SERENITY BY GILL KINGSTON GRADE; MERIT

A lovely serene Image of swans on a lake or pond. The beauty of this Image is its simplicity and that has been messed with by the big clump of weed to the left of the swans this draws the viewers eye away from the main subject. Try cloning it out and any other bits of debris in the water and review. You could also experiment with a circular crop.

TIM by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE: MERIT Good exposure on “Tim” and I like the background. I get the feeling that he’s an outdoor worker or just enjoys the outdoor lifestyle. I think you could greatly have improved this image by ensuring he was really sharply in focus. Perhaps the shutter speed was a bit too slow, or he moved, but I suspect the shutter speed was too slow. You can increase your ISO quite significantly if you find your shutter speed too slow. Experiment with ISO400 or even 800 and see if that helps or if this produces a lot of grain – then you know you’ve gone too far.

DANGEROUS LIAISONS by GILL KINGSTON; Grade: Honours

GRADE: HONOURS It must have been a dangerous liaison for a few minutes and with the spectators below. How trusting we are! It would be nice to have the props moving, but you can’t have it both ways, either you have a sharp image caught in action or a slower shutter to capture the props, which would have resulted in a blurred image with movement. Well done on this as you have shown something more interesting that just a plane flying.

LAKE DUNSTAN by SUZY WALKER

GRADE - MERIT Lovely South Island colours. You have framed the lake reflections with hills and trees. There is little that you could do to improve this particular photo. Take lots more over all of the seasons.

VINE LINES by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - MERIT You have balanced the photograph very well, and the lines on the level and then going up the hill are very effective. This came through as a very small photo. Half the size of the others. Did you heavily crop the picture? Perhaps come closer or use a zoom lens. There are wonderful vineyards in your area. Keep photographing them, especially in autumn.

ELEGANCE by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE : MERIT

GOLDEN LANE by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE : ACCEPTANCE

FESTIVAL FIREWORKS by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE : NOT ACCEPTED A little too much negative space over the bottom half of the image. Recording fireworks exploding is always a bit of a lottery because what is captured can be quite random.

HARVARD AT WARBIRDS by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE : MERIT A very well captured aircraft shot. A blurred prop., sharp focusing and sound composition with room provided for the Harvard to fly into make this a Merit image.

SUMMER HAZE by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE : ACCEPTED Well seen and generally well handled…..but it should be rotated so that the lake isn’t draining away to the left and then cropped to get rid of the sun flare. I’m accepting it (just) but at novice level I would have given a merit if it had been rotated and cropped.

FROZEN EMOJI FACE by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE : ACCEPTED There’s a good idea in here so well done. I feel that the image could have been framed slightly differently so that the bits of reed at top left were cut out of the image but its been seen well and I certainly was wondering at the origin of the face.

SUNKEN TREASURE by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE : ACCEPTANCE The red rusty colour is a real attention grabber, especially set against the green. Because the vehicle is so large, we found our eyes wandered around, and around the vehicle again, trying to find somewhere to settle. You could try allowing us a little more space around the vehicle or focus in closely on an interesting part such as the headlamp and vines on the left. Photographing when the sun is strong results in dark shadows and in this image, an over exposed patch of sky. Try moving a little to the left to hide some of the shadows and hopefully put the vehicle against some green trees cutting out all the sky.

RUSH HOUR QUEENSTOWN by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE : HONOURS Great colour and the flying water indicates speed. The passengers look very composed about the whole experience but then maybe that is only the impression from an onlooker. The lighting is effective and the boat is well placed in the frame. The reflections and water patterns make an interesting foreground.

GILLY K by GILL KINGSTOON

GRADE : ACCEPTANCE The natural lighting in this portrait is appealing. In addition to rendering the face you have done well to retain highlights in the hair on the left hand side of the image. Unfortunately, the image is soft and lacks sharpness particularly around the eyes, nose and mouth. The tonal range is good and the background unobtrusive.

DOWNTOWN REFLECTIONS by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE : ACCEPTANCE This is an interesting patten picture. It’s all about the lines and the lines within lines. It is almost monochrome but with four florescent highlights. Whilst I enjoy much about this image I feel a strong desire to make adjustments in post production that would straighten the horizontal brown lines a fraction. I might also be tempted to crop it in such a way as to make the vertical brown lines form the edges of the image. The lack of a strong focal point weakens this particular image.

