2020-07 Results

 
CAT SEQ NAME Name STAR Title AWARD COMMENT
 NA 4 Brian Widdowson 3STAR Stretching S I like how you have made this into a panorama to suit the shape of the snake.  Nice clean background and good exposure but unfortunately the focal point seems to be on the foliage on the RHS rather than the snake's eye which is not quite sharp.
 NA 10 Brian Widdowson 3STAR Lunch B Interesting image but unfortunately your blacks are very dark to the extent that the eye on the LHS disappears.  Try cropping a bit off the LHS to get rid of dead space there and bring the eye with the catchlight in it onto the thirds for a stronger image.
 OP 3 Brian Widdowson 3STAR Fire Fighting M Really nice impact and drama associated with the slower shutter speed making the impact quite surreal. Story telling ranks high in this image.
 OP 11 Brian Widdowson 3STAR The Avenue G Nice exposure for the morning mist and light making it quite real. Just enough detail on the riders. Perhaps a little crop both left and right make bring the focal point a little closer and add more impact.
 NA 17 Brigitte Jordaan 5STAR Working hard G Exif data missing.  A nice clean background and great detail on the ant's head.  Possibly go for a larger DOF to get more of the feelers in focus.  A crop top and bottom to exclude some of the dead space would improve it.
 NA 19 Brigitte Jordaan 5STAR More Food M Great detail, nicely composed on the diagonal and simple background.  Well done!
 NA 21 Brigitte Jordaan 5STAR And more food S The colours in this image seem to have been manipulated somehow as there are green fringes against the pink foliage.  Apart from that, it is a nice clear image with great detail on the caterpillar.
 OP 26 Brigitte Jordaan 5STAR Sun Chasers S Good colour and sharpness. Too much sky - cropping in improves
 OU 5 Brigitte Jordaan 5STAR Good Morning M Taken in beautiful light with the leading lines formed by the arch and the reflections in the paving circles drawing one's eye to the ship in the distance.  Well done!
 OP 9 Dianne HALL 3STAR Triple aloe stand B Composition good but overexposed. Also lampost and sea need straightening
 OP 16 Dianne HALL 3STAR Shipping on locker  B The person in red adds a considerably to the photo but unfortunately the photo is soft
 OP 18 Dianne HALL 3STAR Stretching B Good capture but only the sole of the shoe is sharp
 OP 19 Dianne HALL 3STAR About to pop B Beautiful colours and lighting but generally too soft
 SS 6 Dianne HALL 3STAR No grub S A nice story being told here with the empty stairs and tables and person standing by the shut gate.  Exposure a bit bright.
 NA 15 Eugene Dey-van Heerden 4STAR Natural Habitat S Beautiful light and reflections and nice clear image of the geese.  A slight crop off the top and left would make for a stronger image.
 OP 22 Eugene Dey-van Heerden 4STAR Twilight Silhouette G Beautiful colours, very peaceful. The sun's rim and a redder sunset would improve
 OP 24 Eugene Dey-van Heerden 4STAR Early Morning G Sharp throughout, beautiful colours. The Rhino adds the capping
 OP 25 Eugene Dey-van Heerden 4STAR Sunrise on Bamboo Ridge M An incredible photo, brilliant colour, sharp, excellent conposition with leading lines to sun and its rays . Well done
 MO 1 Frederick Turck 2STAR Self Portrait S Good idea, good black & white. Shadow of photographer soft especially compared with sand ripples. Pity about the footprints 
 NA 1 Frederick Turck 2STAR Disguised Dikkop G Nicely composed with the bird's eye on the top third and good detail in the feathers and the eye is sharp.  While the bird's camouflage tells a story, I would have preferred to see a cleaner background, perhaps by using a smaller DOF to blur it out.
 NA 2 Frederick Turck 2STAR Pelican Landing M A very well executed image with great exposure and lovely light.  Well done!
 OP 1 Frederick Turck 2STAR Water Lilly S Flower sharp, colour good but unfortunately water lilies which dominate are soft. 
 SS 1 Frederick Turck 2STAR Spiraling Down M A great image leading the eyes right through with the people giving it scale and direction. Good DOF and exposure. Well done!
 OP 8 Gerald Hall 3STAR Wash me and my board B Sharpness good but overexposed and needs straightening
 OP 15 Gerald Hall 3STAR Preparing for visitors S Interesting, good colour and sharpness but needs at least one of the painters to face the camera and preferably to make eye contact
 OP 17 Gerald Hall 3STAR Results of inactivity B Nice idea but wrong time of day - shadows too dominant and dark losing detail. Also beware of edge elements which detract  
 SS 5 Gerald Hall 3STAR Awaiting access B The picture tells a story but is very bright in places and background is cluttered.
