In Thought 22.5 SPP Lan Gao Pictorial Silver
J3 A nice portrait of the gent - maybe not as engaging with the viewer but still acceptable. IF possible, try to recover the blown highlights along the left side on the face and bring up the shadow detail on the right side of the image. Some slight highlight bloom off the jacket on the left side can also be corrected.
Putting on the brakes 20.5 Mike Moffat Pictorial Silver
J3 Good action shot. A bit central for composition, suggest crop some on the right to offset the subject and this would also create space on the left for the subject to move into. A bit too much clutter in the background - using a larger aperture would blur the background enough but still lend itself for a story. This can still be achieved in using depth mapping to blur the background in post.
Snow Day at the Old School 21.5 BPP Tracey Kenning Pictorial Bronze
J3 The black and white treatment suits the subject here. Perhaps a bit too high contrast as we#039;ve lost all detail in the snow and the darker siding of the cabin and wood. Maker may also want to try a panoramic crop by cropping some of the top and bottom to further lead the eye to the cabin.
Let#039;s Go - It's a Great Beach 20.5 Janet McNally Pictorial Gold
J2 The background looks very unnatural with this dog. Part of his lower right paw has water dripping, yet the water behind him is totally different. There are also artifacts on the log which are from post processing.. Despite all of this, the dog is looking to the right of the image, so needs more room on that side. Cropping30 from top and left would help this image.
Graceful Carnation 23 GPP Janet McNally Pictorial Gold
J1 The simplicity gives this excellent impact, and the lighting on the edges of the carnation is good, as is the lighting on the leaf toward the bottom. Interesting choice to cut off stem and leave a bit of space between the stem and the edge
The Shot That Got Away 20 Jon Dun Pictorial Gold
J3 A very timely capture - a bit of humour always adds to the image. Having the subjects so close together, may even suggest you try a square crop. A few blown highlights on the bird may be recovered if shot in RAW.
Sunrise on Manitou Lake SK 19.5 Cliff Dominy Pictorial Bronze
J3 The symmetrical composition suits the subject but not very impactful to keep a viewer engaged. Extremes in exposures from the blown out highlights to the crushed details in the trees. Bracketed shots for HDR would be recommended in these types of situations. For landscapes - always level your horizon!
Rainy Day in London 20 Loretta Monteleone Pictorial Silver
J3 The monochrome treatment suits the overcast day. Some suggestions to elevate this from a record shot - straighten out the verticals, especially architecture. Remove the lamp post on the left that#039;s creeping in. Crop up a little to remove some of the pavement from the bottom frame. Avoid cropping people on the edges - this comes down to patience and timing. Selectively select the sky and enhance the details in the clouds to bring in some interest.
Close Call 19.5 Loretta Monteleone Pictorial Silver
J3 Good action shot. Subjects are very small in the frame for any impact. Cropping in about 50 while still maintaining some of the smoke trails could be an option but you may not be able to hold much detail at this scale. Higher magnification lens would be required for these types of aerial photography.
Sculpted in Shadow 22 Marino Favretto Pictorial Gold
J1 The concept is great - and exposure is workable, in that there are some hotspots that can still be recovered. The big aesthetic issue is the bedspread - it is very distracting. If it was darkened down dramatically it may help.
In the Arms of Silence 22.5 Marino Favretto Pictorial Gold
J3 This a very good study in light and shadows to show off the human form. A bit too tight on the top as the subject is almost merging. The slight hot spot of the forehead can be toned down as it#039;s too strong compared to the rest of the edge light. Be aware of odd body parts while posing. Suggest remove that wrist bottom left as it's visually odd for a cleaner composition.
Denisa 20.5 Marino Favretto Pictorial Gold
J2 Given this is a studio shot, control the lighting on the right side so the details on her arm and face are not blown out. The background on the right side is also not even- dark shadow like rectangle behind her.
Defeated 23 Victor Turczynski Pictorial Master
J3 Black amp; White is a good choice for the subject. A bit too over processed and high contrast though. The wide expanse of black on the right doesn't add anything or help balance the composition. Suggest crop much of it out.
Janice 21.5 Victor Turczynski Pictorial Master
J2 Interesting expression and helps with create a story. Crop is a little tight - either crop more of the top or keep it clear. Also very tight on left side of frame. Because this is a portrait, her face, neck and hair should be sharp, not just her nose. Increase depth of filed to help with this.
Let#039;s Rest a While 23.5 Victor Turczynski Pictorial Master
J3 A well caught moment. Monochrome treatment works well with textures of the wood and fur. While higher contrast is good for monochrome, one does have to balance it with sharpness. The image appears a bit over sharpened and could be dialed back a little so the fur doesn#039;t appear so crunchy.
