ME AND MY GIRLS by JUBY JOSEPH

GRADE - HONOURS I gave this image top ranking for several reasons. Firstly it conveys the magic and delight provided by the illuminations. It invites both emotional and intellectual responses, and is supported by a well thought out composition, colour contrast, and a good control of exposure. I particularly like the way you allowed a blue line to overlap with the mouth. This helps to downplay the gummy smile while diverting full attention to the sparkling eyes.

LOST IN THOUGHT by TONI CALDWELL

GRADE - HONOURS A soft high key study which is in keeping with the title. However this is an image which offers other kinds of interpretation upon repeated visits. Some of the questions we might ask are, who is she, where is she, to what are her eyes directed, and what is the relevance or symbolism of, the hair over her mouth, the foreground out of focus barriers, and the rough window frame? To what extent might she be captive in either a physical or psychological sense. The monochromatic/sepia rendition also provides a somewhat timeless aspect. This is an image of substance.

THE LAST JOURNEY by PHIL GREEN

GRADE - HONOURS A delightful image giving me a big story of where we are and the lighting is soft and enjoyable. The high point of view looking down works very well. A well thought out image.

TIME GONE BY by SANDRA DANN

GRADE - HONOURS A very creative work and I like the three main objects. The flowers are a great base to the story even if a little soft. The background screen/wall compliments the set.

SKETCHY TREES by TONI CALDWELL

GRADE - HONOURS The colour palette is very pleasing in this. Does the hand help it? It certainly make sit interesting, I think quite creative and Queenstown started the ‘hand’ craze with Jackie Ranken’s series ☺ I would have liked the pen to be angled slightly but that is a minor point.

UNEXPECTEDLY WET by MARY HINSEN

GRADE - HONOURS This photo is full of emotion..some laugh in the rain, but not this lass. It is a looks can kill image ! Sharp eyes, great water running down her neck. Good placement on the third.

APRICOT CANOPY by JO BOYD

GRADE - HONOURS I like the pattern you have created here, well balanced. Could be a fabric or wall paper design – the white sky for once works to your advantage. Well done

AURORA1 by JAKUB SOLTYSIAK

GRADE - HONOURS Your viewpoint has been well chosen for this panorama, including sky,urban region, landmass, shoreline and aurora . It is well rendered and includes a number of areas of interest, brought together into an unified whole by the triangular land-shape; linking the main urban dwellings, with the aurora; held together, under the umbrella of the star studded sky.

CLOSE CALL by ROWENA RICHARDS

GRADE - HONOURS Sure is. A great rodeo shot. Great action, and tells a lot about rodeo, without many of the distractions, which often clutter these shots. I love the absolute 'unconcernedness" but passive interest of the viewers in the background. The salivating intent bull, The actions of what I think is the decoy runner, attracting the bull away from a lost rider, is great excitement. It takes a lot of courage, to be placed in that situation, of escaping an intent bull.

SEEKING A WAY OUT by MARY HINSEN

GRADE - HONOURS Is a very creative use of the space available and projects the viewer's mind from the readily seen, into a third dimension. The title is so apt . The choice of lighting adds to the drama . The beads of moisture , the vertical lines of the books and the horizontal lines of the shelves, enhance the entrampment story . The vignetting into darkness a great choice . I suggest a 4-5 pixel border in white, in case the image is projected on a black background. So that the viewer can understand the boundaries of the image, which although unusual, empower, the depressive nature of the space used.

AURORA AUSTRALIS by CHESTER ROSIE

GRADE - HONOURS This is an excellent capture of the Aurora . The foreground, middle and far distance all contributing. The colour balance is great with the warmth of the ruddy tones being balanced by the green . The solid blacks giving great substance to the image. The stars being rendered as pinpoints, indicating a short enough exposure to prevent streaking. . The vertical shafts of light give further interest and linkage between the bands. . Although it is a pity to shorten the width of the bow of the aurora, there is a weakness down the right edge, where there is a tendency for the eye to become trapped between the high peak and the edge of the frame . A crop back to the peak and some from the base balances up the image.

UNDER THE STARS by JUBY JOSEPH

GRADE - HONOURS A kaleidoscope of colour, rainbow in effect, with the added extra interest of the human form in a strong position. Surrounded by some of man's achievements within the context of space. This is one image where the brightness at the edge of the frame in the form of the yellow flare, just expands the desire in the viewer's mind, to explore more of this wonder, we call space. , and I think this is because of the stance of the figure directing us to that focal point. The strength of the milky way and its diagonal movement, draw us back , the vehicles anchor us momentarily, in reality, and we start the circle of view again. Congratulations on taking control of this image. Perhaps a trim from the base may reduce the area of non texture darkness, and expand the panorama effect of the image

HYPOLIMNAS COMMON EGGFLY MATING by ROWENA RICHARDS

GRADE - HONOURS Well seen and well captured.

CURIOUS WAXEYE by CHESTER ROSIE

GRADE - HONOURS What a great Image, I enjoyed the placement of the branch and the bird within the frame. The perfectly clean backdrop and that priceless expression on the birds face. Very well done.

EASTERN WATER DRAGON by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - HONOURS This has to be one of my favourite Images in this round, The colour palette is exquisitely echoed between the lizard and his environment, The placement within the frame and the posture of the lizard, not to mention lighting all add up to a very beautiful portrait.

DOLOMEDES MINOR (NURSERYWEB SPIDER) by TONI CALDWELL

GRADE - HONOURS Good contrasting colours between the spider and the foliage. Excellent diagonal composition and the spider is pin sharp in all the right spots, ie the eyes. Well done

RED STAG (CERVUS ELAPHUS) by VAL POHIO

GRADE - HONOURS This is a stunning study of this stag, If I had to be picky id like to have seen a touch more space at the bottom of the Image but that is being very picky indeed. Good on the author for going out in these conditions to capture an image that most of us may never get to see. excellent work

PONTOON WITH DUCKS IN MIST by VAL POHIO

GRADE - HONOURS Clean simple and enchanting, this image has a wonderful timeless quality, well seen.

ART MEETS ARCHITECTURE by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - HONOURS What a great idea here. Ideally, I would have liked to see a little more of the chin line on the sculpture. Also, personally I would have removed the building at the top left. Because this image is all about shapes and lines it would also work in Black and White. I would reduce the saturation very slightly and increase the vibrance but 10-15%. (exp 0, contrast +5-10%, highlights -5%, shadows +5%, Blacks -50-55%)

SHADOWS IN THE LIGHT by PHIL BLAKELY

GRADE - HONOURS A very simple image yet very well captured. It works. This image is well balanced and a strong image. All I would do is increase the contrast somewhat. Use of black and white really works here as this is a play of light and dark. Colour probably would distract here. A case of less is more.

CHAIN by KIMBERLEY HIBBS

GRADE - HONOURS A nice image here. I like the fact that you have chosen to only show a small section of the chain. The sunlight has worked well with contrast between the background and the chain while also creating shadows to give a feeling of shape. Exposure is good and the only thing I would do is selectively open up the shadows on the links a little. Well done!

PURPLE HAZE by SANDRA DANN

GRADE - HONOURS A lovely image. The colours are great! I like the fact that the lines at the bottom lead the viewer into the image, then the second lot lead the viewer to the background. Cropping is great and exposure is excellent.

ISLAND IN THE SUN by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - HONOURS I like the layering in this image. Everything is balanced on the dark foreground. All I would do cropping wise is take a little off the top so the tops of the hills intersect the top third. A few processing adjustments would give this a bit more impact I feel. Remember that almost all images benefit from some processing. The camera only applies certain adjustments and these don’t usually include Highlights and shadows adjustments. (Exp +50-555, contrast -10-15%, Highlights -20-25%, whites +10-15%)

MOODY TWILIGHT by YVONNE ASSIE

GRADE - HONOURS Framing is great. I like the placement of the rainbow at the left. I like the colour intensity in this image. All I would really do is open up the shadows at the bottom to show a little detail.

CUSTODIAN OF THE VALLEY by VAL POHIO

GRADE - HONOURS A dramatic image here that works in black and white. The addition of the border adds impact to this image. No real adjustments really needed here.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - HONOURS A very strong image showing the patterns in a birds feathers. Very sharp and very good exposure and has that “wow” factor.

SAND DUNES BLOWING IN THE WIND by ROWENA RICHARDS

GRADE - HONOURS Lovely repetitive sand pattern image. Nicely exposed in what looks like difficult conditions. Excellent vignetting around the edges which keeps the eye within the picture. Very good contrast. This image is very strong, has impact, and to me, that “wow” factor.

SHAKE A TAIL FEATHER by VAL POHIO

GRADE - HONOURS A spectacular pattern image with that “wow” factor. Tonal range is good, but I would prefer the whitest whites to show just a little more information than shows on my screen. Monochrome suits this image.

BREAKFAST by BRENTLEIGH BOND

GRADE - HONOURS A very well composed image with the main subject off centre. The tui is in focus and there is that all important catchlight in its eye. You have separated the subject beautifully from the background with the use of a shallow depth of field. I think the image is a tad underexposed with detail lost from the dark areas on the bird. The bright lines in the right bottom corners are a distraction and should perhaps be removed. Be careful in your use of titles, they can make or break an image; I don't really want to be thinking of breakfast when observing this image! All in all, a great image.

