Category: Open This category is open to any subject that doesn't violate club rules or the law. There are no restrictions on digital manipulation. Learn more about categories Gallery is available Entries due: Judging: Showing: Sep 13 12:00pm This competition has been judged and shown at the meeting. You can see the results in the gallery below 4th of July in Red White and Blue Maker: Brian Christianson -- 39 points 1st PlaceJudge's comments: “Beautiful”. Tells a story. A little soft due to being on a vibrating bridge. The clouds fill in the void nicely. The partial building on the right should be cropped. The hotspots detract; better to choose a firework without the intense banging ones.Maker's comments: The Mississippi River lit by fireworks. Taken on July 4, 2011 from the Cass Street Bridge. Chrysanthemum Blanc Maker: Sue Retzlaff -- 37 points 2nd PlaceJudge's comments: The petals are well defined and the whites have texture and are not blown out. The two curled petals are a nice center of interest. Though not allowed in nature, the image would look better with the yellow spots cloned out.Maker's comments: Warning Shout Maker: Wanda Finn -- 34 points 3rd PlaceJudge's comments: Nice action shot. Beautiful wood. The birds leaning forward is nice and the colorful beaks make the center if interest. Perhaps cropping down to get rid of some of the black background. Also a little problem of merger between the birds and background that could use some fill lighting.Maker's comments: White Hibiscus Maker: Barb Gates -- 33 points Hon. MentionJudge's comments: Good detail. Nice red color cast. The angle is well chosen to have the pistol turned up, helping with the shallow DOF. More cropping all around would be good. Good texture and sharp all the way to the edges.Maker's comments: Spooky Marsh Maker: Michelle Cox -- 31 points Hon. MentionJudge's comments: Not natural looking enough for one judge. Interesting subject with good foreground. Cropping vertically between the branches would improve it.Maker's comments: This was taken at the first meeting down in the marsh. The lighting was pretty boring with barely any color in the sunset so I decided to have a little fun and do a dramatic HDR. The merging brought some color out of the clouds as well as giving it a spooky look. Robber Fly Maker: Dan Jackson -- 30 points Judge's comments: The fly is sharp but there is too much glare on the leaf. The hole in the bottom left draws the eye too much. Cropping to remove that would help. When not submitted to nature, darkening the corners would help as well.Maker's comments: Robber Fly Looking for Prey Trevi Fountain Maker: Julie Wanke -- 30 points Judge's comments: The bird on the head is the center of image but it is small and soft. When photographing sculpture, the challenge is to bring something new to the image so the credit isn't all due to the sculptor.Maker's comments: Rome Domes Maker: Phillip Wanke -- 30 points Judge's comments: Image is soft, especially on the right side. Perhaps show more on the bottom if it could be done without cutting off the steeple.Maker's comments: Scaredy Cat. Maker: Sarah Love -- 29 points Judge's comments: Visible eye pops. Good thinking outside the box. Nice leading lines with the receding shadow. Could be a little sharper.Maker's comments: Sunset Over Minnesota Maker: Cindy Hanson -- 28 points Judge's comments: Beautiful color. Having something in the water would give it more of a center of interest. Cropping to remove some of the leaves would declutter.Maker's comments: Frog Maker: Jennifer Miller -- 26 points Judge's comments: Focus is on the leg instead of the head, which is too sharp. Nice, accurate color on the frog but the grass may be a little off. The background is nicely out of focus but the foreground is cluttered.Maker's comments:
