| Title | Rating Judge 38 | Full Name | Comments Judge 38 |
| trees in a bubble | 3 | Bruce Dorset | This has a stunning sparkle to it, and it is great to see someone doing a non-literal interpretation of the set subject. In many ways it is more about the sphere than what is seen through it. Because the sphere is very much the subject, I suggest you consider making it bigger in the picture area by cropping two thirds of the post, cropping in to the post from either side and down from the top to remove those highlights near the top margin. You could even consider a circular crop to reflect the shape of the subject. Good exposure and it is undoubtedly about trees. |
| a lost branch | 5 | Bruce Dorset | A branch that in fact looks like a sea serpent. It is well placed in a format that reflects the shape of the scene and with the serpent's head in a strong position. In addition, you have ensured that the horizon line does not bisect the picture. The exposure is excellent allowing good detail in all areas and avoiding flare from inclusion of the sun. I do wonder if the sun was necessary in terms of this competition, as I find it almost a distraction from the interesting branch. However, that does not detract from the skill evident in the execution. |
| trees | 0 | Judy Dorset | Interesting trees with wonderful twists in the branches. Two evenly sized and coloured subjects are difficult to place in the frame without the viewer starting to look like Marty Feldman. Here there is some mitigation thanks to the interlocking of the foliage, and the tree on the right is just a little heavier in the foliage to make it slightly dominant. When including a horizon always make sure it is level unless you intend to be really creative, and try and avoid brightness in the background and sky, because unless you are displaying a silhouette, the eye does get drawn past the subject. Exposure is good |
| Lonesome Pine | 0 | Michael Sullivan | The monochrome treatment probably gives this greater impact than it would have had in colour. I'm intrigued by the treatment which has resulted in a halo around elements such as would be achieved if a positive image was combined with a negative one. I don't think it is the result of over-sharpening. While the result is quite pleasing, the feeling I have is that it is just too weighty on the right. The tree is not balanced by the empty seat and I don't think even a couple of figures there would have satisfied me, although they would have created a story. Remember that composition is as much about balance as it is about thirds and in this situation I would have pointed the camera a little more to the right to almost centralise the tree, and allowed the seat to go closer to the margin. It's still an interesting image, and is certainly very much about the tree. |
| Midnight Oak | 0 | Michael Sullivan | A nicely formed oak and an interesting move to take it at night. To me the result is just a little murky and it can be much more interesting if brightened so that the sheep show up better and the tree stands out from the background. A case could be made for cropping from the right to remove the foliage on the margin, thus offsetting the oak and making the sheep more important (especially if they are brightened). As either a positive or a negative silhouette, it is difficult to make such a complicated skeleton really elegant or interesting, and this is why the sheep are important. |
| Fallen Giant | 1 | Christine Anderson | The story is a good one and well exposed. I have to admit to scratching my head over it as to whether the interpretation could be stronger and whether the best story might have been from the other side of the roots with the light on them. As it stands, I suggest you crop from the left into the dark trunk so that you have darkness right up the edge, and then horizontally flip the image so that the eye can proceed up the remains of the trunk to the roots which are then on the right third. I feel it is then very much stronger. |
| Dinner Plate Fig | 0 | Christine Anderson | Otherwise known as Highland Breadfruit. Thanks to you and Dr Google I am now much the wiser. Interesting veins, particularly on the right, quite sharply portrayed and all leading to the fruit. Although a lot of the appeal is that big leaf top left, and it's important from Nature interest perspective, I feel the brightness of the path and the sharpness of greenery beyond rather distract from a pictorial perspective, and for the purposes of this competition I think that the image is stronger cropped from the left to remove that bottom area of path. This then leaves the fruit in a stronger part of the frame and makes more of the dark green leaf on the right. An interesting subject. |
| Eucalypt | 1 | Stacey Townsend | Both the bark and the shape of some eucalypts can be very photogenic. You have chosen to simplify this one with monochrome and without seeing the original I have to accept that that was a good move, but if the sky was blue, don't be afraid to show that. It's a pleasant arrangement, not too complicated, and the only thing I can suggest is a darkening of the right bough before it reaches the margin. That should help retain the eye. I do have a concern and that is the rather artificial darkening of parts of the sky, leaving light areas around some foliage and a dark area up the top edge of that right bough. Frame well filled and the vertical format is appropriate. |
