Judge – Noel Herman
Please note I have assessed these images without being aware what level the photographer is at , what I had in front of me is what I assessed.
Also I have been a little lenient in respect of the requirements for PSNZ nature competitions . Example if there was a power pole a way in the distance taking up a tiny fraction of the image I would discount that. But if there were very obvious man made items then I did mark it down or not accepted it. Not accepting an image of course lets you enter it into a more appropriate competition.
Finally I commend those people who made the effort to research the Botanical names of the subjects in their images, thank you.
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- 01-Tuatara— Including the true habitat of this Tuatara has created a very creditable nature image. Together with the natural brown and yellow colouring you have produced a worthy image that you can be proud of. The eye is sharp with the rest of the Tuatara a little soft. Not an easy critter to photograph as they tend to like dark places. H/C
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- 02-Open Wide— I always feel sad to see wildlife in this situation and while this particular image is quite confronting the image portrays that death is part of living. The seal is pretty sharp overall with good detail in the fir and whiskers. The foreground and left side of image are a bit too bright and need to be toned down a bit to allow the seal to stand out better. A powerful story here. Note this image has been entered into a previous competition in 2023 minus 3 flies. Acc.
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- 03-Meadow Flowers— I love the simple concept of this field of wild flowers with its pastel shades and shadows. The DOF has been handled well ,right up to the trees. The tree on the right hand margin needs to be removed. As there are man made structures at the top right , the image does not meet the PSNZ criteria of nature photography. N/A
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- 04-Thrush—Surprise,where did you come from as the bird eye balls the photographer. Good sharpness in the eyes with lovely feather detail. Changing from landscape to portrait I feel would have reduced some of the background and filled the image with more of the subject and still show its habitat. M
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- 05-Wild Rabbit—I reckon the rabbit is saying I have my eye on you. You are spot on with your focusing as the subject is sharp all over including the eyes. The DOF here is good with sharp foreground & subject and then a blurred background , it works a treat. Cropping in more would have filled the frame with more of the rabbit. M
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- 06-I Distinctly Said NO Photos—I absolutely love how you have created the title describing the look in the birds eye, a great story line. The feather detail is good for a bird with black feathers as well as the background blur. The thin branches on the right are a we bit distracting as is the small one encroaching over the tail , these could have been cloned out. Also I feel the saturation could have been increased a bit. H/C
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- 07-White Eye And An Orange Triptych— You have created a wonderful story in triptych form of these colourful little White Eyes, fantastic. The colourful subjects against the old timber background works really well. Because of the timber being so predominant in the image , it fails to meet the PSNZ nature competition criteria . I really do hope you enter this image into a triptych competition. N/A
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- .08-Little Blue Penguin In Protective Hands— The image has been captured very well of this little penguin , with the very dark background high lighting its features and colours beautifully. While the hands over ride the main subject here they do help show just how small these bird are. Because the human in the image takes up most of the frame , it fails to meet the PSNZ nature competition criteria. N/A.
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- 09-Restfully Alert— I like how the title leads you into the story of this image with the one eye of the bird watching out for any predators. The reflections on the still waters give the feeling of calmness and beauty ,also the boldness and angles of the green Raupo stalks presents a striking contrast. While the image seems busy and chaotic it does represents a true natural scene. The lonely white feather on the left does catch your eye and could be cloned out. H/C
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- 10-Hatea River Kingfisher— I really enjoy the natural colours of this Kingfisher , too often photographers over saturate in post processing and make them look totally unrealistic. Capturing the bird on its side profile and in its natural habitat is a big plus as well. If you were able to crop in some more to make the bird fill the frame that would make this image a winner. The eye is a bit indistinct , it is lost in the shadows and so needs brightening a bit around that area. M
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- 11-Young Brown Gull— Yes I think this is a young bird trying to perfect its landing and take off techniques with its feathers in disarray. The eyes are sharp and so to are most of its body and feathers. The natural colours of the bird are great just need some of the shaded areas of its feathers brightening. The eye connection between bird and photographer also adds to the story of this image. M
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- 12-Dragonfly— What a wonderful capture of this colourful insect on a plain colour background. It is sharp to the point that the fine details of its wings and hairs on the body are very plain to see. The composition is perfect with the subject filling the frame nicely and clinging to a stalk to anchor it in place. These insects require a really high shutter speed for a good sharp capture and that is what must happened here. This image depicts natures creation at its finest. H+ Winner
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- 13-Saber— I absolutely loved seeing these animals in their natural habitat and you have have done a fantastic job of capturing this Saber in it. Placement of subject in the frame has been thought through , if the animal had been looking more in its direction of travel then it would not have worked. The colours of the Saber blend in well with the background yet its stands out in really good detail as dose the small bird on its back. The animals head is tad soft but not to the point of spoiling this fantastic image. H
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- 14-Fuchsia Begonia— What a lovely image of these bright and colourful Fuchsia in a state of just starting to open their petals. Composition has been handled well by filling the frame with such a beautiful burst of colour. I find the out of focus greenery on the right a bit distracting but only briefly as the power of red soon brings your eye back to the centre. Sadly the material what the Fuchsia is laying on is not natural and so have marked the image down because of that. M
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- 15-Hanging On— Capturing this caterpillar on its steep climb has been done well and looks to be in its natural environment of green leaves which of coarse is its food source. The stand out bubble of white water on its back does distract a wee bit and could do with toning down a little. The image is a bit noisy and soft but not excessively so , perhaps it was taken in a dark situation. I wonder if a portrait format would have worked better to help eliminate some of the bright patch top right. M
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- 16-Amanita Muscaria— Well spotted for seeing and getting down low to photograph this bright coloured fungi in the under growth. Its bulbous top is in good focus , not so much the base stalk but still a pretty good effort. Composition , you have done a good job here with the main subject well placed in the frame. H/C
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- 17-Clathrus Archii— I feel the image is a really good capture of this unusual natural creation. Its bright red colour grabs your attention right away and with the green surrounding under growth the image really pops. DOF has been handled very well giving sharpness throughout the image. Placement in the frame of the subject being smack in the middle is generally a no no but not in this case , it just feels right particularly being in a square format. H
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- 18-Equus Ferus Caballus Kaimanawa— I love this image of these beautiful wild Kaimanawa horses in their natural habitat of rugged tussic lands. The horses colours blend in really well in the environment they are thriving in , they look healthy and happy. Every thing in this image reeks of nature being nature. To me its a magic wild and rugged scene. H
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- 19-Geranium Maderense— A very striking and beautiful image of this Geranium in full bloom and with another budding one to the right , brilliant. The square format works great as does the dark green bokah back ground. You have got the DOF spot on as it is sharp where it matters ,love it. H Runner-up
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- 20-Argiopeke Keyserlingi St. Andrews Cross Spider— A spider on its web is one of natures creative master pieces as depicted here in this beautiful image. The main subject is a wee bit soft in places , this does not necessary mean the image is flawed but simply a minor imperfection. The central position of the spider I feel in this particular image would be better off centre especially because of the splayed legs. H/C
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- 21-Lactrodectushasselti- Female Redback Spider— Wow I would not like this one in my bed. I think its amazing how a small insect like this Red Back can be so intimidating to us humans and this image certainly portrays that very well. While the spider is not sharp all over it still conveys a powerful meaning of danger and beware I bite and I am poisonous. Perhaps some focus stacking would have bought more of the image in focus. M
