TARC Contest: Shoot Gensokyo! RESULTS ARE IN!

[Tengukami]

You guys are awesome, you really are. I love every single one of your speculations, ruminations, fan theories and general fascination with our favorite girls and the world they live in.

But this old tengu wants to know who among you has the eye for detail. The time has come to see just how well you know Gensokyo. Can you truly call yourself a Touhou fan? Would you recognize Gensokyo if you saw it? Let's find out!

In this contest, you will use your digital camera, your mobile, your iPhone, your pinhole camera or whatever device you use to take photographic images. Go about your daily routine and look around you. Ask yourself - does anything I see around me look like something in Gensokyo? Keep your eyes open and pay attention. When you see something that looks like Gensokyo, take a photo of it. Take as many photos as you like, even. But whatever you shoot, you must be able to say, "This is a photo of [place in Gensokyo], and this is why."

You can submit up to three photos per person. For each photo, tell us what we are looking at, and why this photograph looks like your chosen place in Gensokyo to you. It's just that simple.

Judging will be based in two criteria:

1. The quality of the shot. No, this doesn't mean that it's super hi-res with some awesome lens and wizard-like editing skills (in fact, if the judges can tell you've, uh, "enhanced" the photo in any way, you're disqualified). Quality here refers to what you chose to put inside the shot itself - the view, the subject, the angle, the lighting and what have you. This is to level the playing field, technologically speaking, so someone with a good eye but a crappy camera has just as much a chance of winning this as someone with an awesome camera.

2. Your explanation of what we're looking at. Don't assume that anyone will be able to tell at a glance what in Gensokyo you've taken a photo of. Sell it to us! Convince us, by pointing out details in the photos and what the view in general makes you feel, that what we are really looking at is a part of Gensokyo. And speak from your heart - don't try and BS us with some blah-dee-blah hoity-toity lingo. Be sincere, but be convincing.

Pretty straightforward, isn't it? Surely any REAL Touhou fan will be able to see Gensokyo in the world around them. So, which one of you has the tengu eye for the next great scoop? That remains to be seen. I expect great things from you all, and I expect this contest to be entertaining for participants and spectators alike. Why? Because every day, you all prove more and more just how much you adore Gensokyo.

Deadline for entries is 19 July. Post entries in this thread, along with your explanations of what we're looking at. Please abide the rules regarding images. The judges' decisions will be released a few days after the deadline. The winner gets the extremely coveted custom title of SPESHUL MEMBAH. This title gives you a) a custom title b) a duck and c) a tag proudly displayed above your avatar for all on MotK to see as a reminder that you - yes, YOU - have the most keen tengu-like eye for Gensokyo.

PS: If you don't own a digital camera or mobile phone, borrow one. Hell, you might even beat someone who has some amazing Pentax megascope 3000 or whatever. Remember - this contest isn't about who has the best equipment, but who has the best eye. Make me proud!

[Ghaleon]

Are we able to use photos we took before this contest started?

[Tengukami]

I don't see why not. If the photos are yours, feel free to go through your collections and choose from there!

[Ghaleon]

Not much participation eh? hopefully that means I'll win >=P.

Your rules regarding image posting link returns a "The topic or board you are looking for appears to be either missing or off limits to you."

So I'm just going to host them on tinypic without actually having them display, I hope that's ok? (I believe I can have it too large for the boards this way too >=P)

Anyway my first shot:
http://i25.tinypic.com/2hxrtc8.jpg

Well, that's actually right on the block where I live (for those of you in Vancouver, don't stalk me plox), and for several years, the cherry blossoms have been far far more abundant than that, it was really lovely. Alas, for a year before (and during) me discovering Touhou, the cherry blossoms were gone, completely. It was like when spring was stolen in PCB >=P.

Anyway, this year, they seemed to have bloomed again (yay). Like I said, not as abundant, but we finally got some! So I took a picture. The bench can go, but I took a shot of the stairs on purpose because it only further reminds me of those endless (ok so these ones aren't endless sue me!) stairs in PCB after stage 4, you know, the ones you crawl up during stage 5, 6, extra, AND phantasm? With cherry blossoms raining the whole time? That's what this picture is of. I hope it inspires you as much as me. Cherry blossoms are really cool, and I don't mean that like an otaku or weeaboo, they really are. It's so wonderful walking under them having em flutter all around you. One of the biggest reasons I'd like to visit Japan is to goto a garden with some (I imagine Japan has a much more impressive cherry blossom display than my own home!)

