Title | Rating Judge 38 | Full Name | Comments |
A Spiny Outlook | 5 | Barbara Herman | Intermediate - This well-titled image is sharp where it needs to be, if perhaps a bit brightly blue. There seems to be a bit of a purple haze around the tail area which could have been removed. A good attempt at underwater photography, if indeed it was taken underwater. H/C |
Greens for Breakfast | 3 | Barbara Herman | Intermediate - A big bird enjoying his breakfast. Perhaps if it wasn't so tightly cropped, showing more of his environment would have been of interest. Blurring the background a bit more would have made the subject stand out. Merit. |
Croc On Alert | 5 | Noel Herman | Salon - First the eye captures our attention, and then those teeth. He blends very well with his background, and the author has done well to separate him. Cropped nicely to show just this portion, and the centred eye works well. Obviously the photographer was not tasty enough to interest the croc. H/C. |
Lilac Breasted Roller | 7 | Noel Herman | Salon - A great image of this colourful bird. The details in the gorgeous plumage is pin sharp and you managed to get the catch-light in its eye. The fact the feathers are not all perfect enhances this image. Honours. |
Matarangi Sunset | 5 | Pamela Stephen | Salon - A lovely soft, natural sunset with the glow reflected in the water. The sky has been handled well without any overly-bright area, but there is perhaps a bit too much dark area of little interest on the left-hand side. The bit of dark cloud on the right does draw the eye and could have easily been cloned out or lightened. Overall, though, a lovely atmospheric image. H/C |
Balinese Myna | 7 | Jack Horlock | Intermediate - A stunning image with beautiful detail in the feathers and a sharp eye. It is unusual to see a white bird, and very difficult to get the detail in white objects. Well done. Honours. |
Hong Kong Dawn | 5 | Jack Horlock | Intermediate - It is hard to imagine the sun this white in such a coloured sky. You certainly picked a great time to take this shot. There is a bit of noise but not too bad, and perhaps lightening the buildings a bit more would have shown them up a little more. H/C. |
Chai Spices | 7 | Stacey Townsend | Novice - Lovely food photography, with all the support evocative of spicy countries and it tells a story. The elements are nicely placed and the image cropped well. The varied DoF makes it interesting. Honours. |
The Great Escape | 1 | Craig McCormick | Intermediate - This is a nice sharp image of a quirky sculpture. When photographing someone else's art, you need to do something to make it your own, and do watch the background, as not only does this elephant have trees growing out of his head, and there is a toilet sign is also very evident. Using a different DOF would have blurred these to help emphasise the subject. Acceptance. |
Whats He Doing | 1 | Craig McCormick | Intermediate - The title is well thought-out and apt, but it is someone else's art which needs a personal touch added. The subjects are nice and sharp, but the dogs have no-where to look into. Consider cropping the right-hand side, and blurring the background. Acceptance. |
Early Sunrise | 3 | Christine Anderson | Intermediate - The lovely colours in this early morning shot makes it quite atmospheric. Well done on not blowing out the sun. It is a bit dark and grainy, however, and hard to look at for long as the eye goes straight to the sun. Merit. |
Town Basin Shopping | 3 | Rose Tantau | Salon - The B&W treatment suits this image with a good range from black through to white – but where are the shoppers? The removal of some of the white spots on the roadway would have cleared some of the distractions, and be careful not to crop off the top of the finial at the top. One Judge tried flipping the image, and liked the result. Merit. |
About to Dance | 1 | Rose Tantau | Salon - You have almost pulled this off, with lovely vibrant colours and reflection in the polished floor, but the white strip and the flat stance let it down somewhat. Consider showing more of the dancer, and with the feet poised for take-off. Good on you for trying a different approach. Accepted. |
Harlong Bay | 5 | Ruth Mooney | Salon - Some interesting rocks that look as if they are floating. The day looks dull, but there is plenty of detail in the rocks. H/C. |
Sun set at Tiritiri | 5 | Ruth Mooney | Salon - Beautiful colours with a well-placed seagull - and wharf - to draw the eye, although the much lighter area to the left tends to draw it even more. A lovely image. H/C |
Bellbird with Grub | 5 | Pamela Stephen | Salon - A lovely sharp image of this bird, and its lunch. Good DoF, although the bright spot on the right could have been toned down a bit. Would it be ok to clone out the leg bands? A really lovely shot - - BUT - it is a Robin, not a Bellbird. H/C. |
Blossoming Flowers | 1 | Cath McCormick | Novice - Beautiful vibrant colours in this flower shot. Perhaps rotating the shot slightly to keep the two sharply focused flowers and the bud and making it a portrait shot may have improved the composition. Or concentrate on one flower. Accepted. |
Man Dog | 1 | Cath McCormick | Novice - A quirky bit of art which has been well captured - sharp, with good DoF and no distractions in the background. Well done. It is, however, someone else's art, so needs that personal touch to make it different. Also, perhaps consider taking the image at an angle rather than straight on. Acceptance. |
Caught In the Middle | 5 | Natascha Wilson | Novice - This slow shutter speed shot has been well-taken and you can almost feel the movement of the water. The rock is lovely and sharp and acts as an anchor point, while the water looks almost painterly. Well done. H/C. |
WaterLillies | 3 | Natascha Wilson | Novice - What lovely coloured Lillie's. The eye is drawn to the front one and then upwards, so a hard crop on the RH side, to remove those two flowers and a lot of the dark space may have improved the composition. Perhaps lightening the dark areas may also have given the viewer a glimpse of water. Merit. |