any subject
01 ABUNDANCE
J1: A lovely abstract image with the feel of the Australian bush. There is a range of tones from light to dark from the bottom to top of the image. Watch the verticals in your shot. CREDIT
J2: I like what you have created here, some interesting shapes. The green foreground sets the scene nicely. It does lean a little to the left, so maybe a small straighten would be good. I can’t help but think I see a multi coloured goose head in the image! ACCEPTANCE
J2: I like what you have created here, some interesting shapes. The green foreground sets the scene nicely. It does lean a little to the left, so maybe a small straighten would be good. I can’t help but think I see a multi coloured goose head in the image! ACCEPTANCE
02: BUSH SPLENDOR
J1: The zoom pull technique has been very effective in creating a vanishing point in the centre left, and it is good that it is off-centre. The misty effect certainly creates a magical feel and the tree branches at odd angles give the image some defining structure. HONOUR
J2: You have created an interesting image here, and the neutral blue tones add to an ethereal feel. CREDIT
J2: You have created an interesting image here, and the neutral blue tones add to an ethereal feel. CREDIT
03: CHEVRONS AND DIAMONDS
J1: The image certainly has chevrons from the brickwork and diamonds from the shadows. The lighting and exposure is quite good. I probably would have liked to have seen a little more happening in the image – some sign of life perhaps. HIGHLY COMMENDED
J2: Very interesting patterns here. Not just the shape of the bricks, but also the shadows and textures. I think you can pull a bit more out of this image with some contrast and increasing the reds. Have a play. Well taken with good detail. CREDIT
J2: Very interesting patterns here. Not just the shape of the bricks, but also the shadows and textures. I think you can pull a bit more out of this image with some contrast and increasing the reds. Have a play. Well taken with good detail. CREDIT
04: CURVES
J1: There are certainly curves in this image and a nice golden light. I would have preferred to have seen more of the image in focus and perhaps a little more light on the RHS. The LHS could be cropped to remove the unsharp section. HIGHLY COMMENDED
J2: I am assuming this is the back of a lamp. Interesting mix of lines. Good use of shallow dof, and handled exposure really well. Well seen and photographed. CREDIT
J2: I am assuming this is the back of a lamp. Interesting mix of lines. Good use of shallow dof, and handled exposure really well. Well seen and photographed. CREDIT
05: EMU PARK BEACH
J1: Nice use of letterbox format, capturing the sweeping curves and layers of sand receding into the distance on the top right – good repetition effect. I like the rock that dominates the scene. I like the clear water on the bottom left, but this becomes burnt out in the centre part of the image. The highlights could be toned down. A dark border especially on the top, would give a defined edge and this may be better than a dropped shadow. HIGHLY COMMENDED
J2: Love our beaches, and the interesting little channels of water. The rock is a nice point of focus. I just feel that the image is a little on the bright side, try toning down your exposure somewhat, especially the very bright areas in the water. Good composition. ACCEPTED
J2: Love our beaches, and the interesting little channels of water. The rock is a nice point of focus. I just feel that the image is a little on the bright side, try toning down your exposure somewhat, especially the very bright areas in the water. Good composition. ACCEPTED
06: HEAD TO HEAD
J1: Great use of black and white. Well spotted and an appealing image. The texture of the hide makes interesting pattern. Possibly a little more DOF would have improved the sharpness of this image, but you have to get these shots while you can. Bringing down the highlights may improve the image. CREDIT
J2: Elephants are interesting animals, and good close up, really emphasises their wrinkly and hairy skins. For me, the image is a bit on the bright side, so have a play with the exposure. Maybe a small bit of contrast as well, mono is good for slightly more punchy processing, to emphasise those wrinkles more. ACCEPTED
J2: Elephants are interesting animals, and good close up, really emphasises their wrinkly and hairy skins. For me, the image is a bit on the bright side, so have a play with the exposure. Maybe a small bit of contrast as well, mono is good for slightly more punchy processing, to emphasise those wrinkles more. ACCEPTED
07: HIGH-VIZ
J1: I like the high-viz background, but feel that if it was the high viz vest you were after, you may have missed your subject. I would have preferred the figures to be sharp, and the background a little out of focus, but still “High – viz”. I like the second figure, particularly her swinging medallion around her neck. If the background is the “highviz” this should be straightened to the vertical and a slower shutter speed used so that the two figures become more blurred. HIGHLY COMMENDED