My second shot:
http://i32.tinypic.com/efuyc.jpg
Well, when I first took this shot, I thought it looked more like a generic shrine than any actual locale in Gensokyo to be honest. But if I had to say what or where exactly it is, I'd have to venture a guess that it's Alice's house. I honestly have no clue what Alice's house looks like, or what it's made out of, etc. But I do know it's in the forest of Magic. And Given Alice's personality, I think this one in the picture suits her (looks rather secluded, even for being in a forest I mean). The place is actually rather busy in reality, so getting a shot without people in it wasn't going to happen >=(.
edit: Just to clarify, I meant the house in the shot reminds me of a generic shrine. The trees and such always said "forest of magic" to me though >=P

My last one is either a total win or fail.... The quality is god-awful, and I had to photoshop a second shot into it, I imagine the nature of my photoshop is allowed I'll explain why/how after you see it. Just be aware that it was taken in a dark active elevator. So getting a good shot wasn't really an option. I had someone walk in while I was fiddling, and well, I lost my chance of taking a better one >=( I had to make do with what I had. ANYWAY, I've taken this like a year ago, and I mentioned it awhile back.

http://i31.tinypic.com/34qpowj.jpg

So, I took a picture, of a picture, printed (honestly I don't remember the quality of the print myself, it might have been stellar  *shrugs*) in an elevator. Why would i take such a shot? It should be obvious I hope. The picture was of a little Japanese girl, who seems to like Remilia's seriously fuxed up "elegant" hand-posture...thing, and she ACTUALLY had the name Scarlett! (ok so Remi's isn't spelled the same but it's close enough!). She even has a puffy hat FFS!
The photoshop should be obvious, I simply took a second picture of the text related to the picture (funeral details, the little girl's), and photoshopped her name only and pasted it so phone numbers and such were left out. If that's doesn't qualify or something lemmie know and I'll try and snag another picture.

I got a totally sweet video-recording of a room full (yes, full, EVEN IN THE TOILET (ok so just the bathroom, not the actual toilet)) of books, and not just any old books, but many *OLD* ones, I mean suckers that were hand-written before the printing press was invented. Just so you know, some books back then really WERE as big as the ones in fantasy novels/games (thick as a ruler is long and long/wide as schooldesk). I would say it's Marisa's collection of books stolen from Patchy more than Patchy's library though because it's all a big mess, just piles among shelves among stacks, you can hardly see the floor. Since it's a video (taken from my phone) capturing a still from it wouldn't be very good though >=(. I doubt I can access that area before the 19th too.

So, yeah, the last picture is a total knockout in terms of "Reminds me of something in Gensokyo" but obviously the quality seriously blows.

[Sabino]

Ahahaha, srry, a bit busy these days that I almost forgot I took pictures for this  :blush:

I still made the tardy bell, right?

Anyhow, here are two of my entries, I'm gonna save a last entry for the days remaining, if I could see something interesting till that day.
(It was OK to thumbnail right?)


Ah, nature is the greatest scenary in Gensoukyou... but wait, what's the smoke!?
It must be that hell crow again! It's time we went underground again to teach that crow a lesson!
But when we got to the place of the smoke, we found that the Yata-garasu had made us a present, a hot spring!

...Well, no in reality I took this picture after visiting a volcanic hot spring in the middle of nowhere and there was no Okuu to cuddle with... sighs.


Perfectly contradictory to the first, but this really lonesome feeling and a power plant in the middle of nowhere...
(Well no, it's actually of a picture quite close to a somewhere many people know.)
It's not a picture of a specified place in Gensoukyou, nor is it something that we might see in Gensoukyou...
But what came across my mind at this scene was the song "Energy Daybreak ~ Future dream..."
Will there be a day that energy of the dreams will fuel the people of the earth?
If that happens, will all the power plants be as empty as the one that I see in the distant?

Too bad, it wasn't daybreak when I came here... closer to energy night fall...

[Janitor Morgan]

I'm amazed I managed to find a photo before the deadline. There's not a lot of things to look at in my hometown; it's not famous for anything that I'm aware of, and doesn't have many landmarks.



Ladies and gentlemen, this is Nitori's workshop. Tools lay scattered across the tables and wooden boards, allowing the kappa to easily return to unfinished projects without having to search for those tools. Countless receptacles for loose parts, such as nuts and bolts, are clearly labeled for quick retrieval. There are also a couple protective facemasks in the workshop, just in case an experiment goes wrong and starts spewing danmaku everywhere. Furthermore, there are many cans of aerosol paint, with which Nitori tests her optical camouflage: which colors take the most effort to render invisible?

The vacuum in the photo has likely contributed to the floor being clean, preventing any accidents involving rusty nails; the only source of tetanus shots I can think of in Gensokyo is Eientei, and the kappa normally do not leave Youkai Mountain for other locales, as far as I'm aware.

Spoiler:

This photo was actually taken in the workshop of the company my dad works at.

