Results – Open Projected – 24.33 – Whangarei Camera Club

Judges – Jenny, Bruce and Rose.

: 1.Novice Stalking Sheep A well caught photo. A contrast between a woolly sheep and a clean sheep in background. This sheep needs shearing! Main subject looks like it is a portrait of a person or at least a personality. anthropomorphism!!! Good capture of it staring straight into the camera. Lovely detail on face and eyes. A pleasant Composition in Black and White. It appears too dark underneath sheep’s head and has flat mid tones. White along the top of the image are a distraction. Try by altering contrast and lift the shadows. A deeper depth of field. Clone out the sky and increase the contrast in midtones. Highly commended

: 2.Novice On Reflection Nice foreground with reflection background, colourful red for the foreground. Stillness and the lighting make it look like a peaceful place. Well seen – especially the weed on the left – it acts as a counterbalance. However, there is no obvious focal point. Not sure what should be the reflection. Find something to focus on. Focus more on the reflection and have a smaller F Stop. Maybe cutting out the flowers and showing more of the hill. At the moment, the focus is more on the flowers that the reflection. Merit

: 3.Salon The Dark Hedges What a lovely place to walk among such magnificent trees Great Exposure light coming in along the footpath. The trees hold your eye in. The people are distracting. Whites blown out and darks show no detail The story is in the centre with the intertwined branches. Try cropping the people and the right-hand side. Decrease the contrast – this image has potential Merit

: 4. Salon Northern Lights What a spectacular phenomenon. It must have been awe inspiring to be here and witness this scene. The twinkly stars are well exposed too. The portrait aspect is interesting The foreground offers no detail – even in silhouette. Top left and bottom left and right blackened out. Images like this are very difficult – it’s a good idea to have something for the eye to focus on – a tree, abuilding, a photographer etc. Perhaps a crop off left and right. Merit

: 5.Salon Three Little Pigs by the Roadside This image reminds us of a fair or fete. Blacks and whites are blown out. Unusual editing in the sky and marks in the mid sky. Be careful with exposure and editing. Acceptance

: 6. Salon Moeraki Boulders A peaceful scene. A brilliant Idea. Well seen with a slow speed to shut down motion. A good example of Black and White treatment using Long exposure. Honours

: 7. Salon Mid Day Feed A brilliant Idea. Well seen with a fast shutter speed to shut down motion. Animals in natural setting and composition is balanced. Lovely detail in the animals (subject) Slightly blown out highlights at the top. Would like to see what it was sucking. Try decreasing the highlights at the top with a gradient filter or whatever you post processing programme does. Highly Commended

: 8.Salon Playtime An In Camera Movement Image. It looks like a fun time – two dogs going for a walk with their owner/friend. Black and White is a good choice for this image. However the background not handled well. Too much white/cream across the middle/top making the shades very neutral. You are commended for trying something different. Try more contrast – with whites whiter and the blacks darker. Acceptance

: 9.Salon Am I the Good boy Lovely Shades of black and white. Good try at In camera movement. You are commended for trying something different. Improve with more contrast – with whites whiter and the blacks darker. It has better lighting – but still a little over done and the subjects are very central. Movement is up and down – perhaps something more zappie would work better. (energetic, fast moving) Improve by lifting the contrast and crop off the left for a more pleasing composition. Merit

: 10. Intermediate Franz Joseph Glacier Nature with its raw power. The rawness of the image is awe inspiring Technically something is weird. May be over sharpened? Personally, we don’t like the border – but that’s a personal choice To improve try in black and white to lose the blue tints and without the boarder. Merit

: 11. Intermediate Kakapo (Kokako) Interaction between the birds moves the image from a bird on a stick to another level. Photographer has a good connection with the two birds. The feathers are rather soft and shows no texture. Personally, we do not like the border – but that’s a personal choice. Check during processing as the highlights in background are distracting. Check your bird names! Highly commended

: 12. Salon Bush to Beach Lovely foliage captured at the beach scene and the two people are placed well. Great effort with In Camera Movement. Honours

: 13. Salon Matapouri A piece of seascape. The bank is flat. Maybe cropping up to the bottom of the tree. Merit

: 14.Novice New Beginnings Our nature springs up. The Fond is sharp. New life is unravelling before our eyes. Well captured and Subject is in focus. There are Bright blown out highlights. Try toning down the whites. Composition is very central. Try and get extra focus points and stack together. Watch backgrounds – they make or break images. The story is in the unfurling frond. If you put this on a strong focal point it will always strengthen your image. Merit

: 15.Novice Last Light This is a lovely time of day and it’s well captured. Slow shutter speed used to advantage and nice composition WOW this is close to getting an Honours, but horizon is not straight. Being picky – bottom left-hand corner could be cropped off. We noted that is the horizon was straightened the bottom right does not show. White spot on rocks could be removed or darkened as they are distracting. Highly Commended

: 16. Salon Proboscis Monkey This monkey is In its natural setting. He is hiding in his element. The Image is sharp. How lucky to get this shot. To improve, his face needs lightening up to see him. Try using a brush over his face. Then check the blown out highlights behind the monkey. Try In Lightroom – the highlights are retrievable. Another option and maybe a more feasible option could be to clone over those areas. Highly Commended

