Thanks to Garstang for judging our Macro competition.
| C Grade | |||
| Innards | Dave Hart | A very striking image; the main parts are lovely and sharp; pleasing colours throughout and a nice soft background which is not distracting. However, unfortunately some parts of the plant seem to have been damage especially the bottom left-hand corner. | Honours |
| Cicada | The wings of the Cicada are lovely and sharp. The reflections of the insect are very pleasing and the grey background is pleasing to the eye and is mainly out of focus. Unfortunately, the head is too soft and there are too many spots in the background that distract you. | No award | |
| Fuchsia Procumbens | Great attempt at a super macro shot giving a good range of contrasting colours. The background receding greens are good. However, too many highlights in the background and the focal point, of the image, is soft. | No award | |
| Drumstick Alliums | Glenis Everts | Striking image with great contrasting colours. The receding greens in the background are lovely and soft and not distracting. I like the emerging stems at the bottom right hand of the image. Left and right crop too tight leaving parts of the subject cut off, but I can understand why you may have done this. Two distracting highlights. | Honours |
| Vegetable Oyster Seedhead | Ian Galbraith | This image has a dreamy texture and is pleasing to the eye. The centre of the image is nice and sharp. The top corners of the image, however, are distracting. Correctly centred in the middle of the image and overall, you have used good lighting but also you have produced a few burnt-out highlights. Consider using a polarising filter and underexposure. | Accepted |
| Busy Bee | Dave Hart | A very good and striking image. The background is nice and soft with muted colours and I love the leading line from the bottom left-hand corner of the image. You have captured the bee very well and it is lovely and sharp with the exception, perhaps, of the right-hand wing. Consider cropping a little bit more on the right-hand side. Maybe some burnt out highlights on the underside of the wings. Overall, a very good image, well done. | Honours |
| B Grade | |||
| Rose | Diane McGregor | Harmonious colours, very sharp where it needs to be, pollen spots and spider on petals observable. Composition very good and the lighting is good. Bottom dark edge should be removed. | Accepted |
| Daisy | Diane McGregor | Main subject completely sharp, receding colours of the background nicely out of focus. Top right daisy pulls my eye, therefore distracting. | Accepted |
| 6 inch Clampshaft | This has an amusing title. The composition would have been better on a diagonal; some highlights on the shaft texture on lower half of image are distracting. Full marks though for the unusual image. | No award | |
| Pencil Shavings | Interesting and unusual idea, receding blue is a good background colour and compliments the edged of some of the shavings. Centre of image soft and cropped too tightly bottom left-hand corner. | No award | |
| Orange | Good composition. Some of the back petals are sharp, though the front part of the image is too soft. Background receding blue, good on the eye. Well-lit and no burnt out parts. | No award | |
| Heart of the Dahlia | Cliff Boddy | I like the crop and the composition is good. Subject very sharp, MAY have some burnt out highlights at the tip of petals. Suggest a few spots on image be removed. | Honours |
| Agapanthus flower dwarf variegated | Great composition, most of the anthers are sharp, the stamens present the anthers in a very attractive manner. Dust spots need removing, Right hand side cropped too tightly. | No award | |
| Yellow | Anna Heasley | I like the composition and the colours are harmonious, the background is not distracting, but some parts of the image are out of focus. | Accepted |
| Bubbles at the bottom of the wine glass | Cliff Boddy | Great and unusual idea, taken with the subject parallel to the camera thus all parts of the image are lovely and sharp. Struggling to find a focal point though; unsure about the crop at the top left-hand corner. Suggest spots in centre are removed. Extreme corners of the image are too bright, a slight vignette would improve. | Accepted |
| Grey Common House Spider | Brian Edmunds | The focus of the image is correctly the head which is lovely and sharp but some of the legs are out of focus, which does trouble me somewhat. Good colour contrast; however, dual colours in the background are distracting. | Accepted |
| Green grasshopper | Striking image and importantly the eyes of the grasshopper are sharp as is the head; image displays harmonious colours. Unfortunately, many burnt out highlights on the antenna and legs. Use of a polarising filter and under exposure would have minimised these highlights. | No award | |
| Green vegetable Bug | Linda Ritchie | Contrasting colours and good receding background colours which are nicely out of focus. The bugs head and most parts of the legs are sharp, but parts of the body are starting to go out of focus. Burnt out highlights on body; parts of the plant are in focus but other parts are out of focus which is distracting. | Accepted |
