I Was the Photo Contest Judge/Part I; My Picks and Why & $10 Discount Winner « Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

I Was the Photo Contest Judge/Part I; My Picks and Why & $10 Discount Winner

Hand Update

I co-led Denise’s Ippolito’s Creative Flower Photography Workshop at Chanticleer Gardens on Friday afternoon and along with friends Mike and Karen Lotito we photographed at Longwood Gardens on Saturday morning. More on that here soon. The hand is feeling a better each day and I can now see the knuckles on the back of my left hand. How good does it get?

I Was the Photo Contest Judge/Part I; My Picks and Why

The contest images were sent to me on CD less than a week before the program in Connecticut. I had fun doing the judging. There were no cries for me to be lynched when the results were announced at the end of the seminar. Below are my picks for the Nature section of the contest. We will do the same thing with the six top bird photographs soon.

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Lizard on Rock, Punta Uva, Costa Rica. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. Canon 580EX II Flash with Better Beamer. Image copyright David Peller.

I awarded first place in the Nature division of the contest to Lizard on a Rock. The main reason for doing so was that the image put a smile on my face; how many times have you seen a lizard holding an umbrella in the rain? (Sarah Mayhew was on target with the comment she made on May 25, 2011 at 1:48 am.) The image was pleasingly composed, it was sharp, and it was properly exposed. And with the photographer pretty much on the same level as the animal the image has an intimate feel to it. Though there were lots of excellent images in the final six (and beyond), Lizard on a Rock was the clear winner for me.

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Fall River Scene, Baxter Stater Park, ME. Tamron 18-270mm lens (for Canon) with the Canon EOS-7D. Image Copyright Drea Koval. Note: Tamron 18-270mm lens (for Nikon).

I chose Fall River Scene as the 2nd place image in the nature division for its soft light, its sweet colors, and its pleasing composition. A nice breeze gave the leaves a soft, impressionistic look as if the image had been created with some sort of filter. (Note: no filter was used.) I also liked the sky quite a bit.

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Fire and Ice. Canon 300mm f/4L IS lens with the Canon 12 mm Extension tube and theEOS-1D Mark IV. Gitzo 4531S with the Wimberley Head V-2 head. Image copyright Carole Wiley. Note: the Wimberley head is massive overkill for the 300f/4. The Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head is–at present–the ideal tripod head for all intermediate telephoto lenses.

I awarded Fire and Ice third place in the Nature section of the contest for its wonderful colors, the lovely background, the crisp focus on the butterfly’s face, and the narrow depth-of-field.

The Bullfrog, which also put a smile on my face, was obviously a superb image and perhaps on a different day I would have rated it higher. Swallowtail Sex was beautifully framed and the photographer did a great job of paralleling the subjects. It would have rated higher but for the chopped off blade of grass in the lower left corner…. I liked the sharpness of the White-faced Capuchin and the fact that the photographer handled the off-angled light well. The background was a bit busy for my taste. You can see the six images and all the comments here.

$10 Discount Winner

Thanks all for playing. Though nobody matched my picks first through third exactly, Jaclyn was the only entrant to have all three of my picks as her three top picks so she is the winner of the BIRDS AS ART On-Line Store $10 discount. On May 26, 2011 at 9:12 am she commented as follows: 1st: Fire & Ice, 2nd: Lizard on Rock, 3rd: Fall River Scene. Congrats Jaclyn.

At the time of my posting this the Bullfrog was the clear popular choice with 34 first place votes far out-pacing my choice, Lizard on a rock with only 8 first place votes. Congrats to the winning photographers and thanks again to everyone for playing.

10 comments to I Was the Photo Contest Judge/Part I; My Picks and Why & $10 Discount Winner

  • J Lambert

    I did not make choices in the earlier posting, but I know I wouldn’t have chosen the lizard with a growth sprouting out of its head…now if it had a paw around the stock of the plant different story, but I see both front paws firmly on the ground

    • Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Jeez, it is amazing how many brave folks are coming out from under their rocks after the fact :).

  • Dean Savill

    I would normally agree with your assesments, but this time I’m with Arla. Would you have choosen a bird with a twig coming out of it’s head? No, a quick mask would be used to remove it.
    Hope the hand’s okay and the drugs are working okay.

  • Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

    Jack Whatever Your Name Is, Sorry that I missed your expert picks. You too shall enjoy a $10 discount on your next order at the BAA On-Line Store. Just let Jim know to check the blog. 🙂

  • Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

    Arla, Thanks for sharing your thoughts. One woman’s distraction is another man’s umbrella…. Just how do you think that I got to be world famous?

  • Jack Breakfast

    Arthur Morris! What about me? My top 3 was your top 3 and I guessed on May 25. I don’t mean to quibble, of course, but I did pick the same three as you, perhaps because our minds our somehow linked due to Yiddish words and phrases? Hmm. Still and all, I do hope you’re feeling better…
    Best to you,
    Jack Breakfast
    (not his real name, obviously, but a good name to work with)

  • Arla

    IMHO the lizard was the worst, as it looks like the plant is coming out of its head. That would never cut it with any of the instructors I’ve learned from over the years. Then again, a world famous professional can choose whatever he wants! 🙂

  • Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

    Sorry Lowell, The judging was before any medications….

  • Sarah Mayhew

    Thanks Artie. You did choose the Lizard photo! It put a smile on my face too!

    Sarah

  • lowell dickson

    The drugs have had a profound effect on your judgement.