competition images

Hi All,

Below are a selection of my images that I wish to enter into a competition - I would appreciate your feedback concerning the suitability of these images into a major event.

Please be honest and give me the good and bad feedback - if you feel that these aren't good enough please say so.

The images are labeled from a to j please rate them from best to worst.

http://www.imagesdownunder.com/comptest

Thanks for your feedback.

regards

ron

Hi Ron,

That is a nice set of images. If you want my honest opinion...

I would say that at least on my screen the colours seem kind of muted, not sure why but they don't jump out like they should

Also, i might omit shots h, i think it is a crab but is a bit confusing and doesn't really grab the judge's attention.

Also shot j, its a great shot but the out of focus black bit at the bottom right i feel is too distracting to be used as a competition image.

Hopefully that helps,

Mike

ps, have you added your competition to our growing photo competition database in the Galley section?

Hi Ron

I don't nornally get ointop wetpixel that much, but stopped by this morning and saw your post. I've judged a few competitions in my time and can give you a honest opinion of your images if I may. I'm saying this to give you an idea of how a judge would look at your images - all of them a brilliant shots but a few a let down a little so you may think of replacing them.

Here goes:

a: lovely shot which looks ordinary at first until you spot the smaller fish which lifts the image i'd definatly kep this one

b: another great shot, but I'd prefer it to be either cropped tighter or the main subject positioned off centre (lower perhaps)

c: Another great image, but background is a little distracting could do with being darker to pic subject out.

d: Lovely image with somehting going on

e: A good image as normally you only see these shrimps in close up. However there is dead space in top left of image.

f: Lovely profile, but again background is distracting

g: Good detail study, but could do with seahorse turned towards the photographer rather than away

h: I agree with Mike on this one it is not cropped close enough to distinguish what the subject is. Otherwise a great shot

i: beautiful shot - the lighter background does not disturb here.

j: This image really needs a tighter crop.

I hope you are not offended by my comments as I've tried to look at your selection as a judge would. They are lovely images with vibrant colours (on my screen), but you may have others which are slightly better. It is all very subjective at the end of the day as well as I have entered comptitions in the past with images which I though would do well and haven't and other which I just used to fill up categories that went on to win, so you can never really tell.

Good luuck with the comp though and I hope I have helped.

Hi Ron,

The colours look great on my screen. I am using Safari, which I know can read colour spaces and this might be why.

They are all good images. I judge competitions pretty regularly. But it is difficult to know how harsh to be with comments, without seeing the standard of the competition! I have assumed this is for an important competition - with lots of equally strong images.

a) The pink anemonefish and banggai. I think the interest of this image is the meeting of the two fish. Therefore I find this shot slighty to wide. I think the black in the top corner is distracted. If images only need to be A4 (30cm) then you could crop this one? Well worth entering on interest factor - I think it is a very appealing shot, but needs a slightly tighter crop.

B) Blue ring. Interesting shot of cool critter with eggs. Background pretty uninteresting and subject is a bit lost in it. Also you are not on eyelevel of the octo. The slightly downward camera angle reduces eye contact with the viewer and subject (plus reduces the separation with the background). Again worth entering for behaviour/interest value. If the judges haven't seen a shot like this before it could do very well.

c) Hairy froggy fishing. Another nice behaviour shot. Technically good and full of the eye contact that wasn't in the blue ring shot (although still a bit of a downward camera angle). Technically good - but with so many photographers going to Lembeh I think that there may be several near identical shots in the competition, which means that none will win. If you think that there won't be lots of lembeh shots then get this one in there.

d) Jawfish. Good behaviour and characterful shot. Could do very well. Let down a bit by the centre of the frame composition. If you could crop it a bit differently it could be a winner. Not the most colourful, but character goes a long way in fish portraits.

e) Slug and shrimp. This shot is probably the weakest of the set.

f) Weedy pygmy. Nice image. Requires the judges to know what it is. If they thing that this is a normal sized seahorse then it won't do anything. If they know how small it is then they will appreciate your skill and it could do well.

g) Yellow bargibanti. I would not enter this one. Too many pygmy shots around, and unless they are totally perfect and different they aren't going to win. This is a good book/magazine shot. But not a competition shot - lacks a punchy colour and the seahorse is ever so slightly facing away.

h) Skeleton shrimp. I can't see the eyes, as it is turning away from the camera. I would not enter this one.

i) Elegant squatty. I like the background (sponge) which shows the crinoid and squatty well. But I find the composition unbalanced to my taste. I wouldn't go with this one.

j) Zebra crab on urchin. Great colours and contrast. Compositionally a bit uninteresting. With a subject that stands out this well on the background I would have gone for a more off centre position for it. But if you have to enter large prints this could do well.

So I would go for a (but cropped a bit more tightly) and b (if the judges haven't seen a shot of this it could do very well). C is also strong (but there may be others) and D could do very well (with a slightly different crop). Finally f could do well if the judges know what it is.

I have said all that assuming this is a normal (but high standard) UW photog competition. I would have chosen different shots if this is a land competition (where g would do well). And if this is a "lembeh" competition then you have to think carefully what the judges are looking for. If they want to promote the wierd creatures of Lembeh then the clownfish is not going to appeal.

Alex

Thanks for the reply , I appreciate your comments.

The images have only been slightly sharpened as I understand, too much adjustment can disqualify you?

How much is too much????

thanks

ron

Hi Ron,

You've gotten some great input on the shots. I just wanted to emphasize the Bluering shot by cropping it tighter. I'm big on behaviour pics. Wish I had captured it.

Thanks for all the comments and they are really helpful.

attached is a second image of the bluering - no image adjustments other than slight cropping. Do you feel this is a better image?

thanks

ron

I prefer the new one Ron, but it does look a bit dark on my monitor.

I think it lacks some zip with the lighting. Wish I had the shot but...

The composition is an improvement. Much more impact. I think it needs a bit more brightness and contrast. But I like it (wish I had seen it too).

Alex