The feature of the image had to be doors and windows. Straightforward or imaginative creation of something out of the ordinary.
The Judge for this competition was Annette Hollitt. Annette is a member of Edwardstown Photographic Club and has been judging for over a year. She enjoys seeing other people’s photos when she is judging as it inspires her. Annette likes photographing landscapes, nature and macro photography.
In the projected colour set category the two images with the highest score was Di Gage’s “Windows within a window and Paul Hughes “Egyptian Village”.
Di Gage – Windows Within a Window
Annette said while this image is a strong architectural photo, the windows are the more dominant feature, a well handled composition. She suggested it might work well in mono.
Paul Hughes – Egyptian Village
The Judge said Paul’s photo told a great story. The door is the dominant feature and it was nice to have the child there, in their own environment.
In the Mono Set Subject category Kerry Malec’s “Arched or Rectangled” scored highly. Annette liked the repetitive windows on each side with the door in the centre and the symmetry of the three windows on each side.
Kerry Malec – Arched or Rectangled
Helen Whitford’s “Panoramic Aurora” scored the highest in the Projected Colour Open Category.
Helen Whitford – Panoramic Aurora
The Judge said Helen had been clever with producing the panorama of the aurora. It suits the cloud formation and aurora shape well.
‘Tippety Tap’ by Michael Selge scored well in the Mono Open Category. Annette said it had a story telling and power characteristic due to the motion of the musician. It was nice that the drumsticks were in motion. The misty mood of the stage was fantastic.
Michael Selge -Tippety Tap
In the Prints Set subject category, Judy Sara’s ‘Orange Shutters’ scored well. The Judge found it appealing and liked the presentation, the square format and the symmetrical structure.
Judy Sara – Orange Shutters
Sheila Gatehouse’s ‘Curvy’ was a strong architectural photo but the windows were dominant and strong. The image was well captured with the long shadows giving a triangular shape with shading underneath looking like a wave. The detail is strong and with a good tonal range, important in a monochrome image.
Sheila Gatehouse – Curvy
In the Prints Open categories, Michael Selge’s Octagon scored highly.
Michael Selge – Octagon
Annette thought this image told a good story, the viewer gets the concept of size as the people give the size compared to the structure.
Helen Whitford’s ‘Aurora Reflection’ also scored highly.
Helen Whitford – Aurora Reflection
The Judge said Helen had found a good position and location to photograph the aurora, may be she was standing in the water. Annette liked the effect with the stars in the sky and the coloured reflection of the aurora in the water.
‘Shredding’ by Michael Selge scored top marks in the monochrome section.
Michael Selge – Shredding
Annette loved this photo. She said the timing was perfect and the monochrome effect was well handled. The lighting was handled brilliantly and the timing caught the performer’s emotion.
Also by Michael, ‘Hanging Angel’ scored highly. It was well done, again capturing the motion of the performer with the black background and the person being mainly white made it stand out.
Michael Selge – Hanging Angel
‘Fly with Prey’ by Judy Sara scored well. You can see strong hairs on the fly, it tells a good story. The positioning is good with good depth of field.
The Judge for ‘Guilty Secrets competition was Chris Carter. Chris has been a photographer for over 3 decades and is a keen traveller and 4 wheel driver.
Overall Chris stressed that if there is a lot of white in the background or a completely white background, the photographer could consider darkening the corner slightly to concentrate the eye more on the subject.
In the Projected Colour Set subject the following images all scored the same points.
Sue Bell – Hot Chocolate, Tart and Poetry
Hot Chocolate, Tart and Poetry’ was nicely set up
David Hancock – Rosey L’Orange
The Judge said ‘Rosey L’Orange’ was well taken.
Michael Selge – Fireside Stout
‘Fireside Stout’ was a cosy image.
Paul Hughes – I’m Having ALL of It
‘I’m having all of it’ was well captured with nice colour.
Judy Sara – Travel PhotographyJenny Pedlar – Incognito
Of Jenny Pedlar’s ‘Incognito’ the Judge said he would have liked to see the child’s eyes but really liked the blue on her tongue.
David Hancock – Doing It Tough
In the Set Subject Mono category ‘Doing it Tough’ by David Hancock scored the highest mark. The Judge said it portrayed pure indulgence.
In the Projected Colour Open section of the competition Gail Iskov’s ‘Red Hill Hotel’ and Michael Selge’s ‘Foot Food’ both scored well.
Gail Iskov – Red Hill Hotel Michael Selge – Foot Food
Of ‘Red Hill Hotel’ Chris said it had nice lighting in the sky and he liked the horizon through the centre of the image, the red clay in the front and the subtle colours.
Of ‘Foot Food’ Chris said it was nicely cropped with beautiful colours and it is good that the bird is engaged in an activity.
Closely following the above two images were Gordon Lindqvist’s ‘Do you like my teeth? and his ‘Cobbald Gorge’ and Meredith Retallack’s ‘Penneshaw Vista’.