[Tengukami]

Deadline is midnight tomorrow (the cusp of the 19th and the 20th) GMT. Entries will be closed then, and judging will begin, with results posted some days later. Lookin' good so far, guys!

[Nietz]

Aw man, too bad I didn't see this earlier. But I guess I still have time to use some of my old pictures. In fact, there's some I have already thought of as relating to Gensokyo for a while now.

1 - The Youkai Mountain

Gensokyo is often described by ZUN as a "paradise", an isolated place full of natural beauty and mysteries, home to stuff that has become only legend in the outside world. I hardly knew anything about Touhou when I went  to Mauritius in 2006, but now in hindsight, if there's a place that fits the concept it's there. It's a lush paradisaical mountainous island not inhabited by humans until the 17th century and former home to a species that now only remains as little more than a popular legend.
Even though the Youkai Mountain, as described, is pretty regular-shaped, the mountain ranges visible pretty much anywhere on the island have this exotic shape so that's very easy to assume they are home to supernatural creatures. In fact, a local legend says that the huge rock seem atop the Pieter Both Mountain (the tallest one in the picture) was a greedy man that tried to extort gold from the mountain spirits and was turned to stone. Don't mess with the tengu, people!

2 - A Tengu's View of Gensokyo

Now for an inverted perspective, this is what I imagine Gensokyo would look like from atop the Youkai Mountain. A verdant valley surrounded by mountains and mist from every side, with a small human settlement in the middle (though I suppose you just have to ignore the power lines :derp:).
This one I took in a place much closer to home, in the highlands not much more than 100 km away from where I live.

3 - ?You can?t come here. Because you are not human, you see??

And now, for something different. This is not a view from Gensokyo per se, but rather an episode from CoLA.
This was to be a picture of a friend of mine standing in Shinjuku, but as I accidentally pressed the button while moving the camera, I ended up with this blurry "ghost" picture.
Looking at it now reminds me of the scene in chapter 11 of CoLA, where Reimu weakens the Hakurei Barrier and Rinnosuke, who was daydreaming about the outside world, finds himself transported - in a dreamlike state - to a shopping district in Japan, wherein he is befuddled by all the light, noise and smell there before being brought back by Yukari.
Nobody in the place seemed to have paid any attention to poor Kourin, so maybe his oniric presence could have only been perceived in a ghost picture much like this one?

[VIVItheFujoshi]

this is a pretty contest... i hope who im not late...i want show you some old photos who i do looong time ago.

-Hakurei Barrier? or weird night sky...


(backstory: i was taking night photos for a homework (make a image for a terror dvd movie XD) i forgot put the flash, and the city lights+the mist created a strange coloration in the sky.) this is how look the night in Gensokyo, when the Hakurei border is weak?

-Yukari is fooling around again


(backstory: another work , this time in group, about create a story with only photos.we found this SPECTACULAR reflection in a old room in our institute (in restauration,that place now no exist) and this give us a idea to do a terror story.) Yukari, how you see there, is playing again, confuse us and put a door in a window, and a rainbow in a room....

-Welcome to Kourindou odd antique store!


(backstory: this was a tour for a little exposition of antique collections from diverse persons from all our region...pretty.) welcome to Kourindou odd store.if you need something,probably is here! all exportations from the outside world, the finest of the finest. (and the owner is fine too o_n)

-Eientei drugstore "Tatsukete E-rin!"


(backstory: same from the previous picture, they placed all the drugs and remedies like a true drugstore.) E-rin! E-rin! have you a remedy for love pain?

-Saigyou Ayakashi


(backstory: from the same colecction from the first photos, only who i use the sepia option of my camera.) is winter, and is sealed, but that no means who the old tree is dead...

Looking at it now reminds me of the scene in chapter 11 of CoLA, where Reimu weakens the Hakurei Barrier and Rinnosuke, who was daydreaming about the outside world, finds himself transported - in a dreamlike state - to a shopping district in Japan, wherein he is befuddled by all the light, noise and smell there before being brought back by Yukari.
Nobody in the place seemed to have paid any attention to poor Kourin, so maybe his oniric presence could have only been perceived in a ghost picture much like this one?

i remember that chapter.How misterious was that...he was able to do an astral projection? maybe with the white noise of the i pod who he was hearing, he fall into a kind of trance state who, combined with his own youkai sleeping abilities,project his spirit to the place where, probably, the i pod was lost...but happily Yukari found him, because he no have practice in that, and would be very dangerous...for example,his spirit would be lost in there and without form to return to Gensokyo...  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astral_projection  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia

[Tengukami]

Vivi, you posted just over seven minutes past deadline, but I'm going to let you in anyway.

