2605 Animal Portrait Results – Whangarei Camera Club

Click on the images to see what the judges have said about your images.

: MERIT. Black Petrel. Salon. The black petrel calmly resting in the blue water makes a nice contrast in this image. It is very clear and sharp, I can even see its feet under the water. Good catch light in the eye. I suggest a crop all round to have the Petrel fill the frame more.

: MERIT. Suricata Suricatta (Meercat). Intermediate. The Meercat has an excellent connection with the photographer. Sharp detail with eyes focused and clear catch eye. Background nicely blurred. A crop from both sides would make this a more portrait image and eliminate the wooden distraction on the left. I suggest a lift to the levels as I feel the image is a little over exposed. Good work in supplying the scientific name.

: MERIT. Jake’s Wild Whorls. Salon. Jake is a lovely looking dog and so good posing for you.He’s very connected to the camera and his expression says “so what do you want me to do now? I feel the image is under exposed. An adjustment to levels lightens the image bringing out the lovely colors of Jake’s coat. Nicely composed.

: HONOURS. Black and White Elegance. Salon. Curiosity is definitely the expression here. Along with the black and white colors the viewer is drawn to the yellow eyes. The image is very sharp and the eyes in focus. Very well composed.

: ACCEPTED. Fang and Friend. Salon. Not sure who is who here. The cat’s rather smug expression indicating his “friend”is a well captured moment. Good DOF adding to the story they are in a nice little spot in the garden. My attention is constantly drawn to the figurine as it seems to dominate the image. Perhaps a crop all round to achieve a more portraiture image.

: NOT ACCEPTED. The Girls with the Pink Earrings. Salon. Great title for this image, a play on the famous portrait Girl with the Pearl Earring. Unlike that portrait I feel this image doesn’t meet with the basic principles of portrait photography. The girl in the middle is the only one facing the camera and she would be too difficult to crop out. I do like this image and I think it would do better in the Open competition.

: MERIT. Swanky Swan. This image is an unusual action shot. The swan is in the process of having a drink. The author has had just the right settings to catch the drops of water from the beak. Good eye detail and reflections in the well handled. I suggest a crop from the right to fill the frame a bit more.

: MERIT. Pampered Pup. Salon. There is a good connection with your pampered pup. The mono treatment provides sharp detail. I am assuming this is a mono. If so, in the future you need to add the letter m to your file name. One of the main principles of portrait photography is focus on the eyes. Pup’s eyes can hardly be seen making it hard to discern an expression. Nice composition.

: HONOURS. Impala. Salon. What a lovely image. Sharp with a softness provided by the lighting behind the subject. The image is well composed with the blurred background making the Impala pop. Eyes are clear with a thoughtful expression ” what is that thing you’re pointing at me.” Great capture.

: HONOURS. Waterbuck. Salon. Someone has certainly had a great photography experience taking these animals in the wild. The Waterbuck is sharp and there is connection with photographer. I was pleased to see the author kept some of the background in focus which gives the viewer an insight to the animal’s environment. Great Shot.

: HIGHLY COMMENDED. Tess What She Does Best. Salon. The author has captured the very expectant expression on Tess’s face, are you going to throw that thing for me to fetch. Tess’s lovely golden colors are a nice contrast against the green grass. Image is sharp and eyes well focused.

: ACCEPTED. Lolla. Salon. This is a lovely image. I get the distinct impression this is an image of a framed photo and yes it is an animal portrait. What tips the scales here is the skill factor. Other images in the competition have had weather, difficult lighting, animals on the move etc to contend with requiring skill and knowledge, compared to this one sitting still on a wall. I may have this completely wrong and if so I do apologise. For this reason I am awarding only an acceptance.

: ACCEPTED. Getting Feet Wet. Salon. I feel this image does not fit the portrait criteria of connection, expression and capturing the personality of the animal. It is a nice snap shot of the dog at the beach.

: HIGHLY COMMENDED. Haai. Intermediate. Nice image with lovely colors. If this was taken through glass or under water the exposure has been well handled. The crop is tight though the face is front and center which is expected in portrait photos. The title has me wondering if this is the fish’s name or the type of fish.

: HONOURS. Hi From Above. Intermediate. I do like the clever title and its play on words. The image is sharp, crop a bit tight at the top but still well composed. The angle the shot has been taken at helps to accentuate the haughty expression prompted by a pesky photographer below.

: NOT ACCEPTED. Lunch Time. Salon. This image is not sharp and mum and pup’s faces are not clear. The thick white border detracts and renders this image more as a snap shot rather than a portrait of pup enjoying lunch.

: ACCEPTED. Love is Grand. Salon. A well spotted moment caught on camera. Lovely feather detail. What a pity that stick is right in the middle of their passionate moment. It has the effect of cutting the image in two. I feel the border detracts rather than enhances. A good crop all round to bring emphasis on the birds, stick and all.

: HONOURS. Eye of Ostrich. Salon. The well directed lighting helps make this image stunning in the clarity of detail. The eye has a reflected image of what he /she is looking at along with eyelashes to die for. Expression is very intent. The background has been well handled allowing the Ostrich to stand out.