Gordon Lindqvist – Do You Like My TeethMeredith Retallack – Penneshaw VistaGordon Lindqvist – Cobbald Gorge
Chris said Gordon’s ”Do you Like my Teeth?’ was well posed and nice and sharp and Meredith’s had good lighting with nice shades of green and brown and the sky has been cropped down well. Gordon’s Cobbald Gorge shows a beautiful area, with lovely reflected light on the cliff.
The next category shown was the Projected Mono Open Category. Three images scored well in this category. First was Michael Selge’s ‘In the Light’. The Judge liked the viewpoint and the lights at the back with the musician showing on the left and the microphone coming in from the right balancing the image well.
Michael Selge – In the Light
Second was Judy Sara’s ‘Brown Falcon’, of which Judge Chris said the bird was nicely lit and stands out well from the background.
Judy Sara – Brown Falcon
Third ‘Stink Bug’ by Judy Sara was a sharp image.
Judy Sara – Stink Bug
There were three images with high scores in the Colour Prints Open category.
One was Michael Selge’s ‘Emerging Sunflower’. Chris said it worked well with the third flower helping the composition. He also said it was well lit.
Michael Selge – Emerging Sunflower
Judy Sara’s ‘Dusky Robin Eating’ scored highly. The Judge said the image was nicely caught with a beautiful background. He said the mossy pole suits the image and it is nicely composed.
Judy Sara – Dusky Robin Eating
Also by Judy Sara, ‘Bush Turkey’ was well lit, the rim light highlighting the fine feathers in the neck and head and the image had good colour.
Judy Sara – Bush Turkey
Four images scored well in the Mono Prints Open category. Judy Sara scored the highest marks in this category. Her ‘Cloaca Machine’ worked very well, the scientist is well lit and with good composition. It works well with the black background as it makes the scientist jump out and the equipment is also well lit.
Judy Sara – Cloaca Machine
‘Tex’ by Michael Selge scored well in this category. The Judge said it was well caught, full of energy and concentration. The lighting which was difficult, was well done.
Michael Selge – Tex
Judge Chris said Paul Hughes ‘Closed’ worked well with plenty of detail. He said the lit wire stretching to the house really helps the composition.
Paul Hughes – Closed
Judy Sara’s ‘White Morph’ has a nice setting and is nicely lit.
The Judge of the “Fill the Frame” competition was Keith Seidel. Keith has been a photographer for more than 50 years. He began shooting on his 13th birthday when he was given a Pentax Spotmatic camera. He is a Judging Coordinator with South Australian Photographic Federation and conducts Light on the Light workshops. He likes to spend time in the Flinders and is increasingly interested in aerial photography in “doors off” situations in helicopters and planes.
The aim of the competition was for images to fill the frame with no negative space or background.
In the colour print section of the competition top honours were taken out by ‘Daisy’ by Judy Sara which the judge said was well captured.
Judy Sara – Daisy
Of ‘Vervet Monkey’, also by Judy Sara the judge said it was all about the eyes. He suggested that with the chin dropping into shadow, cropping to mainly show the nose and eyes would really grab attention.
Judy Sara – Vervet Monkey
Continuing with the print section, for mono prints in the set subject, ‘Gorilla’, again by Judy Sara scored highly.
Judy Sara – Gorilla
Moving to digital images for the Fill the Frame subject, ‘Garlic’ by Heather Connolly, scored well with the judge saying he liked it very much. He said the exposure and colour was captured beautifully across the photo with the one bulb with yellow tones providing a contrasting colour. The mix of purple and white stripes with the bulbs pointing in different directions made an interesting photo.
Heather Connolly – Garlic
In ‘Scales’ by Kerry Malec the judge liked the effect, hesaid it was an ‘in your face’ composition, yellow at the bottom, but not super saturated, the viewer is drawn to the eye
Kerry Malec – Scales
Also concentrating on the eye is ‘Googly Eyes’ by Angela Cogman. Keith, the judge, said it was a fantastic underwater photo. He loved the sheer dynamism of the twist and curves, lines and textures around the eyes.
Angela Cogman – Googly Eyes
In the mono section of Fill the Frame, ‘Timing Case’ by Ray Goulter received a high score. Keith said it has beautiful black and white tones, good blacks and sheens heading towards white. There is a lovely diversity of mid tones. Compositionally there will be messy bits, but the strength of those four circular gears holds it together nicely.
Ray Goulter – Timing Case
In the colour print open section of the competition, ‘Contemplating the Waves’ by Duart McLean and ‘Pretty Boy’ by Di Gage both scored well.
Duart McLean – Contemplating the Waves
Of Duart’s image the judge said there was a lot to like. He said it was really good story telling, well shot against the light with rows of wave action, and the photo had a sense of depth.
Di Gage – Pretty Boy
The judge said Di’s ‘Pretty Boy’ was a beautiful photo, a lovely portrait and beautifully exposed.
‘Having a Shower’ also by Di Gage also scored highly (digital image not supplied).
In the mono prints open section both ‘Tex’ and ‘Superjesus’ by Michael Selge scored highly.
Michael Selge – Tex
Of ‘Tex’ Keith described it as a ‘Cracker’. A full on photo with no distractions.