THE WORKS by VAL POHIO

GRADE - HONOURS A lovely painterly image with beautiful tones. The use of a panorama format and the off centre placement of the tower make for a pleasing composition. The post processing use of a grunge layer (or layers) has given a special quality to the picture. I wonder about the lighter area in the sky to the left as I think it detracts rather than adding anything to the overall effect. Nevertheless an image with an exceptional feel to it.

LAST OF THE CHERRIES by TONI CADLWELL

GRADE - HONOURS Using an unusual idea, you have cleverly composed this still life and it’s great that it is in sharp focus throughout. The positioning of all the components on the diagonal gives this image a wonderful dynamic balance. I feel that there is perhaps too much paper and writing so I would try taking our the lower quarter of the image. Lovely complimenting tones and textures.

GOODBYE PORK PIE by VAL POHIO

GRADE - HONOURS An effective still life with great tones and textures, beautifully in focus throughout. The vertical lines of the elements of the image are complimented by the crisscross of the scratches in the wood. The contrast between the metal and piece of foliage is effective. I think it was clever to give the viewer a bit of a jolt with the placement a piece of greenery where you would expect a fork. The cut in the pie adds to image’s appeal, giving a hint of the meat below. The off-centre placement of the pie and the vignetting, together with the square format, suggest that this image was composed by someone with great artistic skill.

CHERRY DELIGHT by ROWENA RICHARDS

GRADE - HONOURS The photographer has made good use of negative space in this image. There is great contrast between the vivacious and bubbly cherries and the hollow black background. This gives this image its great impact. I love its simplicity and the need, for example, to imagine where the glass is. To my mind the image is little top heavy and would perhaps benefit with just a little less of the black space. But a great feel nevertheless.

COLOUR BURST by PHIL BLAKELY

GRADE - HONOURS This image made me smile. The absolute joy on the boys face has been captured well. The use of a narrow depth of field had separated the subject from the background while still leaving us knowing that this was in an event with others around. These type of images can be very challenging and you have done well getting this photojournalism image. I especially like the paint dust being lit behind the boy which adds to the action. I feel this would do well in the national PJ comp run in July.

NEW BEST BUDDY by TONI CALDWELL

GRADE - HONOURS To me you have captured a lovely moment of kindness and gentleness between the young girl and the chick without it appearing that you are intruding on the private moment. Well done. The post production treatment gives a timeless appearance which means that this could easily have been taken 10yrs ago or just yesterday. I like the way the arms of the girl and her eyes lead my eyes towards the bird. Great wee shot, well done.

CHOMPING AT THE BIT by ROWENA RICHARDS

GRADE - HONORS What a great image. There is no doubt what I am looking at here. The detail and lighting on the horse is lovely. The veins add a textural component to the horse and the light on the whiskers helps them stand out beautifully. Not much more to say … lovely

DANDELION CLOCK by ALISON METHERELL

GRADE - HONOURS You have done well and got in lovely and close to the seed heads of the dandelion. The focus is good and I feel that the positioning of the subject within the frame works well. My eyes are drawn to the area where the seeds join the plant and then they are led out towards the white fluffy areas. Well saturated and well exposed.

ORCHID by VAL POHIO

GRADE - HONOURS What a lovely high key image of the orchid. I feel that the treatment/post production done on this image has transformed it from an everyday image into a stunning image that would sit well on a wall. There is enough detail in the petals to show the veins and the slight tonal changes in the middle imply that there is some colour present. Is it technically macro? Maybe not in my opinion, but it all depends on the photographers interpretation of the topic.

I SEE YOU IN MY SHADOWS by MARY HINSEN

GRADE - HONOURS What a fabulous setting. I like the way subtle colour has been retained on and around the figure. There is a story here, although I'm struggling to reconcile my reaction with the title. This is very well set up, but I feel the composition would be improved with a crop from the left to about half way to the door frame because the left is largely lost to the viewer thanks to the way the figure is facing, but so cropped would be beautifully balanced by the torn wall covering on the right. Congratulations.

INTO THE SHEARING PENS by VAL POHIO

GRADE - HONOURS Great work. This is full of interest and the eye is immediately drawn to the sheep and red singlet. The exposure has been extremely well handled and you should be very proud of this. Of course, I always have a suggestion, and on this occasion it is to take a sliver off the left to remove the little light trap on the margin, and a crop from the right just to the edge of the post beyond this first railing so that the sheep are on the right third. Great work.