Bikes and Swedish Cinema: Choose Your Favourite Contest Submissions!
The deadline for the Pilen give-away contest was last night, and the entries are in! To recap, readers who fit the height criteria (this is a large bike) were invited to submit an image that depicts a person and a bicycle, and evokes some aspect of Swedish film. The winner will receive the beautiful Pilen Lyx that I am test riding for the distributor, BoxCycles. I received 30 eligible submissions, and most of the pictures were so thoughtfully done, that it seemed only fair to feature them all.To select the winner, I will first choose five finalists based solely on the pictures. Then I will have a closer look at those entries, read their submissions carefully, and possibly contact them via email with some questions.
If you are up for it, I would love to have your input regarding which images belong among the finalists. I have some tentative favourites in mind, but if popular opinion differs from mine I will reconsider. There are too many entries here to turn this into a poll, but please feel free to let me know in the comments which images appeal to you. Here they all are, numbered 1 through 30:
1. entry from Jenny
2. entry from Marisa
3. entry from Amy
4. entry from Kitty
5. entry from Amanda
6. entry from Lauren
7. entry from Julie
8. entry from David
9. entry from Cris
10. entry from Maddie
11. entry from Stephanie
12. entry from Kara
13. entry from Mike White
14. entry from Louisa and Bojana
15. entry from Anders
16. entry from Janice
17. entry from David and Kate
18. entry from Marcella
19. entry from Paris
20. entry from Olivia
21. entry from Brooks and Marya
22. entry from Trevor and Melissa
23. entry from Traci
24. entry from Kate
25. entry from Kimon and Rhonda Haramis
26. entry from Gretchen
27. entry from Audra
28. entry from FieldofBluebells
29. entry from Cate Fitz
30. entry from Riding Pretty
Thank you again for taking the time to create and submit these pictures. Regardless of who wins, this is a visual treat and I hope they were fun to make. Thank you also to BoxCycles for donating the beautiful Pilen! I hope to announce the winner next week.
#1 and #19 are my favorites, just based on initial reaction to seeing them, #1 probably being my overall favorite :)
ReplyDeleteSo far there are 8 pictures I like more than the others, so I will definitely use the feedback here to narrow that down to 5. Will be interesting to see what everyone thinks.
ReplyDeletei dig #12, #5 and #2
ReplyDeleteThey are all very thoughtful and creative but the ones that recall the genre and haunt me most are 5 13 19 22 and 28. This contest format has been very rewarding and interactive. I love it.
ReplyDelete#1. I saw that movie and it was the first thing I thought about when I heard about the contest. Funny I can't remember the movie name... but I remember Max Von Sydow...
ReplyDeleteLove 23, might be even more effective cropped closer, but love it.
ReplyDelete12, 13, 21.
ReplyDeleteDidn't say much about my photo when I submitted it. Was trying to evoke the dream sequence from Wild Strawberries with him walking through empty streets with everything filmed with a lot of contrast. My wife and I were riding around our town and I remembered the contest and had her take a few photos of me. I then played with fill light and contrast to make them more stark.
ReplyDeleteThe entries I like are, 2, 12, 16, 17, 22 (besides my own of course).
I mentioned the bike would be for my wife. She and I got Trek Hybrids almost two years ago for our 23rd anniversary. I've put almost 2 thousand miles on mine, but she is at a few hundred at most. I think the leaned forward position keeps her from enjoying the bike and that an upright bike might get her out more.
Fun contest, thanks very much.
2, 9, 23, 30
ReplyDeleteLike 2, 11, 12, 23.
ReplyDeleteThey are just slightly unusual, slightly mysterious, without resorting to more coerced editing methods to achieve a look.
Most balanced presentations I think, light & dark, negative & positive space, technical & creative, shown vs obscured, literal vs. symbolic, etc.
If I had to pick a winner hmm... probably 2; but only like 60% sure on it.
But it's my opinion, and it's not my contest, and I'm not the target person giving away anything. ;)
number 25 made me laugh so much. it really sticks out for not taking the theme so serious yet it is spot on. Ingmar Bergman first became famous not for being so arty but for his frank depiction of nudity in "summer with monika".