| Poppy Head | Jenny Leadbetter | The poppy head is lovely and sharp and most of the colours are harmonious. The background is nicely out of focus but slightly distracting top left-hand corner. The stamens fall away beautifully with the unfortunate acceptance of the top ones. | Accepted |
| Eye of the frog | Hayden McCoy | Good macro shot and most of the eye is sharp; the background is out of focus and not too distracting. Some of the reflections in the eye are distracting. Consider removing the blemish below the right hand side of the eye. | Accepted |
| Made it to the top | Linda Ritchie | Great amusing title. Really good contrasting colours, lovely soft background with no distractions. Consider a tighter crop however but this would have lessened the title. Some small burnt out highlights on the ladybird but the ladybird is lovely and sharp which is the focal part of the image. Consider removing small spots from the flowers. | Honours |
| Kina – Sea Urchin | This is correctly produced as an image with the subject in the centre not following the rule if thirds. Unusual background with most parts of it is out of focus. Unfortunately, the chosen subject is too dark and thus details cannot be seen. Consider bringing out the details using the shadow and black sliders in Lightroom or similar software. | No award | |
| Paper Wasp | Arthur Linnell | This has a really good impact with a wow factor. Head and thorax lovely and sharp and I can see the details in the dark areas. The shallow Depth of Field produces a beautiful receding background. Good diagonal composition though one antenna slightly out of focus as is the tip of one wing – this is nit-picking. Red highlight at bottom centre of image is distracting. | Honours |
| Got ‘em | Wayne Allott | This is a well thought out image, taken at the right angle. Lovely and sharp, good crop, but too many burnt out highlights at the top of image. This could have been avoided with the use of a polarising filter and under exposed. Background is nicely out of focus and not distracting. | Accepted |
| Lunchtime | Monita Baird | This is a strong monochrome conversion. Most parts of the subject are lovely and sharp as are most parts of the spider’s web. Muted soft background is not distracting, good composition and all in the frame. There may be burnt out highlights on the subject. | Honours |
| Celmisia with beetles | The subject is correctly placed in the centre of the image; great radiating lines from the centre of the image to the edges. The beetles are nice and sharp but too many burnt out highlights on the petals showing no detail especially at the bottom of the image. Suggest removing blemishes and other insects from the petals. | No award | |
| Red cabbage | Eye catching and unusual image and well thought out. Most parts of the image are sharp except top and bottom right-hand corners. Some burnt out highlights and no focal point so my eye wanders around the image looking for something to rest on. | No award | |
| Pink Delight | Monita Baird | Really striking image with good contrasting colours; Most parts of the main subject are sharp but some smaller parts are going soft. The receding greens in the background are not distracting. The out of focus top left-hand side of the image draws my eye away from the subject. | Accepted |
| A Grade | |||
| Lunch | Too tight in the frame and not completely sharp, though eyes and head sharp. ˜Lunch” is not distinctive enough. | No award | |
| Orb Weaver | Robyn Young | Overall a good image and gives good impact, excellent background and nicely out of focus. Sharp with the exception of the end of the legs. Well framed and plenty of room for the Weaver to move. | Honours |
| Green vegetable bud nymphs | Colleen Linnell | Great impact, background nicely out of focus. Sits well in frame perhaps a little over sharpened. Highlights on the back of the bug possible blown out. | Accepted |
| Salvia Flower | Striking and unusual image. Background distracting, important part of the image is out of focus. | No award | |
| Passion fruit | Imaginatively presented, good background. Parts of the fruit is out of focus at the top and bottom peripheral highlights distracting. | No award | |
| A frayed knot | Mike Gauland | Great title, imaginative and unusual subject. Well-presented and in focus. Small parts of the imagine slightly out of focus. | Honours |
| Dalia | Peter Wright | Very striking image that I will remember. Simple colour; Left petal has water droplet and other petals have white specks, these are distracting. Noise observable. | Accepted |
| Forget Me Nots | Good composition with diagonals running through the frame. Plain background some parts of the image are soft and other parts appeared over sharpened. Focal point appears to be on the stem. Distracting bug on right hand petal. | No award | |
| Salmon Fillet | Good composition and most parts of the image are sharp however bottom slightly soft. Some specular highlights. | No award | |
| Rose | Good colours, good background and sits well in the frame. Parts of the main subject are soft, suggest smaller aperture to give a better depth of field (DOF). | No award | |
