Portrait 2024 Results
Thanks to our judge, Julia Rae.
| A GRADE | |||
| Signora | Sue Titmuss | A wistful Signora. Loving the dress flowing everywhere Red is such a hard colour to get right and this deep red looks very luscious. The side lighting adds to the wistful mood…I am also enjoying the smoky swirls of the background. The sleeve on the right of the image could be a better fit….I just just want to take a big tuck in it so that I do not see the that bit of the back drop and the light peeping through on her arm . Regardless, a well posed creative portrait. Well done. | Honours |
| Clover | Clover has such fascinating patterns in her head… the exposure is spot on for her face and the hair patterns are fascinating. A little more light in the black of her neck would help me see her beautiful folds and her eyes could have a bit of lightening. The muted green background is apt. A solid image of Clover however, the image needs a bit more to take if from solid to stunning…..and am wondering if the lighting is just a bit flat. | No award | |
| Payten | Kristal Merry | Paten looks as though he poses a lot. He looks very at ease and has an appealing tilt of his head with both eyes clear and sharp. There is a nice repeat of the colour tan in his eyes, bow and background. His white coat is well exposed enabling the viewer to see all the soft hairs. He looks like he has been very well groomed in prep for his model shoot – his coat looks so pristine. Only improvement to suggest would be so fully cover or clone out his pink collar showing. | Honours |
| Bella | Karina Templeton | There is a nice soft flow in this image – the way her hair is curving under her chin with also a twist and flow on the right side of the frame. This is replicated somewhat in the soft draping of the head covering. Her face is beautifully bathed in light. The back and white treatment is well handled with a full range in tone. A well deserved Honours. | Honours |
| Bella | Eunice Belk | Bella does not look amused, …there is a bit of hoha (fed up) attitude showing, which may be exactly the emotion the photographer is trying to convey. The black backdrop suits the attitude…no flowers or frills here. The side lighting could be pulled back a tad with a some lack of detail on her nose…everywhere else is spot on with exposure. | Accepted |
| Javia | A very natural image not only the surroundings but her smile, complexion all looked natural and relaxed. Set on a beautiful autumn day providing a lovely toned muted backdrop. I do feel a some disconnect with her gaze being slightly to the side of the camera. A slight crop off the bottom would help me to stop wondering what the significance of the stitching is. The branch does make it a bit top heavy and if you could clone it out I would. A pleasant image but for me just lacking that connection. | No award | |
| Jordan | What a beautiful friendly smile from Jordan. This is a very appealing portrait, well focused, well exposed and posed. The colour in her hair is nicely accentuated falling on her shoulder. The feathering of her hair to the background does have issues particularly to the right by her eye which is a pity as now I’ve seen it I cannot unsee it. | No award | |
| Jessa | Colleen Linnell | Jessa definitely gives an impression that she is confident, a bit sassy and can hold her own – conveyed by her pose, her expression and also the high contrast black and white treatment. It shows strength. Wonderful Rembrandt lighting! The background is simple yet light enough to set the subject apart , so we see all of her. No hiding in the shadows! A well considered and constructed image. | Honours |
| Burlesque Star | Interesting location for a fashion shoot and so much potential. The star does get lost in the background and I had to look closely to see that she was holding an umbrella and not a Yikes placard. I really want to see her as the main attraction and a crop off the bottom to just below her shoes and just above her umbrella helps make the image about her. Unfortunately she is not looking at the camera and just still seems a little swapped by the busy background. A lower f-stop would have helped. | No award | |
| Lisa | Lisa has a well lit face with good focus. Where the hair meets the background texture troubles me. It is fine around the jacket but the hair needs more subtle blending and I would clone out the bit of hair that sticks out on (in line with her nose) The top of the hair, in particular, could be toned down in brightness to reveal more detail and this may even help with the blending of the hair to the darker background. It is nearly there. | No award | |
| Tram Driver | Allan McGregor | Mr Tram Driver has such an interesting face and he is obviously agreeable to being photographed and great that he has turned slightly side on seeing some depth with the angle of his shoulders. Given there would have been no time to set up lighting etc you have delivered a credible candid portrait managing the natural light well with great exposure. I like that I can see detail in the blacks and the background is unobtrusive. | Honours |
