Container Contest
1st Place - Linda Turnbull
Container Contest
2nd Place - Terri Clarke-Kveton
Container Contest
3rd Place - Terri Clarke-Kveton
View of a Garden
1st Place - Audrey Barnes
This is a very well composed view of a lovely planting. The line of the rocks and the yellow blooms make a pleasing diagonal across the frame, and the splash of red & pink in the lower left makes a nice visual anchor. Plenty of visual interest without seeming too busy or cluttered.
Very nicely done.
View of a Garden
2nd Place - Diane Escalante
Water drops can add so much interest to an image, and that is certainly the case here. As well, the photographer has used a shallow depth of field to provide a great sense of depth and separation from the background. And that background, itself, is pleasing with a nicely weathered fence and splashes of light and colour, all perfectly blurred so as not to compete for attention with the beautiful reds in the foreground.
A well conceived and executed shot.
View of a Garden
3rd Place - Linda Turnbull
The more I looked at this image, the more I liked it. There are so many layers and patterns that it could have felt busy, but there’s a logic and order to the sections so that it feels balanced and “right” .
A very good eye!
View of a Garden
Honorable Mention: Brenda Fairfax
The beautiful pastel colours and dreamy background make this image very inviting. The photographer used a nice, shallow depth of field to provide a real sense of depth to the scene. I like that there are 3 blossoms (threes often work very well in photography as they do in planting gardens), but I think the top one is crowding the edge of frame a little too much, and the bottom one is a bit low, and feels stubby.
Nonetheless, a very beautiful image with some great techniques used.
Macro Photography
1st Place - Brenda Fairfax
A sugar-crusted candy floss dream… this is a strikingly beautiful image. The photographer chose a good angle for this, with the central feature pointing up and to the right, and the radiating arms of white (sugar!) actually keep the viewer’s eye focused on the flower’s center while still feeling dynamic.
Excellent work!
Macro Photography
2nd Place - Linda Turnbull
A lovely macro image with rich colours and interesting patterns. The light feels warm and summery. The stamen, which are used well as a main subject, are perhaps just slightly out of focus, but not so much as to be distracting. If the photographer has access to any editing software, that one blemish in the lower left would not be missed.
All in all, a very fine image!
Macro Photography
3rd Place - Diane Escalante
Deep, luxurious reds on a black background… very elegant, indeed. I like the framing, with some room at the top right and some blurred foreground interest to give a sense of depth. The ladybug looks just a little bit out of focus, but the focal plane is very challenging in macro images.
A richly opulent image!
Macro Photography
Honorable Mention: Audrey Barnes
This image immediately grabs the viewer’s attention. The photographer I love the light through the center of the blooms… this is always a gorgeous way to shoot flowers. The water drops, of course, immediately elevate the interest. I found the background felt just a little too busy (perhaps not a fair comment, as this is where it grows!) and distracts the viewer somewhat from the lovely flowers themselves.
Regardless, a very pleasing image with rich colour, sensational light and intriguing droplets.
Visitors in the Garden
1st Place - Marya McLellan
This is a very pleasing bird portrait. The feathers are beautifully sharp and let us see a great deal of detail and appreciate the subtle patterns. The subject obligingly provided an excellent pose, where we can see the shape of the beak and that staring eye which imparts a bit of attitude to the character. The arch of the main branch and the elegant curls of the background leaves all seem to fit together rather well. There is a decidedly green tint to the image, which makes the viewer feel they are under a canopy of leaves.
Altogether a splendid image!
Visitors in the Garden
2nd Place - Brenda Fairfax
This raccoon is trying very much to put on his best “who, me?” look. This scene seems to tell the story very well: the pond is visible, the culprit is clearly wet, and yet he doth protest that we would malign his character by even insinuating he was in the water.
A perfectly timed and charming image.
Visitors in the Garden
3rd Place - Gillian Escalante
It’s quite a feat to stop a hummingbird’s wings without extra equipment, so this is impressive, and the arrangement and colours of the flowers is very pleasing to the eye. The high ISO needed to have such a fast shutter speed does add visible graininess to the image when viewed close, but from a little ways back it isn’t distracting at all.
Well done!
Visitors in the Garden
Honorable Mention - Sharon Seki
Impossible, I think, not to smile looking at this cat. Just prior, I imagine, to an ignominious occurrence… One can easily imagine this image everywhere on the internet with people adding various captions about Mondays and mornings-after…
Thanks for the smile!
Garden Colour - Bluish Green
1st Place - Audrey Barnes
This painted fern makes a very attractive diagonal line across the frame, its fronds lending plenty of colour and interest along the way. The background is interesting without being distracting, and the exposure is perfect.
A solid, attractive image!
Garden Colour - Bluish Green
2nd Place - Diane Escalante
Lots to like here: a good diagonal line leads the eye upwards across the frame, the water drops add some attractive “bling” and the perfectly blurred background has beautiful colours and supports the main subject without competing for attention.
Very nice image!
Garden Colour - Bluish Green
3rd Place - Audrey Barnes
Patterns within patterns… this is so dynamic! It makes me think of a golden spiral (Fibonacci sequence) as it whirls out from the center. The colour is well captured, the lighting is excellent, and the details are clear and sharp.
A very nice image, indeed!