BACK TO THE PAST - by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - ACCEPTED A competent still life with good range of tones befitting of the subjects. The camera will have predated the 35mm film & Weston meter, but that doesn't matter as long as the image is treated just as still life and not in a documentary way. In terms of the arrangement, I feel that the film square on as it is tends to be a barrier and the slide mounts being white are a little dominant when the camera is the most interesting item. Niggly I know, and technically well handled.

COOL RUNNING LINES by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE Perfectly exposed and thoughtful use of camera angle. Unfortunately the running lines lead more to a vanishing point than any focal point which would hold the viewer's interest. You just needed a red car coming around the bend.

BUBBLE BUBBLE TOIL & TROUBLE by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - NOT ACCEPTED To me this is a clever idea. Is it true macro in my opinion? Not really as you have shown the whole subject rather than the fine detail of something but it all depends on the photographers interpretation of the subject description. You have some lovely colours with the contrast from the yellow to the purple quite nice. I wonder about the softness and apparent smudging around the stem of the gerberra. The top of the image doesn't add anything to the overall presentation in my opinion so I wonder if cropping it a little may have improved the composition.

OPEN PLAN by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - NOT ACCEPTED Love the title. Good texture in the image with lovely repetitive lines and doorways that lead the viewer through from the front to the back. Sometimes you can be limited by time constraints, and perhaps that was the case here. I feel the lighting was not on your side with this image and was taken when the sun was high in the sky therefore giving quite a harsh light. When photographing buildings, I like to wait until the sun is lower which creates more shadows and shows off the texture better. Still this image has some good points, so if you have the chance, wait until the sun is lower ... sunrise/sunset and try again.

CLASSS IN A GLASS by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - MERIT A good still life with the focus where it needs to be, on the strawberry and the bubbles on it. The glass is nicely positioned to the right, giving a pleasing dynamic tension to the image. There are good diagonal lines in the bench below, crossing the vertical orientation of the glass. I have a feeling that the image would have greater impact if the whole image is tilted so that the glass is no longer completed vertical.

HI HO SILVER by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE An action shot taken at a shutter speed just fast enough to freeze the action but leave some evidence of movement as seen on the hind legs of the horse. The horse’s head is in sharp focus though I think it is a pity the man’s face is blurred. The man and horse are a bit too central and I think that much of the area behind the horse could be cropped off. I find the whites on the faces and flags in the background quite distracting.

BEACHED by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - NOT ACCEPTED An interesting subject, but with little contrast captured in very flat lighting. The only suggestion I have is to try again under better lighting conditions.

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.

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%)

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%)

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.

GOLDEN SUNRISE by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - MERIT I was drawn into this image from the first time I viewed it, lovely leading lines with the avenue of trees and supurb light filtering through the trees. If there had been another elemnt included to make me spend more time exploring the Image such as a person or a horse in the field ... it could have easily gone to an honours. very close.

LIGHT FESTIVAL CREATIVITY by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE This image screams out for a tiny fine border so I know where it starts and finishes. It is a good pattern shot although very central , a diagonal would have helped this. The stark black background dominates it for me.

ON MISTY POND by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - MERIT Congratulations on being out at such an hour of the morning , before the wind has disturbed the reflections and at a time when, the sun has risen sufficiently to bring warmth to the image, The cardinal sin has been committed, of a sloping water horizon, and this is a definite no, no. . I very well remember one learned judge back in the 1960s, asking for an empty bucket to be brought, to be placed by the projection screen, to catch the water, that was going to escape from the picture. A crop from the top reduces the area of over powering bright sky. Yet the height of the peaks is still told in the reflections. The diagonal line of the ridge in reflection adds drama and leads us to the toetoe (or pampas) heads lining the waters edge. and echos the ones on the island. The foreground textures add interest to the image. A flight of ducks appearing from the right in the light area of the sky, may have helped complete this idyllic setting.

ARROWTOWN MILKY WAY by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE I am torn between the sky, and the reflections within the lake which unfortunately do not relate to one another. So we have two pictures in one. .1 The lower third ,and the other No. 2 by cropping out the lake at the base and some from the left side, vertically. By reducing the exposure a tad,for 'the astro" picture, and a cloning out of the street lights would remove, this distraction.

THE TRUCK STOPS HERE by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - MERIT I like the angle you’ve taken this from. I find the green grass demanding my attention; try this in dark sepia perhaps..it will make a huge difference.

ORB OPTICS by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - MERIT Very well conceptualised, composed and exposed. The jetty provides a good lead in, while the advancing orb creates a dynamic centre of interest.

