Judge: Irene Callaghan

An image depicting our region. Take a photo of something that you think shows us what its like to live in Marlborough. Could be an iconic place or item. Whats special about Marlborough.
Marlborough district covers Rai Valley, Havelock, Picton, The Sounds, Blenheim, halfway between Ward and Clarence, Awatere and Rainbow. Excludes Kaikoura, St Arnards.

We'll send out a map with the region outlined for clarification. 

 

Open

Set Subject

From Irene 

                                         Marlborough Club Night

Hi everyone and apologies that I couldn’t make it to read out the results on the night. I hope to make it up to everyone and attend a meeting with you later in the year. I hope in the meantime that you all stay safe, and if you can’t avoid Covid then I hope it is a mild illness for you.

The set subject which was “Marlborough” was not easy for you all to create an image that was creative or innovative. There were some however that really stood out and well done to those authors.

I found that some members had converted an image to black and white without thinking what they hoped to accomplish.  Without colour you need to work to create strong compositions, and you usually need tonal contrast and texture. Perhaps this is a good topic for a small talk when I see you?

I saw some strong work from C and B graders so good to see the talent here. I hope to see more prints next time I evaluate a competition for you. Prints seem to have reduced last year as a result of Covid. When an author makes a print I see exactly what they want me to see. When a digital file is projected it can be brighter or different to what I see on my computer which is calibrated.

Look after yourselves and I hope to see you all soon.

Irene.

Digital champion image is Whites Bay and the

Print champion is Early Morning Taylor Valley.

PRINTS

Title	Rating	Comments
A Grade - Set
Early Morn-Taylor Valley	Merit	A simple image with a lone tree which is largely isolated by the mist. A golden hue infuses the image that gives the impression of a richness to the coming day. I like the way there is an impression of the trees at the top of the hill showing through the mist at the top of the image. The lower fence line helps our eye to be drawn into the image. Merit.
Wires Across the Withers	Accepted	The two trees which appear to have no leaves are placed at the top left, and take us through to the fence line which continues on. This tends however to take my eye out of the frame. The golden grass is attractive, although the addition of another element in the foreground would strengthen the image in my opinion, and prevent my eye going to the patch of dirt at the right. Nicely mounted and printed. Acceptance.

 