J2: You have caught a moment in time, a snippet of life that shows how we all move in close proximity to each other, and yet we are in our own little world/space. Street photography is so interesting. HIGHLY COMMENDED
J2: You have caught a moment in time, a snippet of life that shows how we all move in close proximity to each other, and yet we are in our own little world/space. Street photography is so interesting. HIGHLY COMMENDED
08: IN THE ART
J1: This shot ticks all the boxes. There is the “decisive moment” with the person in just the right spot. Note the person is walking into the picture and has more space in front than behind. Even the angles of the man’s legs mirror the angles in the frame. The sculptural piece provides an interesting frame through which we see the figure. Even the circle of light against the sculpture is interesting. HONOUR
J2: A simple but very effective image. The shapes, light and colour all work well together, and the placement of the man gives depth and added interest to the image. Well done. HONOUR
J2: A simple but very effective image. The shapes, light and colour all work well together, and the placement of the man gives depth and added interest to the image. Well done. HONOUR
09: LANDSCAPE-4
J1: Great colours in the sky and the golden light on the rocks is glowing. Perhaps cropping a bit from the bottom would improve the composition of this shot. CREDIT
J2: Love our outback. The colours of the rocks and the trees complement each other so nicely. A few minor issues…. the trees on the rock horizon are a blue tinge, and there seems to be a little bit of cloning happening that hasn’t quite matched. Always look carefully when editing. Apart from those little things, it is a pretty scene. ACCEPTED
J2: Love our outback. The colours of the rocks and the trees complement each other so nicely. A few minor issues…. the trees on the rock horizon are a blue tinge, and there seems to be a little bit of cloning happening that hasn’t quite matched. Always look carefully when editing. Apart from those little things, it is a pretty scene. ACCEPTED
10: LIFE IMITATES ART
J1: It is a lovely capture of the bee and the flower. The story of the photo is centre part of the flower, and you could try cropping more of the petals. Nicely sharp where it needs to be. Possibly the image could be a fraction brighter. CREDIT
J2: Lovely capture. The image has good clarity, especially the bee, and the colours pop nicely. Good close in crop. I wonder how it would look as a square crop, as these types of images often work well as a square. HONOUR
J2: Lovely capture. The image has good clarity, especially the bee, and the colours pop nicely. Good close in crop. I wonder how it would look as a square crop, as these types of images often work well as a square. HONOUR
11: ORCHID
J1: This shot needs more DOF as the white petals occupy too much space in the image to be so soft in relation to the centre parts of the orchid. The image has the appearance of being an artificial or contrived image, and if so, does not hold my interest. ACCEPTED
J2: A well exposed image. It has been taken well with good detail on the subject. The background adds to the story, but I think you can crop a little more off the right side. Be careful of your edges, the ‘flower’ is just nipped on the top and bottom edges. HIGHLY COMMENDED
J2: A well exposed image. It has been taken well with good detail on the subject. The background adds to the story, but I think you can crop a little more off the right side. Be careful of your edges, the ‘flower’ is just nipped on the top and bottom edges. HIGHLY COMMENDED
12: POPPY
J1: Great selective focus and overall sharpness on the main subject. The contrasting red and green works well. Perhaps it may work a little better if the area above the flower was also green. Cropping closer to the poppy may give the flower more emphasis. With shots like this, try different angles and see which is most appealing when on your computer screen. A shot from a higher angle could have given us more to look at. CREDIT
J2: A pretty flower. Light is a little bit bright creating bright spots in your background and drawing your attention to it. Try cropping in to emphasize the flower more. I look for dark backgrounds for my flower shots, and bounce a little light onto the flower if needed. Good clarity on the flower itself. ACCEPTED
J2: A pretty flower. Light is a little bit bright creating bright spots in your background and drawing your attention to it. Try cropping in to emphasize the flower more. I look for dark backgrounds for my flower shots, and bounce a little light onto the flower if needed. Good clarity on the flower itself. ACCEPTED
13: POT OF GOLD
J1: Well captured. The pot of gold is just where it should be. HONOUR
