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Merit. Another good take on the set subject. The composition is good. And the way the Driveway abruptly stops makes the viewer ask some questions. Does the Driveway swing to the right? somewhere out of sight, or is it just a dead-end? In my opinion this makes this image. If the driveway had continued up the hill and into the foreground the photograph would not have been anywhere near as interesting as it is. The fence line that starts in the lower left is nice, as it also adds to the questions about the driveway. My only suggestion on improving the image would be to have timed the shot so the cows were closer to the driveway, or just starting to cross. Where they are standing now they have become a little lost in the trees.

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Merit. There is a lot to see in this Landscape. The rolling hills in the foreground, and the clouds are nice with good contrast, however the contrast on the mountains in the background is a little lacking, possibly caused by the atmospheric haze in the area at the time. A selective curves adjustment, along with some dehaze would have helped lift the contrast in this area. I do like the area of light on the lower third. This has been well positioned to draw the eye into this space.

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Achieved. I could see a number of great pictures here. I don’t know where to start. My eye is drawn to the brightest part; the fog in the centre in the valley. I don’t know where to go from there. The vignetting holds us in the image.

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Honours. Bridget has a steely, confident gaze that seems to looks right through you. The portrait speaks volumes with its tight crop and limited colour palette. I would suggest lightening up the eyes a tiny bit. This would bring the image to life. Still superb.

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ONE

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Non Acceptance. Well, this is certainly thinking outside of the set subject square! I wonder however, if the stretch is just a little too much – I suspect that the wrapper is part of a nest build, rather than food (I may be quite wrong). It is unfortunate that the image I have before me seems to be rather poor quality – perhaps it has been cropped out of a much larger original? There is a sobering tale in this image; and perhaps it is timely to be able to remind oneself of the cost of our own individual carelessness.

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Merit. Isn’t nature wonderful! I did need to consult Google about what exactly is a Moraine, (forgive my ignorance). This image is dark and moody, but lifted by those trickles of light - I spent a long time roaming within this space. From the luscious curve of the road, into and over each rise, the bed of a river, and though to the hills, my eyes explored a veritable bounty. Is this scene just a tad dark, would a little lifting of shadows be appropriate? For me the answer is probably yes; but for the photographer perhaps it is just right the way it is.

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TWO

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Achieved. The stark tree and misty background lend themselves to the haunted title, but overall this feels a bit too dark to me, and so details get lost. A bit more contrast could emphasise the shapes and perhaps feel a bit more scary. The subject does suit BW treatment.

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Honours. The wide panorama suits this scene, and I love the design of angled lines and shapes, broken by the lighter curved fence line and the dotted backlit sheep. Exposure and focus are fine - the varying textures in the lit field area are so subtle. A very effective image overall – one I can spend time looking at.

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Honours. I love the mood you have captured here and the ray of light on the horizon adds to it. Your exposure has added to the mood too. I suggest the member who submitted ‘Sleeping giant on a stormy day’ takes note of this image to demonstrate what I meant when I said that image needed a balancing base.

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Honours. Excellent composition, and I love the background. Your exposure is perfect in my opinion, and the subjects stand out from the background perfectly.

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Not Achieved. I see some lovely twisted shapes with chaos and texture but are you looking through a gap in something? If you were, you will need to include the frame of your gap to add credibility to the concept of the set subject theme 'through the gap'. It's a nice capture but doesn't fit the brief in the set images sorry.

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Honours. Is there an adrenaline surge happening here? Beautiful ripples are flowing over the wheel of the bike right up to the top of the handlebars before spraying fourth into the air. There is movement portrayed in this image culminating in the expression of either delight or shock from the cold water, no matter, it's the expression itself that adds to the story. The crop chosen suits the subject and its well exposed well done.

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Merit. A creative way of looking at something and I enjoy the blues and patterns in this shot together with the angle that the author has chosen and reflections. Nicely done. One very small thing is the small white spot top right hand. If you have lightroom, consider looking at your image with spot remover and tick the visualize spots box at the bottom. This will show you any blemishes and you can remove them before you submit. Well done on this shot.

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Honours. Lovely rainbow orikeet captured with a little catchlight in the eye. Nice and sharp in the face and the dak background makes it pop out. Nice job.

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Honours. This is very well caught, great composition, the water leads you right to the duck. It looks like the duck has done a high speed turn to attack someone. Great exposure and the tight crop works very well.

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Merit. Very dramatic feeling with this image, the arrow shape on the right gives me the feeling of it shooting out of the lower cloud. It is high in contrast which helps but the white is burnt out in places which is a shame

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Honours. This is a great shot and beautifully captured. It works, and has good tonal range.

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Merit. This image has good colour range and cropping. It shows movement and humour.

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HONOURS. This is a very engaging image! I enjoy the full frontal composition which uses symmetry with great effect and I find the colour treatment also generally very effective. I regard the black flatness in the mouth caused by there being almost no information, as slightly distracting. However this is a great attempt to portray the power of the animal through creative use of desaturated colour, texture and shape. Nicely done.

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Merit. I am struck by the unusual light which allows us to see this flower in an unusual way. I suggest placing the flower so that the leaves on the left lead in from a slightly lower position. Good on the photographer for having a go at a creative image. I believe that this image would print up nicely as an A3, where the detail could be appreciated.

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MERIT The immediate impact of this Image is that beautiful light followed up by a wonderful vantage point showing the great view of the hills and the valley below. Just be aware of bright areas on the edges of the frame which can draw the eye out of the frame as here with the white sky above the clouds at the top. And the burnt out area at the heart of the suns rays. One way around this would be to take two exposures and blending them together. But otherwise a very good Novice Image

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Acceptance. Great story telling qualities, clean clear background so all our focus is on the story and that story ties in very well with the set subject. Just be careful with your selection of shutter speed when photographing moving objects if its too slow you can get camera shake which is what has happened here. As a rule of thumb if you are using a 5omm lens you should not shoot below 50th of a second and if you are using a 30mm lens you should not shoot below 300th of a second if hand held. Its just a little tip that may help you with future episodes of camera shake.

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HONOURS A very Industrial image, really like the colours and angles of the metal. Gives me the feeling of hot hard work. And nothing you can do to improve it in my eyes

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HONOURS Great that you have got in there nice and close, not a place I would like to be. You can see the desperation on his face to hold control of the ball. Having just the one face makes it a good focal point

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NOT ACHIEVED I haven't personally been to Mars, so I can't comment on the terrain. Correct me if I am wrong but I suspect that might be snow with a colour treatment applied. I like the composition and the crop. The person looks to be snowboarding and,you have caught an interesting pose in a strong position of the thirds crossing the ridge. The ridge also forms a strong diagonal. Good complimentary colours. There is a very white blown out area covering the face that draws my attention away from the rest of the image. Because the other aspects of your image are strong. I have given you NA allowing you to address the white and re submit. If I was to accept it how it is you would not be able to change it and, in A grade, this would be rejected because of the blown-out whites. Good work.

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MERIT Ouch, great action shot with the main subject in focus. The story is all shown here, the pain and the possibility of further damage with the rope tied around his boot. The dust and dirt flicked up also add to what is happening. Well captured well exposed and the crop suits your story. I would have liked to see a bit more of the bull, especially his face it would add something more to the story.

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HONOURS. A well composed and exposed image. Good tones of blacks and whites in this image, the jetty works well to lead me into your image, excellent work.