Competition Results JUNE COMPETITION June - Open Subject 1 Silo abstract 2 sacred kingfisher 3 I wonder what's around the corner 4 Roman Ruins 5 G'day Mate 6 Winter Surf 7 Birds Eye View 8 Colourful evening 9 New Holland Honey Eater. 10 Fungi 11 Misty Sea 12 I'll Need another Few of These. 13 The Old Waterwheel 14 Rushing Water 15 Your looking for whom 16 New season begins June - Set Subject - Harvest 28 The last of this years quinces 29 Wind harvesting 30 Back in the Day 31 Tuna 32 Oyster Harvest 33 Shiraz 34 Stage 1 complete 35 On their way to market 36 All rolled and ready 37 Gathering the Oysters 38 Rice Harvest 39 Pilchard Delivery June - Special Subject - Flora 40 Frangapani 41 Thistle 42 The Rose 43 Water Lily 44 Flora 45 Dahlia 47 Leucadendron Ebony MAY COMPETITION May Open 12-Enjoying the Sunshine. Bazz Hockaday - 6 Points. Four sea lions doing what they do best. Lounging around in the sun. Quite sharp with good exposure on and around the sea lions. The foreground rock to me is a distraction and would suggest cropping it out. Also a little off the top and sides could also help the image. See attached images. 6- derelict. Kay Jaensch - 6 Points. The image looks fine in Mono. There is a balanced feel to the image. The derelict nature of the image is quite prominent and is what we see first. However the power lines are distracting us away from the playing courts. The foreground log is acting as a start to our lead line into the image. My eye then follows along the net and into the back of the image. 7- Meercat. - Fran Solly - 8 Points, 3rd Place Judges Vote.2nd Place Popular Vote. These little fellows always look cute. Nicely taken with good lighting and highlights in its eyes. Framed nicely in the vertical crop. The eyes have been caught with sharp focus but I would like to have seen more of its nose in sharper focus too. Nicely handled background for the little fellow to stand out on. See attached images as an alternative view. 11-The Hole in the Ozone. Bazz Hockaday - 9 Points, 2nd Place Judges Vote. Lovely lighting on the main subject of the image. The dark stormy background and the well-lit boat and house make for a high impact image. Strong colour saturation. Sharp focus where it needs to be and nicely composed. However I think if you were to put the main points of interest into a pano format the image could even be stronger. See attached images. 8- Giraffe. - Fran Solly - 7 Points, Merit. Certainly no background distractions in this image of the giraffe with it being burnt right out. All the features of the giraffe can be seen clearly. I feel the image is too overexposed losing a bit of colour saturation. The eye may normally be very black but I would like to see more detail in them. They look unnatural to me. Good to try a different presentation of what would have been a standard image of a zoo animal. 5- Ready Set All Together Now - Julie Lovegrove - 10 Points, 1st Place Judges Vote.3rd Place Popular Vote Beautifully caught pair of birds going about their singing. Nicely framed. Good lighting. Sharp detail. Something happening to interest the viewer. Well seen. The moment In time caught. Well Done 2- Fireworks. John Taylor - 7 Points Merit.1st Place Popular Vote A nice array of fireworks shown and fitted well into the vertical format. Strong colour and the fireworks have been caught with good sharpness. Some low down interest to tell the story of where the fireworks originated from. Exposure has been handle quite well. 1- We're all mad here! John Taylor - 5 Points. The tight crop has worked to eliminate any unwanted distractions. The background is sufficiently blurred out to make the fine hairs on the cat stand out better. Try warming the image a bit as I feel it looks too green. Better lighting would have helped as the image looks a bit flat like it is. 3-The sights of Norfolk. - Jan Hetherington - 7 Points, Merit A nice rural scene showing foreground, middle and background information. Good depth of sharpness throughout. The cow looks to have been in a good paddock for a while due to its condition. Nicely framed. Try using a brush in lightroom and paint extra clarity and maybe de-haze into the sky, water and Island area to give it a bit more punch. 10- Subtle pink - Karen Miels - 5 Points. Similar comments as the previous image. Just a bit too soft to be a high impact image. The soft lighting used here has produced soft transitions between surfaces which is beneficial for viewing. The background is clear of distractions. More colour saturation would help to lift the images appeal also. 4- the two of us. Jan Hetherington - 5 Points. Nicely framed. Excellent reflection of the bird going about its business. Good colour. Having the bird doing something is good but unfortunately you did not catch it in crisp focus. Difficult as they always seem to move when you take the shot. If your shutter speed at that time of taking the shot is set too slow blur usually happens. Fran Solly taught me about high shutter speeds when photographing birds. It works most of the time in getting sharp images. 