: 17.Salon Walk bridge over the River Great Autum colours. The light on this bridge and tree is very pleasing to the eye. The composition leads us into the image. Lovely colours and reflections – lovely tone palette. To improve take out noise and it will look sharper. (Noise was introduced on purpose to give painterly look) Merit

: 18.Salon Rosebud A great Idea. Colours are beautiful. Pleasing Lighting and well set up. The drop of water adds to the story. Is there more than one rosebud here? (No – just one) Not sure if this was meant to be a reflection but looks like two different rosebuds. Due to tight crop at the bottom the composition becomes very central. Rearrange the composition or a slightly different crop leaving a little more are the bottom and perhaps less central subject. Merit

: 19. Salon A Chilly Start Beautiful landscape crisp and clean. Lighting and colours are all work together to tell this story – it certainly looks chilly. Boat and house add to the context showing us the size of the mountains. The White line on the hill appears overprocessed. Main subject for a focal point? Neither boat nor house are a strong part of the image to focus on. Pace around in the cold and find a better composition. Merit

: 20.Salon View to Bridge Pleasing lighting and it’s well handled at the blue hour. Trees on the top right add context to your story of this famous (in Whangarei) bridge. Try a crop tight on the left side. Or try getting down lower to lift the tree branch higher. Maybe a slightly different crop by taking a step to the left so the circular ball featured is all in the shot. Highly commended

: 21.Salon One Flower A busy photo. Not sure what kind of flower it is – but it’s spectacular. It almost looks like it’s in a prayer pose. As presented the flower is almost dead centre and there are highlights and blacks blown out. Try a crop off the left dark area and top to bring the stem in from the top left corner. Merit

: 22 Salon Radiant These flowers always make us feel happy and remind me of summer. They are simple and yet always stunning. Nicely placed in the frame. The composition works well and leads us to think of the environment they are in. The colours work well together. The flower centre is in a very strong position in the frame however it is not sharp. The background is nicely blurred and avoids any distraction The whole image has a soft focus. Whites in some areas are blown out – but can be easily pulled back. In images like this you have time to play with the focal length and time to focus on the subject. Merit

: 23.Salon Rippled Palette This image reminds us of trying to find shapes and objects as we go about our daily lives. You have seen something ordinary and turned it into an image. There are some blown out bits in the whites. Try cropping out the white ripple and making the left-hand side the main part of the photo. The colours are dull. In an abstract or graphic image like this you have licence to “go over the top” Try playing with the hues and saturation – there is a stunning image in there waiting to be discovered in post processing. Merit

: 24 Novice Intersection Lovely colours, mixing with each other. Looks like a double exposure. This creative image looks like something of a mystical scene. It makes us ponder at the line between reality and beyond. The match head in the corner gives us a clue to the context. In your processing always Do “Border Patrol”. Check around the outside of the photo and in this case take out the white edge at the top left. There is a bright area that leads our eyes out of the frame. Also, perhaps the light part on the edge of the match could be toned down. Merit

: 25 Novice Muse in Flight A bird in flight. You can see the outline of a bird. This bird speaks to us of freedom. The title uses the word muse which is an inspiration or direction. You have certainly told a story here. The composition adds to the concept. There are lots of spots on the image especially down the left-hand side. Lower your Fstop so you don’t see them. This could be dust spots on the lens or the sensor. Remember to clean your sensor or wipe your lens!!! OR use a spot healing tool for a long time!!!! Otherwise, a great shot. Merit

: 26 Salon Let Me out of Here This bird speaks to us of the opposite concept to the last image. – imprisonment or lack of control of any inspiration or direction. You have captured the bird and not wire. Try making the background lighter so the bird pops. The bird is not sharp with no details in the feathers – neither is the cage – add texture to your subject and check background. Take time to get your focus right maybe zoom out to get the feet included and the eye central to a square. Acceptance

: 27 Intermediate Grumpy Rook Look He/she certainly looks grumpy. “Go away!!! Don’t mess with me!!!” The composition works well – along with the depth of field. The bird is sharp and background handled well. The lighting is quite harsh – but in these situations you have no control. The far wing of the bird had no detail but it’s a black bird and in this light, would be hard to avoid. Honours

: 28 Intermediate Swallow These birds are often called Welcome Swallows because they herald spring. They flit about very fast, and you have done well to capture it. The colour of bird is good, but some of the bird is not sharp including the face – the most important part. Try a faster speed and higher ISO Highly commended

: 29 Salon Nom Nom You have captured the whole bird eating its dinner. Well done for capturing it doing something that is characteristic of its daily life. The composition compliments the concept and shows us a lot of the environment. As presented, there is not a lot of detail in the feathers. Depending on your Post processing programme it may be possible to add more detail with the Texture slider. Highly commended

: 30 Salon Smell so Sweet Again, this reminds us of Springtime – and the lovely smell these flowers have. Not sure if it’s a multi-exposure in camera or a layering effect. The pastel colours are soft and pleasing. The portrait style works well. There are some distracting spots around the image e.g. the bottom left flower and the top right flower. You are to be commended for this creative image. Highly commended