From this point on, entries are closed. I'll leave this thread open if anyone feels like remarking on the entries and such. Judges will confer, and results will come up in a few days.

I love these shots!

[Ghaleon]

I shoulda posted mine later so people would have continued to not notice this thread, now I'm nervous. dohhh.
Glad I'm not a judge though, not sure whose I'd pick.

edit:
It's probably already been considered but I think we should keep a thread like this here just cuz it's kinda interesting seeing earth gensokyoificated.

[Tengukami]

It's probably already been considered but I think we should keep a thread like this here just cuz it's kinda interesting seeing earth gensokyoificated.

Stickied or unstickied, this is a good idea.

[Lloyd Dunamis]

Ge, missed the deadline, I did... Oh well :3

It's amazing there're even indoor photos. I've set my eyes only on outdoor places for Gensokyo sights, and thought there isn't anything indoors that's something indoor of Gensokyo.

Those photos are awesome *_*

I'll post what I captured anyway, for

seeing earth gensokyoificated.

|3
(320x240. Click for tinypic-resized full view 1600x1200.)

Bamboo shoots growing so high, very straight, in this dark night. They say a Trial of Guts once occurred here during one full moon. Thankfully, it's a moonless night tonight -- less Youkai activity around the area. (a bit of SMT reference, if I'm not mistaken?)

Though I don't remember seeing this much bamboo from the last time I visited here. Are my eyes deceiving me? I can't seem to find my way this time. I heard rumors that there's a youkai here that makes this forest seem endless.

I believe I am now lost in this Bamboo Forest.
-Some Random Human Villager

... This is just a close-up of a few tall grasses just around unoccupied lots of the subdivision though xD. Took the photo early morning, with only the cellphone's flashlight as light source.
Pardon me for not being able to write elaborate details of my imagination >_<

[Nietz]

I loved these photos VIVI, those trees silhouetted against the orange night sky look really mysterious. But the Kourindou one was my favorite, I tried to find one of my own that was like that, but I got nothing. I really love the feel of antique and vintage stuff. It's hard to explain, it's like having nostalgia for things you never experienced.

i remember that chapter.How misterious was that...he was able to do an astral projection? maybe with the white noise of the i pod who he was hearing, he fall into a kind of trance state who, combined with his own youkai sleeping abilities,project his spirit to the place where, probably, the i pod was lost...but happily Yukari found him, because he no have practice in that, and would be very dangerous...for example,his spirit would be lost in there and without form to return to Gensokyo...  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astral_projection  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia

My opinion is that he did something very like Maribel does, only he crossed from Gensokyo into the outside world in a half-dream half-real estate. So yes, it would something like astral projection. I don't think he has border-crossing innate abilities like Mary, but since Reimu weakened the Barrier, which separates fantasy from reality and he was - ironically - fantasizing about the real world, he accidentally stepped into there.

[Tengukami]

OK! So, the moment you've all been waiting for is finally here. The judgements are in. I know most of you are just going to scroll down to see who the winner is, but I'm going to explain how scoring was done anyway. Your four judges were Purvis, Nobu, Matsuri and Kilga. I decided I'd only step in if there was a need for a tiebreaker. Giving our four judges the criteria by which the judging is based, I let them create their own scoring system. In this way, judges could assess each entry in a way that they felt comfortable gauging, while still sticking to the criteria.

In any event, the winner of this contest comes by unanimous decision. All four judges agreed that the winner of TARC's first (and hopefully not last) real contest was none other than

Nietz!

Congratulations, Nietz! Through a combination of your photo skills and your writing ability, you have made tengu the world over proud. You have found Gensokyo in the world around you, and convinced others that it's there. Enjoy your soon-to-be-awarded duck!

Here's what the judges had to say about your work, Nietz:

Purvis:

First Picture: YES. Here we go. This is the stuff. Look at that Youkai Mountain range. Look at those clouds where Iku's chillin' out. Very yes. 10/10

First comment: Hmmm. The history is nice, but it's not really selling it to me. Good effort, though. 5/10

Total: 15/20

Second Picture: Hmm, not quite so evocative as the last one, but still very nice. The landscape is just a little too broken up for Gensokyo, though. 8.5/10

Second comment: Not really selling it, but at least it's not wishy washy. 4/10

Total: 12.5/20

Third Picture: Okay this looks cool. It's not Gensokyo, but looking cool and the story to go with it gives it more points than usual. 4/10

Third comment: I like this. I like it a lot. Very clever. 10/10

Total: 14/20

Nobu:

Photo 1: Too much skyline here. With the interesting story behind these mountain ranges, I wish they felt more like the focus of the shot. The sky is taking up about 2/3rds of the shot when it should be ideally at 1/3rd. A good cropping job would fix this quite nicely as the resolution is decent, but I have to judge this picture's composition and not what it could be, alas. That said, your description adds quite nicely to the vibe I get from these mountains, and if this hasn't found its way into Gensokyo yet I could imagine it will someday down the line.

