of the Virgin area... unless riding mountain bikes was allowed where ever you want in Zion, haha.

 flamshmizer, I'm pretty sure the photographer for the bearclaw shot had to haul a huge piece of plexiglass into the desert to be hand planted in order to get the shot. In my opinion it was the second most technical shot behind Steve Lloyd's shot. You can't hate on it that much.

 I appreciate all the work that went into the steve lloyd shot (matchup #4), but that's not what makes me like a picture. It is wonderfully set up, but it is just that, too set up for me. The other one is full of style and looks less like a painting and more like a genuine action shot. The one on the left makes me stoked on riding, riding with friends, and riding sick trails whereas the one on the right makes me wonder how much work went into taking the picture

 It's stupid but this is the reality: 3 out of 4 photos here are massively voted for by fanboys, just because their favorite rider is on the photo... Not because of the artistic value of the picture.

I'm quite frustrated, because a lot of talented photographers fell out right in the beginning, just because they haven't captured a famous rider.

It will be Berrecloth and Fairclough in the finals, because Gulevich is the least popular among them...

 recount matchup #4!

 the majority has spoken no need of big setup to have a great photo

 Im not convinced that match up 4 the star ride shot isnt 2 images, the reason if he did use lighting on the foreground im pretty damn sure it would had not recorded the stars,and there is another concern the exposure time required to record stars in the sky at night require a few seconds or so,Thus making the rider just posed in the shot rather than riding. it is nice to look at but for the reasons i mentioned i could not vote on it

 Even so WDC it's a much better shot than the one of the whip. It really is posed or not it's an epic shot. That was my choice for the winner of this competition I'm not even gonna waste my time voting on the next sets that shot should have to the finals along with Toby Cowley

 Yeah... this Final 4 is disappointing considering what we started with. My selection for the first pair is the only shot in the group that I have voted for AT ALL in the whole shebang!

 WDCCUTS -- did you even read his explanation?? this kind of ignorance may have ruined the contest

 Cowley for the win! For me, that photo captures the vibe of mtb. regardless of how long it took to set up or how many flashes or whatever it took to get done. -and that is why Steve's shot lost the matchup (as technically sound and beautiful as it is). Steve's photo would stand a better chance in front of a non-PB audience. The sun will rise again.

 About the matchup #4, maybe I'm overlooking this... But the contest is ''powered by SRAM'' ... Yeah, now go look back at the picture. It's also the only picture with ANY type of advertising. Which was also why I never voted for it from the beginning. But this one in particular has SRAM all over it, like I said, maybe I'm wrong but it's bugging me that the contest is heavily sponsered by SRAM and by chance this photo wins over Steven Lloyd's amazing shot.

 I don't so much mind that, but I want to know how many of the rider's bikes IN the shots are kitted with SRAM. That's more telling to me.

 Good point, but it's hard to tell.. Unless they're pro and we know by fact that the rider rides for SRAM

 on the match up number four....... the winning photo of Brendog shows what a majority of people like about biking, alot of people having fun and getting wild, well in my eyes.

 That's the thing though... Brendan is, Darren is, both of them. We should know, but I'm just to lazy to look them up...

 I think it's a little unfair to say that it is all about the fanboys. The Brendog picture is sick, and for many people it probably reminds them of the world whip off videos which really encapsulated the fun/community aspect of biking, even at the highest levels.

The Steve Lloyd shot is amazing because it is so original and beautifully shot. However, no one can relate to it, as pretty much no-one rides arches in the middle of the desert at night... So when I look at the Brendog pic it evokes all kind of feelings, mostly "That looks like so much fun, I wish i could have been there and do that", whereas the Steve Lloyd makes me think "Wow what an amazing picture" but nothing more.

That said, Toby Cowley FTW!!!

 Ehh. I've been to Arches, and other places similar, so it strikes a personal chord with me, but I suppose that's not a good reason to simply discredit the effort of the other picture's photographer.
However, my reasoning therein is this: SO many whip pictures in a year (the Year of the Whip, some have said), and anything but a whip will look good to my eyes!

 WDCCUTS: It's possible. I'm a photographer and have actually done a bit of astrophotography. What he did is very possible, because the flash he uses only freezes the rider in the shot. www.pinkbike.com/photo/7632964 This photo is another great example of this technique (Notice the starry background). What keeps the flash from overexposing the shot is 1) The flash last only a millisecond, while the camera's shutter is actually open for anywhere from 5s on up. 2) The flash is directed away from the camera itself. All the camera sees of the flash is that light that's reflected back to it, which is very little. And once the flash is gone the camera then has time to capture the faint light of the stars.

