Flashing Dahlia 23.5 Leonie Holmes FCAPA Creative Master
J2 This image is loud and almost angry. The colour fuchsia isn#039;t harmonious with the rest of the colour pallet and this contributes to the tension within. The core of the image is too central and perhaps a different crop might be considered.
Crystal art 19.5 Dan Copeland Creative Master
J2 This image is comforting with a pleasant blend of warm and cool tones. The composition flows nicely drawing the viewers eye around the image. Technically, however, it is very soft with a large presence of halos. A greater depth of field may be considered. It would be interesting to see a colour adjustment done on the image, pulling down the blues.
Peregrine takes starling Top N 25.5 TC DP Greg Alderson Nature Master
J2 This image delivers an incredibly strong nature story. The falcon is perfectly composed in the crop. This image is also a great example of shooting the decisive moment allowing the viewer to fully see the prey within. The image is fully in focus, with great exposure and colour. The contrast on the lower wing and background does not appear natural perhaps because it lacks vibrancy.
Black-capped Chickadee 20.5 Peter McCusker Nature Silver
J2 There are sensor dust spots visible in the image. J3 The white head feathers have unfortunately been rendered without detail. The background is lovely and compliments the subject. Cropping on the left would move the subject away from #039;dead' centre.
Monarch 22.5 SPP Peter McCusker Nature Silver
J2 The monarch butterfly is technically very well shot. The depth of field, exposure and sharpness are all there. The colour balance might be tweaked with a shift to blue/cooler tones and more green tint. The composition is well done with the pleasant diagonal line. The background has a lovely bokeh. The out of focus leaves are a minor distraction. The monarch feeding is a good story.
Bald Eagle 21.5 BPP Rod Shantz Nature Bronze
J1 Nice capture with water skimming by his wings. Watch out for overexposure, esp. his head and bright distracting foreground. Work with your image in postprocessing where you can tone down bright parts and brighten the darkest parts of his wings.
Black Capped Night Heron Landing 24.5 HM DP Geoff Dunn Nature Master
J2 There is a good story to this nature image. The heron is sharp, well exposed, fully in focus and the contrast and colour are well done. The bird is well placed in its natural environment without the supporting background/natural environment being a distraction. Perhaps toning down some of the bright blues on the left side might be considered.
Threshold to eternity 20 Ed Espin Pictorial Master
J1 Nice monotone treatment for the peaceful resting place. Watch out for the halo around the trees and objects interesting with the sky created in post processing. Most of the foreground roadway could be eliminated as it leads you out of the composition.
Trying to blend in 22.5 Victor Turczynski Pictorial Master
J2 This image beautifully tells the story of life at the cottage in the fall. The composition is well balanced and supported by the choice of a landscape format. Technically the image is sharp, fully in focus and well exposed. The contrast and saturation may be a strong for the serenity of the moment.
Cottage Lane 19 James Hamilton Pictorial Gold
J2 The dynamics of this image were created by the makers decision to shift the path/leading line off center. This shift may have delivered more impact if the maker had stepped to the right to increase this angle. It may have also been considered to lower the perspective of the scene and shoot closer from the ground. The image appears crunchy with heavy use of sharpness, contrast and saturation, perhaps created by the use of an editing filter. This processing doesn#039;t seem in harmony with the image.
Super moon over Brant Street Pier 21 BPP Francesco Berri Pictorial Bronze
J2 This nighttime image likely utilized a tripod, technically necessary for sharpness when long exposures are necessary. The sharpness, depth of field, colour balance, contrast and vibrancy are all well done. The bottom half of the image has a blurry ghost presence that is distracting. The maker may consider cropping the bottom off.
Monarch Butterfly on Sunflower 21 David Evans Pictorial Master
J1 Such a nice detail in the wings and flower. The background is nicely blurred, but still a bit distracting and could be further toned down - esp. the specular highlights above the butterfly. Also you could crop from the right closer to the wings since his wings take up about 2 thirds.
Seaside Bamp;W 20.5 Cherylene Stimers Pictorial Bronze
J1 Beautiful black and white capture. Perhaps crop the grey blurry bottom just up to the water and about third of your sky and you#039;ll end up with stronger composition. J2 The maker may consider cropping this image into a landscape format.
Ash Tree Cull on the Trail 21 Janet McNally Pictorial Gold
J1 Lovely black and white capture. Neat leading lines pointing in direction of the S curve. The left bottom part looks quite barren compared to the rest of the image, so perhaps shooting the composition by stepping more to the left would have eliminated the empty space.
Eastern Screech Owl 22.5 HM BPP Rod Shantz Pictorial Bronze
J2 This is a great example of a nature subject delivering anthropomorphism to the viewers as we are forgiven for thinking that this owl is winking at us. There is a painterly effect (soft focus and pixilation) present in this image that would be judged differently had the image been submitted into the nature category. The branch draws the viewer out of the image and perhaps could have been toned down.
Summer Reflections 20.5 James Hamilton Pictorial Gold
J1 The blues and clouds are really nice part of this capture. The sky and the reflections is what you should concentrate on. The tree branch could be eliminated. If the sun is directly in your face, then photograph just the reflection and cut the horizon out.
The Painting 21 BPP Chris Sparks Pictorial Bronze
J1 Neat juxtaposition of captured scenery. Watch out for distractions poking from the left side and bottom edge. Could be cropped tiny bit on the left to eliminate the bright part. You want the main attention on the painting.
Sad memory 19.5 Ed Espin Pictorial Master
J2 There are sensor dust spots visible in the image. J3 The soft monochrome treatment has given the image an overall flat presentation. Placement of the statue to the left works well as the figure is looking downward to the right.
Two Worlds 21.5 David Evans Pictorial Master
J3 The two subjects are nicely placed in the frame. The use of black and white gives the image a #039;grittier' feeling, suitable for such a street scene. The highlights on the young lady's face are a bit harsh.
Summers end 23 TC BPP Mike Moffat Pictorial Bronze
J2 This serene image shares with the viewers a peaceful fall scene. The impact is mildly lessened by the lack of a strong focal point. Technically the image is well done- sharp, in focus, well exposed and delivers good colours, tones and vibrancy.
Little High Falls 24 TC GPP Andy Langs Pictorial Gold
J3 The low perspective make this a much more interesting capture. The foreground element is sharp and anchors the frame. The slow shutter has effectively smoothed the water but leaving enough detail for a sense of flow.
Fringed Gentians 23.5 HM GPP Janet McNally Pictorial Gold
J2 This is a lovely portrait shot of the flowers. The off center composition adds to the impact. The lighting, focus, colour, vibrance and tones are well done. The maker may want to consider removing some of the distracting greenery at the bottom of the image.