J2: Lovely shot, very neat to get the rainbow on the island. Good composition. CREDIT
J2: Lovely shot, very neat to get the rainbow on the island. Good composition. CREDIT
14: SACRED KINGFISHER YEPPOON
J1: An imposing bird with a nice catchlight in the eye. Good use of selective focus. The background has a “painterly” effect. Possibly Just a little could be cropped from the LHS CREDIT
J2: Love Kingfishers (well, all birds really). They are not an easy bird to capture being fairly skittish. You have done well here. However, I am thinking that you may have had noise issues, and used strong noise reduction (or possibly a filter) as the image feels a bit plastic (smooth). Good shallow depth of field so the kingfisher stands out nicely. HIGHLY COMMENDED
J2: Love Kingfishers (well, all birds really). They are not an easy bird to capture being fairly skittish. You have done well here. However, I am thinking that you may have had noise issues, and used strong noise reduction (or possibly a filter) as the image feels a bit plastic (smooth). Good shallow depth of field so the kingfisher stands out nicely. HIGHLY COMMENDED
15: SIGNS OF EMU PARK
J1: The colours in the sky and ground are great. I like the windswept nature of the tree on the LHS. I wonder if fill-flash might have been an idea here to give some detail to the emu. You could also try lightening the shadows to bring up a little more detail. I’m assuming there is second sign near the seat in the distance, hence more than one sign. CREDIT
J2: A fun image. I like the statue in the middle, and the panoramic crop tells more of the story by including the scenery. Nice colours in the sky. ACCEPTED
J2: A fun image. I like the statue in the middle, and the panoramic crop tells more of the story by including the scenery. Nice colours in the sky. ACCEPTED
16: STATION
J1: One from the Monopoly Board here. The exposure for the main sign is good, but there isn’t much else of interest in this image. The image background is fairly noisy which is not easy to avoid in a low light situation like this without a tripod and setting the camera on a low ISO. ACCEPTED
J2: The colours of the blue and orange work nicely together. Maybe a horizontal view would have been better to include more of the wording as the space above and below the signs are fairly dark and for me don’t actually add to the image. ACCEPTED
J2: The colours of the blue and orange work nicely together. Maybe a horizontal view would have been better to include more of the wording as the space above and below the signs are fairly dark and for me don’t actually add to the image. ACCEPTED
17: TENACIOUS
J1: This is an interested image and the title is apt. There is some nice golden light on parts of the rock as sidelight, but none on the main subject. Perhaps it would be worth considering cropping the image to emphasise the roots and the nicely lit rock. We don’t need to see all the tree to get the point. You could also use a dehaze slider to get a little more detail in the sky. CREDIT
J2: It is amazing how plants can grow in spots like these. Filled the frame nicely with the tree. To enhance your image so it pops a little more, have a play with contrast to add a bit of depth to your image. Good composition. HIGHLY COMMENDED
J2: It is amazing how plants can grow in spots like these. Filled the frame nicely with the tree. To enhance your image so it pops a little more, have a play with contrast to add a bit of depth to your image. Good composition. HIGHLY COMMENDED
18: THE CROSSING
J1: I like the idea of the image, but it does appear quite pixelated. You are out and about at the right time of day, but technique is letting you down here. The colours are also quite flat. Consider a landscape format and remove some of the foreground. ACCEPTED
J2: If memory serves me right, I think this is the Brooklyn Bridge. I watched a very interesting documentary on it. I feel that your image would have worked better as a landscape format so that the skyline complimented it, or even better if it was possible to zoom in more and remove more of the water. For me, the image feels a bit unbalanced. If the main pillars were more to the left and a bit more of the scenery included in the left, plus a crop off the bottom it would make for a stronger composition. When travelling we don’t always have the luxury of composing images as we would like unfortunately. ACCEPTED
J2: If memory serves me right, I think this is the Brooklyn Bridge. I watched a very interesting documentary on it. I feel that your image would have worked better as a landscape format so that the skyline complimented it, or even better if it was possible to zoom in more and remove more of the water. For me, the image feels a bit unbalanced. If the main pillars were more to the left and a bit more of the scenery included in the left, plus a crop off the bottom it would make for a stronger composition. When travelling we don’t always have the luxury of composing images as we would like unfortunately. ACCEPTED