 SS 7 Gerald Hall 3STAR Lock down and wind damage E This is not an obvious stairway.
 CR 3 Heide Smallwood G-HONORS I got time on my hands G Excellent idea well executed, sharp throughout. Unfortunately for a higher grade 5 star requires technical perfection - weight should be in model's hand not behind it
 CR 4 Heide Smallwood G-HONORS Ghost Train S Idea good, Train sharp but a little too central. Moon has an edge. Try placing moon partially behind the train so the picture becomes one
 MO 2 Heide Smallwood G-HONORS Antonio S Good pose. Photo a little too dark, very little white - hat merges into background and suggest avoid cropping through knees
 MO 3 Heide Smallwood G-HONORS Arton G Excellent partrait, captures character and mood. Catchlight in eyes adds. Just a little too dark for a higher score
 OU 6 Heide Smallwood G-HONORS dont let life run away from you S Quite an emotive image along with its title!  I like the composition with the subject's placement on the pier.  However, it is a pity that his face is so in the shadow, and the mask hiding any real expression.  Would perhaps do well in Street photography in mono with a bit of lightening on the face?
 SS 9 Heide Smallwood G-HONORS spiral stairs M There's a wonderful moody energy about this image with its dark lighting and the startled looking cat at the base of the stairs.  If those walls could talk...Well done!
 NA 3 Ishbel Cowan 3STAR Autumn E A pretty scene but unfortunately not sharp at all, and exposure could be toned down.
 NA 9 Ishbel Cowan 3STAR Clammed up S A well exposed image and nice vibrant colours but no wow factor to give it a higher award.  Some water swirling around it would have added interest.
 OP 2 Ishbel Cowan 3STAR The Lookout B Good capture but soft and grainy
 OP 10 Ishbel Cowan 3STAR Dhow in a Dhow G A good example of simplicity is sometimes best - well done. To improve lighten side of boat and bring out more detail  
 SS 2 Ishbel Cowan 3STAR The ruin G I like the angle you have used to emphasise the broken stairs leading the eye up to the charred infrastructure and sky above.  The blackened doorways and roof tell such a story!  Try dodging the roof a bit to bring out some of the detail which is lost there.
 CR 2 JANICE  GASS 5STAR Orange Tea Pot  S Excellent idea well executed. Lighting and sharpness good.  Teapot spout unfortunely flat and thus does not appear part of the teapot - needs shadow to create 3D, Also a little fringing
 NA 5 Joan Widdowson 3STAR Bathtime S Nice impact here but your exposure needs to be toned down as it is blown out in places. A tighter crop on the RHS would make the duck less central.
 NA 11 Joan Widdowson 3STAR Beefy S A beautiful specimen, nicely composed showing the surrounding environment. The light is quite harsh, probably due to the time of day it was taken.  If one could see the elephant's eyes better there would be more impact.
 OP 4 Joan Widdowson 3STAR Beached S I like the way the sun has lit up the boat, its colours are beautiful. It is quite a tight crop and there is not much more than a static boat with no story add ons…..nets, fishermen, rods etc. In this case perhaps a wider angle may have been better.
 OP 12 Joan Widdowson 3STAR Hope fence is Elephant proof S Lovely winter colours throughout. Very nice closeup with maintaining perspective although the close parts of the trunk appear to have movement which spoils it just a little - a more faster shutter would have prevented this. 
 NA 16 Keith Marallich 5STAR Away With Ye S A moment well captured but the darkness on the side of the bird's face detracts.  A slightly larger DOF would have put the whole bird in focus and made for a more pleasing image.
 NA 18 Keith Marallich 5STAR Fresh Catch G Lovely action shot, well exposed and great detail in the feathers.   Try cropping some of the dead space left and right for better composition.  Be careful of using too heavy a border when entering salons.
 NA 20 Keith Marallich 5STAR Brown Snake Eagle M Beautiful light, simple background and great detail on the bird.  Once again, think of cropping some of the dead space on the LHS.
 NA 22 Keith Marallich 5STAR Bushbuck M Beautiful light with nice detail in the fur and catchlight in the eye.  Well done!
 NA 6 Mark Zunckel 3STAR Standing proud B A good attempt at an unusual angle.  I like that you blurred the background to draw focus onto the flower.  The many dead petals detract however.  A little bit of "gardening" before taking the shot would have made for a cleaner presentation.