DIGITALS 

Title	Rating	Comments
C Grade - Set
A Deer Rider	Accepted	I would imagine the maintenance on the vines at this time of the year keeps the person on the large mower buzzing down the rows very busy. What I assume is blur that is added in post production, has caught the top of the closest posts which confused me somewhat initially. Sometimes less is more as they say although well done for trying this. Perhaps a little sharpness could be added as the image is a little soft. I like the way the lines of the converging grapes vines lead us towards the tractor. Acceptance
Before it was all grapes	Accepted	The sheep are positioned well and are looking at the viewer and black and white is great for this subject. I would recommend cropping from the top to remove most of the bright wall as my eye goes straight to this. I can follow your thinking about the idea for the set subject as sheep farming is widespread in the area, but I feel it could really be an image of anyplace. Acceptance
Foggy Morning	Accepted	I would have liked to have seen the entire right side of the building rather than it be cut in two. The  winter morning mist and the contours of the grapes make for a nice composition. There appears to be quite a lot of noise in the image. Ask a more experienced member how to remove this. I  like the panoramic crop you have used. Acceptance
Karearea	Merit	Karearea are now closely associated with bird control around the vines. You have captured his alert expression as he looks very intently at something he has sighted. Great focus on the eyes and the exposure and the detail in the feathers is beautiful. I would suggest a slightly higher crop, as cropping the legs here feels a little awkward to me.  Merit
Menacing Marlborough	Merit	The storm approaching looks pretty menacing as the tile suggests. You have exposed the boats well as they could have easily become overexposed in this lighting. The converging hills focus our attention to the centre right before we tend to circle around the image. Good composition and controlled lighting. Merit
Rangitoto ki te Tonga	Accepted	The panoramic view shows the view well. For a landscape that will hold our attention, include a foreground subject if you can. Skies without clouds can be less interesting than the details that are right in front of you. In this case lightening the foreground  will help to balance the bright sky. Acceptance.
Seddon Waterfall	Merit	Well done for trying a slow exposure which shows the water movement, and also for converting the image to black and white. Two small adjustments I would suggest you try would be to reduce the brightness slightly so the water is better exposed and just a little more contrast. Merit
Taylor Dam in Fall.	Accepted	A great view of the dam with some foreground interest provided by the grasses. I can feel a picnic coming on. Perhaps the image would benefit from a little added brightness, however when the image is projected this may increase the brightness  as well. The partial tree at the top right I find distracting and I think this would be better removed. Acceptance
The old way	Merit	I like that you have allowed room for the horses to move into on the left. The conversion to black and white suits the subject and this image is timeless. The image is slightly soft and this may be due to camera movement. Merit.
C Grade - Open
Crazy house	Accepted	A fantastic place to photograph. It has crazy angles and bright colours. All those angles tend to give more shadow areas, so if you have Photoshop try shadows/highlights which is found under 'image', 'adjustments', and then scroll down that right hand column. This is one of my favorite ways to fix shadows and bright areas before I resort to more difficult means. Dial back the set amount of both values to 0 and then try the sliders to see what works for each image. Not a great deal is needed. Acceptance
Flight of the Fish Eagle	Merit	Congratulations on capturing this great image with perfect sharpness and lovely wing position. I have a few simple post production hints that will make it even greater in my opinion. Increase the brightness  and also the contrast slightly. Also go back to your original and see if you have more room at the top of your image as it is cropped very tightly.  Merit.
Magnolia	Accepted	The top of the petals  glow in the light although the botton area of the petals is very shadowed. I like the diagonal angle of the branch. I think a square crop could suit this image. Take note of the suggestion I made in a previous evaluation re shadows and highlights tool in Photoshop, or increase the brightness overall. Perhaps next time you could experiment with a reflector to even out the light on your subject on a bright day. Acceptance
Squirreling Nuts	Honors	Nice even light and sharp focus give your subject the ability to stand out. Your background is out of focus so does not compete with your subject. You have clearly thought about composition and cropping as the position of your subject to the side of your image creates a pleasing result to the eye, and the squirrel takes up a balanced proportion of the frame. Honours.
B Grade - Set
Country church, Okaramio	Not Accepted	Every time we pass by this church I intend to stop but we never seem to. The lighting behind the church is rather strong and has caused  the front to be in shadow. Pick a time when the mist is around or before the sun is so bright and try a re take. I would also suggest to move to the left a little if were possible so more of the side angle is shown in the image. Not Accepted.
Enduring Molesworth	Merit	The bike rider who is viewed from the rear, appears to be rather tired and I feel he is looking forward to the time when he can stop and set up camp for the night as the sun goes down. The image has excellent composition but perhaps could be slightly sharper, particularly the rider. Merit
Gathering storm  over Blenheim	Accepted	Impressive clouds and falling rain make up this image. I feel there has been HDR added, and to me this effect looks a little overdone in this image. Also the bright patch of light at the top is a magnet that draws my eye up and out of the frame. Perhaps an image well worth re processing. Acceptance
Molesworth Ranges	Accepted	The hills with their defined contours have converted to black and white more successfully than the featureless sky above. This feels overly bright and keeps pulling my attention upwards. Mostly the most successful images that convert to black and white contain quite a lot of contrast. I feel this image needs another element included to be more successful for me. Accepted
Reflections at Simonsen Reserve	Accepted	I spotted the whitebaiter on the bank opposite. It does not look like there were many patties coming up the river. There are some strong trees and nice reflections in your image. I would recommend cropping the top and bottom of the image equally and then adding a small amount of brightness and contrast to make the most of the pattern of the branches. Acceptance.
Take a seat	Accepted	I think those seats look too heavy to "take a seat" I doubt anyone will be trying to take one home. The square crop suits the image subject, although I feel there needs to be a person sitting on one of the seats to add another dimension of interest. Acceptance.
B Grade - Open
Courting Kotuku	Merit	The  Kotuku look beautiful in their delicate courting plumage and against the dark background. I suspect this image has had a reasonable amount of post processing or is possibly enlarged, as I can see a line around the birds, particularly around their heads. Well worth repeating this with some reduction in the enhancements, and I am sure the image will still stand out afterwards if the file has enough detail. In spite of the processing problem I like this enough to give a merit. Merit
Skylark	Accepted	Skylarks are usually up in the air singing and you don't generally see them. Nicely shown against an uncomplicated background which is however very bright. My suggestion would be to crop slightly  to make the bird more prominent within the image. Acceptance
White-fronted Tern	Accepted	Well done to capture the White Fronted Tern with a fish in its beak. It is possibly courting or otherwise helping to feed young. So hard to show the eye of these birds as it hides in the black plumage. I feel this image is showing signs of enlargement as the detail seems lost or it is not sharp and has a lot of noise. Accepted
Winter wonderland	Honors	A beautiful image that uses the figure to advantage to show the size of the environment they are walking through The fresh snow is undesturbed beaneath the stark branches laden with snow. The snow gives the image a quiet peaceful feel for me. Exposed well. Honours
A Grade - Set
Autumn in Marlborough	Not Accepted	You have composed with the flax in the foreground, against the vines and the sky. The gold of the vines against the blue sky is a nice colour combination, however what you felt when you pressed the shutter has not transferred to your image I feel. This is very two dimensional.  I feel I need something more here to hold my attention at A grade level. Not Accepted
Awatere Moonrise	Not Accepted	The gold moon rises over Awatere and the sea. I would like to see the moon a little more on the third and the image slightly lighter, although projecting it on the screen may lighten it somewhat. I am looking for another area of interest to support the moon and tell me more about the area you are photographing as per the brief. Not Accepted.
Back Country Christmas	Merit	I hope there is something stronger than water in those glasses. A memorable portrait of Christmas at Gosling hut. The orange is a powerful colour which dominates and creates a bright and cheerful image. I like the boots scattered in the foreground as though you couldn’t wait to get them off. Merit
Cloudy Bay	Accepted	The iconic blue/green of the sea tells me I am on or near the East Coast. In this image the rain shower and the rocks in the foreground are a good beginning, however I feel a little lost within this landscape that is perhaps trying to fit too much within it. Accepted.
El Nino on the Wither Hills	Merit	Nicely picked out of the larger landscape, this well composed image tells me a little about the environment and how dry it can become on the hills. The fence line draws us into the image as it marches us to the top of the hill. The grass is blown out on an angle along the fence line by a strong wind and looks sharp enough to stab anyone who walks close enough. Merit
Grape harvest in Marlborough	Accepted	The image shows the grapes as they are loaded onto a specialised trailer. Perhaps showing the person who is driving the vehicle would give us a human connection with the process. Technically a good image but I would like to feel a closer connection with the image. Acceptance
Grapevines of Marlborough!	Honors	Some good thinking has gone into this composition about what you wanted to be included, and consequently what should be excluded. The curves are dynamic and our eye is taken on a journey along the front curve. A simple image but one you have made your own. Honours
Marlborough Boulders	Accepted	I have heard about these boulders but not yet seen them. I think the  light from the side has created strong shadows that would have perhaps benefitted from some fill-in-flash. I find shadow/highlights in Photoshop useful for these occasions but there are many ways to improve this problem. Acceptance
Pelorus mail boat	Accepted	The wide view is useful to show a little more of the environment surrounding  the mail boat as it leaves the harbour. I struggle to see more than a snap shot however and I am looking for more inspiration from an author in A grade. Try pushing your creativity more when you have a rather static image such as this scene.  Acceptance