9- Brilliant poppies. Karen Miels - 5 Points. Good to have gotten In close to the flower subject. The backlighting has produced an interesting colour effect. There are no distracting elements. What lets the image down is that the focus is too soft. A steady hand or a tripod should help to get the sharpness needed. A macro lens for this type of imagery is usually best. However a zoom lens can also be used with some extra cropping in post processing to get in close enough. May Set Subject - Sport 31-Tour down under 2020. - Jan Hetherington. 5 Points I like the way you have placed the white line directly in the bottom left hand corner. It is working as a great lead line into the image. There is room to the left of the front rider for the cyclist to move into. The string of riders fills the rest of the scene nicely. The trees are framing the riders too which works visually. For me the drawback to the image is that you have not caught the riders in sharp focus. Try focusing in the area near the front rider then use a higher F stop number ie; F16 ish and all the riders would be in better focus. 36-Patricks first jump. Karen Miels - 6 Points2nd Place Popular Vote. A well timed shot of the horse and rider. Spot on with the focus and well exposed. Good colour saturation. The vertical crop suits the situation at hand. Pity we could not see the eyes of the rider. It would have given much more punch and story to the image. I know it is hard to get all the aspects of an image right at the same time. Great try though. 37-All eyes on the Buoy - Karen Miels - 5 Points You have fitted the tall yachts in without clipping the tops of the masts. The composition is quite good with room for the yachts to turn left at the buoy when they get there. You have achieved quite good sharpness but I think the overall shot is a little underexposed hence losing impact. 39-Startline Pressure. - Bazz Hockaday 8 Points, 3rd Place Judges Vote. Good story being told here. Great eye contact with the crew. They have their eye on the turning buoy and look like they may get there first. The background boats are helping to tell the rest of the race story. Technical details of the image handled well. 34-Powering Up. - Fran Solly - 10 Points 1st Place Judges Vote.1st Place Popular Vote Wow. An intense image especially with those eyes so dominant on first sight of the image. The spray of then water has been frozen beautifully and crisp detail in the rest of the image. The blurred background also helps the image to pop. A well-executed shot. The tight crop is good as extra surrounding information would possibly have been a distraction to the benefits of the shot. 38-Airbourne. - Bazz Hockaday -- 6 Points.3rd Place Popular Vote. A great action shot with the droplets showing up and good sharpness on the kite surfer. Well exposed and good colour saturation. I feel the background is distracting us from the main part of the image. I would suggest cropping the bottom part of the image off up to the top of the road. See attached images after reviews are read out. 33-Nearly There. Julie Lovegrove- 7 Points Merit The moment in time here has been caught well. Strong colour and the horses are in good focus. You have left enough room on the RHS which is good for the subjects to move into. Pity you lost a little off the back horse. There are no other distractions in the image for me to see. 32- Junior sailing. Jan Hetherington - 6 Points The image is quite sharp from front to back. The colours are strong and the vertical format suits the placement of the three craft. For me there is not enough interaction between the three boats. They all seem to be doing their own thing so not a strong story being told to capture the viewer interest. 35-Learning to Surf. Fran Solly - 9 Points 2nd Place Judges Vote. Good eye contact with the surfer girl. I assume you did some lightening in this area for us to see her eyes better and to have a stronger impacting image. Well exposed and sharp detail in the subjects. I would suggest cropping just a smidge off the left and right hand sides. A strong story being told. Strong interaction between the subjects. APRIL COMPETITION April - Open Section 1 Shag Rock - B Hockaday- 7.3 points A good action shot with a nice amount of wing movement. As I considered this image my thoughts were exactly what I found you had done in the later image 'Flaps down'. In this image the blurred foliage on left is too much of a distraction. 2 Sunset, Sand and Shadows - B Hockaday- 7.9 points- 2nd Place Popular Vote A very nice social documentary but are they maintaining social distancing? I think if you cropped a bit from the bottom and the right placing the people on the thirds it is then a stronger image with the contrast boosted a bit. 3 Pink Dhalia - J Glendenning- 6.9 Points A striking bloom but none of it seems to be in focus. I think it would work better rotated 90 degrees left. 4 Against the Rock - J Glendenning- 7.3 Points A nice composition with strong content but again it doesn't seem to be sharp or it is very low resolution. Some work on contrast and saturation might bring a bit more life to the image. 