| StEaMPuNk Owner | He is definitely in his element, surrounded by paraphernalia with the most focus on him, but I am not sure he very sharp. He seems rather small and swamped in his environment and he is somewhat forward of centre which seems a bit imbalanced. I tried various crops looking at what was essentially adding to the steam punk story… the golden register is a definite but most to the right of the frame and in the foreground is not recognizable as in theme. I cropped up to the register and in from the right, to place him ‘dead’ center. Good concept but I think the composition could be better. | No award | |
| Bill | Bill… he seems like a cheerful character. He is sharp and well exposed. Given it is a bright day the photographer has done well not to have any shadows cast.. His well worn hat probably helped and adds a bit of a story. I reckon it would go everywhere with him. I feel it is too tightly cropped on the bottom and Bill needs a bit more space. A candid straight on shot that was obviously taken in the moment and is a good record of Bill it just needs a bit more forethought. | No award | |
| Georgia | Cheryl Muirson | She reminds me of the song “Uptown Girl” fashionable in a classic way particularly with the hat and poised pose. To me the background hints at leopard print linking in with fashion and also echoes the freckles on her face. I am not sure if this is deliberate. The light on her face is quite obvious, in particular her chin stands out lacking detail. I would darken her hair with a lower vignette. The sepia treatment adds warmth. An image I could visualize in any Fashion magazine. | Accepted |
| Clowning Around | Robyn Carter | What a fun vibrant portrait. Lots of red – hair, eyeshadow, lips, dress – she just needs a ruby ring (with the help of the the hue and saturation slider). Very well lit enabling the whole person to stand out from the background. Only suggestion is a slight crop off the bottom to take out the shadow. A really fun pose. | Honours |
| Emelia | A clean sharp straight forward image of Emelia, who is holding a steady gaze. It is a safe image in terms of the the limited colour palette with plain clothing and backdrop…. this works in that is does accentuates her blue eyes. The image is quite long in relation to Emelia’s placement in the frame. A crop off the top and a slice off the left side leaving equal space to Emelia and a crop off the bottom, above the logo, gives a much more balanced portrait. | No award | |
| Laharrah | Cathy Price | What a gorgeous soft silky coat that just makes me want to pat him. The golden glow on Laharrah is divine. The tack with the golden buckles gives a sense of richness. I like, his pose – turning to greet us with his sharp eye engaging and I like the the tight crop. There is something that needs attention on his back …a slight line down the frame on the left, perhaps from cloning, and a few parts where the colour may have been pushed eg the red on his ear and some grey behind his ear by the bridle – small but could be annoying if you ever printed this larger. Overall stunning and worthy of an Honours. | Honours |
| Levana | Levana is very intriguing… with a lacy back glove, loads of feathers and ofcourse the mask being the epitome of intrigue. I am not sure what the black cord is on the left or the black under her chin – they don’t add anything to the story so consider cloning them out. Her head is nicely framed between the feathers and her glove. The feathers on the top left have an unusual texture, they are not sharp which puzzles me as the silver clasp on them is, as is her mask and hair. The high contrast black and white works well with the glamour. | No award | |
| Modesty | She is mysterious in her modesty with only part of her left eye showing and the use of desaturated colour on her face adds intrigue. I think this concept works well apart from the slight reddish tinge on her nose and cheek which may need a bit more saturation to keep the tone even. A very interesting image in terms of placement within the white frame. It is nearly an image of two halves and I would have liked to have seen some more light on the green scarf flowing over to the left side. | No award | |
| 20’s Glam | Marilyn Holgate | The controlled lighting in this image is suberb..it adds contours to her face highlighting her cheekbones and puts light in her eyes revealing oodles of detail and then the light subtly drops off along the couch. Her costuming and the studded couch fits the era and all adds to the glam. The colour palette of browns and bones has been well chosen. Superbly crafted. | Honours |
| Dove | Rosie Coster | White on white – well seen. Amazingly sharp head and beak, nice catchlight in the eye….fascinating. Pity there was not more detail in the breast. I enjoyed seeing a high key image. | Accepted |
| Sunflower Smiles | Sarah Perrins | Wow – what a snazzy bright fun image. A steampunk with sunflowers is a unique combination. She looks cheerful with wonderful eye contact and her face has good clarity and skin tone. Maybe the sunflowers are a a bit oversaturated (orange more than yellow) but in this case it suits as the image portrays a bit of fun and fantasy and loads of sunshine. | Honours |
| A fastidious feeder | What a cute capture with his food held delicately in his paws. There is lovely detail in his paws to his whishers but the focus falls off a bit to his eyes. He does seem a little overpowered by the brightness of the greenery and suggest desaturating the yellows in the foliage. The top third is obviously grainy, perhaps due to a significant crop of the original image, and would really benefit from putting it through something like Topaz denoise. Cute but I think better in nature than portrait. | No award | |
