OPN_114_SKELETON LEAVES.jpeg

Merit. This is a great example of the beauty to be found around us if we take time to notice. I love the backlighting through the leaves showing up their skeletal feel, and glow. It’s quite a simple composition with just the twig, and the two leaves, with everything else fading off into blurry darkness. I do feel that there could have been a little more room at the top and bottom of the frame – the twig and the leaves are very close to the edge, which introduces some tension which I don’t think suits the otherwise peaceful feeling. Although the two leaves overlap in a slightly confusing way, I actually like this, as to me the image could be seen as representing an older couple still staying close together as they approach the end of their lives.

SSN_114_MAN OF THE MOUNTAINS.jpeg

Merit. What a great portrait of a working dog, apparently gazing off into the distance contemplating his next assignment of rounding up sheep or whatever. Technically it is very well done, with lots of detail still visible in both the darkest and lightest parts of the dog, and good use of depth of field to keep him sharp while blurring out the background contextual mountain. I see that the dog’s eyes are on the top third, but for me there is too much space above his head which doesn’t contribute much to the image, and I’d suggest cropping off about a third of the blue sky at the top, which I think would also give more of an impression of the dog towering over the viewer. There’s also a bit of a white halo around the dog which may have resulted from post-processing, which I would prefer not to be so prominent. A great image.

SSN_114 STEERING WHEELS.jpeg

Achieved. This has been constructed by repeating parts of the image, with the repetition emphasising the wheel shapes. It feels as though there are two parts to the image, the clearer interior and the larger but less clear exterior. I think you might consider cropping the right side to just left of the mirror, to result in a square image, thus giving more balance between the two parts and more space and emphasis to the wheels. BW well used.

OPN_114_RAINDROPS ON A LEAF.jpeg

Acceptance. I find the details in some of the magnified drops intriguing, and the linear structure of the leaf adds to the composition. This feels a bit overexposed, and the focus drops off towards the edges of the leaf – but it’s good that the distant background is well out of focus. A smaller aperture could have helped you get sharper focus over the whole leaf. You saw an image worth capturing – so this is Accepted as a novice effort.

SSN_114_John Through the Gap..jpeg

Achieved. Your image is a good representation of the set subject 'through the gap'. You have a sound composition showing us a subject and a point of interest through the gap. There are a couple of points that would help give your image a bit more punch. 1 crop off the soft blurred section on the left side and make it equal in depth of the right side, as this area doesn't add anything to the scene. When you do this your image will become a circle within a square which is a very strong compositional shape. 2 pull back on the highlights a bit to add some colour and depth to the buildings and sea as they are a bit flat. When you have a similar situation as this again take note of things in your scene that you may not necessarily want and if you can take your shot in a way that eliminates or reduces their impact of the image then do so. I am thinking here of the post which is quite dominant in the foreground. Well seen

OPN_114_Deer Park Heights Illuminated.jpeg

Achieved. You have shown me a nice little Autumn scene with some light on the mid-hill. The vignette works well to keep the eye focused into the scene. Your image appears to be a little flat and would be helped a lot with some adjustments in the mid tones. This can be achieved quite easily with a 'curves' adjustment in photoshop or similar software. Try it, I'm sure you will appreciate the difference this adjustment can make.

OPN_114_Baaa.jpeg

Acceptance. I like your title. Headshot/portrait of a sheep. Nice sharp eye and detail in the coat. Be careful with the highlights in the background, I find them a little distracting as my eye is drawn to the brightest part of the shot. Maybe you could try a vignette. This would assist in keeping our focus on the lovely face of the sheep. Nice job.

SSN_114_Alpaca Pals.jpeg

Acceptance. Nicely seen and you have captured the eyes nice and sharp which is important as this is the first thing we look at. You have even got a little catch light which helps to bring extra sparkle. Captured in the bright sunshine so harsh shadows and blown out highlights in the background. I would try and give a little more space for the animals to look into. Maybe you have got more images similar and you can give them a bit more space. If you are able to do that you may like it.

