OPA_027_HORIZONAL TREES.jpg

MERIT I like the shape of the image here, but I am not sure what the horizontal trees part refers to. Personally, I would crop some of the sky out so that the top of the hill lies across the third. I feel that this needs some processing adjustments to give it more impact. I would use the auto button in Lightroom which in my case improved the image well. (E +65-70%, C +5%, H -45-50%, S +50, W +35, B-40-45) The light here when the image is adjusted is great. I suggest you go back and have another play with my recommendations in mind and see what you think.

OPA_097_THE WET WALK HOME.JPG

ACHIEVED I like the fact that you have used a low viewpoint. Converting it to black and white also works well here. I would like to see more detail in the person. You could do this selectively without changing the rest of the image. I would wait until the person is a little closer to the camera as I feel they are a little small to have impact. As this image is presented, you could crop the bottom off and some at the left and right without changing the story.

OPN_123_NATURES TEARS.jpg

HONOURS I like this image. Exposure etc is good with only about a slight increase in exposure needed I feel. There is good density in the sky which gives a feel of a cold dreary day, so typical of Milford Sound. Personally, I would like to see a little more space at the top of the image especially at the top right. Also watch out for vignetting from filters, lens hoods etc. I would maybe crop some of the left off as my eye tends to be drawn to that area. All in all, a good image

OPA_092_Team work makes the dream work.jpg

HONOURS I like the fact that you have used a diagonal composition here. This fills the frame better than a straight on or horizontal composition would. Exposure and processing are excellent. Cropping the front of the boat is ok here as it ensures the rowers are bigger in the frame. The only thing I would like to see here is a little space above the top of the rear rower’s head.

OPB_021_HE COULD HAVE BEEN MINE-2.jpg

ACHIEVED I think the fact that you have decided to convert this to black and white is a good one, as usually you end up with all sorts of colours at a wedding. I am assuming that the title may be referring to the woman on the right. I feel that the wedding couple are too small in the image to be relevant as this image is presented. To improve this, I would crop the left between the two people on the left and the rest of the group. I would also crop the bottom off to just above the horizontal gap between the concrete pavers. This will make the wedding couple more dominant. I would also straighten the image, so the building doesn’t look as if it is falling over.

OPA_026_Korimako.jpg

MERIT A well seen image here. Ideally the branch at the bottom should be in focus as being light and out of focus makes it distracting! The bird is sharp against a completely blurred background which is excellent. Maybe you could do some selective lightening just on the bird, but that is a matter of preference. I would crop this into almost a square, by cropping the right off to nearly the left edge of the light patch which I found distracting. Otherwise it is well done!

OPA_080_Oops.jpg

MERIT Another good image here. Exposure is excellent with no adjustments needed. Composition is good with space at the right for the bull to run into. I know that fast action such as this needs some depth of field in case the focus isn’t spot on, but I feel that this could have benefited from less depth of field to throw the background out of focus more. Otherwise well done.

OPB_095_WAITING TO BE BLOWN AWAY.jpg

HONOURS A nicely framed image here. There is good detail in the image and the background is well out of focus which makes the subject stand out. All I would do is increase the exposure by half a stop. Well done.

OPA_012_A BRIEF WINDOW.jpg

MERIT This image sure creates a feeling of cold! Personally, I would either darken the brown part of the foreground to match the vignetting at the corners, or better still crop the bottom out altogether. The subject is the snow, mountains and the clouds and I feel that the bottom is unnecessary and distracting as it is brighter than the rest. I would make a few slight adjustments to further enhance this image. (E +30%, C +7, H -69%, S +30-35, W +25-30, B -15-20)

OPA-064-Pohutukawa Landscape - Coromandel.jpg

HONOURS For maximum impact this image really needs to be displayed large on a wall!! I would increase the shadow light a bit to help give a little more detail. Cropping this into a panoramic shape really extenuates the shape of the trunk which is good. Well thought out and executed.

OPB_071_MAHARA ISLAND RAINBOW, LAKE MANAPOURI.JPG

MERIT You have done well to capture a complete rainbow. I like the way you have cropped this into a panorama to accentuate the rainbow. Personally, I would crop a little off the left and right but still retain the panoramic shape. I would lighten up the shadows on the hill at the left and right slightly. Also, make sure that the horizon is straight.

OPN_111_ BEADY EYED ROOSTER.jpg

MERIT Nice composition here, with the rooster filling the frame and the background nicely out of focus. This image has been lit with flash, and I feel that it is over lit. Personally, I would reduce the exposure by half a stop which would improve the image. I suggest that you go back and have a play with this image on a computer if you can.

OPB_118_Tui.jpg

ACHIEVED The Tui is nice and sharp, and the background is nicely out of focus. However, you could stop down more to get the tail in focus. I feel that this image needs to be cropped as the tree trunk at the left is out of focus and distracting. Personally, I would crop this into a vertical with a little taken off the right side to do this. Increasing the exposure by half a stop and increasing the shadow light slider by about 50% to throw some light on the Tui’s front will add impact here.