| Arbour | 7 | Stacey Townsend | I love the atmosphere, pattern and depth of this image and would have been very excited to have taken it. The eye moves through the patterns of foreground shadows, trunks and light shafts to the gravestone bathed in sun at the end. This was probably the way it was taken and to some extent the light top right which is in a strong position, balances the tombstone. However, I suggest you consider a horizontal flip for several reasons. The light area mentioned becomes less important, the eye is better led in by the shadows on the ground, the dark trees are on the right, better retaining the eye, and although the light at the end is left of centre, the headstone is on the right of that space. If you don't have the ability to perform the flip, hold your screen up to a mirror and you might, I repeat, might, see what I mean. Good work in the lovely conditions. |
| By Moonlight | 0 | Doug Stewart | A quite elegant silhouette with nice sky colour. I like the use of the narrow border to match some of the background colour. The arrangement's very central and with little interest either side I suggest that you crop into a tighter vertical also removing a little top and bottom if the resolution of the original will allow it without too much noise. The circular highlight to the left of the tree would be better removed because it is a distraction. It's unfortunate that there is such a halo on the tree trunk. A good exercise to work under these conditions. |
| Early One Morning | 1 | Doug Stewart | A beautifully detailed and elegant tree which stands out against that pretty sky. While it is technically well handled, I feel that the arrangement could have been better, perhaps with just a few steps to the left if that was possible. The reason for that is that it is always preferable to see the base of a tree and had it been in the gap in the foreground manuka it would have been stronger. I think that you should consider cropping just to the right of the more central small tree, that is almost half of the picture to achieve better balance in the arrangement. It's just a pity that the tree I am suggesting be cropped out is just a little too remote to be able to contribute to the composition. The exposure is excellent and the silhouettes of the fences are helpful. |
| After the leaves have fallen | 0 | Ruth Mooney | After the leaves have gone is one of my favourite times to photograph trees providing the skeleton is simple, well patterned and/or graceful. Because the eye tends to scan an image from left to right, as when reading, and as this is about the tree, I suggest you horizontally flip this so that the tree is on the right, adding a little brightness which will help the sheep balance the arrangement, and I think that you have a stronger picture. The apparently extreme wide angle has caused outside verticals to lean in and the horizon to be slightly concave. If you have the post production capability to correct this it could also help. Good that you kept it simple. |
| A stand of trees | 3 | Ruth Mooney | An imaginative interpretation of this stand of trees. I particularly like the area on the right which is almost a path beyond. To make more of that without disrupting the importance of the bright trunk on the right third I suggest you crop from the left to the centre of the dark trunk half way to the prominent one of the left third. The whole thing appears to be tilting just a little to the left and I think that should be corrected. Good work. |
| Looking Up | 1 | Jack Horlock | Good depth of field and good exposure have been important here to preserve all the detail. I like the way the lower trunk is in shadow which allows the eye to proceed to the brighter area further up thereby making it the focal point. If you half close your eyes and look at this you might see that there is a circular area of light towards the top right corner. I think a vertical crop to remove that would benefit by resulting in that corner being dark and the eye being encouraged not to exit, particularly as the focal area directs the eye in that direction. |
| In Flower | 0 | Jack Horlock | It's easy to see what attracted the photographer here. For the viewer it is very much a mass of green and red without any focal point and in the absence of that the lightness of the sky, where there is nothing of interest, draws the eye. To darken that and perhaps focus attention on the flora more you could consider a vignette. The leaves appear quite sharp but, as red often does, the flowers appear to fluoresce. I hate repeatedly suggesting a horizontal flip, but here there would be a build-up from left to right if that was done. This could have been a case where a bird or a closer bloom would have solved what I see as a lack of focal point problem. |