ReplyDelete13,20,23,26 are my favourites. Especially 20.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I know nothing about these films.
- Les
Like (in numerical order, not by preference):
ReplyDelete1, 5, 12, 14, 19, 23, 25, 28
But #23 and #25 get special attention.
My favorites are:
ReplyDelete6 - Lauren
7 - Julie
22 is definitely my favorite. The levels may need to be tweaked ever so slightly, but it's good regardless.
ReplyDeleteI love #2! Just the hand and wheel...so evocative. Great lighting, too.
ReplyDelete29, 28, 19, 15, 2
ReplyDeleteI really like number 9 and number 10.
ReplyDeleteHi Velouria,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the hyperlink to #30 --- it's goes to my blog!
However these following links are more helpful for viewing of the photo itself.
http://instaview.me/108723325/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridingpretty/5875656733/in/photostream
#2!! That movie rules, and pic is quite eery, yet natural. Runners up: 12, and 1 is quite funny. Is it possible to have titles of pics visible? Would be helpful for identifying some of the movies. Great contest! thanks
ReplyDeleteThanks Shelly. The link to your blog was intentional; I included links to who-ever had one.
ReplyDeleteThis was fun! I like all of the 30 submissions.
ReplyDeleteChoosing out of the final five selections...!
12,19, 25--Especially 25.
ReplyDeleteI am not as familiar with Swedish cinema as I might be, but the first one made me laugh out loud.
ReplyDelete# 2 from Marisa is super. # 18 is my second fav.
ReplyDeleteWow all really good but I think my number one fav would be 23 that is just way cool second for me is 22 I just dig all the black and white ones though.
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about Swedish film, but from an artistic view I love #5 and #13.
ReplyDeleteMost of these are lovely!
ReplyDeleteMy favorites would be 5, 10, 12, 23 and 30.
28, 18, 5 were my favorites. I knew 18 was inspired by The Virgin Spring the moment I saw it.
ReplyDelete14
ReplyDeleteI laughed out loud when I read the caption...read just like a foreign cinema ad.
Without knowing much about the specific film references, I would have to say that #20 packs a bunch of Swedish-ness into one really cool photo.
ReplyDeleteThe vintage Monark swan frame, Pippi Långstrump (Longstocking) book, and the lovely blonde are well set in a photo that looks like it could have been taken by Søren Solkær Starbird - who just so happens to be the photographer for the boxcycles website.
(see http://starbird.dk )
#29.
ReplyDeleteOMG, I love 30.
ReplyDelete6, 15, 19, 22 are the ones I am leaning toward. I guess I'm partial to the photos with less post-production. I also like the attention to the landscape in these submissions, I can feel the movement.
ReplyDeleteGreat contest!
I absolutely love #1!
ReplyDelete2, 13, 14 & 23 are also quite lovely. I'm sorry, Veloria, that you have the duty of choosing only one entry out of all of these awesome photos.
#2 is my favorite...it presents so many interesting questions. Whose bike is that? Where is it going? Why is the house so deserted and empty? Is the bike leaving for good? Why...what happened? It must have something to do with the fact that the window is rectangular, the window in the door is rectangular, the door is rectangular, the closet door is rectangular, the panels in the closet door are rectangular...but the bicycle wheel is round! It can't stay in this house; it doesn't belong...
ReplyDeleteThere are many other good pictures, but for me this one just stood out as a photo I'd like to have in my house. Which is rectangular...:)
My finalists are entries 1, 15, 20, 23 and 30. I think my favourite is actually number 23, but 1 and 30 are so close that I'd probably change my mind every other day....
ReplyDeleteWill said...
ReplyDelete"...#20 packs a bunch of Swedish-ness into one really cool photo.
The vintage Monark swan frame..."
I think it's awesome that you can tell what bike it is from that picture, as well as the other vintage Swedish bikes you've identified from pictures I've found in the past!
6, 11, 15, 17, and 26 because it terrifies me.
ReplyDelete13
ReplyDelete17
18
23
28
I vote 1, 7 and 18. But congrats to all! Amazing work!
