Judged by David Smith FPSNZ
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- Lunch For A Devil – Accepted – I see a seemingly random arrangement of chillies with variation in colour and form. The image seems to lack concentration of interest, leading me to wander around the image without seeing a deeper narrative.
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- Hot Smoking – Honours – I was drawn into the eye-catching juxtaposition of yellow and blue elements in this image of burning incense. I found the shapes of flower and smoke particularly pleasing.
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- Sonics Ring – Honours – The Image of the fire in the sphere provoked my curiosity, seeming to invite me to unpack the refracted and real elements and their relationship with one another.
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- Hot Pink – Merit – An abstract that evokes thoughts of twirling dancers seen from above. The lightest area is at the top and this tends to lead the viewer upwards and out of the image. Make the centre lighter to overcome this visual flow effect.
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- Hot Cross Buns – HC – I see a still life arrangement of hot cross buns, laden with religious significance. The butter and jam add a hint of luxury to the narrative. I found the jam distracting because once I noticed it dripping off the edge of the board, I kept wondering about it.
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- Playing With Fire – Merit – I saw a story about holding fire aloft as an offering. Washed out areas and sensor artefacts diminish the impact of the narrative for me.
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- Admire The Flame – Merit – The direction of the flames invited me to imagine the motion of the fire stick. The washed out areas and sensor artefacts diminish the impact of the story for me.
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- Thermal Activity – HC – Another view of the vent seen earlier. Seems compositionally stronger because the fumarole and orange rock are both leaning slightly inward and this lends a sense of balance to the image.
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- Log Fire – HC – As winter draws near, I anticipate the warmth and comfort of a log fire. May be compositionally stronger with the fire in the middle of the image. Cropping from the right would lessen the distracting lighter area there.
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- Hot Chicks – HC – I was amused by the different expressions on the young women’s faces in this group portrait. I found myself wanting to see more context to give a sense of depth to the narrative.
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- Steaming Hot – Merit – I imagined the hiss of steam from the fumarole and a whiff of the sulphurous odours. Taken in harsh light, the colours in this image seemed washed out.
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- Yum Hot Cross Buns – Merit – Smell the warm yeastiness and anticipate the taste of hot cross buns. Commonly accepted practice is to have the focus on the food items at the front to help create a sense of engagement with the closest elements. In this image the focus is on the back row of buns, diminishing the impact of the story.
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- Boiling Hot_2 – Merit – When I saw this image I recalled the lines from McBeth, “Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble, cauldron boil, cauldron bubble…” and smiled. The impact of the story is diminished by the close cropping and flat mid-tones. Try lifting the mid-tones and increasing the contrast for more impact.
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- A Hot Contest – HC – I saw humour in this narrative because personal experience lead me to anticipate the need to drink milk after eating the chillies. The image lacks white and near white tones that would give the image more impact.
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- Bunnies – Accepted – A story of repetition with variation apparently based on the Playboy logo. I found my eye wandering around the pattern repeated by quadrant. I was left unsure it was someone else’s art?
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- So Hot So Thirsty – HC – Seeking respite from the heat. Well captured decisive moment with water dripping off the child’s nose. The composition seems cramped (see hands at bottom of the image).
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- 07i_Vintage Hot – HC – A boudoir portrait in a wistful pictorialist style. The pose and the colour tones reach back to a time when such portraits were popular. The impact of this image is diminished by the halo around the figure and some artefacts that may have resulted from over-processing or file compression.
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- Belly Dancer – Merit – A story from ‘eastern’ cultures where belly dancing is vibrant and lively tradition. In this image the dancer’s expression seems tentative and the monochrome treatment lacks white and near white tones. This makes the image appear flat, lacking intensity that would emphasise the narrative.
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- Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Merit – This image seems to say ‘look what was picked from the garden’. The colour cast makes the colours less convincing and the angle of view results in a scene lacking depth.
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- Natures Cauldron – HC – Evokes memories of bubbling noises and sulphurous odours associated with geothermal activity. The grey mist and muted tones add a moody vibe but leave the scene looking flat.
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- Chillies For Sale – HC – The expression on the vendor’s face suggests that he knows how hot the chillies are. The cigarette in the vendor’s left hand and the puff of smoke on his lips adds a touch of humour. The image seems noisy and lacking definition (clarity and contrast).
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- Flying Chillies – HC – Reminds me of the intense flavour resulting from the generous addition of chillies in a meal. The vignetting puts the spotlight on the chillies and the blurring adds a sense of movement. The patterned background competes for attention and a plainer background may have been preferable.