Telling Old Tales 24 DP Andy Langs Pictorial Master
J3 The maker has done a very good job getting the story across in the scene. There are a number of ways the scene could have been presented -as the maker has shown or crop horizontally in half or even crop tight to just outside the ticket window. Just comes down to how intimate you want the viewer to be with the subject. No wrong way. Monochrome treatment suits the story as well.
Historic Bridge on the Oder 19.5 Elzbieta Piskorz Pictorial Master
J3 Pleasing shot of the bridge but not very high impact. Needs a supporting element to give it context and create a story - either a person on the bridge which would also give it scale, or something else. If the maker has a wider shot, crop the left side to include part of the bridge support to balance the right.
Contemplating Fila 21 Elzbieta Piskorz Pictorial Master
J1 The lighting on the dog works well, and brings out the texture of the fur very well. If at all possible, try to bring out some detail in the shadow area of the dog#039;s head J2 Face should be sharp throughout. Halos evident behind her back legs. Also a strange dark shadow emanating from her collar. Too bad - cute dog.
Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary 19 Emanuele Nasello Pictorial Bronze
J3 The tight composition is a good start but suggest cropping in even further to just the eye and the horn area. The mouth area merges with the left frame and is not helping your composition. Considerable noise in the upper part of the background that is detracting as well.
Modern Crane 19.5 Emanuele Nasello Pictorial Bronze
J2 Very busy image. If the story is about the crane , may have been better to take it at a different angle, maybe with the temple to one side rather than directly behind it. Image has been taken in bright sunlight, so the tops of the bricks need to be darkened slightly
Urban Spiral 20 Laura Nelson Pictorial Silver
J1 Not sure this is a vertical image - if it is rotated, it makes a very big difference to the score J2 Is this a railway track rotated? Very disorientating. Need the image to be in focus on lower left side.
Ceiling art 22.5 SPP Cherylene Stimers Pictorial Silver
J3 Maker has done a good job maintaining symmetry in this composition and keep focus front to back. The three windows at the bottom do help anchor the image but somehow leaves the viewer wanting more as they are cut off partially. Possible to recover the blown highlights on the bottom two windows with white panes.
Dahlia 21.5 BPP Jan Huizinga Pictorial Bronze
J3 Well composed and looks great in monochrome. Suggest some additional sharpening as we#039;re losing detail in the center. The outside darker tips of the petals are also a bit flat. Either increase contrast slightly or use the colour mixer for black and white to darken the tips. Remove that tiny merger bottom right.
Make this a Merry Christmas for us--Eat a Fish 17.5 John Bunyon Pictorial Gold
J3 While humorous viewpoint, the image is disjointed for composition without proper framing and it appears as a last minute capture. Try to simplify your composition to eliminate any distractions and frame the shot to convey your message. Compose with the stuffed Turkey as the center of focus with the tree to support your Christmas Story.
The Wizard in his study 23.5 GPP Peter McCusker Pictorial Gold
J3 Such a well executed concept. The pose and the lighting is well handled on the majority of the imaged. We#039;re losing a lot of shadow detail in the robe - next time, either bounce some fill light into the dark to balance out the exposure or add a fill light to avoid dark subjects melding together.
Sunset 21.5 Barbara Bialon Pictorial Silver
J1 Very tranquil scene - the clouds in particular are well handled. Not sure that all the reflection at the bottom is needed - try cropping at least a third of the reflections from the bottom of the image to see if it improves the impact
Duchesnay Falls 22.5 SPP Barbara Bialon Pictorial Silver
J3 Well depicted scene and having people give it scale as well. Suggest cloning out the person on the left who appears to be leaving (unless you have another shot with them interacting with each other). Exposure on the water is handled well to show enough movement. The greens appear a bit oversaturated and could be toned down a touch. Suggest cropping some of the clutter that is merging in at the bottom of the frame.
Steel Mills of Hamilton 21 Dan Copeland Pictorial Master
J2 Nice reflections from the lights. Sky is somewhat grainy - especially where smog is evident. Use a denoise program to help clean it up. It is difficult to focus on one area, so the eye wonders around. Might like to try reframing on one area.
Vintage Medicine 25 TC DP Doug Doede Pictorial Master
J2 The grainy texture of this image works well, as does the frame. Relatively sharp throughout, although less so on the top shelf. This type of image is best taken with the camera lined up directly with the centre of the image with a good depth of field.
