Sunrise and/or Sunset - hand in Oct 12th. Digital and Print

Grade

Title

Rating

Comments

 GRADE A -  Set subject - PRINT

A

Hazy Days Of Marlborough

H

I love the warm golden tones which are darker in the foreground and gradually become lighter into the distance.  The landscape of receding hills creates an interesting pattern which encourages the viewer to explore.

 GRADE A - Open subjectt - PRINT

A

Clearance From The South

H

I enjoyed the story the image tells of improving weather.  As your eyes move across the scene the blue sky reduces until there is no blue on the right, just cloud.  The inclusion of the three rocks creates foreground interest and adds depth to the image.  To see all the detail especially in the snowy mountains it is necessary to  look at the image closely.

Grade

Title

Rating

Comments

 GRADE C - Set subject

C

Day is done

M

Tonight the sun is sinking behind a  heavy bank of clouds which are sitting on the hill tops.  What I did enjoy in this image were the bands of different coloured clouds which made the scene interesting.

C

Kapiti

H

In the foreground there is a area of beautiful golden light where raised bits of sand are back lit with strong shadows. The setting sun creates a path across the water to Kapiti Island.  I like the way the darkness in the foreground and at the top of the image  hold our eyes in to the golden light around Kapiti.

C

Rotoiti Sunrise

H

It is interesting the way the wharf splits this image into two contrasting halves. On the left it is in shadow - blue and cold while to the right the morning sun is hitting the lake and far shoreline and the colours are warmer.  Over the lake there is added interest from rising mists.  To hold our eyes in the image, especially on the right I suggest you try a very subtle darkening of this side of the image. Try using the lasso tool with a huge feather (maybe 200+px) to draw a freehand circle around the image near the outside. Invert this to select the outer edge and use either levels or curves to very subtly darken the outer edge of the image.

C

Sunrise at Monkey Bay

H

This is a nicely composed image.  In the foreground there are interesting patterns created by the kelp as it moves with the flow of the water.  In the middle there are rocks which hold us into the image and in the background there are lovely patterns in the clouds.  If possible try lightening just the foreground to bring out some beautiful colour in the kelp and more detail in  the rocks.

C

Sunset Okaramio

M

The rising mists immediately make me feel the cold evening.  The building makes a strong focal point and the pink clouds add interest and colour to the scene.  The building gives the impression it is leaning to the left. The near end of the row of bare trees appear to be leaning to the right.  This can be corrected  by using a perspective adjustment tool in post processing.

C

Tasman Sea at Sunset

M

Tonight those heavy dark clouds are hiding much of the sunset apart from the rays of light which are able to shine through gaps in the cloud cover.  I find that my eyes keep being drawn to the sky and brighter clouds on the top frame.  You could consider cropping off this brighter area.

 GRADE C - Open subject

C

Floral Door

A

This is lovely art work disguising the existence of the door.  The lock and absence of a door handle suggest maybe it is a cupboard.  We do not appear to be able to see the bottom of the door and we are not given any sense of scale.  I think some would argue that this is a photo of someone’s art work  and that the photographer has not added enough to the story.

C

I see you

H

This is a delightful photo of a silvereye. The bird’s head is sharp and there is a catchlight in its eye.  I like the way the colour of the gorse flowers complement the colours of  the bird.

C

Iris 2

M

A lovely photo of an iris which is acceptably sharp from front to back.  The background is distracting.  Even if you had chosen an aperture/lens combination to blur the background further I think you would still have had problems with the bright leaves.  If possible try to photograph flowers in bright overcast conditions to avoid this problem.

C

Last of the evening light

A

Either this is a less frequented part of town or it is late in the evening as  there are so few people in the street. I liked  that  the image was sharp throughout. The wide angle lens has resulted in the buildings leaning in towards  the centre. You could alter the perspective in post processing so the buildings are parallel to the frame.

C

Lone Iris

A

The background is nicely blurred but the effect of the shallow depth of field on the flower has to been to have a very small area in the centre of the flower sharp.  I suggest next time you try photographing a flower like this that you move further way or use a different focal length so that you can include the whole of the flower and a little bit of its stem in the image.

GRADE B - Set subject

B

April sunset over Kaikoura

M

This is such a dramatic sky with reflections in the foreground water.  Although  the clouds at the top of the image are bright, overall the scene is rather under-exposed.  You could experiment with just adding light to the lower half of the image.  Unfortunately this will accentuate the out of focus foreground.

B

Canoe Bay Sunset

M

This is another dramatic sunset sky.  In this image I like the way the bright line of cloud carries your eyes towards the horizon.  For me the land is too dark.  You could try to lighten the just the midtones  or possibly the dark areas as well and then use a layer mask to confine the lightening to just the landscape without affecting the clouds

B

Cold shadows

M

I like the way the warm tones of the valleys where the low sun is catching the hills contrasts with the colder blue of the  shadows and the snowy tops in the background.  The interplay of light and shadows sculps the landscape.

B

Morning pace at kekerengu

A

This is such a fiery red sky with strong reflections on the sea.  On their own they are not enough to create a compelling image.  It looks as if you tried to create some foreground interest with the driftwood structure.  The fisherman in the lower right would have been a great foreground subject if he was a little bigger and placed further into the image.

B

Sth Bay Kaikoura 7:16am

A

In this image there is a sunlit path that takes our eyes across the water to the rising sun.  Once there we are able to enjoy some soft colours in the lower clouds.  However there is nothing strong enough to hold our interest for very long as the foreground rocks are silhouettes and  the land is very distant.