Truth be told this photo is amazing. Simple because alot of people don't know how hard it is to photograph the stars properly. The fact that his stars are pinpoint accurate means he probably used what's called by some as the 600 rule (a formula that involves focal length, the camera's crop factor, and a base number for the calculation of the earth's rotation (600) ). Also the fact that this shot has it's foreground, midground, and background all in focus is an amazing thing considering he's shooting in a 2.8 aperture. Normally that's a huge no-no in landscape photography because it will only allow the subject to be in focus, but often will blur the fore/back ground.

It may not be exciting, but this shot took alot of premeditation and patience.

 On the other hand, the whip photo is an amazing shot. The rider is perfectly framed. Nothing from the area gets in the way of the focus (not easy when you're standing in a crowd of excited people), and on top of that the composition of this shot actually uses the fans arms to create lines that will draw the viewer to the rider(specifically his rear tire, which in turn adds emphasis to the whip). The sharpness of this photo is also amazing, (and almost as hard to achieve as the landscape one), because in order to freeze an object moving 20+ miles an hour you need to have you shutter speed moving freakishly fast, which in turn allows less light to enter the camera.(He even froze the tires in place) The fact that he got that light and that sharpness means this guy is an amazing sports photographer. I'm not such a big fan of the gradient filter to darken the corners. I felt it made the shot too instagramish, and a tad oversaturated.

I was definitely sad to see the landscape photo go (It was my favorite), but this is a contest and not everyone can win. The real reason that the whip has been winning is the fact that it does a better job of creating an immediate emotional impact while the stars takes more time to appreciate. As my photography professor always said "The average photo holds a persons attention for roughly 2 seconds. If your photo can last longer than that it's done its job." And that's what the whip does.

 I agree, it's sad that the SRAM advertisement made it this far..........big deal, another pro doing a whip..........the other photo is more timeless and well thought out.......

 "and on top of that the composition of this shot actually uses the fans arms to create lines that will draw the viewer to the rider(specifically his rear tire, which in turn adds emphasis to the whip)."
- He's just standing where the crowd is and the guy whipped really close to them... that's not a meticulous composition thought, that's just how it happened. I think you're looking too deep into a cool picture.

The sharpness of this photo is also amazing, (and almost as hard to achieve as the landscape one), because in order to freeze an object moving 20+ miles an hour you need to have you shutter speed moving freakishly fast, which in turn allows less light to enter the camera.(He even froze the tires in place)"
- I thought every good bike photographer can do that? Isn't that just what you should know how to do? Pretty sure every person that entered this contest had a photo where they "froze the tires in place", haha.

 Marlfox87 Nice explanation,But i say this in a respectfull way to the phootgrapher that shot the Starscape.it is pretty to look at without a doubt. Did i vote on the brendog shot beacuse it was brendog No. if brendog was up against Toby Cowley in the match up then Toby would had had my vote. i make my choices on what i like to look at. not how the photographer spent 4 days in the rain or how many flashes he used and calculated the rotation of venus flying past the moon at 9 pm on a friday morning. for me the best shot happen in a heart beat.

 ^ In the world of photography, that's hardly true... but this is a bike site so I'm actually no longer surprised that the whip shot won. Most people on this site have no clue of what makes a better photograph because all they know is mtbing! Problem solved.

 Marlfox87, you know your onions.

 onions? Not sure if I'm missing a deeper meaning but you russclark are a very insightful man. I love onions. Fried, Battered, breaded, and best of all raw.

@Scott-townes, I'm sure any photographer who could call himself a professional would know how to freeze motion. I was simply trying to outline to those who don't know much about photography why I thought both shots were of a great quality. So many people keep bagging on one photo because it's "not artistic enough", or "not exciting enough".

