Photo Contests-Jan '11-Results and Critiques

[Call_Me_Bob]

good entries everyone!! this keeps getting better and better

good luck to all entrants

[kavanaru]

did I miss something?

[Call_Me_Bob]

here are the results for the beginner category, the advanced category will be in soon

first place goes to... greatfix1995

second place....... CTB hilo sparkle

third place....... orchidvalley


Photo A- CTB Blc Greenwich “Elmhurst”
Too much contrast due to overly harsh lighting. This washes out areas of the flower. The angle of view is good, but I’d shift it over to the left.

Photo B- CTB Beallara “Hilo Sparkle” Second place. Background is busy, lighting is clean, focus is good.

Photo C- CTB Ctsm Kidney Beans
Lighting is good, but the odd angle of the pot and the edge of the window are distracting elements.

Photo D OrchidValley Paph delenati
Good depth of field, composed for symmetry but flat lighting and shadows on the black background detract from the photo.

Photo E OrchidValley Third Place
Flash lighting is a little harsh, but great depth of field. A suggestion: put a piece of Kleenex over the flash to serve as a diffuser.

Photo F greatfix1959 First Place
A nearly perfect photo- I like the angle of the light, and the plain background. A little bit of foliage would put the plant in context.

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by kavanaru

did I miss something?

nope, i just now posted it

[kavanaru]

Originally Posted by help

nope, i just now posted it

Actually, yes.. I missed the whole contest

[susiep]

I missed it, too!

[Connie Star]

Maybe people were just too busy over the holidays?

[camille1585]

Partially due to the holidays I think, but there was also the entire month of january to enter pics. No, I think the main reason is that the threads stayed buried deep in the forum for a few weeks, so most people forgot/didn't know about it. The November threads were constantly be bumped up.

[Call_Me_Bob]

too bad you missed it!

[Call_Me_Bob]

THANK YOU ALL FOR ENTERING!
here they are....

1ST PLACE - HELP - PHAL NOID
2ND PLACE - CK YEO - BATHING APE HIDING IN THE FLOWER
3RD PLACE - TIE
VAL - THE AWAKENING
CAMILLE - Dendrobium aphyllum

A- Val- nice colors. nice use of lights and darks. composition could use some work. the background is more distracting than complementary

B-Val- THIRD PLACE- same as above, nice colors, but the composition could use some work. the flower in the background is distraction and creates to many mergers/ try taking the picture from a different angle. good clarity on the bud

C-Val- a little boring. my eyes are drawn to the edges of the petal. i cannot find the focal point. try experimenting with the cropping

D-CK Yeo- SECOND PLACE- nice composition nice depth of field. good movement and lines.

E- Help - FIRST PLACE - nice composition and good clarity. good depth of field as well as good movement.

F - Help - huge hotspot on the top left. Too many mergers. The main orchid had nice back lighting, but needs to be brighter.

G - Help - not very focused, bad mergers on the right and the flower in the back. The picture does have nice angles, especially along the bottom.

H - Camille - Mergers on the bottom left. Focus could be better. Work on the composition a little more. The gray pixely background is a distracting. Nice negative space!

I - Connie Star - small picture, so I can tell if it is clear or not. Try to to eliminate the spike in the back - it is a merger and leads the eye off of the picture. Otherwise, nice movement. The flash on the bloom is a bit bright.

J- YSA - Nice focus. Flower merger on the right. Composition too centered. Flash is harsh. Looks like a snapshot rather than a piece of art.

K - YSA - distracting background. lines lead my eyes out of the picture. very nice plant tho! try it again using a simple dark background (poster board, black material, etc)

L - YSA - picture is grainy. The bud is the sharpest part of the picture, but is too far to the bottom. Try to recrop it bringing the bud to better focal place. The partial flower at the bottom is distracting.

M - Jim Blanford - nice clarity. flash is a bit harsh. the stake and frame are distracting. the orchid is slightly crooked.

N - Jim Blandford - vignette is too big and distracting. Nice composition and movement, but cropped in too tightly. needs to be more in focus. the center petal is too bright.

O - Jim Blandford - distracting background. Bottom petal is a merger. frame doesnt add to the picture. More of snap shot than a piece of art.

P - Silken - subject too close to the edge of the picture, otherwise, good composition. Background has spots on it. the light on the top right petal makes the eye focus there, but the picture is clearest in the center.

Q- Silken - the water drop is a little distracting, seems fake. The top right petal is the most clear part of the photo, but the lips should be the most clear since the are the are main focus of the photo. the frame is cool idea, but doesnt quite work for me - the petals to the right need to be complete and not cut off.

R - Silken - I wish this picture was focused more sharply. The sharpest part seems to be the bud which is out of the focal range. The top and right side are cropped too tightly causing mergers. Almost a really great picture.
Because of the mergers, I can't tell if the pink border adds to the picture or not.

S - Camille - THIRD PLACE - good light and focus, nice texture. I am bothered by the merger at the top left and feel that it is too tightly cropped on the top. Try cropping the left side also - as it is, the stem leads my eye off of the picture a little