Just Resting
Maker: Phyllis Feiock -- 36 points 1st Place Judge's comments: Excellent detail throughout; beautiful find Maker's comments:
Backyard Beggar
Maker: Brian Narveson -- 34 points 2nd Place Judge's comments: Caught in the act; nice lighting and detail; background nicely blurred; very sharp Maker's comments: Shot in my backyard. This squirrel is darker than most and when not in direct sun looks almost black. Shot with a Canon 60D and Tamron 150-600m mounted on a tripod. Aperture priority set to f/8 for depth of field. ISO 800. Camera selected shutter speed at 1/30 second so I had to wait for the squirrel to be still. All natural light.
Mushrooms
Maker: Sue Retzlaff -- 32 points Hon. Mention Judge's comments: Nice lighting and detail; sharp; bark frames mushrooms Maker's comments:
Splash of Color at Mammoth Springs
Maker: Wanda Finn -- 32 points 3rd Place Judge's comments: Great color diagonal; even lighting; sharp from front to back Maker's comments:
Sandhill Cranes
Maker: Al Sheldon -- 31 points Hon. Mention Judge's comments: Nice interaction and great story Maker's comments:
Sand Hill Crane
Maker: Brian Narveson -- 31 points Hon. Mention Judge's comments: Nice composition; lighting is even; lots of detail--eye is very sharp Maker's comments: Shot with my Canon 7D Mark ii and a Tamron 150-600mm lens set at 500mm hand held. Location was the Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge. Sunny afternoon but diffused light through the trees. Aperture priority set at f/8 so get a little depth of field but blur the background. ISO 800 to get the shutter speed up to 1/640 and avoid camera shake with the long lens.
Winter's Weed
Maker: Eileen Roesler -- 31 points Hon. Mention Judge's comments: Nice shadow and detail in the snow; good eye Maker's comments:
Strutting for the Lady
Maker: Wanda Finn -- 30 points Judge's comments: Colors are nice; the head is very sharp; discussion regarding crop Maker's comments:
Fall at Amnicon
Maker: Paul Abraham -- 30 points Judge's comments: Like the direction of the flow of the water; smooth water on sharp rocks is interesting contrast; good color; might like an even slower shutter speed for pool on the bottom Maker's comments:
Autumn Birch
Maker: John Zoerb -- 29 points Voted Acc. Judge's comments: Beautiful colors; birch in foreground is nice center of interest; line of birches on the diagonal is lovely; would make a great painting Maker's comments:
Hooter
Maker: Brandon Wanke -- 28 points Judge's comments: Nice shot; good color; could use more depth of field Maker's comments:
Seagull
Maker: Brian Barney -- 27 points Judge's comments: Bird is extremely sharp; lovely colors; might crop out distractions; less depth of field to blur the background more Maker's comments:
Colorful
Maker: John Schilling -- 26 points Judge's comments: Beautiful colors; nicely framed; lots of detail; more background blur would really set off the butterfly Maker's comments:
Milkweed
Maker: Shirley Gates -- 26 points Judge's comments: Great idea for black and white; like the S curve; background does not compete; whites are beautiful but the seed heads have no detail Maker's comments:
That's going to be a tough one to swallow
Maker: Mike Hanson -- 25 points Judge's comments: Wonderful capture; head and fish are very sharp Maker's comments:
Frozen
Maker: Katie Weisbecker -- 24 points Judge's comments: Great idea; lovely colors; a close up of leaf and ice around it would be very interesting Maker's comments:
Northern Leopard Frog
Maker: Al Sheldon -- 22 points Judge's comments: Format suits the image; discussion regarding the green line Maker's comments:
Fall Color
Maker: Doyle Gates -- 21 points Judge's comments: Pink color has interest and impact; many lines compete with flower Maker's comments:
Winter Sunset
Maker: Doyle Gates -- 20 points Judge's comments: Nice time of day for this shot; needs a center of interest Maker's comments: