October, 2011 Class B Open
"Vermillion Cliffs" - Ron 15 pts.
Mike: The sky is the important subject so the ¼ land & ¾ sky is a
great choice. Converting color digital images into B&W is not easy
but this image shows all the best aspects of the old darkroom.
The darkening and gradiant blue sky is perfect to accent the
cloud patterns. Textured land compliments soft feathery clouds.
"Barn Doors" - Kathy 14 pts.
Mike: Good balance in composition, 2/3 is windows and 1/3 door.
Great detail and sharpness helped by good contrast. Almost
monochromatic with a touch of green & yellow grass and red rust.
"September Bee" - Alex 13 pts.
Mike: Bee's face and antenna are sharp. Composition minimizes
the bee in the image, crop down on the top andon the left
eliminating negative space and concentrating bee & flower
as center of interest. Burn in hot spots in background and
leaves or use a polarizer.
"Sunflower Sunset" - Mariann 13 pts.
Mike: Good proportions of 1/3 sky and 2/3 land. Even though
the sky is colorful and interesting, the land and flowers are the
centers of interest. Not sure I would place the fence post
directly under the sun. Placed in the right 1/3’s would be
better balanced.
"Bourne Bridge" - Chris M. 13 pts.
Mike: Just the right balance of twilight sky and nighttime lights.
Moon adds another dimension. Star bursts are nice.
"Old Glory Old Ironsides" - Karen P. 13 pts.
Mike: Good story telling quality and color. Ropes frame
sailor in a good position (rule of thirds). Would have been
better if left arm was down and right arm up to see face fully.
"Hungry Tortoise" - Al 12 pts.
Mike: Good sharpness and color. Stronger story if head was
up looking into camera.
"Zakim from the Charles" - Dena 12 pts.
Mike: I like the mimic of the pier posts and bridge tower.
Image appears to be shot in flat mid-day light.
Add a little saturation, and ‘S’ shape the curves settings.
"Horse and Colt" - Bill C. 12 pts.
Mike: Good detail and sharpness in horses. Lack of connection
between mare & pony. Not a strong story..
"Shore Leave" - Jeff W. 12 pts.
Mike: This PJ moment is good. The tonality is a little flat.
Don’t be afraid of black tones, you need them to compliment
the whites. The quick shooting of PJ images means sometimes
chopping edges like sailors hands and girl's eye.
"Green Betty" - Phil 11 pts.
Mike: Nice tight crop for isolation, Good DOF.
But personally the lime green is distracting and
overpowering image.
"Monponsett Shoreline" - Dick 11 pts.
Mike: Good DOF and leading line to the birch.
Subject matter is not as strong against other images.
"Fall Reflection" - Jac 11 pts.
Mike: Good colorful abstract reflections. Too much extra
subject matter around reflection. Crop for bottom
half of image concentrating on rippled reflections
with sharp rocks, moss and leaves.
"German Store Sign" - Carol 11 pts.
Mike: Good DOF sharp to second sign. Good travelogue image
but as stand-alone in competition not as strong.
"Summer's Joy" - Maureen 10 pts.
Mike: The back lighting accents the rain drops and
hair lights on the girl nicely but robs image from
details and interest.
"Sunflower" - Lynne 10 pts.
Mike: Good tight crop and sharpness. The background has
hot spots in the top corners and bright red stems which
detract and draw attention away from the sunflower.
"Ironwood Tree" - Marian 10 pts.
Mike: Classic composition of lone tree silhouette.
The dark muddy contrast hurts. Histogram was loaded
on the left side. Bring the highlight slider down to
meet edge of graph. Now adjust for ‘S’ shape in
curves for more contrast in the sky.
"Ghostly Subject" - Ralph 10 pts.
Mike: A novel attempt for a creative image
but needs more thought and interest.
"Elbow to Chin" - Greg 10 pts.
Mike: A cute shot of kids playing soccer, but too many distractions (tent, kids, balls and equipment) in the
background. Try other positions on thefield sidelines,
which eliminate distractions and may have
more front or side lighting, not back lighting.