The light 22 Dan Copeland Creative Master
J2 the image is interesting and unusual, the light falling on the bottom layer seems to be reflecting in the lightbulb making it a creative image. the bottom of the lightbulb is dark with only half of it showing, perhaps it was intentional to add to the creativity however maker might try lighting that area to make bulb stand out from rest of black background. J3 Consider trying a pano presentation.
Mute Swan 22 Victor Turczynski Nature Master
J2 a very close up portrait of a bird such as this image has a more pictorial quality than a nature story.it is an artistic bamp;W image with good detail, but not strong in this category.
Blackburnian warbler 21 Andy Langs Nature Gold
J2 the warbler is nice an sharp throughout and has a nice catchlight in the eye. lightning is well handled. background is very busy but that is the nature of its home. "bird on a stick" can be beautiful photographs but no matter how well executed there has to be more of a nature story for impact and higher scoring marks.
Sturgeon Moonrise 21.5 Colleen Bird Nature Master
J2 seen many moon photos but few that actually had stars showing as well, nicely done. borders are not generally good idea in nature division however it is needed here due to all the black sky. a thin, grey , unobtrusive border might have been best rather than matching it to the moon color.
Barn Swallow 20 Dean Hughes Nature Bronze
J2 a nice subject to photograph with image nice composed. the background at the top seems to have color artifacts perhaps form perhaps due to noise, high ISO or other reasons. Bird needs to be crisp and sharper for higher marks. overall image is a bit flat - using a good long lens is best for photographing birds. In post processing open up shadows on the back if quality allows.
Damselfly pair 24.5 HM DP Judy Boufford Nature Master
J2 top left green area doesn#039;t add to image. it rather distracts the viewer. you could crop it out and simplify the image to the nice crisp background that is everywhere else so the damselflies really stand out.
Two Osprey Nestlings Waiting for Food 22 Geoff Dunn Nature Master
J2 nice composition and lighting, try not to over sharpen. there is a light area present on bottom left that looks as if something has been cloned out and there is a something like a dust spot on the top of the left bird#039;s back that could easily be removed.
Black Capped Chickadee 21.5 Gary Love Nature Master
J2 List if the bird us nicely sharp, lightning is nice here as well. the background does not look very natural-top area there is a dark spot that could easily be removed and the large blurred leaf on the right has some discolouration all around the edges. moving angles to avoid the distracting leaf on the right might help the image be better.
Banded Orange Heliconian 19 Leonie Holmes FCAPA Nature Master
J2 image has too much grain, perhaps from too high iso. Take care to focus well on the subject in order for it to be sharp.suggest maker move in different angles to avoid all the distractions of the surrounding area especially on the left of image.
Blue Jay 22.5 John King Nature Gold
J2 image could improve if you lower the exposure on the top of head of the bird in processing and also apply a denoize filter on the background to soften it which would make bird stand out nicer. wonderful catchlight and sharpness on the eye
Ice on Rocks 20.5 Laura Nelson Nature Bronze
J2 the ice on the rocks is interesting however the surrounding area not so much. since the maker obviously wanted the viewer to notice the interesting ice formations it might be a better idea if zoomed in much closer, crop the entire top and left scene and focus on the rock ice formation only. also increase contrast a bit.
Cabbage White 18.5 Laura Nelson Nature Bronze
J3 Good placement in the frame. Suggest a little crop on the right edge. The technical elements of background control and sharpness particularly on the subject are weak. Consider more depth of field.
Mallard 18 Dean Hughes Nature Bronze
J2 image is too small, for good scores some sharpness is needed whether is on the droplets or the bird. Nice action shot if more technical care is taken. try increasing speed.
Saw-whet Owl 20.5 Dan Copeland Nature Master
J2 great subject in its natural surrounding, eyes and face area nicely lit with good sharpness. it is unfortunate that the out of focus branch on the left overtakes a lot of the picture and the tree leaves guide some of the owl. However, given the situation it looks like its beyond the makers control. Perhaps after taking this shot maker could find another angle where branches were not as obtrusive.