| Mowana Tree | 1 | Noel Herman | Simple, frame well filled and with an interesting border. For me the picture is spoiled by the artifacts in the sky, particularly top right. I don't know what has caused this but it could be something to do with downsizing. Dr Google did not help me on that. Also top right there are some white vertical lines from the margin and a strange one on the border. This had the making of a good image and it's a shame that these little things have spoiled it. |
| Sun Rays In The Trees | 5 | Noel Herman | Well taken, giving the feeling of a cold frosty morning. There is a good range of tones throughout. The burst of sunlight is well placed in the frame and it would not disrupt that if you felt like taking a crop off the left to remove that brightest pocket of light trapped by the leftmost tree. I looked very closely at the horizontal lines through the trees on the right but decided that they were simply background clouds. |
| Just A Branch | 0 | Margaret Hooper | Lovely magnolia blooms. The brightness 0f the light has resulted in a loss of petal detail in the most prominent ones which is a pity. A positive is that the blooms on the right are darker allowing the viewer to concentrate on those on the left. This is a very difficult group to arrange and I don't have any suggestions as to how it could be improved as presented. I do think that a stronger composition could have been achieved by moving in closer and with selectivity. I just feel that for a projected image there is too much here to take in. The border is excellent. |
| Down The Road | 3 | Margaret Hooper | Oh for a cat, or a dog, or a man on a horse or a couple walking hand in hand. This is a lovely setting very well presented, but for me such an image needs a story. In fact, I think that any landscape needs a story of some sort, even if it's just a weather one. Overall, it is a very competent piece of work, and I like the way the drive has shadow in the foreground and works towards brightness. The slight colour in the sky makes sure it doesn't intrude and there is a certain elegance in the kowhai blooms, colour of which is replicated in the border. Pretty. |
| Misty Morning | 5 | Karen Newton | Clean and very simple. Although the land bisects the image, the distant trees emerging from the mist tend to disguise that by adding additional interest to the top half, and contribute to the connection of the pole with the gull to the main focal point, the tree on the right third. When dealing with such perfect reflections always check that the reflection is directly below the reflected. In this case my suspicions that the image is not quite level were confirmed. I still love it. |
| A Walk In The Forest | 5 | Karen Newton | An imaginative approach which rather leaves me with the feeling that I am lost without an obvious path to follow. I think that this is a case where the verticals need to be corrected as the inward lean tends to give a feeling of oppression. I like the relatively simple colour palette but it can be brightened significantly, especially in the gold area left of centre which could become a focal point given the evenness of the arrangement otherwise. |
| Desert Tree | 1 | Barbara Herman | A lovely tree nicely lit against the shadowed background. I like the branch and its shadow in the foreground which really complete the composition. The photographer struggling up the ridge is in my view an unnecessary distraction although well placed, and the halo between dune and sky is unfortunate. I do wonder if it were titled for that photographer it would lead the viewer to consider his story rather than having the focus on the tree. Great colour. |
| Treelined | 0 | Barbara Herman | You have recognised there is a pattern here, but I do think we have too much of a good thing. There is nothing dominating to the extent it can be considered a focal point and the pattern is not as evident as it could be. Not all patterns require a focal point, but I have difficulty without one here. I wonder if you would be best to crop from the top to half way down. The viewer is then provided with a stronger pattern of trunks and lateral branches. A little increase in contrast might then further emphasise the pattern which is made more interesting with the shadows on the 5 trunks on the right and 4 on the left. I would further emphasise this by converting to monochrome. The pattern is there and the variation of lighting on the trees adds interest. |
| Hug Me | 3 | Julie Horlock | A great title without which viewers might be scratching their heads. Very well seen and competently photographed. I suggest a slight crop on the left up that shadowed area to leave a dark margin on that side and slightly better place the would be hugger a little more off centre. I think you should darken the bright leaves on the bottom margin which I find distracting and also darken those area of sky along the top. You could even crop the latter. |
| Magnolia Tree | 3 | Julie Horlock | Perhaps more correctly, this is a magnolia flower. As such it has been well photographed with sharpness, good texture and nice colour in the bloom. It is well placed in the frame and the background is suitably diffused to ensure that the subject stands out against it. The two sharp buds balance the arrangement. The only suggestion I can make is to introduce a vignette to darken that top right corner and the right-hand bud. You could consider a crop to take those light areas at the top out if the vignette does not do the job sufficiently. Good exposure in quite harsh lighting conditions. |