ReplyDeletei think #3 and #5 are cool. more so for #5.
ReplyDeleteI like #12
ReplyDeleteNummer 22 är finast. Härligt ljus som påminner om Sverige.
ReplyDeleteThis is great stuff - ART even!!!
ReplyDeleteI really like these, and think they meet the criteria best (as i remember it!)
#6
#7
#12
#21
#30
my favorites, in order, are:
ReplyDelete3
11
12
5
7
17
7
1
admittedly, i don't know much about swedish cinema, but those are the ones that "spoke" to me the most.
For those of us who aren't as familiar with Swedish Cinema, perhaps a cheat sheet for the images which clearly reference a specific movie is in order?
ReplyDeleteOh, and #2 is my favorite.
#22 feels very cinematic. Great lighting and contrast.
ReplyDeleteSeveral great images, but #2 for sure. What a great sense of light and of embarking on an unknown journey.
ReplyDeleteThey are all great! 2 and 5 really grab me as favorites :)
ReplyDeleteMy preference:
ReplyDeletePhoto 2, then photo 22.
And, love all the unique perspectives/approaches!!
#30, kinda spooky and artsie.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorites are ( in order of which ones I like) 10 9 and 23. I just think 9 is a good photo
ReplyDeleteReally great submissions. When I read about the contest, I never thought you would get so many submissions of such high quality! Most of them I could even recall the film it evoked, (I'm not encyclopedic enough to give titles!)
ReplyDelete#2 is my favorite - elegance, lighting, composition; 12, 15, 28 right behind.
Surprised there aren't any images of goth girls with spiked tall mohawk. I liked the Stieg Larsson trilogy.
So many excellent submissions - hard to narrow those down! I don't know enough about Swedish film, but just judging on artistic feeling of the photos, I'd have to say #2 and 11 are my favorites (in order), followed by 1, 12 and 19.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to all of the artistic eyes who entered the contest!
Let The Right One In is one of my favorite recent horror films so I'm really loving 2 and 26. 26 especially got a chuckle out of me.
ReplyDelete"For those of us who aren't as familiar with Swedish Cinema, perhaps a cheat sheet for the images which clearly reference a specific movie is in order?"
ReplyDeleteI will try to go back and add some captions if I have time. Just for the record, I did not mean to imply in the post announcing the contest that the pictures need to reference a specific film; I was thinking of a general "Swedish filmness"
I know absolutely nothing about Swedish cinema but I loved "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" books and movies, so that counts for something, right? My favorites photos are 1, 2, 12, 17, 21, and 30. The vampire baby in the basket gets an honorable mention :)
ReplyDeleteMy favourites are #23 and #5
ReplyDeleteI love the similarity in so many. I don't know swedish films at all but now I wish I did.
ReplyDeleteI think 11, 16, and 21 are really beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAmanda
23, 11, & 15 are my favorites. Love this contest, I'm getting such a kick out of it!
ReplyDeleteI'm not very familiar with Swedish film. But I love entries (in no particular order) 1,2,5,9,12,23 and 30.
ReplyDeleteNumber 2.
ReplyDeleteNumber 16! Every cyclist can relate to that.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to be awed and entertained, here is also a "screenplay" to go with #13 : )
ReplyDeleteI love #1, 13, 20, 23...I know that is the top 4 instead of 5...but oh well. My favorite is #23, my second favorite is #1. I also like #5...I think...the floating eyeball? I think they are all are wonderful and creative and brilliant and I would have participated except my experience of Swedish film is limited to "Let the Right One In"...lame, I know....good luck!!!
ReplyDeleteI also don't know anything about Swedish cinema, but liked 2,5,11,12, and 28.
ReplyDeleteGreat contest!
6, 7 and 14 definitely!
ReplyDelete#5
ReplyDelete#10
#12 for sure!
ReplyDelete2,5,9,12,28
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
hands down: number 2
ReplyDelete29!
ReplyDeleteSome of the black and white are quite good, but I would vote for #23, for its creativity and the way the line of the tree echoes the wheel arch.
