Eastern Bluebird 24 HM SPP Derrick Butler Nature Silver
J3 The Eastern Bluebird displays lovely colour and detail, particularly across the breast, head, and beak. As a male, it also has the characteristic vibrant blue wings. Unfortunately, the wings are largely lost in the shadows on the back, making it difficult to appreciate their colour and detail. Overall, the image has a somewhat soft appearance.
Green Heron Reflection 23.5 SPP Leonard Forte Nature Silver
J3 A beautifully clean and well-balanced composition of the Green Heron. The image is well exposed and impressively sharp, bringing out the subtle colours and fine detail in the bird#039;s plumage. The heron's alert, focused posture suggests it is intent on its prey, adding a sense of anticipation and giving the image a compelling nature story.
Osprey stare 23 SPP Kevin White Nature Silver
J1 a well captured shot, especially as the osprey is looking directly at the lens. technically well done, generally speaking nature animals/birds have more impact and story line when they are actually doing something other than just flying/walking.
Green Heron with reflection 22.5 SPP Kevin White Nature Silver
J3 A sharp and well-composed image of the Green Heron. The time of day and quality of light have resulted in somewhat harsh tones and contrast. The depth of field also leaves a fairly busy background, with the reflection and reflected reeds competing for attention and somewhat distracting from the heron.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 23 SPP Lan Gao Nature Silver
J1 very nicely exposed and good lighting on the subject, it is sharp throughout which sometimes is difficult from this angle. the batch of different bands of greens in the background is somehow a bit distracting on the bottom left area - a denoize or slight blur filter may have fixed that. impact could have improved if maker moved a bit to the right to capture more of the side of the butterflies#039; face.
Black Hawk Diving for a Fish 23.5 Geoff Dunn Nature Master
J3 A well-composed portrait of the hawk coming in for a fish. The image is sharp and well exposed, beautifully capturing the colours and fine details of the feathers, feet, and beak. The background is clean, soft, and unobtrusive, keeping the focus firmly on the hawk
Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds 25.5 TC SPP Leigh Wright Nature Silver
J3 The two hummingbirds are well placed within the frame, frozen in space with good sharpness and detail. The image captures more than a fleeting moment... it tells a story of the constant jostling for survival that takes place in nature. The smooth, complementary background is very well handled by the maker, keeping the focus on the birds while adding to the overall visual appeal.
Cautious American Red Squirrel 17 Phil Lacasse Nature Bronze
J1 please make sure you have a clear view of your subject before shooting with camera and keep the subject in focus. J3 A good attempt at capturing the squirrel. The foreground and background are somewhat distracting, while the squirrel itself is a little soft, likely due to the autofocus struggling with the busy scene. Waiting for the squirrel to move into a clearer position may have produced a stronger composition. Keep experimenting with timing and focus that should help with your future nature photos.
Black-crowned Night heron on perch 23.5 SPP Leonard Forte Nature Silver
J3 A sharp and well-exposed image of the bird perched on the tip of an upright log. The pose demonstrates the bird#039;s dexterity and remarkable ability to balance and grip even the tiniest of perches. This, in itself, tells a wonderful story of the adaptability and resilience of birds in nature. The plumage is rendered with excellent detail and colour, making this a very pleasing and successful capture.
A milkweed longhorn beetle 22 Geoffrey Skirrow Nature Master
J1 maker should take care to remove dusts posts in the image(I see at least 4). suggest removing some of the noise only on the background leaves to soften it. good sharpness on the subject and well composed. The bottom left corner is a bit distracting and could be filled in (if permitted)
Ruby throated Hummingbirds Dispute Territory 25.5 TC GPP Jon Dun Nature Gold
J3 There is a strong nature story captured in this image. The contrast between the perched hummingbird remaining perfectly still and the second bird with its wings rendered as a blur creates a wonderful sense of dynamism and movement. The background is pleasing, while the image is sharp exactly where it needs to be.
