The People's Choice Award Judges' Comments

June 1, 2019Beth Boles

Harbingers of Spring

Beth Boles, photography chair, asked SLGC photography judges to comment on this year’s entries as if they were entries in a GCA flower show. A big thank you to judges Judith McMillan, Laurie Jacobs, Ryn Clarke, Sandy Bergsten, and Martha Marsh for this extra learning experience!

Birds of Spring

1. Wonderful interplay of the splashes of blue. Judicious cropping below the bird house and on either the right or left side would increase visual tension and improve the composition.

3. Adoring image beautifully framed. Darkening the sky between the tree limbs would heighten the focus on the subject.

5. Incredible mirror of shape and texture between the terrain and owl. Cropping the image to come in closer on the subject would enhance the focal point and increase the drama.

2. A symphony of textures. Moving the subject from the center could make for a more dynamic image.

4. Phenomenal composition. The depth of field and use of line accentuate the perfectly placed subject.

6. Rhythmic lines add visual interest. Low resolution detracts from the overall image’s success.

First Buds

1. There is good movement provided by the top curved leaf and good color throughout. The foreground cluster of buds is out of focus and detracts.

3. Both flowers have interesting detail and are in good focus. The eye is confused going back and forth between the two blooms trying to determine the one which is the most important and the focal point.

5. Vibrant colors and diagonal lines create a pleasing composition. I would suggest cropping out the rose at the top creating a singular focal point. Then the story becomes more about the wisteria with the promise of the impending bloom of the rose bud on the right.

7. The brilliant visual path of the cactus flowers creates movement and symmetry. I would crop off a bit at the bottom of the image to keep your eye in the composition.

2. There is an unmistakable focal point appropriately placed. The eye is drawn to the many blown out highlights (bright spots where there is no detail) and the background is excessively busy.

4. The buds are technically and artistically well composed, exposed and focused. The bottom could be cropped up a bit to eliminate the slightly distracting small bright spot toward the left.

6. Alluring composition of purple anemones - they almost seem to glow. The intense light behind the flowers diminishes the detail in the beautiful petals.

8. Good attempt at capturing the first signs of spring. Without a clear focal point, there is no clear focus of attention for your eye to land.

Sunrise/Sunset

1. The photograph captures the transition from red glow to blue sky beautifully. The burned out area created by the sun grabs and stops eye movement.

3. This is a glorious image where the reflection is as important as the sky and the hint of detail at the shoreline keeps the eye moving.

5. It is a wonderful idea to frame the image with the tree branches. Cropping to a vertical format would create more tension between the cooling tower and the branches while eliminating the burned out spot.