19: VIADUCT
J1: I think this shot has a lot of interest. It is an image one could come back to and find detail missed on the previous viewing. The precise arrangement of the boats at the bottom is interesting, as is the boat being rowed towards the viaduct. The clouds give the sky interest also. Check your sensor for dust as it appears to be giving sensor spots, and also your lens. This would otherwise have received an honour award. CREDIT
J2: The Victorians sure built some amazing structures. It’s a really nice scene. I personally think the sepia tone doesn’t really lend to the image, would love to have seen it in colour, or in a true black and white to give depth. The sepia has made the image fairly flat toned throughout. These villages are so interesting to visit, love old architecture and lots to see in the image. ACCEPTED
J2: The Victorians sure built some amazing structures. It’s a really nice scene. I personally think the sepia tone doesn’t really lend to the image, would love to have seen it in colour, or in a true black and white to give depth. The sepia has made the image fairly flat toned throughout. These villages are so interesting to visit, love old architecture and lots to see in the image. ACCEPTED
20: VIBRANT
J1: This image certainly is vibrant. I probably would have like the vibrant flowers sharper even if the building was less so, as this is your nominated point of interest. If you are going to colour the flowers red, why not all of them? I would consider cropping the RHS, from where the building changes direction, and a bit from the top, which would have the advantage of cutting down on the area of burnt out sky. HIGHLY COMMENDED
J2: I like the idea of this; the colours of the flowers are nice against the mono buildings. Be careful when doing this type of editing though, as you have missed some of the flowers. Always good to come back to an image after a day or two to check over. The buildings seem more in focus than the flowers. As they are the focal point, for me they need to be in focus, the buildings can be out of focus. ACCEPTED
J2: I like the idea of this; the colours of the flowers are nice against the mono buildings. Be careful when doing this type of editing though, as you have missed some of the flowers. Always good to come back to an image after a day or two to check over. The buildings seem more in focus than the flowers. As they are the focal point, for me they need to be in focus, the buildings can be out of focus. ACCEPTED
21: WALK
J1: The light trails and reflections are interesting but dominating because of their brightness. Perhaps crop some off the bottom but keep the reflection of the pedestrians. This an image with which you could experiment. You could look at the effect of cropping the top half of the figures to give more emphasis to their reflection. A difficult shot under low light, but your camera has handled it well. The blur showing movement is fine, especially as it contrasts with some reasonably sharp figures. HIGHLY COMMENDED
J2: I like street photography. I find it interesting to watch people and how they do and don’t interact with each other or their environment. A closer in crop would emphasize what is happening more. A good quarter of your image could be cropped off from the bottom, as the interest is in the people. Your image is also a bit dark. I know it is night, but you can still lift the image a touch more and get some more detail in the dark areas. The colours from the lights are pretty. ACCEPTED
J2: I like street photography. I find it interesting to watch people and how they do and don’t interact with each other or their environment. A closer in crop would emphasize what is happening more. A good quarter of your image could be cropped off from the bottom, as the interest is in the people. Your image is also a bit dark. I know it is night, but you can still lift the image a touch more and get some more detail in the dark areas. The colours from the lights are pretty. ACCEPTED
22 WHICH WAY
J1: The title certainly is apt. The yellow contrasts nicely with the grey. I’d like some more interest to hold my attention. Someone or thing that illustrated confusion about the direction of the arrows might have been good. HIGHLY COMMENDED
J2: An intriguing image. The mural adds an interesting element.
For me this image needs punchy processing to bring out the details in the concrete and emphasize the colours more. The light is a little bit on the flat side, so there is a lot of room to play and add a bit of drama to grab attention more. ACCEPTED
J2: An intriguing image. The mural adds an interesting element.
For me this image needs punchy processing to bring out the details in the concrete and emphasize the colours more. The light is a little bit on the flat side, so there is a lot of room to play and add a bit of drama to grab attention more. ACCEPTED