American Robin 24 HM DP Gary Love Nature Master
J2 good timing to catch this action photo, makes a more impactful image. nice exposure and color saturation and fairly good sharpness until we get to the tail area which is out of focus due to the depth of field. overall a very nice image.
pic2 21 BPP Robert Segarra Pictorial Bronze
J2 horizon could be straightened a little more. rendering it BW is a good idea. a little overexposure on the top of the subject(not sure what its called!). photo is creatively taken capturing the reflections on the bottom.
Ali#039;s Window 22 HM SPP Marino Favretto Pictorial Silver
J1 Framing is rather tight. J2 this subject on both photos needs a little "softening" for a romantic effect and to lessen the harshness on the face. many such filters you can experiment with to give this effect on portraits such as this one. Especially when the subject is a white skinned, white blond hair lady dressed in white. would make a nice high key photo as well. J3 Technically well done portrait in natural window light. The eye contact is particularly effective. The arm and hand under the chin looks a little contrived. Consider another placement.
Foggy Oakville Marina 22 Peter Chow Pictorial Gold
J2 what really stands out in this photo is more the foreground rocks then the marina, not sure this is what the maker intended. However, the juxtaposition between the sharp dark rock formations to the white foggy marina is an interesting one. nice exposure and reflection on the water. the dry grass on the left adds to the composition.
Lindores Abbey Casks 20.5 James Hamilton Pictorial Gold
J2 coming up close and cropping the subject like this works when there are interesting closeup details to show. not sure there is enough details to work with in this photo, perhaps stepping back and showing the entire casks might have been better. or leave the left cask as is, it is nicely cropped, but show the entire cask on the right. the low point of view angle is nicely done.
Ice Campfire 21.5 Andy Langs Pictorial Gold
J2 image is creative and interesting, suggest crop off the bottom part where the stick is showing that area is too busy and not needed. If not possible to do, next time try a different angle to avoid it. simplify as much as possible to draw attention to the main subject-the wonderful ice formations.
Jagged 18 John Russell Pictorial Silver
J2 landscape images need to be sharp to be able to see any detail on the land. make sure you focus properly on the subject. also the sky area is too much and doesn#039;t add anything to the photo, most can be cropped.
pic3 22 BPP Robert Segarra Pictorial Bronze
J3 Good technical execution with strong foreground provided by a suitable lens choice. Lots of interest throughout. The light is very flat. Consider adding a little brightness to the foreground to set it apart from the rest of the image.
M- M- Good 19 John Bunyon Pictorial Gold
J2 close ups, food adds etc need to be much much sharper in order to show the product as well as possible. also the white border is too bright. try a thinner one and maybe a little more the color of the plate rather than white.
Zabriskie point 22 Victor Turczynski Pictorial Master
J3 I was there at sunrise a while ago and it#039;s always a treat to see someone else's view. The technical elements are well done, with lots of detail in the shadow areas. Consider cropping most of the sky to focus more attention on the main area of interest.
Winter Fishing 22 BPP Laura Nelson Pictorial Bronze
J3 The choice of a monochrome presentation has eliminated many of distractions from the subject. In addition it adds to the mood of a very chilly day. Consider cropping some of the sky where there is no detail.
Checking Bubblers Lasalle Marina 20.5 David Evans Pictorial Master
J2 technically a good image. for higher marks it needs to have more impact. this is more of a snapshot type. a good image should stand on its own to tell the story without the title, here the story is not obvious, seeing two people walking wouldn#039;t mean much with out the title.
Whisky Dunnage Warehouse 20 James Hamilton Pictorial Gold
J2 the interest here is really on the barrels rather than the large area of wall which is our of focus and the bright window. it might have added interest and impact if the maker stood a bit further back to show more of the row of barrels and less of that wall.