Photo 2: Woooow. That tengu bird really jumps out at you, doesn't it? The horizon here is placed at a much better position than it was in the last shot, and I rather love the visuals of the rolling landscape gradually receding into the mist. This is how I'd imagine the border of Gensokyo to look like, pretty much. The only thing that clashes with the Gensokyo vibe is the power lines I can make out, but the quality of this shot has convinced me that they must be structures built by the Kappa to power their inventions. :3c

Photo 3: The light sure makes some interesting patterns, and almost looks intentional. Again, this picture shows the importance of description as Ammy mentioned, which saves an otherwise lackluster shot.

Quality: 8
Explanation: 9
Overall: 8.5

Kilga:

- This is on the upper end of sale effort. The use of the third picture is quite clever, if gimmicky.
- The main fault I would find with the first two pictures is that they're too similar. I know one is supposed to be the "invert" of the other, but still, I would have been more interested by three different scenes.
- Overall 7/10. Nothing that really blew me away, but a very solid all-around submission.

Matsuri:

Picture 1:
Ooh, pretty. I've always wanted to see mountains in person. Maybe some day, hopefully sooner than later. Anyway, I like how you combine Gensokyo legend with legend of our world as well. That, and it's just a damn nice picture. 9/10
Picture 2:
Another very nice picture, and it gets my imagination going on what Gensokyo would actually look like. The bird captured in the shot is a nice touch as well. 8/10
Picture 3:
What the-- my eyes are playing with me in this one. It's an interesting effect that came out of a screwed-up picture, hahaha. I like how you think out of the box and reference Touhou in a different sense than 'what would Gensokyo look like'. 8/10

Comments:
Two perspectives of how Gensokyo would look, along with a more abstract image. I strongly approve! Your descriptions are vivid and enthralling, and come with reference information for those wondering about context. Also, the variety of locations are pretty neat, as well. I'd love to travel some day~
Final score 25/30

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that we had a runner-up as well; someone all judges felt deserved honorary mention, and that's Sabino. Good job, Sabino!

Let's see what the judges had to say about everyone else!

Sabino:

Purvis:

First Picture: Lovely! A bit too clearcut and built up,  think, but still very nice. The plantlife seems a bit off, maybe? There's something I can't put my finger on. Still: 8/10

First comment: Very good, staying convincing, nice narrative 6/10

Total: 14/20

Second Picture: THIS IS CAKETOWN! And not Gensokyo. 0/10

Second Comment: Okay, this one is just kinda trying to get something going, and being wishy washy about it. 1.5/10

Total 1.5/10

Nobu:

Photo 1: Even without the description, I really get the feel of Gensokyo through this shot. A hill overlooking a forested plain stretching out into a misty horizon, I can almost see the Hakurei border from here! The sky is a bit too whitewashed I think, but this may actually help contribute to the Gensokyo vibe, along with those great smoke plumes.

Photo 2: If not for your description, I don't think I would have looked at this entry very favorably. This does not obviously scream out 'Gensokyo' after all. The atmosphere does evoke that feeling of loneliness and the possibility of getting whisked away, as if we were close to the border of here and there. I do enjoy the natural lighting, and the clouds in the background as well.

Quality: 8
Explanation: 8
Overall: 8

Kilga:

- The Utsuho intro had me excited for a better suspension of disbelief write-up, but it all went downhill after that.
- Utsuho/Hot spring shot is good, I like this one. Second shot...what am I looking at here? Where in Gensokyo is this supposed to be? The description isn't helping at all, it's just a reference to a song (with a name I don't recognize to boot; I assume it's a game ED).
- Overall 5/10. The second picture here really hurt.

Matsuri:

Picture 1:
*gasp* This is unprescedented serious affair! It's a shame that Okuu wasn't there, though. This one made me laugh. 11/15
Picture 2:
The picture is sort of bland, in my opinion-- however, I like the perspective of this shot, especially when coupled with your description of it. I even threw Future Dream into my playlist while judging this one. What strikes me the most about this one is the last two lines of your description. I found them to be profound and poetic, and honestly, I totally dig that sort of thing. 13/15

Comments:
Combining a shot of nature with a shot of something with a more abstract explanation behind it. I like it. Nice job.
Final score: 24/30

Ghaleon:

Purvis:

First picture: Oh, this is pretty. But, the artificial gazebo and buildings in the background detract a bit from the Gensokyoness. But that you don't notice them immediately, I think says something of the picture's quality. The trees are what you see first, and this is good. The general decor is modern, but largely not distressingly modern. The only complaint? See that cup in the lower left corner? Would it have killed him to clean that shit up? Really brings it down. 6/10

First comment: Kinda wishy-washy. Not feeling the love of Hakugyokorou in this. 3/10

9/20 total.

Second picture: Oh that is nice. I could see this leafy ravine in Gensokyo easy. And the building does have kind of a look I'd associate with something Shriney or Tenguy. The only flaw is the people in it.  9.5/10

Second Comment: Wishy washy.  I'm not feeling it. I need to be convinced, not sorta cajoled. 2.5/10

12/20 total

Third Picture: Cute, kinda clever, but Purvis is not thinking of Gensokyo. 0/10

Third Comment: What? I guess there's some effort. 1/10

1/20 total.

Nobu:

Photo 1: The ground peppered with pink cherry blossoms really gives off the feeling of "spring", and thus fits well with the PCB-vibe. The modern architexture doesn't really scream "Gensokyo" to me, but if I squint I think I can kinda see it. The colors are somewhat subdued but the trees are framed well. That bench really screws with the composition though, and so does that cup at the base of the steps on the left side.

Photo 2: This is marvelous. You say "Alice's house", but what I see here makes me think of the Human village. The wooden architexture of the building doesn't look out of place for Gensokyo, and I love how the vegetation seems to be spilling out along the side of the ridge like a waterfall. Your attempt to sell me this shot was a bit weak, but the quality and Gensokyoan vibe shines through luckily.

Photo 3: I don't think I can judge this, as this is a picture of a picture that I'm guessing you didn't take. Not to mention the quality is incredibly grainy, and the association of this with Gensokyo is quite a stretch. Also, that name gave me a bad Tekken x Touhou crossover visual in my head just now. :<

Quality: 7
Explanation: 6
Overall: 6.5

Kilga:

- He really tried to trip himself up by ruining the suspension of disbelief I felt this contest was designed to create. It seemed like he went about the contest with a mindset of "find thing -> imagine thing in Gensokyo" rather than the other way around ("well, I guess this could be...").
- The Hakugyokurou staircase shot is good. The Alice house shot I'm ambivalent on, it feels more like a Moriya Shrine or a tengu house or something to me with the way it's on the edge of a hill. The Remilia shot makes me frown for being gimmicky and far-fetched.
- Overall 4/10. Hakugyokurou picture is the only thing here I can really say I liked. The rest, both the pictures and the comments, were uninspiring at best.

Matsuri:

Picture 1:
Frankly, you've won my heart with this one. If there's one thing I love to take pictures of, it's flowers. Not only that, but Perfect Cherry Blossom is my favorite Touhou game, so perhaps I'm biased, but I don't care. This picture is lovely, and I can see where you're coming from with your comments regarding it. 10/10
Picture 2:
I like this picture as well. It seems peaceful, rustic, and secluded, which definitely feels like a place where Alice would live. 8/10
Picture 3:
...erm. Something about this last one just disturbs me a little. Before reading your comments, I figured you were taking a blurry shot of someone's kid through a window or something, but to know that it's a picture of her with funeral details... it just bothers me for some reason. That said, I have to give you points for creativity, and the coincidences are rather striking, since... well, with your explanation, it does remind me of Remilia, I suppose-- though it probably wouldn't had you not pointed it out. 5/10

Comments:
Last picture aside, the other two pictures were incredibly nice, and your explanations behind them make sense. I also like your attention to variety-- one picture apparently in a city, another in a more nature-based setting, and one...erm, rather unique picture.
Final score: 23/30

VIVI:

Purvis:

Picture 1: Not really feeling the gensokyo, but! I can see where she is coming from. Her titling convinced me a bit. 4/10

Comment: Since all her comments are just titles, they'll all get the same score. On one hand, not really persuading, but more inviting me to see what they do without cajoling. I like it, but there are better ones. They all get 4.5/10

Total: 8.5/20

Picture 2: Oh, this looks old and decript and very SDM spare room. And the title adds to it. 9/10

Total: 13.5/20

Picture 3: This is creative. It's a little too clean and bright lit for Kourindou. But, it has the antiquey feel down perfectly. 8/10

Total: 12.5/20

Picture 4: Oh man! If it was just the right half, I'd be totally buying it. But the shelf on the left half just doesn't look Gensokyo. Nor does the western style scale. Man. If it were just the right half, even the poster would work. 7.5/10

Total: 12/20

PIcture 5: Oh yes. I am very feeling this. This is the Youkai Cherry Tree. Beautiful and evil-looking. 10/10

Total: 14.5/20

Nobu:

Photo 1: This photo makes me feel like I'm seeing the death of a tree, as it gets its lifeforce sapped out of it. The colors here are odd and interesting to look at, and I'm surprised these sorts of colors could occur naturally in the sky. Still, I don't quite get the Gensokyo feel from it.