As for my comment about the composition. I never said the photographer orchestrated the shot. I simply said 'the photos composition'(small difference but an important one). In an artistic field that is so dependent on timing there's no way a photographer could ever have complete artistic control over a photo. Just go google James Nachtwey. No way he had any time to compose alot of his shots, but they're artistic and well composed all the same. But out of all the photos that the photographer probably took that day (possibly a few thousand), he chose this one. Which means this photographer at some point 'probably' saw how all of the elements of this shot worked together, and made a conscious decision to work even more on this photo in post-production. So whether or not he 'planned' it in advance or in post-production, I still think this (and the stars) are great photos. I don't think Steven Lloyd got robbed (even though I did prefer his photo). I just think he lost in a contest against another great photo.

 In the UK, knowledge of onions is held in high esteem. In fact, it's recently been added to the school curriculum. Children are now tested on different types of onion and their properties, reactions to different cooking techniques and their behaviour when mixed with different fruits and animal furs. Did you know that the average onion weighs around 123 grams?

As far as the photo comp goes, I actually prefer the Fairclough pic. Not because I think the other photo is shit, but because I just prefer looking at the other one. I am not qualified to comment on the technicalities of either photo and, in that respect, probably speak for the majority of people voting.

 Another point (and I hope my onion friend will agree) is how people keep talking about how much effort went into each shot. In my opinion (and it's just my opinion, not the truth), art, of any description, is not necessarily about how much effort went into it but more about the end result. Some of the simplest songs are the most memorable and, by the same token, so are some of the most complex. Just because anyone could do it, doesn't mean it can be done by anyone. Photography is a classic example of this. I think we should judge art on how it makes us feel - isn't that the point of it? If someone's put loads of effort into a shit picture, doesn't make it good. However, if someone's put no effort into an amazing picture, it's still amazing. People will disagree with me but then I don't think you can argue someone's perception of what they think is 'good'. Otherwise we'd all like the same thing.

 The contest, is for photography and I honestly think that photographicly, the second one is outstanding, but looking at it from a perspective of how someone rides, from a riding view the first one takes the win, but my votes were on the second one because this is a Photography contest

 @ konabike4321
Being the photographer of Brendans whip I might give you some words to think about: It's all a question of taste if you go out and find the perfekt location and have all the time in the world to set all the light perfekt and let the rider go by as often as you like until you get the shot you desire – or you go on a contest and having a vision of a shot and run around between the people to get your angle, hoping that the two flashes you placed on the other side behind the party people won't get trashed or tipped over and you won't have the light on the rider in the place you wan't him to be. You only have one chance to get it because you can't ask them to do it again.
You stand there and the pressure on you is very big to get it done and don't mess it up.

This image isn't cropped. The whole framing was in my head. The sun came from behind and without the two flashed Brendans front would be pitchblack. There are much more pieces you have to put together in the right moment and you only have one chance. Telling the whole story how the shot is realised technically is not so important to me but a lot of people keep asking vor Exifs or flashes whatever and talk all about the camera and equipment rather than about the feeling they have about the shot itself... The impression of the image is what should make it stand out and not the equipment you use. You can have incredible results with the cheapest cameras (heres a shot I made with an 100 euro compactkamera a couple of years ago -> www.pinkbike.com/photo/1791474).

Of course I also shot pictures with the whole setup planned and I'm happy with the results. BUT to realise your vision of the shot within the screaming people which wave their hands in front of your lens is – for me personal – a much bigger success than the shots out of "laboratory conditions".

 Totally Agree!!! If it were only judges choosing the photos, they probs would have chosen completly different photos for the semi finals and stuff

 Yeah. Don't get me wrong, those photos are all good in their own aspects. But seems repetitive when you have virtually the same 4 photos facing off. Says something about PB hah.

Some of the mountain photos were crazy. It also comes down to if you or the voter has traveled and stood/hiked on top of the mountains and what not. Then suddenly you get a very different perspective and sense of appreciation on how much work was put into the photo.

 I would love to hear from the PB photographers their unofficial and personal opinion. Because, let's be honest, we have seen much better pictures from the very first stage of the contest. (just to be clear: better pictures not better riders or better stunts!!!)

 I might be wrong, and this is just my personal opinion. It doesn't matter how extreme the situation is or how big is your whip to call the photo good or bad. Don't you remember last year's POY and famous chairlift photo? Gone long way in the contest, just because of the mood it describes. Not all photos above shouts the feel of the situation, Berrecloth looks like from yoghurt commercial, Lopes - incredible location! but somehow looks like just popped from your holiday album, Night photo - just too dialed, there's too much human interference in natural scene, looks like Worms map or smth. I might be crazy to say, but this as it is now, seems to be weak competition. Brendog's whip is the winner without any doubts. There's atmosphere, skill, risk, luck, effort, great composition and last but not least - brand names,

 ^ You are totally right. I agree with what you said and they are good photos no doubt, but at the same time I believe the other photos had that kind of feel too it (effort,etc) but in a more "different" way. Like the mountain photos, those would be hard to get. The photographer would have to hike up, find lighting away from the sun, and get the right picture. A full days work. But who really thinks of that too lol.