 OP 5 Mark Zunckel 3STAR Visitor at the feeder S Sharp, whilst a little too dark bird is well lit but too static (extended wings or seed in beak would improve)
 OU 1 Mark Zunckel 3STAR Gwahumbe wagtail reflection G Lovely light and reflections bouncing off the wagtail's feathers.  A slightly closer crop placing the bird more off centre would give it more impact.
 SS 3 Mark Zunckel 3STAR Waiting patiently S The old dog peeping over the edge really makes this picture work with his mottled colouring being duplicated in the rough stonework of the stairs.  The overall image could be slightly sharper and I would crop off the bottom stair for more impact.
 NA 8 Michael Gill 3STAR Ground Squrral G Nice clear image of a ground squirrel, good exposure and detail.  Your composition has let you down however as the crop is too tight in front of its nose.  Always try to leave a space for the animal/person to look into.
 NA 12 Michael Gill 3STAR Emeral Spotted wood Dove B A pretty little dove but the colours in this image do not look realistic, as if they have been over-saturated.  The blue cast in the shadow on the right is particularly off-putting.
 OP 7 Michael Gill 3STAR Hong Kong Bay Cleaner B Colourful but too busy. Cannot see what the main subject is doing which severly compromises the storytelling, looks oversharpened 
 OP 14 Michael Gill 3STAR Are My eye lashes OK S Good Idea, sharp but eye has no detail no catchlight just black
 NA 13 Peter Charter 4STAR Aloe Aloe little bee S A great attempt at a macro shot of the bee but the colours on the left overwhelm.  Crop about a third off the LHS to improve the composition and remove some of the bright flowers.  Also make sure the bee's head/eyes are in sharp focus.
 OP 20 Peter Charter 4STAR Snapping the Sunrise B Nice idea but soft
 OP 23 Peter Charter 4STAR New day seascape B Idea good but too many people and footprints - a single person and dog is needed. Sky and sea blown out, sand too dark - a case for a grad filter.
 OU 3 Peter Charter 4STAR Just after sunrise J Date taken: 01/06/2020
 OU 4 Peter Charter 4STAR Waiting for the Sun  J Date taken: 01/06/2020
 SS 8 Peter Charter 4STAR Big climb when the cars broken G You have captured the stadium stairs in pretty early morning light with nice leading lines to the top. However, I think it would have had more impact with people on the stairs to give it scale.
 NA 14 rob gasken 4STAR Birds B Nice interaction between the two birds on the left but the out of focus one on the right detracts from the overall composition.  Crop him out rather.  While the feather detail is good in the other two birds, the shadow on the face of the one is rather dark.
 OP 21 rob gasken 4STAR Bud S Very unusual bud, colourful but could be sharper. Placing bud at an angle would add interest and a more natural backgroud colour would improve 
 CR 1 Sandy van Heerden 3STAR Blue Light G Very good idea Lighting adds to the mystery, Sharp. To improve need to clean up blue light encroaching over model and continue blue light on RHS  
 NA 7 Sandy van Heerden 3STAR Bug M Well done on a great macro shot with just the right amount of DOF to show the bug's face clearly.  Nicely composed with the flower not overpowering the insect in spite of its strong colour.
 OP 6 Sandy van Heerden 3STAR Blueberry Breakfast G Excellent idea well executed, good colour and focus. Crumbs in foreground and out of focus nuts/blueberry in background do not add to photo
 OP 13 Sandy van Heerden 3STAR Strawberry Moon S Sharp for the moon but colour betwixt and between neither normal nor full eclipse (which would give credence to the title)
 OU 2 Sandy van Heerden 3STAR Need a Ride J Date taken: 25/05/2020
 SS 4 Sandy van Heerden 3STAR Stairway to Heaven G The symmetry in this images works well and creates a sense of balance.  Exposure and lighting is spot on with the lovely palm trees silhouetted against the sunrise. Try cloning out the scruffy paintwork at the base of the stairs  for an even more pleasing image.
 CR 5 Wendy Freer P-HONORS Kaleidoscope protea S Colour works well, Symmetery perfect. For P Honors needs a little more than just a software precept
 CR 6 Wendy Freer P-HONORS Refracted light S Interesting idea but needs more impact for a higher mark, also fringing on vertical triangle.
 OP 27 Wendy Freer P-HONORS Rope S Well seen, well captured. Dark shadows which compromises detail brings this photo down
 OP 28 Wendy Freer P-HONORS Serious S Nice portrait, sharp but lighting needs improvement - photo flat. Try taking the photo at eye level not from above
 OU 7 Wendy Freer P-HONORS Blesbok portrait G Nice clear image with clean background.  Just needs something more of a wow factor to give it a higher score.
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