5 Jetty in Fog - J Hetherington- 6.9 Points A good attempt at an interesting subject. I think you could improve the composition by cropping top and right and then boosting the contrast. 6 Coloured Reflections - J Hetherington- 8.6 Points- Equal 3rd Place Judges Vote A strong image with artistic appeal. I had to read the title to work out what it was. Then I felt it needed to be rotated left to make more sense. I liked the creativity expressed in the image. 7 Rain Forest - F Solly- 6.9 Points A very serene scene and you have done well to not get blown out sky in the image. However the overhanging branch on left is distracting. I wonder if the angle was optimum. Was the opportunity there to move to the right and get a better view down the stream? It badly needed a person in the scene for context and story. 8 Mussels for Lunch - F Solly- 7.9 Points A very good sharp image which confirmed that the process of submission wasn't the grounds for others being soft. The water drops and the mussel in beak lift the image but I did feel the bird was a bit too central. Full points for technicals. 9 OK, who took my pants! - J Taylor- 8.9 Points- 2nd Place Judges Vote What a delightful image, capped off by the flowers in the pocket. Composition was very good but the shadows needed to be lightened a bit. 10 Walkers Rocks - J Taylor- 6.9 Points The image appears to be level but screams sloping due to the content which makes me wonder if you've captured the best angle. I liked the human content. I wasn't sure about the depth of field as the seaweed in foreground just didn't seem sharp. I might have tried shooting from further right. 11 Wood fire. - J Waters- 6.9 Points This strong image really captivates the viewer but I'm not sure it's for the right reason. I think the problem is that no part of the image seems to be sharp. 12 Pussy tails. - J Waters- 9.4 Points- 1st Place - Judges Vote- 1st Place - Popular Vote I rarely give full marks but this image came so close and it may well have got them had the leaf at the bottom not been clipped off. Well done on an excellent image. 13 Emu Sand - H Boothby- 7.3 Points There is great content here but I'm not sure you've used that to your advantage. The patterns are very strong and could stand alone as a creative image. Better composition is possible and I feel the landscape behind is too insignificant to be worthy of including. 14 Plenty More Around. - J Lovegrove- 8.6 Points- Equal 3rd Place - Judges Vote This is an excellent bird image. It ticks so many boxes. Action, 3's, composition, diagonals and all 3 sharp. Well done. A little post production adjustments would improve this further. I'd clone away the white bird bomb at top right. 15 Here Comes the Sun - J Lovegrove- 6.9 Points A nice scene but lacks impact or significant content like a human presence. It is very flat and would benefit from boosting contrast and light. It also needs the horizon straightened. 16 We're in a hurry - L Scarman- 7.3 Points Having so many birds sharp is an achievement in itself. However for me the image is too busy and there is a big dead out of focus void top left. I think some strong cropping of just one of the groups would achieve a stronger end result. 17 The Bee - L Scarman- 6.9 Points- 3rd Place Popular Vote A strong macro which for some reason bothered me. Can't quite place my finger on why. A greater depth of field may have helped with making all the main content being sharp. 18 Calm Waters - K Miels- 7.3 Points A nice leading line capturing a tranquil setting and leading the eye into the centre of the image. The overcast day hasn't been kind to you and the image screams out for a human content either sitting on the seat or walking down the path. 19 Caught Day Dreaming - K Miels- 6.9 Points The expression is suitably supported by the title. It seems he is looking past the camera rather than at it. Lighting could have been better and there is a lot of digital corruption on the right side. 20 Native Orchid. - P Hewstone- 7.3 Points Good composition of this image. I'm suspecting that it has been cropped heavily from a larger image with the resulting loss of resolution. Lightening the shadows or the centre of the image may give a stronger result. 21 Across Roman rooftops - P McAvaney- 7.9 Points A nice composition with an artistic quality to it. Overall image is a bit flat and would benefit from boosting light and contrast. April - Set Subject - Documentary 1 Full Port and KI Smoke - B Hockaday - 7.6 Points- 3rd Place Popular Vote A nice industrial or regional image. Well composed and well handled technically. 2 Race Winners - B Hockaday- 7.3 Points A good result given the challenging lighting conditions. I did wonder about the composition and whether it would have been nicer to see the full sail. 3 Here We Go - J Glendenning- 6.9 Points This image left me wanting to know what everyone was looking at because it clearly wasn't the start line. Not sharp and has a distinct lean. 4 Devastation - J Glendenning - 6.9 Points This image stretched my tolerance on set subject as the main subject here is the roo not the devastation. To fit set subject it needed to show far more of the surrounds. 5 Social distancing - J Hetherington- 6.9 Points An interesting interpretation of social distancing that lacks sufficient context. SD applies to people not footware so where are the people. Too many questions left unanswered with this image, including the processing. 6 We have survived - J Hetherington- 7.6 Points A much better portrayal of the devastation which is sharp and has been well framed. Also strong colour. Not a pretty scene but it is a well crafted image. 7 Feeding the Tuna - F Solly - 7.6 Points A well composed and balanced image. 8 Musterings Finished - F Solly- 8.3 Points- Equal 2nd Place Judges Vote A very well captured and composed image that has a story to tell. It would benefit from a bit more contrast. 9 Elliston Jetty - J Taylor- 6.9 Points Definitely a documentary record shot. From a photography view it lacks enough interest. 10 The New Norm - H Boothby- 6.9 Points A good documentary record of the current crisis which would have benefited from a bit broader viewpoint to make the playground more obvious. The gate is sharp but the blurred sign is rather disconcerting. 11 Grand Opening - H Boothby- 7.3 Points- Equal 2nd Popular Vote An interesting attempt at selective colouring but I wasn't keen on the mosaic effect of the background and sadly you missed a few bits of red either side of the man cutting the ribbon. 12 Weary Reflection - J Lovegrove- 8.3 Points- Equal 2nd Place Judges Vote- Equal 2nd Place Popular Vote A very contemplative image with the main subject nice a sharp. I would prefer the seated gent positioned more to the right of the frame and without his hand chopped. 13 Waiting - L Scarman- 9.6 Points- 1st Place Judges Vote- 1st Place Popular Vote What a classic image. Well captured. So much better than a posed shot with them both looking at the camera. 14 In Memory - L Scarman- 8.3 Points- Equal 2nd Place - Judges Vote Lovely strong colour. The quandary, do I show the fence straight or the candles? I might have cropped the top of the fence and straightened the candles. 15 Country Kids at the City show - K Miels- 7.3 Points A very good documentary shot which needs a little straightening. Has a fair bit of digital noise/softness so I wonder if it was taken with a phone? 16 Getting the fleece off - K Miels- 6.9 Points An awkward angle for a traditional shearer shot which almost obscures the shears. Depth of field could have been a bit longer as the sheep's chin is sharp but the shearer isn't. A contrast boost would also benefit. April - Special Subject - Panorama 1 Flaps Down - B Hockaday- 8.3 Points- 1st Place Judges Vote A well composed image with good light and the leading line of the path. There is perhaps a bit too much on the right with no significant content, so a crop there might give better balance. 2 Fishing Boats - J Glendenning- 7.3 Points- Merit Everything from tankers to Coracles in the one image. Could be sharper and the horizon needs to be straightened. If anything I feel there's too much content and a stronger image would exist cropping away the right coracle and the rest to the right. 3 Chopper to Paradise - J Hetherington- 6.9 Points This very wide pano tells the story the author shot but I think there's a better pano image using just the left half. The right half is dead from shadows. However a better option may be to simply lighten the shadows which will boost the colour. 4 Gumbanan - F Solly- 7.3 Points- Merit- 1st Popular Vote A nice scene that is well composed but rather flat. Simply boosting the contrast will bring the image to life. 5 Rainforest Walk - J Taylor- 7.6 Points- 2nd Place Judges Vote A well composed image with good light and the leading line of the path. There is perhaps a bit too much on the right with no significant content, so a crop there might give better balance. 6 Reflections on a Winters Day - J Waters- 7.3 Points- Merit- 2nd Place Popular Vote A nice composition. Boosting the light and contrast will bring this image to life. 7 Special Heart of the Red Centre - J Lovegrove- 6.9 Points There's a story in this image and it isn't told the way you have presented it. There is far too much boring bulk in the bottom 2 thirds. I would crop the top to form a horizontal pano with the tree as the focal point. In this case having it dead centre, the loneliest part of an image. 8 Serenity - 6.9 Points - L Scarman A very pleasant sunrise/set but sadly it is not sharp and there is no detail in the foreground. I'd recommend cropping a third off the right which is dead space. 