Orange Beauty
Maker: Brian Narveson -- 34 points 1st Place Judge's comments: Nice angle of butterfly; sharp throughout and great detail; true color Maker's comments: This image was shot handheld with my Canon 60D. The locations was the Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, North Carolina. Since I was hand holding I used aperature priority to ensure depth of field (f/8) but pushed the ISO to 800 to get the shutter speed up to 1/200. Used a Cannon macro zoom set to 135mm.
Pink Nectar
Maker: Brian Narveson -- 34 points 2nd Place Judge's comments: Bee is sharp throughout; good position and depth of field; petals of flower lack detail Maker's comments: This image was shot handheld with my Canon 60D. I used aperature priority to ensure depth of field (f/11). I pushed the ISO to 800 to get enough shutter speed 1/160 to compensate for hand holding. I used a Canon macro zoom lense set to 135mm. It was late afternoon and sun was shining.
Ol' Bright Eyes
Maker: Judith Bautch -- 32 points Hon. Mention Judge's comments: Very nice coloration and angle of the grasshopper; might crop gaps from bottom and a little on left; tail is a little soft Maker's comments:
Whoooo me?
Maker: Vicki Burritt -- 32 points Hon. Mention Judge's comments: Nice placement; owl is just a little soft; might crop out some of the bright background in the right; could be half a stop darker Maker's comments:
Gateway To Pictured Rocks
Maker: Julie Wanke -- 32 points Hon. Mention Judge's comments: Interesting subject matter; nice splash gives center of interest; could be half a stop darker; could crop a bit from bottom Maker's comments:
Spiderwort
Maker: Brandon Wanke -- 32 points 3rd Place Judge's comments: Very sharp; nice cluster of flowers; little shimmer on top flower that is not sharp Maker's comments:
Flying Free
Maker: Cindy Hanson -- 31 points Judge's comments: Nice feeling of action; room for bird to move; eye looks a little soft Maker's comments:
Looking Down At Sandbars & Current Of Wisconsin River
Maker: Sonja Haske -- 27 points Judge's comments: Very true, pleasing fall color; would like to see more of the s-curve on left; stopping down would pop saturation of color and reduce haze; maker could move camera up and left Maker's comments: If one hasn't been to Ferry Bluff near Sauk City, it is a great place for pictures - this was taken during the "golden hour". I was using my Shutter Priority setting at: 1/800 sec., f/4, ISO 200, and lens at 70mm.
Saskatchewan River Alberta Canada
Maker: Michael Herde -- 27 points Judge's comments: Like the overall composition--very pleasing; needs more depth of field beyond the flowers Maker's comments:
Morning Dew
Maker: Judith Bautch -- 27 points Judge's comments: Nice dew drops; would like to see the whole flower and have it sharp, or move in closer; background nicely out of focus Maker's comments:
Nature Giving Praise
Maker: Katie Weisbecker -- 25 points Judge's comments: Very interesting idea; like the sharpness of the left-hand spike; suggest breaking off dead plant in the middle Maker's comments: Took this picture while walking on the Great River State Trail. I was trying different settings on my camera and got down low to try to capture some trees with the sun above them. When I saw the picture I loved how the one lonely twig looked like it was praising the sun.
Day is Done
Maker: Bill Wolf -- 25 points Judge's comments: Nice blue in the water; the overall image is soft and might not be straight; might crop sky to just above the bluff Maker's comments:
Fall at the Waterfall
Maker: Linda Hansen -- 24 points Judge's comments: A very busy image; a polarizer would help the glare Maker's comments:
Kristina
Maker: Cindy Hanson -- 0 points Judge's comments: Maker's comments: