Canon Online 2019 Round 1 – Results
Our judge for this round was Neil Gordon APSNZ. Though he retired from MetService in 2011, he remains passionate about meteorology. His images often feature the sky and clouds, including his 2015 “Painted Skies” APSNZ set. Having won the Laurie Thomas Landscape Salon in 2013 with one of his first photos on a new Fujifilm X-E1, he migrated from a Canon DSLR to Fuji mirrorless and currently enjoys using an X-T2. (Not that it’s about the gear.) Neil is a past president of the Kapiti Coast Photographic Society, and a former PSNZ Councillor.
Entries for the next round of the 2019 Canon Online competition close on 25 April. Entrants must be financial PSNZ members. Images must be uploaded via the PSNZ website and sized 1620px wide x 1080px high maximum dimensions.
Neil’s Comments;
This is the first time I’ve had the privilege of judging Canon Online. While enjoyable, it was quite a challenge to choose the top ten, let alone rank them. There was a huge variety of genres and styles in the 115 entries. I found it relatively easy to choose my top twenty or so, but a lot harder to narrow it down after that. I sought images that had an enduring engagement for me, well beyond their initial impact. Congratulations to the winners for their success, and thanks to all for entering.
- Flamingo – Lynn Fothergill LPSNZ
What beautiful textures and soft colours, with the flamingo balanced on its thin and almost impossibly long legs. I like the use of a clean black background to make the bird really stand out. My eye goes back and forth between the body and the head, enjoying the textures. And I can’t help but smile at the comical appearance of the upside down beak. Exquisite.
- The Final Forehand – Liz Hardley FPSNZ, EFIAP/b, LRPS
I can feel the power of the shot, with the bulging veins in the player’s arm, and the oval shape of the ball indicating how fast it must be moving. I love how the sloping lines and the strong diagonal shadows add to the sense of drama and power. Then there is the delightful surprise of noticing the shadow of the flicked shoelace – another indication of fast action.
- It Is a Happy Talent to Know How to Play and Imagine – Rebecca MacDonald APSNZ
I can’t stop smiling at this. The boy looks so happy, imagining he is splashing in the shallows with his elephant friend. It’s beautifully composed. The texture, and use of colour on the non-imaginary boy only, gives a dreamy feel to the image for me.
- Hand in Hand – Noline Skeet
I can almost hear the two girls giggling happily together, as they skip off together in the summery field of long grass, with the warm setting sun on their faces. My eye is immediately draw to the sun, then explores the gorgeous backlighting of their hair and dresses.
- West Coast – Judy Stokes APSNZ
I feel like I’m looking through a portal into another world. A lone Nikau Palm dominates the scene, standing tall against the wind, while green hills slope down to the sea with a bay in the distance, and the ever-present west coast cloud is rolling in from the sea ready to dump the next lot of rain on the mountains.
- Tribal – Julia Home APSNZ EFIAP BPSA PPSA
Those huge eyes staring at me are magnetic. I love the use of vibrant colours and rhythmic repetition of lines everywhere. The blur of something moving in front provides me a sense of mystery. I keep returning to the eyes, drawn in by the leading lines, and then explore the face and the echoing shapes.
- Get a Grip – Graeme Skinner LPSNZ
I find this image disturbing and compelling. The hand grabbing the skin is sharp and detailed, with just enough of the body shown to reveal (I think) that this is a woman. The image raises many questions about the anguish that she may be going through, with the title hinting at depression. What if anything is the meaning of the tattoo? Very powerful.
- Young Love – Susan Kane LPSNZ
What an extraordinary connection between these two. The image is sharp and clear on their faces, with every laugh line and wrinkle suggesting a happy life well lived. While the defocused background is busy, I don’t find it too distracting; if anything it helps to show that the couple only have eyes for each other, and couldn’t care less about everyone else around them.
- High Rise – Bill Hodges EFIAP APSNZ
I feel like I have a crick in my neck from looking up. The buildings tower imposingly over me. I appreciate the careful attention that has been paid to lines and edges, and the strong graphic design. The small, lone tree on the balcony appears defiant to me, in the midst of the overwhelming manmade concrete and glass.
- The Leap – Roger Ball
A perfectly frozen moment of time on a hot day in Wellington. I enjoy how the leaping boy’s shape mirrors the angles of the Te Papa structure behind him. My eye goes back and forth between him and the boy watching him, and then wanders off to check all the other people to see if they too are watching, or just doing their own thing. Lots to explore in this image.
To see all the images in a larger size visit the Canon Online Results Gallery here.