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE This is certainly a spectacular display and, yes, I have advised my insurance company I will not be trying it at home! The central figure provides a good accent, while a good exposure has added impact. However, I feel the composition would be enhanced by cropping out half of the reflected circle at the base. It draws the eye too much the way it is presented.

OLD CROMWELL TOWN by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - HONOURS The ‘cold’ colour tones contrast well against the sombre background of the sky and the surrounding hills. This place looks deserted and quite desolate – no people on the street, with only that dear old car giving a hint of somebody being in town. Looks like a little “computer magic” has been used to create the overall effect, which I think, adds greatly to the mood of it. Well done.

REFLECTION WITH REFRACTION by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE This does have an abstract quality about it, but to me, it also has contextual information, which give obvious clues to what the elements of this image are – the surrounding landscape, for instance. I think that if you were to make this a “portrait style” image (cutting off a third of it from each side), then you might be getting closer to satisfying the meaning of the set subject. I like your idea though.

OPEN HOME by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - MERIT I like the way you look through this image starting with the near wall then wandering through the doorways to the texture in the background. It does need a crop though. Crop off the top to get rid of the sky and a bit off the left to get rid of the bright bit of ground in the bottom left.

WAGON HO by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - MERIT The wagon is nice and sharp and I like the detail in the wood. When photographing this sort of subject, try to think of a different perspective. Although you have got down low, which is good, also try a more acute angle. It is good that there is some detail in the sky.

HANGING ABOUT AT WORK by GILL KINGTON

GRADE - MERIT Here I was thinking that “Sky hooks” were things of peoples imagination. Well really I have seen this stuff too! You have captured the men well although their faces are partly obscured. It is a shame the position of the men does not link them to their working environment. Well recorded and seen.

GHOST BUS by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - HONOURS This is a very creative image, movement, Static, Colour it is all there. I have to say that this image sets a very high standard for the images I am considering this month. I could not think of any improvements or alternatives. Well done.

STRIPED DELIGHT by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - HONOURS I think this is a great subject for B&W because it accentuates the visual disturbance of straight lines. Compositionally I feel the DOF concentrates the viewer on the action and keeps me focused on that reflection.

FLAMING KIWI by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE I needed your title to see the kiwi – it was not self-evident to me. I find myself questioning whether the duality of the created image adds to the pure delight that is the spectacle of wire wool spinning (big assumption here). I find the outcome somewhat contrived though I applaud the approach to create something quite distinct.

ARTISTIC LICENSE by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE There is a chill to this image created by the blue colours and hues contained within it. Due to the post production manipulation, I feel this is now less of a reflection and more of a kaleidoscopic image. In fact I don’t think there is a reflection to be seen anywhere. The main image of the tree has been reproduced over and over again.

BOKEH GOLD by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE There is a great Christmassy feeling about this image. The background bokeh is very pleasing but does rather tend to steal the show, particularly as it is referenced in the tile. The lower of the two globes contains an appealing festive looking image. However, both it and it's reversed image appear to be disconnected to the remainder of the scene. I found my eye constantly wondering between the two globes and they just would not settle. I feel that the image might be a little more successful if there was a single globe or if there was some separation between them.

FULL STEAM AHEAD by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE That splash of red against the black is a real drawcard in this image. I feel the zoom effect would have been even more effective with a slightly long zoom time. The central composition of the train suits the effect nicely.

BLAST FROM THE PAST by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - MERIT The central composition and zoom effect certainly draw me into the image while the colour impact acts as a sudden stop. Certainly an image with 'impact' and nice to see photographers being creative. I'd suggest trying to tone down the white area in the top right corner as it tends to draw the eye just a little. Great shot.

STRETCHY BUSES by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - HONOURS A busy scene, but that doesn’t detract from the impact. Colourful and well composed.

SECOND CHAIR by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - HONOURS I get a real feeling of tension from this image. My mind won’t stop interpreting the connecting lines as stretched elastic restraining the shadow from escaping. I think a lot of care has gone into choosing the light position to create a dynamic composition.

BEACHED by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE An interesting subject, unfortunately the lighting doesn’t allow the texture to show. Maybe this image would would work better in Black and White

EBONY & IVORY by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE There is feeling of tention about the way these hands are knotted together. There are a few blotchy areas on the dark hand (this maybe caused by cloning) I think the image would benefit from being darker and even maybe converting to black and white.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL by GILL KINGSTON

GRADE - HONOURS This is well seen and well thought out. The opening of the door is the right amount, giving this a story. I like the light outside the door just showing me that it is autumn season. Also the dark area inside the building is just light enough to show me the patterns of the interior. A good effort