9 Special_ Foggy Morn - K Miels- 7.3 Points- Merit- 3rd Place Popular Vote A nice scene with interesting content. It badly needs a boost in contrast to breath life into it. I wonder if there is more on the left than you need? 10 At the Beach in May - P McAvaney- 6.9 Points A good scene but needs more work to improve it. Straighten the horizon. Crop a few people off the right as you have more than needed and crop the bottom so the waters edge becomes a leading line from the bottom left. Then boost contrast. MARCH COMPETITION RESULTS March Set Subject - Wide Angle 6 Tassie Beauty by C Georgiou1st Place - Judges Vote 10 Points - Just love this shot of the waterfall in Tassie. Those Tassie waterfalls are something else again and you have captured this one beautifully. 16 Halong Bay by K Miels2nd Place Popular Vote 8 Points - Merit - This is a well framed shot looking through the arch at the canoeists. You have handled the differences in lighting quite well, although under the arch, the far rock wall is a tad washed out which you may be able to selectively correct in Lightroom or Photoshop 3 Colour me Orange by J Lovegrove 7 Points - Gorgeous colours and I really like the variety of stones in the foreground. Would like to have seen just a bit of the sea which I presume was there. Its colour would have made a good contrast with the orange rocks. 17 Hoi an by K Miels2nd Place Judges Vote1st Place Popular Vote 9 Points - It’s a brave photographer that points a camera directly at the sun, but I think it works here. What lovely light and the position of the nearest boat makes for a lovely composition. 9 A Bird's Eye View by J Taylor 7 Points - I like that you have got down low enough to capture the foreground so well and for me, it doesn’t matter that the background is a little soft. However, I find the colour a little dull. You might be able to punch the colour a bit more in your software. 10 Rock Art by J Taylor3rd Place - Judges Vote3rd Place - Popular Vote 9 Points - I just want you to take half a step to the left! Love the way you have framed the “rock art” with the curved rock in the foreground, it really works well. Well done 13 The Gorge by J Hetherington 6 Points - I hope you weren’t risking your neck to take this shot. It looks pretty steep. Just debating with myself whether the composition might have been improved by pointing your camera down a bit and leaving out the bridge. A good memory shot. March Open Subject 1 Out to Lunch by J Lovegrove2nd Place Judges Vote2nd Place Popular Vote 2 Take Off by J Lovegrove1st Place Judges Vote1st Place Popular Vote 4 Fishing by C Georgiou 5 Bees around and Oyster Shell by C Georgiou 7 Rock Pool by J Taylor3rd Place Popular Vote 8 Garden Path by J Taylor 11 Dawn at the Beach by J Hetherington 12 Arising from the Ashes by J Hetherington 14 Wash Day Apartment Style by K Miels 15 Tourists by K Miels3rd Place - Judges Vote FEBRUARY COMPETITION RESULTS February Open Subject 08- spiny-checked-honeyeater by J WatersJudge - 2nd Place 11-Irises by P McAvaney 12-Cycle Revolution by T Davies 17 - Petal by C Georgiou 19- Grebe by C Georgiou 20- Make a Wish by J TaylorJudge - Merit 21 - Breakaways by J Glendening 26- Choose your Drink by K MielsJudge - MeritPopular Vote - 2nd Place 28- Spotted Feather by P McAvaneyJudge - 3rd PlacePopular Vote - 1st place Female Ostrich - by T DaviesJudge - 1st Place 34- Riverbank R2 by K Miels 39- At Peace by J Hetherington 40- Just Drying my Wings by J Taylor 44- Awesome Foursome by J HetheringtonPopular Vote - 3rd Place 47 - Black and White Rocks by J Glendening 48 - Crested Terns by P HewstoneJudge - Merit 49 - Seaside Weed-euphorbia by P Hewstone February Set Subject - Negative Space 92 - Been Surfin by P McAvaneyJudge - 2nd PlacePopular Vote - 2nd Place 61 Tuna by H Bothby 80 Behind the Blinds by J WatersPopular Vote - 1st place Contemplating the Start by J HetheringtonJudge - Merit 85 Set Disk by J Boothby 56 On the Road Again by T DaviesJudge - Merit 53 Into the Sea by P McAvaneyPopular Vote - 3rd Place 64 Escape by J TaylorJudge - 3rd Place 65 Having a bit of a Wobble by T Davies 73 Ski Tunnel by J TaylorJudge 1st Place 78 Images on the Moon by J HetheringtonJudge - Merit 76 Mussel Farm Mirage by K Miels 74 Summer Days by K Miels 67 Desert by C Georgiou 59 The Rope by J Glendening 62 A Touch of Yellow by J Glendening February Special Subject - Scapes 111 - From the rocks and beyond by J WatersJudge - 1st PlacePopular Vote - 2nd Place 110 - From Hancock's Lookout by P McAvaneyJudge - 2nd PlacePopular Vote - 1st Place 107 - Lone Watch by J TaylorJudge- 3rd PlacePopular Vote - 3rd Place 120 - Dining Italian Style by J GlendeningJudge - Merit 108 - Ahh Paree by K Miels 106 - Serenity by H BothbyJudges - Merit 104 - Boulders on the Bay by J HetheringtonJudges Merit 101 - Serenity by C Georgiou Golden Island by T Davies Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading...
