Winner Chosen - June 2011 - Admin's choice - Image of the month

**Marko** · 07-07-2011 05:03 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.

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 Astbury by Richard

I chose this image for several reasons:

Gesture/Mood - The overall 'gesture' is beautifully captured in this image. Richard captured his daughter in mid-step while walking through nature playing with a leaf and a flower. It feels as though she may have been daydreaming; in fact the whole image has a daydreamy quality due in good part to the 'gesture' and wonderful backlighting.

Post-Processing - The (PP) post-processing here works very well to support the image. I really like the vignetting all around the girl as it emphasizes the girl's walk through a field of flowers and sunshine.

Selective focus - Shallow depth of field is classically used to have the girl stand out against the dreamy background.

Lighting/exposure - Backlighting was well chosen here as the light is quite harsh but the image doesn't have a very harsh feel. The girl's face looks well exposed and appears comfortable and natural because the sun is not blasting it directly. The specular highlights on the hair, hand and around the clothing are wonderful warm accents and do not distract.

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 Richard for seeing and capturing this wonderful photo!