Photo 2: What an interesting reflection! It actually looks like there's a beam coming out of that door. This photo does give creepy vibes of the supernatural, perfect for Yukari. However, I have mixed feelings about the composition of this shot. The door seems misplaced in the frame and there's a lot of uninteresting negative space that detracts from the door and window presentation. Also, the lack of focus and streaks on the glass hurt the photo as well.

Photo 3: (I'm going to lump the critiques of Kourindou and Eirin's shop together, as they're both collages). This is an interesting collection of items I could totally see being found in Kourindou (except for maybe the women's clothing on the busts, but maybe Rinno likes to dress up once in a while :3) It's hard for me to give any more detailed judging than that for specific shots in the collages, but I can say overall the framing of the items is nice and I see no glaring problems.

Photo 4: I wish I could see more of the tree as I think that may have helped out this shot. The subjects of this shot are the branches, but there's almost no contrast with them and the background, and the outlines are very fuzzy. And the glowing streetlamp(?) in the bottom corner detracts from the shot as well.

Quality: 6
Explanation: 6
Overall: 6

Kilga:

- Not really sure I can judge anything here, since the rules say you can only submit three pictures and she submitted five.
- Overall ?/10. Shouldn't this have been disqualified?

Matsuri:

Five pictures, huh. Well, I don't feel like picking just three, so I'll judge all five, giving each a score out of 6.
Picture 1:
It's strange, yet oddly interesting. I don't really understand what it has to do with Gensokyo or Touhou at all, even with your description, but it's a nifty pic nonetheless, and deserves some credit. 3/6
Picture 2:
Ahhh, my eyes are messing with me in this one, too! Definitely has to be some borderhax going on in here. @_@ 5/6
Picture 3:
I've always harbored a secret interest in antiques, especially since they're often so much more ornate (and often more ingenious) than our modern inventions that we have today. This could all be stuff you could find in Kourindou. I like it! 6/6
Picture 4:
Also appealing to my interest in antiques, but this time, you're appealing to my interest in medicine, as well! I'd like to get a closer look at all of those bottles and read about them and research them and oh~ 6/6
Picture 5:
Mrrrr. I'm not really seeing the Saigyou Ayakashi in this one, and the description doesn't really help it much. It's an interesting picture, but I'm just not seeing Gensokyo or Touhou in it, I'm afraid. 3/6

Comments:
Definitely some interesting stuff here. I didn't really get any Touhou vibes from a couple of them, but the ones that did redeemed you quite a bit. I like your attention to variety as well, what with the more abstract images and the antiques and the medicine.
Final score: 23/30

rdj522:

Purvis:

Picture: So close, yet so far. It's just a bit off for Nitori's workhole. If just a few things were added, it'd work. It's too bright (artificial light kills it). If there were some cucumbers; some kappa-looking things. Maybe some decorative cattails... So close, yet so far. Sunlight would have saved it, I think. 3/10

Description: See, this is a good description. I'm feelin' it, weaving lovely imagines in my head. Good thorough explaination. 10/10

Total: 13/20

Nobu:

This looks like a mighty fine workshop for a kappa (And I see she shops at Lowe's as well, who knew?). I love the colors in this shot, and there's a certain organized chaos I get that seems to fit the Kappa. What I don't like about the shot is how it's tilted at an angle slightly, and makes it look somewhat sloppy. Also, whatever that grey thing is next to the box on the left side is intruding on the shot, and looks out of place. Overall though, I like this photo.

Quality: 6
Explanation: 8
Overall: 7

Kilga:

- This is cute, if a bit gimmicky (though at least it's based a little more off Gensokyo reality than a silly meme). He actually tried to sell it, too!
- But he only submitted one shot. D:
- Overall 6/10. I can't find any real fault with his one image, but...it was only one image.

Matsuri:

Yeah, it does kind of suck when there aren't many landmarks in your area to work with, doesn't it? However, I can tell you put thought into the shot and you pulled off the improvisation well, especially with your explanation. Your description provoked my imagination, and while looking at it, I could almost see Nitori happily working away on her inventions. That said, it's still pretty ordinary, and wouldn't remind me of anything related to Gensokyo if you wouldn't have explained it to me. 20/30

Comments:
I'm not done judging here, though. I think you're deserving of a few extra points here. It takes a certain special touch to take an ordinary picture and make it stand out with a nice description. I think Aya would be proud.
Final score: 23/30

And there you have it. Everyone, thanks very much for putting in the effort to make this contest a reality.