: HIGHLY COMMENDED. Ginger Rogers. Intermediate. So does Ginger Rogers dance too? The mono treatment very clearly brings out the feather detail and the gimlet light to the eye. The image is nicely composed angling across and filling the frame. I feel there is an almost stark quality to the image but striking all the same.

: HONOURS. Gerrard Doodledoo. Intermediate. This image shows a very good connection with the photographer with a rather fierce light in the animal’s eye. It makes Gerrad an impressive looking rooster. Beautiful colors which are accentuated by the thoughtful background. Image is sharp and the author has had the lighting directed just right to give maximum detail of Gerrard’s facial features.

: MERIT Kotuku. Novice. Nice capture of this proud handsome fellow surveying his domain. Image is sharp with good feather detail. I would suggest the lighting in the background be toned down which will make the Heron stand out a lot more . A crop from both sides will make this a striking portrait.

: MERIT My Best Side. Salon. This little seal was very helpful in staying put to show his best side. He is nicely angled across the frame. I feel the image is under exposed. An adjustment to Levels will lift this image and reveal good detail of the seal. Good eye detail .

: ACCEPTED Yogi. Salon. Yogi looks very relaxed and has a nice connection with the photographer. Good composition , fills the frame. I find the background distracting and there is a white blow out patch to the right of Yogi’s head. Suggest some tweaking of the lighting to get a bit more definition of Yogi’s features.

: MERIT Female Paradise Shelduck. Novice. Lovely colors are nicely captured in this sharp image, Good eye detail and the blurred background helps to accentuate those beautiful feathers. There are lots of spots throughout the background which I suspect are water droplets. A crop from the right would have the duck fill the frame more. Nice capture.

: MERIT Pied Shag. Novice. Mr Shag has good engagement with the camera. His facial features are sharp and the background well blurred. The fairly strong lighting from the left has illuminated his feathers and the right is in shadow. I suggest some experimentation with levels to see if the author can even the lighting a little. The adjustment would only need to be slight. A crop from each side to achieve a portrait.

: HONOURS I Really Don’t Want My Photo Taken. Salon. I feel a sense of quiet grumpiness when looking at this portrait. It brings a lot of fun personality to the animal and tells a great little story. In my view this is what a portrait is all about. In my view, the soft lighting works wonderfully to highlight the incredible The sharp focus on that beautiful amber eye draws my attention immediately, making it the clear dominant element. The blurred background is also very helpful, as it allows the strong shape of the lion’s head to stand out clearly from the surroundings. background is also a little bright in places. Adding a very gentle dark vignette around the edges might help keep the viewer’s focus locked firmly on that fantastic face. This is just a personal opinion though This is a very characterful image that suits the set subject.

: HIGHLY COMMENDED Cheeky Kaka. Salon. When I look at this image, the bird’s intelligent, gaze gives me the impression of a shared moment in nature. The feather texture is beautifully captured‚Äîthe scalloped patterns stand out crisply against the smooth, blurred green background. You‚Äôve left just the right amount of space for its gaze, giving the composition a lovely balance. The soft light enhances the colours around the eye and neck, while the sharp catchlight brings the bird to life The brightest green patch in the top corner draws my eye away from the bird’s face just a little. You might consider gently darkening that area in your editing software to keep the viewer’s attention firmly on your main subject. You have a wonderful eye for capturing wildlife portraits with genuine character.

: MERIT Don’t they look oh so innocent after their romp through the blue bells. All three are well focused, engaged with the author, eyes bright and good catch light. I felt the background in particular is a bit over exposed. A small adjustment to Levels can correct this. I suggest a crop all round to give that portrait format which will also reduce the amount of background. I find the bluebells while lovely tend to take the attention. Nice capture

: HIGHLY COMMENDED Hellooo. Salon. The title is a good match for this image. The subject is nicely angled across the frame and background well handled.I would suggest a crop from the left hand side so the horse fills the frame more and gives that portrait like format.

: HIGHLY COMMENDED Tasmanian Devil. Salon. A well composed image of this animal with an expression of annoyed curiosity. His intent to find out what you the photographer are doing is well captured. He appears to be on the move, your settings have been spot on.Details are sharp and good catch-light in the eyes.

: HONOURS Wild One. Salon. This wild horse has been beautifully captured in his environment of wild grasses and rain or is that sleet. Good engagement ,eye bright with a wary look expected of an animal in the wild.

: MERIT. Are you going to finish that? Novice. This image made me laugh. The very apt title explains what’s going on here. A bossy, demanding rooster and a horse that couldn’t care less. I found the background drew my attention. If this could have been given a bit more blur it would add more emphasis to the main characters. A slight crop all round would also achieve that effect.A great capture moment. I’m still smiling.

: MERIT. Number 49. Novice. No. 49 looks a bit bemused to find a photographer amongst the grass. Expression has been well caught and sharp detail of No.49 overall. I feel there is too much dried grass particularly on the left in the horizon/sky area. A bit of careful cloning to take care of this distraction. Good capture

: HONOURS Smile. Salon. Mr Seal doesn’t seem disposed to giving a Smile. He has been captured very nicely with good engagement with the camera. Image is clear & sharp with good detail on the eyes and whiskers. Well suited to the portrait format.