Results 24.10 – Water – Whangarei Camera Club

Judged by Doug Scott.

: 1 the Weir. The image of the Weir has high impact and sustains that for a long viewing. Despite using a longish lens compressing the view, the author has managed the depth of field very well. This image contains many important design ingredients such as colour, shape, texture and movement. The final presentation with subtle edge vignetting helps to contain the image within the frame. Lovely picture. Honours

: 2 The river runs through it. Another strong image and I enjoy the fact that the author has gotten down low to strengthen the viewpoint and focus on the flow of the water. Good control of the depth of field on a dull day has given the opportunity for a very long shutter speed. The water looks amazing. I also like that there is still and rushing water. Highly commended

: 3 Rainbow Falls. A spectacular image, high in sustainable impact. The author has resisted the urge to try and get everything in the picture and rather has concentrated on capturing the waterfall base where water is both falling and its spray rising into the light. The viewer is very gently carried down the stream to where the end rocks hold the eye within the frame. The image has a feel of an old master painting about it. Honours If the club requires a best overall image from the set, this would be my choice.

: 4 Water outlet. The water outlet image uses the contra jour lighting to create strong shadows and beautiful highlights around the outlet and surrounding vegetation to highlight the fluidity of the water. This simple image not only conveys the meaning of the set subject, it uses lighting in a very strategic and creative way. Good work Merit

: 5 Waves and Ripples. Waves and ripples provide a base for the light to play over all of the texture created and produce a lovely abstract pattern. The very careful framing of the shapes particularly in the right-hand corner mean that the viewers’ eyes do not leave the image and it is a very easy picture to look at for a sustained period. Highly commended

: 6 Water the fountain of life. The slight ascending order of the water jets being trans illuminated by light in an overall dark scene create a strong visual impact. The shutter speed has been delicately set to provide both still drops of water and moving elements at the same time. Well done. Highly commended

: 07 Aquaillumination Is all about the play of light of the water creating an abstract pattern of vibrant colours and repeating patterns that seem to play within the image. This has been carefully crafted, it gives no opportunity for the viewers eye to leave the image. Honours

: 08 Like water off a duck’s back is a common expression of a view in reality very seldom seen. All of the water has great texture on it and the water falling from the ducks back and head is beautifully trans illuminated. There is a lovely balanced feel in the picture. Merit.

: 09 Golden bubbles is a strong and vibrant image. While the image is intrinsically interesting the author has been careful in their framing and selection of shutter speed. There is a lot of evidence of carefully crafted workmanship in this image. Highly commended

: 10 Spring water. Spring water is a bit of an enigma. I find that my eye is mainly drawn to the grass is and reflection of the sky, leaving the water to be found in the negative spaces between these. None of the image would exist without the water so it still fits the competition theme and the floating feeling when viewing the image is because of the water. So this is a very complex image and the author should be very proud of it. Merit

: 11 Fluffy foam is an interesting picture because of the restful shapes presented by the driftwood and the frozen foam shapes going from the bottom of the image to the top. This image would not have worked if the author had allowed the driftwood to bisect the photo without the foam tying the top and bottom halves of the picture together, so well done for capturing just that right moment. The play of water, light and shade and shapes at the centre of this image very strongly keep the viewers’ attention in the centre of the image. Highly commended. A deceptively simple yet strong image.

: 12 Water reflections presents us with a lovely gentle abstract line drawing and a very painterly image. The three wrigley pinnacles seem very playful and because of the thin lines of colour it all seems almost monochromatic. Very clever. Honours

: 13. The water on window image is intriguing. Seen as it is presented is very satisfying. At the same time the image could have been framed in segments like only the left third, or split top to bottom, and each of those would be interesting, as would many much smaller details pulled from throughout the image. The author of this work is to be commended for carefully balancing all of the ingredients in this lovely picture. Honours