ReplyDeleteGarth-
1st pick: #19
ReplyDelete2nd pick: #5
3rd pick: #2
Besides my own (!) some of my other top picks are 2, 5, 14, 23, and 26. But I think they're all pretty great!
ReplyDeleteI love number 20! It looks very well done and it even has a traditional swedish house as the backdrop.
ReplyDeleteI vote for Kara
ReplyDeleteAnd 23, and what a good sense of humour has number 25!
ReplyDelete#3 is my favorite, closely followed by #1
ReplyDeleteJay
You're asking me to make a choice? Ha! I love them all, but my favorites are nos. 2, 11, 13 and 20.
ReplyDeleteNos. 2 and 11 have a sort of enigmatic "Are they coming or are they going?" quality (I'm a sucker for that sort of thing!), while number 13 made me think, oddly enough, of what "The Vagina Monologues" might have been like if a man could have written it. And number 20, for me, has an appeal similar to some Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange photos from the 1930's, although it's not derivative of them.
What a collection... you could make quite a calendar with those.
ReplyDeleteOnes that grabbed me...
3... happy vibe, colourful
6... big sky, fresh air
13... so many questions
16... old and new
20... ! (and should I be looking?)
25... !!!!!!! (and LOL!)
Those would be my shortlist.
I do not know anything about Swedish film, so cannot comment on that.
Love the clouds in # 6
ReplyDelete5, 19, 22, 29, 30
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is "Wow!"
ReplyDeleteDan.
While all of the entries are great photos, I think only a couple of them actually get at the point of the contest (remember gradeschool? Read the prompt!) These photos were supposed to evoke some aspect of Swedish film. That means one of the underlying themes of Swedish cinema, not just something Swedish, not just a scene from a Swedish film with a bike in it. That being said, I vote for 6, 15, 18, 19, and 22. These incorporate beautiful landscapes and scenery, movement, and emotion. I really like that 18, 19, and 22 have people riding their bikes. Likely a harder shot to take, but convey so much more! Great work everyone!
ReplyDeleteI love #20; as a children's librarian the reference to Pippi Longstocking makes me smile!
ReplyDeleteThese are fantastic. What an interesting competition! I'm favorable toward Kara's entry, but I'm not exactly unbiased.
ReplyDelete# 16
ReplyDeleteNice bike.
Authentic costume.
Very good boy.
Dick
#5 actually looks like a still from a film. Very cool.
ReplyDelete#5 all the way!
ReplyDelete#6 is lovely... #5 for sure!!
ReplyDeleteAmanda from #5 here:
ReplyDeleteI just uploaded an image of the paper cut-out I used in the photo and the Persona still I was referencing. I thought you might enjoy it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amhamilton/sets/72157626955888487/
I loved the recent link to the screenplay, the background info on some of these makes them a lot more compelling!
Still loving 11, 16 and 21.
I most love number five. Very nice paper bike.
ReplyDelete# 5, # 12 and # 17 all rate highly
ReplyDelete#5 for sure.
ReplyDeleteI am guessing #5 has many friends who've discovered this post?
ReplyDelete: ))
Oh man, I don't envy your job with this! There are so many really great submissions here! Since you said you're considering public opinion, here are my favorites for what it's worth:
ReplyDeleteIn order of appearance (and not favoratism):
#2
#7
#12
#20
So many great and really creative takes on this! I can't wait to see how it all turns out.
S.
Love these all, but my fav is #2 makes me smile - someone sneaking in with their velo from some lovely adventure
ReplyDeleteI love #2 and #5
ReplyDelete23 is really lovely and i like the simple beauty of 11.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much everyone for taking the time to comment and choose your favourite pictures!
ReplyDelete12 without a doubt. Bergman's movies are all about inner conversations and reflections on life and death. // Magnus
ReplyDeleteBikes and Swedish Cinema. In no particular order:
ReplyDelete1,
2,
12,
22,
23.
Number 1 is the classic image from Bergman. Also, number 14 is a direct reference that is not getting enough mention. 1 and 14 all the way - not just cool looking photos - they actually deal with the subject.
ReplyDelete