B

Tasman Bay Evening

M

This scene is bathed in a warm light from the colour in the sky to the reflected light on the water.  The silhouetted rocks provide some interest in the foreground but beyond that there is little to hold our interest.

B

Waiting for the golden hour

M

This photographer with camera at the ready on a tripod is strongly silhouetted against the colours in the sky.  Maybe this was just one of those times when a hint of  colour is all there was.  The image is nicely composed with the photographer on a third looking into the image.

 GRADE B - Open subject

B

A dog in the crowd

A

This dog is certainly the star of this photo.  I like the way it is looking straight at the photographer.  Considering the photo overall there is a group of two people on the right looking out of  the photo and a group on the left with the girl who is carrying the dog looking out of the photo to the left.  Consider concentrating on just the left group by cropping between the boy in blue and the girl in the right.  To balance the image you may also want to crop some from the top.

B

Night Church

A

It is nice to be able to see all the church in this lowlight. There is just a little bit  of open space at the end of the fence to allow us to slip in to the brightly light  part of the building.  This seems to be  a window  which will not allow us access to the church.  The doors with are to the right are firmly closed.

B

Poverty at street level

M

This a sad story which we often see in our cities.  The feeling of being alone and ignored is strengthened by the empty area around the beggar and the people who are walking away uncaring.

GRADE A - Set subject

A

Catlins Sunrise

H

While the  sunsrise is  the over-riding feature of this scene there is a lot in the composition to enjoy. In the foreground we start with the warm colours reflected in the wet sand.  Our eyes travel between the rocks which are just catching the early  sunlight.  The soft water is also picking up hints of colour.  Finally we are drawn to the sun rising on the distant horizon.

A

Foreboding Sky

H

The strong colours have created a very dramatic sky.  I like the way the silhouetted trees  on the left provide a base which grounds this scene.

A

Grovetown Lagoons

A

The golden sunrise colours reflected in the still waters of the lagoon are peaceful and appealing. However much of the image is taken up by the boardwalk  which has very little to interest the viewer.  When you were taking the photo you could move to a different position and fill  the sensor with the colour.  Now that the image  has been taken, consider cropping most of the boards out  so we can concentrate on the lovely sunrise colours.

A

High Fives

M

Those fiery red clouds form strong lines which carry our eyes down to the silhouetted hills along the horizon.  The strong shapes of the foreground plants gives an added feeling of depth within the image.

A

Hokitika Beach

M

This scene gives a feeling of being totally immersed in golden light. The two little rocks in the foreground are very important as  they provide some foreground interest which helps give depth to the scene. I think it would have been more effective if there was a stronger foreground element.

A

Kaikoura Sunrise

M

The soft lilac, pink and apricot colours of  the sunrise are peaceful.  The foreground rocks are strong shapes and  very detailed and to some extent compete with the soft colours for our attention.  If possible it would be nice to have had greater separation between the rocks and the distant hills.

A

Lake Sunset

H

The whole landscape is bathe in golden light.  The wharf provides foreground interest which leads us into the golden reflections on the lake. There is hidden detail in the featureless black land on either side of the lake.  It is possible that you might have been able to let us see a hint of this detail either in post processing or by using an HDR sequence.

A

Marine Dawn

M

Lovely warm light highlighting the path the ship has taken through the water. We start by exploring the stern of  the ship before moving to enjoy the path left by the ship’s movement through the water.  In comparison the sky isn’t as dramatic.  I suggest you try selecting just the sky and try darkening it a little to strengthen this part of the image.

A

Morning Glory

H

The streams of water carry our eyes through the image towards  the distant hills. In a similar fashion the clouds also carry our attention towards that distant point. I like the inclusion of some blue sky as it provides a visual rest from the more powerful reds.

A

Sailors Warning?

A

There is an indication of a weather change on the way but it is only affecting about a quarter of this scene.  In an image like this it is important that it is sharp from the foreground and unfortunately the grasses are rather  soft. 

A

Sandy Sunrise

M

The strong golden light of the sunrise sky is reflected in the  water creating a pattern of light and dark.  The rising sun and its reflection make a strong focal point.  The suns ray’s  add interest on the right.  We would like to see another element, maybe a person, to extend the story.

A

storm clouds at sunset

A

Those storm clouds are certainly beginning to billow up and the sun is catching them so they become the focal point of this image.  Apart from the title,  there is nothing in the image to indicate it has been taken at sunset.

A

sunrise over the vineyard

A

The mists and cool colours in the foreground give the feeling of a cold morning in the vineyard.  The rising sun  adds a warm glow to part of the misty scene. I would suggest cropping in closer to the sun to fill more  of the image with that lovely warm light.

A

The Promise

H

This silhouetted tree stands out proudly against the lovely colours in the sky.  Interest is added to the sky by the gradation of colour from the darker orange tones near the horizon to thee lighter yellows at the top of the image. A simple but effective image.

GRADE A - Open subject

A

Clearly Keeping Clear

M

A well timed action shot of this young athlete.  While it is important to show the context of the ride I find that the tree trunk on the left and the angled trunk on the  right are distracting. Neither are essential to the story and they could be cropped out. This would make the cyclist stronger in the image.

A

Misty Morning

H

There is something very peaceful about this image - the calm water and  the slightly blurred reflections.  It is well composed with the darkest area on the right to hold us in.