: 14 Ice hotel fulfils the brief in an unusual way. Well done. I feel that there was a missed opportunity to throw some torch or flash light around that may have created more highlights and shadows But the image presented is well balanced and given the low light, it was carefully given sufficient depth of field to make all parts of the image clear and interesting. Merit

: 15 Water reflections presents as a very restful monochromatic image. There is a lovely feeling of depth within the image because there are clear zones of foreground, middle ground, and background. When I look at all of the elements within the frame I tend to put an imaginary fulcrum in the middle base of the image to see if all of these things tend to present is balanced; and this image does that well. This is an image that many people could put on the wall of their home and live with over an extended period. A very good image. Highly commended

: 16 Liquid light certainly fits the brief, and with its coloured lighting presents as a very joyful image. This image is largely created by the water sculpture, and the photographs author I feel has not contributed enough to making a new image from what was presented to them. It is still a good competent image that can be enjoyed. Merit

: 17 Dandylion Droplets is a beautiful heigh impact image that would be very hard to forget. The trans illuminated water droplets set against the dark background was very carefully assembled. It is rare to see work that is both realistic and abstract at the same time. I suspect this image will travel well in many competitions for years to come. Honours

: 18 Drip drop the rain won’t stop is a fascinating image that within it has another image, laterally inverted in the droplet. These images can be fun and frustration in equal measures when making them. For me it feels a little under exposed but otherwise an excellent image and very well captured. Highly commended

: 19 Waterfall the land has its physical elements nicely balanced, but as presented seems a little under exposed. The composition and depth of field are well handled providing us with a novel idea for the theme of water. The sombre and dark presentation may be intentional and if that is so, then I’m sorry I don’t understand why. Merit

: 20 Te Awanui O Peret is a graceful and gentle image of the sea water. For me this image would have been stronger in panel format by cropping off some of the sky and foreground. There is a good feeling of depth within the image because of the foreground, middle ground, and background. Overall the kind of image that one could easily live with over time. Merit

: 21 Tranquilly is a well-balanced image with a good measure of care given to the depth of field required, as well as the texture created by contra jour lighting. The foreground sparkles on the water really inject a magical feeling into the view. Having the horizon line well above a median point of the image also creates a good solid base for the picture. Merit

: 22 Rain droplets on leaves is certainly not a new subject idea, but in this case it is very well handled and the frame is well filled and presented. I like that the author has been bold enough to feel that they did not have to include the whole leaf. The subject was the water, and droplets with interesting light patterns that a fold around those made for a great picture. Well done. Highly commended

: 23 The old water wheel is beautifully photographed at exactly the right time, when the light was thrown onto the water and the author took the time to frame it and set the exact exposure required. Sharp grasses and flowing water. With the subject as interesting as this is, it can sometimes be difficult to crop out the many other objects that might be a distraction to the primary focal point of the picture. Good discipline. Honours

: 24 Foaming reflections is a magical image created at the time of the day that is often called a time of second light. Second light is when the sun is low enough to reflect off the underside of the clouds providing a soft overall light whilst at the same time giving the specular highlights on the tops of waves and water droplets that we see in the picture presented. There is also a lovely contrast between the warm colours that tend to look like they come forward, and in the cooler colours of the water that tend to look like they go back, and whilst this picture could be described as all foreground there is still a good feeling of depth within it because of that play of the colours. A very competent piece of work. Honours

: 25 At the jetty presents as a very peaceful scene of the light play on the ripples of the water. When I read this picture, my eye tends to read it left to right, top to bottom, and I think the use of the dark shadows and wood on the right hand side is very clever, because it keeps my eye within the frame. Overall a very good piece of work. Merit

: 26 Water Lily magic is a very strong composition and very carefully composed. For me this is a very painterly expression of water. There is a photo realism effect in the lower half of the picture and an expressionist effect in the top and the two are balanced beautifully. The pink and white flower in the centre is marginally overexposed and so we have lost detail there which is a pity. This is minor enough for me to overlook it. This is an extraordinary picture and came close to being my favourite of all the pictures of the set. Honours