American Red Squirrel 19.5 Cliff Dominy Nature Bronze
J2 The background is an issue in the frame. The white areas lack detail and draw the viewer#039;s eye away from the subject. Including all of the chipmunk in the frame would have made for a stronger nature portrait.
Eurasian griffon vulture 23 Andy Langs Nature Master
J1 well composed image with good exposure on the shadows and very good sharpness and detail. there is an overexposure on the white areas of the bird, underexposing by a one or half a stop when taking the photo, could have prevented this. it would have rendered the wings darker but opening the shadow areas a bit is easier then trying to bring back lost details on highlights.
Honey Bee 22 Jim Orcheson Nature Gold
J1 good sharpness and detail on the subject and the story line is well captured. I would suggest a bit wider capture, as it seems to crowed in the frame. its a macro so it can#039;t be too far away but there is still some room to capture more of the bottom of flower and still see the bee working.
Great Egret and Reflection 22.5 SPP Jan Huizinga Nature Silver
J3 The egret and its reflection are beautifully captured. The composition creates a strong oblique line separating the dark and light areas, while the timing has placed the egret against a clean, dark background that makes it stand out. Focus on the egret is good, although some detail in the upper features of the bird is lost.
Marina Rhythm 20 Emanuele Nasello Pictorial Bronze
J1 assuming this is a deliberate camera motion the effect is interesting but doesn#039;t quite work in this image. intentional camera motion is usually for objects that move, not static as we see here. You could use the blur as an artistic effect rather than show motion however in this case a stronger blur rendering it almost abstract would look less busy and more artistic.
Hang on Tight 21 BPP Emanuele Nasello Pictorial Bronze
J1 watch the exposure , the tops of the riders is overexposed, you could probably lower the exposure in those highlights in processing. the rider riding away with their backs to us has less of an impact then if you could have captured it towards us.
Needles 19.5 Phil Lacasse Pictorial Bronze
J1 works well in black and white but the needles are not quite sharp. the upper left corner you could remove that black triangle (very minor but easy to remove). sky is a bit on the grey side try making it whiter for a true black and white image.
Peaceful morning 20 Loretta Monteleone Pictorial Gold
J1 to make image better try the following: straighten horizon, crop about a quarter off the sky to bring the nice water pattern and background closer, check your white balance-is this blue hue overall really what your eye sees?
add a slight contrast for drama
Harley 25 HM GPP Ted Buck Pictorial Gold
J1 dramatic pose and well designed image. good exposure and sharpness. J3 Monochrome presentation of this study of Harley helps this image. Sharp and creatively photographed.
Keeping an eye on the goal 21.5 Kathryn Martin Pictorial Master
J3 Captured as the horse and rider go around the post with the horse leaning in, gives this image some dynamism. Paying attention to the composition is important and this is evident as the hooves of the horse are cut off. Having them in the frame will help this image.
Red Lake Ontario Sunset 23 GPP Barbara Bialon Pictorial Gold
J1 a well balanced composition and the bird on the top adds a nice touch and shows the perspective of the vast scenery. a little more contrast would help the impact. there are some black spots in the middle of the image and lower sky, I am assuming these are far away birds and not dust spots so no deductions made.
Monarch Butterfly 3 24 GPP Peter McCusker Pictorial Gold
J1 the butterfly and the flower have excellent sharpness and good lighting, the bands of colour, especially the bright red is a bit distracting. try cropping a bit form the top and a bit from the left to bring subject closer and eliminate some of the red area.
Thanaka 21.5 BPP Darlene Harris Pictorial Bronze
J1 why do you need all that empty space on the left? most of it is distracting, a square image of just the girls face would be so much more compelling. J2 The right half of this portrait holds the viewer#039;s attention, especially the eye contact. The left half of the frame would likely be stronger without the two distracting lighter spots.