Michael Selge – Superjesus
The judge acknowledged it is hard to get close to performers, and difficult to catch their ever-changing expressions. with ‘Superjesus’ He liked the catching of the smoke on stage and thought this image would work well in a rock magazine.
In the digital colour open section there were four high scorers. Leading the charge was Michael Selge’s ‘Komodo’ of which the judge said it had a good depth of field, the whole head being sharp and dropping off towards the back. The background was not distracting and the viewer’s eye is drawn to the head. He suggested the lighter spots could be toned down slightly in the background.
Michael Selge – Komodo
‘Daily Pitstop’ by Meredith Retallack had no distractions. The judge said it was well seen and captured with beautiful detail. He suggested the lightish patch on right hand edge of frame could be toned down and perhaps a couple of the plant tips could be removed in the bottom left hand corner to concentrate more on the bird.
Meredith Retallack – Daily Pit Stop
‘Winter Solace’ by Helen Whitford scored well, with the judge saying the image was well exposed and he liked the backlight on the wine. He suggested a wedge taken from the cheese would make it look more real.
Helen Whitford – Winter Solace
‘Ruddy Darter’ from Judy Sara was appreciated by the judge, saying it was a nice capture and really interesting detail. The brilliant red and black would stand out more if the lilac colour behind was taken to a more green tone so it wouldn’t be a distraction
Judy Sara – Ruddy Darter
In the digital mono open set Heather Connelly’s ‘Workshop’ scored well. The judge liked the patterns formed by the windows which melded with those from the roofline. The image inside the window gave the viewer a 3rd image to look at. He said it was a clever image which showed vision on the part of the photographer and it had lovely tones. He said it was well captured.
Heather Connolly – Workshop
Scoring top marks with ‘Classics’ was Michael Selge. Keith said it was beautifully composed with great tones. The number 34 was still identifiable even though the car is out of focus and even with the different motions the shot was still sharp. He said it was a really well balanced motor sport shot
Michael Selge – Classics
‘Trying to Sleep’ by Meredith Retallack scored well in this section as well. The judge said it had good exposure and it would be a difficult bird to capture as it has white feathers. He said the strength of the photo was in the stick with the broken bit at the end. He said it adds a dynamic element, counterbalancing the feathers of the head. He declared it was a good composition.
Meredith Retallack – Trying to Sleep
Judy Sara’s ‘Angles and Reflections’ scored highly. Keith said there were strong graphics in the angles and reflections, and the three way effect is interesting, forcing the humans to be almost silhouetted. He said it was a dynamic photo.
The Judge for this competition was Peter Phillips. The aim of this competition was for the photographer to capture the subject in an appetising way.
Taking top marks in the Mono Print Food category was Mark Pedlar with ‘Smoko’. The Judge praised the photo and made the suggestion that a crop to highlight the coffee would give the photo more impact.
Mark Pedlar – Smoko
In the Projected Colour Food Category two images scored top marks, ‘Colourful Tomatoes’ by Kerry Malec and ‘Tasty Platter’ from Gordon Lindqvist. Peter said of Kerry’s image that it looked very appetising with good gloss on the fruit and he said the Tasty Platter was nicely done, with a lovely old wooden bench which was a good base and a lovely selection of food.
‘Help yourself to a slice’ by Meredith Retallack scored top marks in the Projected Mono Food Category. The judge said it was very nicely done.
Meredith Retallack – Help Yourself to a Slice
In the Open Category the highest scorer in the Mono Print Open category was Judy Sara with ‘Brothers’. The Judge said it was a good shot and the background tells the viewer about the environment so should not be cropped. It is nicely composed with the two lions being in step and has good lighting.
Judy Sara – The Brothers
Also by Judy Sara, ‘Ostrich in the Morning Light’ took top honours in the Colour Prints Open Category. The background tells us about the environment once again, it doesn’t detract from but rather enhances the image.
Judy Sara – Ostrich in the Morning Light
Top marks in the Projected Mono Open Category was taken by both Amanda Goulter and Michael Selge. Amanda’s ‘My Little Companion’ has a creative feel to it said the Judge. The modern shoes don’t distract and there is a lovely catchlight in the dog’s eye. It has a good split background.
Amanda Goulter – My Little Companion
Two of Michael Selge’s images were liked by the Judge. His ‘Glide’ had good focus and was overall a good shot.
Michael Selge – Glide
As well, Michael’s ‘JP Shillo’ had good lighting. The Judge stressed how difficult the lighting can be in these situations. The light gave backlight to the hair and the subject has really strong features. The musician in the background did not distract the viewer as he is intent on his music.
Michael Selge – JP Shillo
‘African Jacama’ took top marks for Judy Sara in the Projected Open Colour Category. The Judge said it was a nice picture with the bird standing on a leaf going in to grab something in its beak, so the bird is doing something. The photo has lovely colour. The only suggestion the Judge offered was to crop the top a little.
Judy Sara – African Jacana
‘Dust Storm’ by Penny Williams scored top marks as well. The Judge said it was all about the light, the good light on the tree and stubble with an interesting sky behind it.
Blackwood Photographic Club of South Australia Inc. 