 Yah! Whips rock! Go whips and DH! Whip, whip, whip, whip!

No, but really. I really like whips.

Whippet................. www.canpropetstylists.ca/hounds/whippet.html

 Thats what i was pretty much saying

 ya 4 is crap better riding but not a better photo

 Since when does the quality of a photography rely solely on the amount of time and effort put into it? Some of the most famous and recognizable photos in the history of photography were snapped on a whim. People should judge photos based on the end result, not the time and effort put forth to achieve the end result. Personal opinion is completely subjective and all of the photos are great anyways in their own right.

 For me it comes down to the emotion I get from each image. I like being put in the action, scenery, feeling the speed etc. and being inspired to ride my bike. For me Steve LLoyd's photo doesn't do that, sure it's a technically great photo but I don't feel much emotion, there is no awesome action and the lighting isn't natural etc. In the end this is what I like about photography, it's what the viewers think.

 I completely agree with you smilelikecrazy. It's all about the emotion. I just get the emotion because of the stars and the awe of it. I've been there and seen a similar scene in person so for me im just recalling that emotion. But if it doesn't do it for you I totally respect that.

 It's stupid but this is the reality: 3 out of 4 photos here are massively voted for by fanboys, just because their favorite rider is on the photo... Not because of the artistic value of the picture.

I'm quite frustrated, because a lot of talented photographers fell out right in the beginning, just because they haven't captured a famous rider.

It will be Berrecloth and Fairclough in the finals, because Gulevich is the least popular among them...

 ye agree..not a photograph contest,, more of a fanboy voting for most popular rider...jury next year plz.

 Totally agree with the OP.
This isn´t a photography contest, it´s a fanboy voting frenzy.

I´d love to get Ian Hylands take on what his POY would be....

 Fanyboy pro contest. Couldn't have said it better.
There's no bloody reason some of the more scenic shots from the first two rounds didn't make it further...
Oh wait. No pro-list rider in it.
Sad.

And NO, I'm not some damn hipster tree-hugger or a "rebel", I just like quality over celebrity.

 @Smilelikecrazy:Actually neither shot's lighting is 100% natural. Now I don't believe photoshop is the root of all evil, but the whip shot actually has had more obvious post production work. I'm no expert, but it would appear that a post-production gradient filter was used to darken the corners, an unsharp mask was used to sharpen the picture (a tad oversharpened really), and the photo's color saturation was increased (again a tad too much in my opinion). While all that I can visually see in the stars photo is a well premeditated use of a flash. The rocks, and stars are all illuminated by the ambient light of the night, and the reason it looks so bright is because the camera's shutter was left open for 25s (aka more light hit the camera's sensor).
Both shots are pretty darn amazing, so I'm not going to bash all the fanboys who felt they had to "whip" it out for these photos, but the idea that the whip is less "natural" than the star shot is just wrong. Both shots used natural lighting to get their exposure, but the the whip shot has used more techniques to create an image whose lighting is more or less artificial.

I will however agree that the whip shot has a WHOLE lot more action than the star shot

 Fair point!
How many of those shots we have left have SRAM kit on the bike represented therein?
I'd like to know.

 LOL
Then a lot like elections, the "people" that got the right to speak are idiots.
OPINION, but still!

 Match 4 has been heavily vignetted to highlight the rider and bike.

 Not ironic at all.
We believed that the Rampage judges shat upon their scorecards in unrecognizable patterns and declared a winner.
Here, it's that some of us believe that the rest of PB are morons. That's a similar sentiment, just redirected. Get it?

 Thats why this competition should be judged by real judges.

 i couldn't agree more, THIS CONTEST SUCK ASS!!!!!

 Exactly. only one of my first rounders is left!

 Pick geoffs rampage shot!

 I hope not, I expected it to go out first round and it only stayed in by 1%.

The winner will come from match up #1 or #2.

 i might murder someone if that photo wins