Look 22 BPP Darlene Harris Pictorial Bronze
J1 cute side portrait of the meerkat but the fur on the right has some overblown highlights. there is a nice catchlight in the eye always adds to impact. the shadow at the bottom is interesting as it seems like its the silhouette of another meerkat. but the dark shadow on the background is heavy and distracting. try not place subject too close to the edge (left of log).
Eastern Amberwing 20 Cliff Dominy Pictorial Bronze
J1 very nice capture of the dragonfly but it is difficult to enjoy it with the bottom thick flower distraction that is blurred and the distracting green band on the top. I would try to crop most of the top area and most of the right and bottom area and keep a closer image of the dragonfly. however your image needs to be a lot sharper and crisper than that for a tighter crop.
Two-tone ball Dahlia 21 Alison Hilborn Pictorial Silver
J1 pay careful attention to the background when photographing nature subjects. here the background is a bit distracting and does not add to the nature of the story. the flower itself is sharp and well exposed. increase the contrast a bit on the flower. perhaps a closer crop all around would help viewer concentrate on the Dalias rather then everything around it.
Picking the best Dahlias 20 Alison Hilborn Pictorial Silver
J3 Vibrant colours of the flowers and the red of the truck are striking in this image. Compositionally the image is a bit tight on the truck and leaving some space around, particularly to the left would improve this image. Plus, it would have been nice to have the person picking the Dahlias in the image.
Alien Ships coming in 23.5 Andy Langs Pictorial Master
J1 nice clean image. nothing really distracting from looking at the pattern of this structure. would be nice to actually call it by its name in the title rather than a creative spin. nice exposure overall. why not try to show the complete structure on the right. or come even closer and show only a macro version.
Setas de Sevilla - High Key 24.5 DP Andy Langs Pictorial Master
J1 good high key image, excellent exposure and good sharpness. interesting structure taken from a good angle for impact. J2 Interesting architectural structure, plenty to keep the eye wandering. The white structure might be stronger if the background was darker.
Snowflake 25 DP Dan Copeland Pictorial Master
J2 The snowflake is symmetrical and placed to advantage on a black background. The high magnification allow the viewer to examine the intricate structure. Technically strong but somewhat lacking in impact.
Backus Mill 25.5 HM DP Dan Copeland Pictorial Master
J1 there seems to be a bit of lens distortion of the mill, it seems to be leaning. however the image is otherwise wonderfully exposed and sharp and very impactful. less foreground at the very bottom and more of that wonderful sky would add. J2 An excellent setting for a starry night exposure. The barn and trees provide a frame for the galactic core and the foreground lighting leads the viewer into the frame. Perhaps a vertical composition would have given the viewer more of that lovely sky.
Telephone line 21 Brie Langs Pictorial Silver
J1 image that says there is beauty in chaos... might be a better title to create more impact for the viewer. an unusual image to capture but it works. its shape and the darkness of it adds to the story.
Monkey#039;s Day Out 21 Brie Langs Pictorial Silver
J1 a nice setting for the monkeys enjoying their hot dog. move the garbage can a bit farther from the monkey so there#039;s space between it and the monkey, a bit further back too is also best because its not the prominent part of the story. not sure what the black item is on the right, if it is their lunch bag move that closer to them. (note:entering more than one-two similar image in the same competition lessens the impact in judging-I think this is the 6th one)
Choose a Victim 22 SPP Cherylene Stimers Pictorial Silver
J1 try to photograph the peak of the action in these rodeo scenes for maximum impact. usually that is when riding the bull. here showing the background people is good to tell the story. the 2 people may tell a story of running away from the bull but all we see is their backs and that lessens any impact. technically it is fairly well done.
Summer in Montreal 21.5 Jan Huizinga Pictorial Silver
J1 street photography is more meaningful in bamp;w to concentrate on the story. however, in this image color is a big part of the story as seen in the hair and chairs. a different angle (perhaps moving a bit to the right)would help not hide the blond lady and would balance the composition better. otherwise good moment in time to capture.