Picton	Accepted	The view from an elevation above Picton helps to create interest with the lines of the jetty and the streets as they fan out. The wilding wattle trees on the hills are not good for the environment but add some colour. I would suggest cropping some of the left side of the image including most of the sky. This makes the best possible use of the line of the jetty and the angles of the streets, and also shuts out the shadows to the left. Acceptance
Seymour Square Fountain	Merit	Well controlled lighting  gives the impression this may have been taken during the blue hour.  The fountain which is coloured  by the lighting glows a ghostly green. The square format suits the image I think. For something that is so geometric in composition, take particular care to exactly centralize everything, although you are very close. Merit.
Shearing Muster	Accepted	The very bright sky pulls my attention away from the excellent subject and you could completely remove it I feel. The Sheppard and his dogs have the densely packed sheep under very good control as they move down the slope. The crop is  tight at the left side and more room could be added for the sheep to walk into. Acceptance
Shoreline Patterns-Rarangi	Merit	There is a nice contrast here between the white in the waves as they recede, the golden sand, and the grey and white stones. This view would be a great place to experiment with camera movement, moving the camera from horizontally if you feel inclined to give this a go. The image has nicely balanced shapes and colours. Merit.
SS Kennedy at Wairau Bar	Accepted	The diagonal angle of the prow of the boat draws my eye upwards. The mist has the feel of an added layer that is not quite natural in appearance. If it had been faded out a little more perhaps it may disappear more into the background and not take my attention away from the subject. If this is a natural mist my result will be identical.   Acceptance
Storm clouds over the Wairau	Accepted	The river curves its way through the hills as the curtains of rain begin to obscure the view from us. My eyes seem to flick from the sky in the top third down to the bright grassy areas in the bottom third. My recommendation would be to perhaps crop a quarter of the image at the top which would give a more panoramic format. In my opinion the scene would become more balanced and the bright area of sun lit grass an interesting focal area at the base.  Acceptance
The Cape	Merit	The well worn contours of the land draw me through the image towards the lighthouse standing at the tip of the headland and guarding the rocks from any ship tempted to get too close. The colours are muted allowing the textures to stand out. A well proportioned and controlled perspective although I would prefer if the top of the lighthouse was perhaps not bisecting the horizen line. Merit
Ward beach	Merit	Strong composition is the first thing I notice about this image. I like the black and white treatment, as with the colour removed I notice the textures in the rocks and sky more strongly. The longer exposure has smoothed out the water as it runs between the rocks. I find the sun a trifle bright. Merit
Whites Bay	Honors	The author has thought about what they want from this scene, and has crafted the image carefully from the time the  shutter button was pushed until they tweaked it in post production. Technical ability is proven with the long exposure creating  silky water, and the composition well chosen with the angle of the long runnel of water leading us up to the hole in the rock. This is perfectly placed and has a mini view showing through the hole. The colouring of the sky compliments the balance of the image. Nice one. Honours.
Wither Hills Reflections	Accepted	The scene is reflected in the water on a calm evening. I like the way the late afternoon light highlights the repetitive folds in the hills. I appreciate the feeling of peace and tranquility you must have felt when taking this image but I feel it needs another element to keep me interested. Acceptance
Whenuanui Bay Marlborough Sounds	Accepted	An iconic NZ scene with a relaxed feel. The rowing boat waits for the tide to refloat it in the current flat conditions. The boat is relatively close to the base of the image and  I would suggest to allow a little more space around it. Perhaps also some fill in flash could have been used to illuminate the base of the boat. Acceptance
A Grade - Open
Hungry hummingbird	Honors	The Hummingbird is seen against a lovely clean background with no distractions. The iridescent colours on the breast stand out and the pink flower contrasts well against all the green tones.  Well taken. Honours
Lillies	Accepted	An interesting dark image of a group of Lilly flowers shown against a black background.  The HDR feel is perhaps a little obvious but does bring out the detail in the petals. I appreciate your idea if you meant it to have such a dark and intense feel, although my preference is for a brighter presentation for this image. Acceptance
On Fire	Merit	This softly focused image of an orange poppy is dark, but has enough light and detail remaining to create an image that I feel is well positioned and artistically balanced. I like the delicate edges of the petals and the way the light glows on the poppy. Merit
Stacked!	Accepted	I have seen these rocks before but can’t think where. I like the contrast between the solidarity of the rocks and the softness of the water which is enhanced by the slight movement in the water as it travels past. The rocks look as though they have been stacked carefully like children’s blocks. Perhaps a little brightness needed but would depend on the brightness level when projected. Acceptance

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