| s52i_AirRootsOverWater | 0 | Craig McCormick | With the air roots being the main object of the photo, I suggest that you crop from the top, removing that triangle of blue, to place the air roots in the top third and also move the horizon from half way. The horizon should also be made horizontal. I think it would also be stronger cropped from the right to take out the sand which is a little bright in places, and certainly to remove the car. You have captured some lovely colour in the water. |
| s52i_FaceOnTheTree | 0 | Craig McCormick | I think I see the face about two thirds the way up the trunk, and in looking for it seemed to find some other faces as well. The exposure is good, but I feel that the face is not prominent enough to warrant it being mentioned in the title or to be the reason for taking it. I think the placement of the trunk just right of centre is excellent and the only arrangement recommendation I can make is to crop from the top to remove the sky in the top left corner. Half close your eyes and you will see how that jumps out as a distraction. |
| Creek Reflections | 7 | Pamela Stephen | A very well seen abstraction, further abstracted by conversion to monochrome. I think that has been a good choice because the image is complicated as it is without the confusion of colour. Interestingly there are less than 50 shades of grey here, perhaps just 2 or 3 which is important because the lighter toning on the background trees ensures they just add atmosphere. The focal point for me is the dark bush just right of centre, and from there the rest of the arrangement can be viewed. I particularly like the inclusion of the fence. Perhaps a narrow white border would top it off bearing in mind that projected images are often presented on a black background. Good work. |
| Summertime trees | 1 | Pamela Stephen | A story here of heading home after a long day's surfing. The trees are interesting with two stands either side and just a couple of trees in the centre. Very well balanced and the vehicle is important to provide a different shape as a focal point. I wondered about its driving out of the picture, but concluded that the placement is very much part of the story.....they're heading home. The only thing I wonder about is whether you should crop further from the bottom to remove half of the foreground which adds nothing. Certainly you are left with an even narrower panel, but I think that is part of the story. With the grouping of the trees this could be cut into an effective triptych. |
| Lanky Totara trees | 1 | Aaron Skelton | An interesting stand of trees, and here we have one trunk that is dominating and consequently is the focal point, nicely balanced by the tree on the left which has similar lighting on the trunk. Subtle colour throughout with interesting splashes of light. I suggest that you crop a little from the top to remove the sky on the top left margin. |
| Liquid Amber | 1 | Rose Tantau | A mass of amber leaves with some very nice features. One is the gracefulness of the supporting twigs. Another is the out of focus background which contrasts so well with the subject and makes it really stand out. I've talked a lot about focal points, and I believe that in this mass we have one on the top right third in the form of yellow leaves showing through from the back. For me this is sufficient from which to enjoy the rest of the colour. I suggest you consider a little crop from the left to remove the two little red bits coming in from the margin, and that you clone out the highlight two thirds the way up in the centre. Some other similar highlights could be similarly dealt with, but that is the most distracting. |
| Trees In A Bubble | 7 | Rose Tantau | I feel that this is much stronger than the other bubble, both in terms of the image in the sphere, and also with regard to the surroundings. However, it is very much a novelty given that it is very much a picture of a globe. I love the effect of the leaves at the top of the globe. Excellent background. I suggest you could crop down the dark area on the right to move the globe more towards the centre. I wonder if the resolution is sufficient for you to tip it upside down and present the viewer with the image in the globe alone even in a circular format. That done, from the foreground of big leaves to the sky it appears to be very interesting indeed, and quite artistic. Well done. |
| stick reflection | 7 | Aaron Skelton | I love the simplicity of these sticks and their perfect reflections. To me there is almost too much of a good thing here. I suggest you consider cropping from the left to just right of the tallest stick, and from the bottom just about to the reflection. You then have a tighter arrangement of sticks, culminating in the crossed sticks which become the focal point and would be in the strongest position in the picture. Well seen and executed. |
