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View Full Version : Winner Chosen - July 2012 - Admin's choice - Image of the month



Marko
08-07-2012, 12:08 PM
Hi members,

In case you are new around here this is where the Admin (me) chooses one excellent photo each month from all the photos nominated by other members during that month in the Member's monthly choice forum (http://www.photography.ca/Forums/f27/july-2012-nominate-another-members-photo-here-18330.html).

Kudos to all the nominees as this month has been the most difficult one for me since we started doing this. 2/3 of the nominated photos could have been chosen by me as Admin's choice of the month. The subject matter is SO different though and I keep going back and forth as to which one I should talk about this month.

Just so it's clear, the photo I choose is not necessarily the best one of the month. I've come to realize it's not really logical to pit images from totally different genres against each other. That's why there are categories in photo contests.

My goal is to simply choose an excellent photo and talk about why I think it rocks.

This month's choice is Pink (http://www.photography.ca/Forums/f20/pink-18467.html) by Barefoot

I chose this image for several reasons:

1 - Composition - The is a very interesting and unusual composition of a gorgeous bird sleeping. I really like the curve all around the bird's body and where the eye falls in the image. The framing is also interesting here and Barefoot has clearly 'made this his own'. The pure black background also creates interesting negative space here.

2 - Lighting - The lovely lighting here is soft overall and reveals lovely detail in most of the bird's plumage. That said, certain areas of the photograph are quite dark but not too dark for my eye. I really like the dramatic aspect of the light in those selective zones.

3 - Post processing - The post processing here is lovely. Making the background go to pure black doesn't always work but it works very well here to compliment the form of the bird. I dare say that some of the darker areas in the bird's plumage actually match the background and this works for me. The bird is rendered in desaturated tones that I find very striking and suitable to the subject and mood of the image.

For all these reasons, this is my choice for image of the month. Since we all have opinions, some members may disagree with my choice. That's cool but THIS thread is not the place for debate over my pick, NOR is it the place to further critique the image. The purpose here is to suggest strong elements in the photo that we may learn from.

Congrats again Barefoot!

Runmonty
08-07-2012, 06:58 PM
Congratulations Barefoot - great image

Barefoot
08-08-2012, 01:46 AM
Man, I don't know what to say. I do appreciate the honor in light of the fact that there were far better photographs, in my view, to choose from.

Thanks, Marko.

AntZ
08-08-2012, 09:26 AM
Congrats Barefoot. Well deserved.

Iguanasan
08-10-2012, 11:51 AM
Man, I don't know what to say. I do appreciate the honor in light of the fact that there were far better photographs, in my view, to choose from.

Thanks, Marko.

I accept your modesty but not your premise. There are always great shots to choose from but this one stood out to me from the moment I saw it.