OPN_114_Pancake The Duck.jpeg

Merit. This image has a nice soft feel about it, Good to see the eye is sharp with a catch light. I do find the right hand side distracting though. If it like the right hand side it might have been a stronger image

SSN_114_Our Back Yard.jpeg

Acceptance. What a great back yard view, I do find the fence stops your eyes going into the image as it draws you back from the background. I do find the sky distracting so look at cropping some of it out

OPN_114_Pink Rose.jpeg

HONOURS I can smell this rose! Skillful positioning of the rose along the focus plane has resulted in good degrees of sharpness and effective use of DoF. I enjoy the circular composition. Examine the image minutely for imperfections such as the small black dot on the right side upper petal. It is so easy to remove.

SSN_114_Yellow Rose.jpeg

Merit. I find this image really evokes memories of beautiful butterscotch roses and their perfume. Nicely done! While the sharp focus is very limited that does not detract from the “story”. DoF and tonal range are well handled and the composition is underpinned by dark unobtrusive tones at top and bottom although consider darkening the bright area at bottom right. Nicely seen and framed this is a thoughtful creative image of a beautiful flower.

Jen Lewarne_114.jpeg

SSN_114_Via Dei Neri, Florence.jpeg

MERIT This image shows us what happens when there is movement at different speeds during the capture. You will notice that the people that aren't moving appear somewhat sharp, and then there are various speeds at which the others are walking giving us varied results. From a slight blur right through to a ghostlike figure that you can almost see through. Obviously, the person on the left side was walking faster past the camera than the walkers on the right side of the image who are walking towards you and therefore staying in the shot for a longer time. A nice composition showing us the hustle and bustle of a very popular street well exposed and a good crop.

OPN_114_The Lineup.jpeg

NOT ACHIEVED I like the title you have chosen for this image. The gulls are doing what gulls do, sitting and watching. The clumping of three birds on the right offset by the two on the left is nicely balanced on a strong diagonal line. I feel the image is a little soft and underexposed. Exposure is sometimes difficult to obtain correctly on strongly contrasted objects like the black and white gulls. I find that if you meter on a neutral colour like grey, grass or even your skin then recompose your image ignoring what your meter is telling you about the birds, you should be closer to getting it correct. Of course, this is best done in manual mode.

SSN_114_Harrison Sleeping.jpeg

ACHIEVED. Well done a lovely capture of this young man, eyelashes are sharp and the image is definitely High Key. Such a peaceful image, well done.

OPN_114_Benmore Ranges.jpeg

ACHIEVED. A B&W image of the Benmore range the cloud shadow help add depth and interest to this image. Overall the exposure, DOF and composition I feel have been well handled, good work.

SSN_114_Twilight at Golden Bay.jpeg

ACHIEVED Adding a person into the rame can lift an image and add interest. In this instance, I’d crop out some of the bottom and top to make it less of a square image and bring the person more into the story. Quite of a lot of noise and its overall a bit soft.

OPN_114_Soggy doggy shake.jpeg

ACHIEVED Well caught shot of this dog shaking off after collecting its stick, very slightly soft and a bit under exposed. Like the spray of water

OPN_114_Golden Skippers Canyon.JPG

MERIT -- I love the viewpoint through the grass. Definitely your own slant on this scene. Once you get beyond the lovely grass the lighting is rather flat, try another time of day to add some drama to the scene or maybe monochrome?

SSN_114_Stormy Tahunanui.jpg

MERIT -- You have captured the stormy feeling well… almost made me shiver! I like the branch on the right hand third and the bank of cloud suggests more bad weather to come. Try and put your horizon on the third. I enjoy your choice to make the scene in black and white.

SSN_114_Portrait of a storyteller

ACCEPTABLE This is a very competent piece of work. The monochrome treatment is effective which was a deliberate choice made by the author. Unfortunately, there is nothing within the image to reflect the title. I am told this man is a storyteller. That information is not apparent from the image alone. I feel you need to have included a pen or pencil, a note book, or may be a desk with writing materials nearby or a reading lamp with a book table etc. Just some additional element which would tell the story within the image itself and would lead the viewer to the obvious conclusion. The side lighting is effective and very masculine. Whilst there is sharpness to the left hand side of the face and collar, the remainder of the image is a little soft. The fact that you have chosen not to place a border around the image has worked successfully on this occasion because the back background blends seamlessly with the projection screen. Many images benefit from such a border but this one I felt worked well without.

OPN_114_SWINGING SHADOW.JPG

MERIT - Good, strong tones and very well seen – I think it would be even better if you cropped off the seat of the swing and the wall beyond it, but leave the base of the swing there – this would simplify it and make it much more powerful – with such an overall grey subject, you don’t expect there to be any real blacks and whites – but, in fact, there are really good contrasts, particularly in the centre.

SSN_114_RAINDROP LINEUP.JPG

HONOURS - This is not the easiest picture to take, but you have done very well – you’ve kept it simple and used a good plain background – the one really sharp drop is plumb on a third – the object from which the drops are hanging is simple and grey rather than white – it’s also on a slight slope, adding some movement – terrific image.

SSN_114_TAXI.JPG

ACCEPTED - They are never there when you need one. Taxis! Just as well you captured some details in the background of this temple scene.

OPN_114_DRIP DRIP DRIP.JPG

HONOURS - A stunning image of this amazing bird. Well done!

SSN_114_BLOOMING.JPG

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE This image evokes the words delicate, beauty & soft. Fits the set subject. The author has achieved a good macro image focusing tightly on the stamens in the center of the flower, which are pin sharp. The image fits confortable in the frame with the stamens well placed on the third. The image has unfortunately been taken in bright sunlight, which has resulted in a lot of very bright highlights on the flower. When photographing an image in full sun it is good to use a deflector placed over the flower to shield it from the sun and enable you to take the photo without all the bright highlights if used in this image it would have made it much stronger and made a beautiful perfect image. A very good attempt by the author

OPN_114_DOWNTOWN RELAXATION.JPG

GRADE - MERIT Interesting Black and White image were the author has captured a moment in time. The guy lying on the bike using his phone is the centre of interest and is pin sharp. He is central in the image but it works especially as the author has captured the movement of the two people walking either end of the bike. The author has used a small aperture so the image is sharp from front to back. The sky has no detail and to make this image stronger you could consider making a smaller crop off the sky. Very good image by the author.

OPN_114_RIALTO BUTCHERY.JPG

GRADE - MERIT To me this is an interesting perspective on a butchery. You have given us an angle that shows off the range of meats available while also showing us the transaction between butcher and customer. I feel like a “fly” on the wall (meat) observing that private moment where a customer reveals their private desires to the butcher, who over time gets to know quite private and intimate details of the customer. I disclose a bias here, I am vegetarian so another aspect of this image is how I deal with having dead meat “in my face”! I like the perspective very much, you use diagonal lines to draw us into the image and when I get to the back wall of the cabinet I immediately get reflected to the customer and the butcher. They are divided, but connected by the transaction. You have used a slow shutter speed to show the working hands of the butcher and I like that you have cropped the head of the butcher so we just concentrate on the hands and on the face. The look on the customers face is familiar – a little self conscious while others watch and wait for their turn. I do not get the feeling of lots of banter that goes with a place where people know each other well. Well done, you have shown us a different perspective on a very ordinary scene and I enjoyed the experience of observing though your photograph.

SSN_114_CRITTERS A'LA CARTE.JPG

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE I love that the title and the image are at odds for me: I am not inspired to eat these critters at all! I like your point of view and that you have all the lifeless eyes in a focussed line with depth of field falling off in both directions. On ice and waiting for the pot or grill. Simple image that provokes a strong sense of “no” in me.

SSN_114_PUDDLE GAZING.JPG

GRADE - ACCEPTANCE GAZINGI felt my vision was being tested when I first viewed this image. By revering the horizontal plane you have created the uncomfortable feeling in the mind that the man is upside down. The presentation is different and I commend you for experimenting. However, in my view, it tends to cause confusion as the viewer is drawn towards the man rather than his reflection. The view, as presented, would have more impact if there was less of the man showing. Try cropping up from the bottom to a point just below the top of his socks. I think you will find this makes a stronger composition as it removes the brightness of the water in the bottom right of the image. Do keep experimenting, it’s a great way to learn what works for you.

OPN_114_ALMOST BEDTIME.JPG

GRADE - MERIT He looks very comfortable on his beach and I feel he would not tolerate too many close visitors. The position of the seal dominates the image and really draws attention. Look carefully at the shoreline and you will see that the beach and ocean are slopping downhill to the left which is distracting. I really like the way you have caught the pose and having the moth open adds interest too.