Night Heron Perch 23 SPP Leonard Forte Nature Silver
J2 Lovely capture of the heron. Nice details in the feathers. Since he is looking to the right, it would be nice to have a little more space on the right for him to be looking into. White background is harsh. Tone it down to hopefully reveal some blue in the sky
Baltimore Oriole in Pear Blossoms 16 Cherylene Stimers Nature Silver
J2 Nice capture but need to have the bird sharp and in focus. Tone down the whites so the flowers are not blown out. Image is quite grainy so run a denoise program to clean it up somewhat. J3 The Maker has seen the nature story but unfortunately, the final capture has issues that affect the score. The main subject is out of focus and motion blurred. The exposure is too hot to hold details in the white flowers. Excessive high ISO noise also detracts. Knowing the limitations of your equipment, there are some workarounds next time. Shoot RAW to recover detail, apply noise reduction, Frame or crop in tighter on the subject.
Muskrat 22.5 SPP Laura Nelson Nature Silver
J2 Good nature story. Darken the background slightly so the animal becomes more prominent as the only important part of the image is the muskrat eating the leaves. Brighten the face slightly to attract the eyes towards his head.
Green Heron 21 Laura Nelson Nature Silver
J1 The bird is well lit, giving great detail in the feathers. The crown looks great. Try cropping a significant portion of the log from the bottom, and crop from the right to get rid of the distracting large light ball in the background
Wood Duck resting 24 DP Andy Langs Nature Master
J1 Lovely detail on the bird#039;s breast, and the angle is really interesting. There is a bright patch on the birds beak - try to soften that. The light patch in the background left is a bit distracting
Monarch on Purple Bush 20.5 Leonard Forte Nature Silver
J3 Maker has caught a good moment of the Monarch interacting with the flowers. The wing is a bit too tight on the bottom frame - allow some breathing room. A Square Crop would accomplish this and serve a balanced composition as well. A merger of on the left of the disjointed bloom could be removed. That tiny speck under the wing can be cloned away and result in a cleaner background.
Atlantic Puffin 25 TC SPP Leigh Wright Nature Silver
J1 The lighting on the bird#039;s head and the upper part of the outstretched wing is great. Try bringing out more detail in the feathers on the back of the bird. The black of the bird gets a bit subsumed by the dark background - so bringing out the feathers more may help the bird stand out a bit more
African Leopard 20 Cliff Dominy Nature Bronze
J3 The side lighting brings out the details on the face of the leopard, unfortunately most of the cat and the main trunk are in lost in shadow. The subject is also rather small in the frame and losing impact. Crop at least 50 in to remove the clutter of the tree while still maintaining the composition.
Milkweed shedding seeds 20.5 Jan Huizinga Nature Bronze
J3 Wonderful macro on the seed while keeping most of it in focus. The tip of the pod being so central, is out of focus and detracts from all the other details that was captured. Focus stacking would be good option in these situations where there isn#039;t any subject movement.
Trillium 21 Peter McCusker Nature Gold
J2 Difficult to take images of flowers outside. The top leaf is sharp with good detail, but the lower leaf is soft as is the right side of the middle leaf. However, some of the green leaves on a closer plane are overly sharp. This makes the green foliage very distracting. Darken the areas around the flower to eliminate the distractions
Cuckoo Bee on Chicory 21 Jim Orcheson Nature Silver
J3 Good shot with the bee within its environment. While most of the image is in focus, the head is soft and the antennae are out of focus. Smaller aperture supplemented with additional light would help gain much needed depth of field.
High Key Elephant 23 Andy Langs Creative Master
J3 Interesting interpretation on an existing piece of art. The contrast between subject and the high-key background enhances the impact. Suggest the maker apply the same treatment of the background to the area above the trunk for cohesiveness.
The Last of Ivor Wynne Top C 27 TC DP Dan Copeland Creative Master
J3 Very surreal depiction of the architectural remnants. The bold colours and low-key image depicts an apocalyptic mood. Compositionally, it#039;s not visually balanced. Seems to struggle by either not offset enough or central enough as two major elements (Building and the moon) compete for balance.
Yearning to be Free 22.5 Doug Doede Creative Master
J3 Simple concept but very poignant and a reflection of the current US political state. Well-conceived and executed. Impactful with the tight crop. Just watch the masking halos between the subject and the background sky.
God of War 24 DP Doug Doede Creative Master
J3 Not sure how this ties into the GOW game but as a stand-alone image it is intriguing. The subject may be better suited for a square crop. Some parts on the upper left are not pure black and detract from the rest of the image.