| Common Green Bottle Fly | Robyn Young | Sits well in the frame and a beautiful soft background, colour harmonized. Head slightly soft. | Accepted |
| Water Drop | Veronica Wedlake | Beautiful image one I will long remember. Good plain background great mono colour, some specular highlights. Lovely smooth “liquid™ effect at the bottom of the frame. Great DOF. Maybe slightly crop the top of the frame? | Honours |
| Dagger Dran | Nathan Green | The out of focus background is good and the colours contrast well with the subject. Centre of the image good and sharp. The three “fingers™ are soft and some contain specular highlights. | Accepted |
| Sunflower | Eunice Belk | Great image taken from an unusual angle. Sharp and great colour contrast. The background white is well controlled, great diagonal. Perhaps too tight in the frame – this is subjective. | Honours |
| Strawberry | Veronica Wedlake | Very unusual image. Good complementary background and lovely and soft. Subject appears to levitate. Peripheral highlights on top of image. | Honours |
| Snow Tractor | Nathan Green | Great idea and original. The main subject, the driver, in focus and sharp. Good contrasting colours, background at top of image is distracting; Bottom of image a little too dark. | Accepted |
| Wild flower | Eunice Belk | Very striking image, with the wow factor. Good ethereal effect and white background is very well controlled. Colours good, dreamlike and soothing. Some parts of the image are soft. Stamens appear slightly out of focus. | Honours |
| Fly drinking | Cheryl Muirson | Great contrasting colours, subject perfectly sharp, well caught, great composition. | Honours |
| Pink Flower | Rose Kerin | Centre of the image beautiful and sharp, good range of colours and the green complements the flower. The background is not distracting. Centre of flower is soft. | Honours |
| Hebe | Allan McGregor | Good composition with subject emerging from the left-hand side of the frame. Great background is nice and soft and not distracting. Some parts of the stamen and petals are out of focus. Well lit. | Accepted |
| Drone fly | Cheryl Muirson | All parts of the subject are sharp, great colours of the image. Top right-hand side slightly distracting but that’s the way it is, however, it maybe benefit for a greater crop. | Honours |
| Chunky Bark | Pol Syrett | Great title and an imaginative and interesting image. All parts sharp but does not hold my attention for long enough. | Accepted |
| Mycenae Mushrooms | Allan McGregor | Great composition with an odd number of mushrooms. It is well presented in a landscape frame. Good contrasting colours and sharp where it needs to be, background is not distracting. Great lighting. | Honours |
| Hover Fly | Very busy image, some noise in the background. Subject appears to be over sharpened, unsuccessfully. Good colours. | No award | |
| Spider Flower | Very noisy, but a good colour contrast between the flower and the background. Parts of flower are out of focus and the image is too busy. | No award | |
| Fuchsia | Great Striking and contrasting colours, good lighting on parts of the image; however, this has produced specular image highlights and appears to be blown out. | No award | |
| Ready for Action | Sue Titmuss | I like the background; simple and soft, Head and shoulders nice and sharp but one antenna soft. Composition good and well presented. | Accepted |
| Manuka Chafer Beetle | Marilyn Holgate | Very striking image and great background. The subject is sharp however some blown highlights. Distracting lighting on the left-hand side. | Accepted |
| Watching | Sue Titmuss | Great title. Shallow DOF with closest “eye” very sharp. Like the diagonal with good composition and well placed in frame. Captured from a great angle. | Honours |
| Jumping spider | Kristal Merry | Face perfectly sharp, good shallow DOF, bottom of left centre leg lightly soft. Great background with no distractions. | Honours |
| Clover weevil | Sarah Perrins | Great composition with radiating lines. I liked the colours although the background colours are too dominant. The image is slightly busy, subject maybe over sharpened. | Honours |
| Hollyhock | Karina Templeton | Perfectly sharp in the middle centre although the white in the background is distracting. Fills the frame and a good composition. | Accepted |
| Splash | Kristal Merry | Great composition, white background well controlled, sits well in the frame -˜top™ splash given room to move into. Nice muted colours. | Honours |
| Bumble Bee | Danielle Armstrong | Most parts of the bee are sharp. The image is well captured with the bee covered in pollen. Top right hand side distracting. Background colours too dominant. | Accepted |
| Clover Weevil | Busy image. With too many colours thus becoming distracting. Eyes and face sharp, some distracting highlights. | No award | |
| The Unfurling | Karina Templeton | Good composition, I like the colours and most parts of the image are sharp however some parts too soft. Good out of focus background. | Accepted |
| Busy Bee | Dave Hart | Best C Grade / Champion | |
| Heart of the Dahlia | Cliff Boddy | Best B Grade | |
| Splash | Kristal Merry | Best A Grade |