| Gull | 3 | Bruce Dorset | Good close up shot, the eye is lovely and sharp, showing good texture in the feathers. However the composition is not quite right and would recommend try cropping half of the RH space off, I would also try flipping the image to face left to right? Merit |
| Sebastopol goose | 3 | Bruce Dorset | Goose on the run I like the movement in the foot facing the camera as it gives the feeling of speed good detail in the feathers even though it looks as though it's been through a combined harvester looking so scruffy. the interaction between the subject and the photographer is missing. Although the eye is sharp (very hard to do with a moving subject) the overall feel is of a grab shot as the Goose runs past. Merit |
| No PacMan Here! | 3 | Stacey Townsend | I love the old time feel in this image it does tell a story. The concept might have worked even better if some of the people had been engaged with the camera or walking closer to the photographer. Next time see if you can wait just a bit longer before taking the image. Well seen however it seems to have a bit of a haze over the entire image maybe increase the contrast would help. Good try. Merit |
| The Big Day | 7 | Stacey Townsend | Love the story line here and how it is portrayed, Lovely concept and well executed. Nicely set up and the image sharp, tells the story five digits on one hand equal the number value of the scrabble chips. The lighting is good for a grunge/artsy look. I would try it with a lighter feel but I have assumed the photographer wanted the gritty look. Well done for some clever thinking. Honours |
| Quail | 7 | Judy Dorset | Great texture in the feathers and the eye is sharp. In particular I like the profile of the quail which shows the head piece to best advantage. Great depth of field. A very well deserved Honours |
| The Lighthouse | 5 | Michael Sullivan | A medieval turret style light house with some modern equipment makes for a good story line. The black and white imaging suits this and the angle the shot is taken also helps to promote a feeling of standing alone against the elements. The shape of the lighthouse and your idea of changing the sky to be a dramatic background is a good one. However there are a couple of flaws that need to be sorted for example there is a white line around much of the lighthouse; this halo needs to be removed. Often this can be achieved by modifying the selection to contract edge. Highly Commended |
| The Peanut Seller | 5 | Michael Sullivan | Lovely young girl, she almost looks a bit resigned to her fate as a peanut seller! black & white illustrates the starkness of her life. The back ground has quite a bit of distracting features but it shows the environment she is working in. Keep an eye on the edges of a shot and try not to cut off things, like the table corner or the edge of the table base, often better to cut a decisive amount off. Highly Commended |
| Triplefin | 3 | Jack Horlock | Lovely colours and it is easy to see how the fish can blend into the surrounds. There is quite a bit of noise in this image when viewed at a larger size. This tends to degrade the quality of the image. Perhaps the fish was behind glass. Try using your light room de-noise slider or de-haze slider. Both make a great difference and are very easy to use. Good use of diagonal composition. Merit |
| Jewel Anemones | 5 | Jack Horlock | A sharp and colourful image the contrast between the background and the subject is quite stark but works well. Love the diagonal composition of this image I like that the place my eye rest (left hand third line) has an open anemone that is sharp. This compensates for some of the less define spots. It would have been better to have the whole creature in the frame. You have made a good effort here well done. Highly Commended |
| Prospective Fighter Pilot | 3 | Phillip Shaw | I like the way the pilot is looking directly at the photographers. Makes you want to see behind that visor. Good composition. No eye contact but the author has captured facial expression well. The reflection on the visor draws the eye away from this expressive image it would have been better to clone out the wire behind the pilots ear or include more of the microphone. Watch the edge of the frame when cropping. Merit |
| Highway To The Mountains | 3 | Phillip Shaw | The story of 'Heading for the hills' is very well displayed in this image but the road leading toward the mountains is a great composition device. It has not quite worked here because your eye is taken to the bright rubble on the lower Right Hand side. To fix this next time go forward until you reach the straight road. Or move across the road and see how the curve looks. A slight straightening is needed, as the image leans by 1 degree to the left, lovely vista. Merit |
| Posing | 7 | Ruth Mooney | What a fine looking cousin we have here with bright eyes and a big smile Image sharp and good eye contact. The Chimp's 'posing' is well captured. Nice sharp image with a good bokeh and the subject in the right position of frame. However there is a blue line directly behind the animal. Could this have been DE saturated or removed? You did well to capture this image. Honours |
| Orange Hibiscus | 3 | Ruth Mooney | An unusual angle but the stamen is very sharp with texture from the low angle of light and the background nicely blurred. Merit |
| Lost | 7 | Karen Newton | The little girl in white immediately becomes the point of interest. The road fading in the distance gives a leading line and the sepia filter gives mystery to the forest. The photographer is higher than the child and perhaps it would have been better to crouch down and take at her level. [One judge could not get the feeling of lost as I knew the photographer was grown up. Could she have faced the camera looking into the distance clutching bear with a forlorn expression just an idea?] A very worthy Honours |
| Kookaburra | 5 | Karen Newton | Well captured, eye bright and, connected to the camera the background nicely done there are great details in the feathers. Good natural colours also well placed in the frame. Great profile of the bird and I like the shadow under the bird as it helps to give shape to the bird. Good depth of field. Love it. Highly Commended |
| Timeless | 3 | Barbara Herman | Good use of diagonals in this image to give the sense of movement and the use of shadows give the boulders dimension. The rocks lead the eye to the waves. Good movement in the water and good placement within the frame, with surf splashing over one of the boulders to add feature to the image. Maybe a little more saturation for the overall image would enhance it. The image would have gone up a level if the photographer had used a tripod and slowed the shutter to provide movement from the waves. Merit |
| Tranquillity | 3 | Barbara Herman | This image has real feeling to it most sunset/rise images are landscape format. Wondering about the decision to crop vertical perhaps there are elements at the edge of the shot that did not fit the mood. However you have chosen to go with portrait to capture the pink clouds and dark foreground and it worked. Adjustment to the exposure levels would bring out the sky detail and brighten the reflections. Whilst not particularly sharp as it is, it does present a dreamy look and feel. Merit |
| Caught A Big One | 3 | Noel Herman | Well caught image Good detail and the eye is sharp good expression on the birds face and it's good to see the bird is actively fishing /drinking. There is a lovely hint of colour reflecting on the back of the bird. The feeling is it has been cropped too tight the cropping of the back leg and birds bum now only part of the story is being told. Shame as to see all the bird in this instance would have made a difference. Merit |
| Lioness Alert While Drinking | 5 | Noel Herman | Good capture and something not many of us get to see expression and body language well portrayed in this image of alertness and wary at the same time. The back of the lion is sharp but the eyes do not appear to be. This could have been mitigated using software. Nothing for it but you will need to go back and take the image again. Highly Commended |
| Misty Hills | 3 | Christine Anderson | Made us think of the hobbits. I like the layered effect of the hills interspersed with the mist. Possibly the foreground could be reduced by half as it is a distraction against the white especially the light orange red on the left foreground. You could try this image in black & white and increase the contrast. Merit |
| Rainclouds Over Waihou River | 3 | Christine Anderson | The judges like the reflections and the general serenity of this image. You might have a spot on your camera sensor. Check LH side in the water. This can be cloned out. There is also a mark top right. This may have been a bird flying past. Considering it being a dull day the green tones have come up well. A little bit of contrast on the sky would have brought the details out of the subject. The main subject appears to be the reflections not the rainclouds. Merit |
| Common Blue Butterfly | 3 | Pamela Stephen | The title indicates this is about the butterfly. The foreground is very sharp and eye is well captured, a crop from the bottom gives the butterfly more prominence. This close up image really captures the lovely soft natural tones. Merit |
| Wind Drifter | 3 | Pamela Stephen | This mystical image of nature really show cases what is all around us if we care to look. The stalks create all sorts of angles and the feathery head adds another dimension to the overall image. The background has been well done and the feather drifting down well captured with some lovely detail. The lines/shadow/grasses through the middle are distracting. A tighter crop would help eliminate some of these. Merit |
| Just A Kitten | 5 | Margaret Hooper | Beautiful clear image very sharp but is there a problem with quality of pixels, is it over sharpened? The kitten's expression and attention to the person off camera is well captured with the eyes just imploring its owner to feed me. Highly Commended |
| Thinking | 7 | Margaret Hooper | The blue/grey background sets off the heron beautifully. There is great feather detail. Love the image, the whites around the head are blown out (no details) but there is lovely detail showing on the belly. The legs and eye are also sharp; love the natural colours of this sea bird and its placement in the frame. There is a nice depth of field. The gesture is wonderful. Honours |
| Golden Light | 3 | Rose Tantau | There are many pleasing aspects to this image, the light. It's reflected in the water and immediately draws the eye to the golden light; this light reflects back showing the rock detail, however seeing them all together your eye does not know where to rest. There is also a blur of blue and purple colour that is a distraction as it is not defined this image has been taken under difficult lighting conditions. Well done. Merit |
| River Jetty | 1 | Mark Anderson | The foreground is sharp. We find the bridge in the background to be one element too many and commands a large portion of the image. Perhaps a different spot would have reduced the effect of the bridge as the bridge dissects the image which tends to make it a bit disjointed. However the image does provide the viewer with plenty of information of the jetty and river. Accepted |
| Covid-19 Beware | 3 | Rose Tantau | Interesting theme, works at the moment because we have had low rate of infection. I like the shadow across the forehead and body. The lighting seems too bright or the image has been over sharpened. Well set up and executed. Merit |
| Bumble Bee | 3 | Mark Anderson | I love the shadows along the underside of the flower. I feel the bumble bee is the intended subject or hero of this shot and he is not sharp where he should be his legs are sharp and the flower. The face is in shadow, although there are nice highlights in the eyes. The flower is beautiful but it is taking over, a good crop from the bottom and a bit of the Right side then takes your eye into the face of the bee and the wings. The background has been beautifully handled. Merit |