From here on out, this thread is about posting photographs of Gensokyo. Hope you enjoyed this contest, and keep submitting. Caw caw!

[Kilgamayan]

For the record, my favorite individual shot was Sabino's Utsuho picture. Nietz just had the better all-around presentation.

Well done, everyone, regardless. Even with the range of scores, I can safely say everyone submitting something to be proud of.

[Ghaleon]

omg, I feel stoopid. I have no idea why, but for some reason, despite reading the criteria once at the start, and once again just before I submitted. I COMPLETELY overlooked how our descriptions were actually part of the grading process derp derp >=P. So I was kind of giving honest even if self-critical opinions rather than..yeah..doh.

As for the last shot, I had it in there becuase well. Funeral arrangements or not, I did not see that to begin with. I was just minding my own business when I saw a picture of a small girl with a funny cap and that WTF IS THAT hand-position, then in bold print (larger than the rest of the notice), I see "scarlett"..so..yeah. I HAD to take it.

Anyway, if such an event happens again (which it should *hits deks*) sometime later in the future, I'll know to be careful with my blurbs >=).

Though honestly, I'll be hard-pressed to find more new pictures.

Grats to Nietz, reading the reviews was fun. I'm glad they weren't kept secret >=)

[Janitor Morgan]

Grats to Nietz, reading the reviews was fun. I'm glad they weren't kept secret >=)

Indeed. It's good to look at the commentary for everyone, so that we can all compare notes and improve.

I honestly didn't expect to score half as well as I did, since I couldn't find anything beyond that one image. On top of that, the other entries had some really interesting photos to offer, especially Nietz's second picture.

Looking forward to the next contest!

[Nobu]

Grats to Nietz and everyone else! It was a pleasure to judge, and I guess my photography classes from back in high school came in handy? :V Looking forward to seeing more from everyone in the future.

[Lord Phantasm Satori]

I hate living in the suburbs... there's nothing even remotely Gensyoko about southern california.

I suppose I could take a picture of Ken of Japan :3

[Nietz]

Thanks a lot folks! :toot:
Though I must admit I knew the result when I logged in and saw I was blue.

Spoiler:

da ba dee da ba dai

I'll have more to say later, but now I'm kind of busy with Wild and Horned Hermit.

[VIVItheFujoshi]

Congratulations Nietz!
finally he got a color! :getdown: :getdown: :getdown: (dance)

[Nietz]

I guess I was the only other one got the appeal of VIVI's first picture? The way I saw it, they were taken in one of those nights were, although you expect the sky to be dark (for, you know, being night ), but instead it has that eerie orange glow. (Usually caused by the city lights reflecting off the clouds) It reminded me of how UD described the sky near the Hakurei Shrine in Reinterpretation of Scarlet Devil, due to the effect of the Hakurei Border.

Anyway, thanks for the reviews mine and the others'. I will keep them in mid when I look for Touhou-like scenery from now.

And, in the spirit of the thread, I will post some others that I either found  later or didn't think were good enough for the contest:


Here's one that's somewhat reminiscent of the "Fall of Fall" in Stage 4 of MoF. It's actually from the Igua?u Falls, where I was in May. (And I really gotta get off my ass and post some more of these in the picture thread in RMEA.) The one in the game was definitely taller and narrower, while this one is short and wide. But still, it doesn't take so much imagination to think that a bunch of white wolf tengu are about to jump from behind the wall of water to attack you. (Though considering the local fauna, they would most likely be coati youkai).


Her are two more from Japan. The first one is a tourist village, that could pass for the human village in Gensokyo. Though I suppose the "real" one wouldn't have paved streets and water drains.) The second one is what it seemed an antique store in a narrow side street in Tokyo, not a block further from a major road. But except from the modern houses in the background (an the price tags on the furniture) it reminds me of the backyard of the Hieda Residence, as seen in the Memorizable Gensokyo comic. If there only was an old phonograph and some cats, I could totally picture Akyuu sitting on the porch there.


This one is from Sentosa Island, in Singapore, as seen from the cable car that goes over it. After some careful cropping to exclude the buildings in the background, it looks kinda of like I imagine Eientei to look. ...if Eientei was beside a river.
Speaking of Eientei, here's a couple of pictures that I didn't take myself, but rather found in a scenic pictures imageboard. It's pretty much exactly how I imagine the view from inside Eientei, and a road leading to it.

[Sabino]

Thanks everyone for the grading and everything!
I was happy that people liked my Smoke stack => Hey, could that be Okuu sort of thing.
Really, I don't know when's the next time I could manage to take such a fine smoke coming out like that.

Also, congrats to Neitz!

and in similar spirit, I'll submit some that didn't meat deadline as well as stuff that I chose not to post.

A lone idol and a frog soon to be iced...