| Unwavering Devotion -A Schnauzer’s Charm | Amy Boyce | OH isn’t he just adorable. His face is so well exposed and his eyes are clean, bright and sharp. His hair is fascinating. I know you have probably placed him center for a reason but I would clone out the grey at top left or crop that left side. Even a square format would work really well here – with his eyes on the top third. I love the roses but they do compete with him for my attention. I could see him framed and on a proud owners wall. | Accepted |
| Tennis Player | A glamourous tennis model with the high fashion glasses and red lippy. Her face is well exposed and has a lovely complexion, however her long hair has lost detail. There are a lot of different colours going on. I am wondering what the image has been shot through with the out of focus colour wash on her arm and the pink on her blue top. I am not sure it adds to this image. With a slight turn towards us I think her pose would be more flattering. | No award | |
| Strike a pout | Sarah Perrins | I like your title and the pose, with the angled shoulders adding a bit of drama and suiting the “attitude”. Her eyes are pin sharp and connect with the viewer. Lovely skin tone…the only thing that puzzled me was the light coming in from the top…It looks like it was added in post which seems at odd to the way light fall on her face. Rather than light above her I would prefer a vignette so my eye is not taken out to the top right. Great colour tones | Accepted |
| Missy | Sandra McCoy | A very happy , and no doubt a proud, moment which is captured in Missy’s beaming smile. A bit more light into her eyes would be nice otherwise everything else is well exposed, clean and love the bokeh. | Accepted |
| Cowgirl and dog relaxing after a hard day | The dog is definitely relaxed and she looks to be in conversation. The upward angle is not overly complimentary of either subject. There are a number of angles in and out of this image – her leg, the persons arm, the dog’s front leg, the stick on the tree and for me just too much going on and I don’t get a sense of relaxation. A crop to just below her hand helps maintain the dogs dignity and minimises a few angles… hopefully you can spend time with them after another hard day and try a different compositi9on. | No award | |
| Michelle | Colleen Linnell | Michelle – very retro with all aspects of her costuming, accessories and hairstyle adding to a clear story. Michelle has good skin tone and the lighting is flattering. I like the soft demure background with the texture on the bottom third. Well conceptualized and executed. | Honours |
| Tennis Player | An eye catching image with the repeat of red. Her pose looks very comfortable with relaxed hands. I see a faint hint of her long hair to the right and would like to see more but it blends with the background. I like the idea of the diagonal line of the net coming into the image but being white and out of focus means it is rather dominant and although it sets context not sure it helps the image. The tonings are quite different with a cool blue background – hinting at nighttime and a strong warm light on the model… I wonder if having less disparity in the tonings would make it more cohesive. My suggestion would be to take some red toning out of her complexion, which I think helps her look more natural. Top marks though for the pose and the coordination of elements. | No award | |
| Hugo | Hugo in a suitcase packed with his favourite toy. A sharp image and a content wee lad. Great concept although it raises a few questions…like why the cowboy hat and why the blue ribbon on the teddy. I think tying the elements with a theme and limiting the colour palette a bit more would make the image more cohesive. The dresser although used to prop the suitcase lid is distracting and I would try covering this with a cloth and letting a bit more room up the top to see all of the suitcase lid. Play with your lighting too it is If you can, try this again….or even try converting this to black and white which I think works well. | No award | |
| Gigi | Marilyn Holgate | Gigi is adorable and looks like she is fully enjoying being photographed . Her blue eyes are pin sharp with so much intricate detail. Lovely light on her face. Nice bokeh in the background. A very natural candid portrait . | Accepted |
| Joys of spring | Trevor White (LPSNZ) | The rim lighting on both mother and son’s profiles is very appealing. A great advantage to a side on pose. The focus and depth of field is well handled. A slight crop on the left and taking out the grey at the top is a suggestion. If you were adept at photoshop, cloning out the two dead daffodil in front of his face is another suggestion. A great happy feel good portrait. | Accepted |
| Peeky Blinder | Cathy Price | Peaky Blinder, I haven’t watch the series but a good title that links with the era of her costuming (pearls, feathers) and the essential peaked hat. Toning down the highlight on her nose softens her expression. Her eyes to me appear rather bright and glazed and I would soften her eyes a tad…. Overall a strong considered portrait. | Accepted |
| Wahine | Sue Titmuss | An exquisite image… There has been a lot of care and attention to detail in this portrait…the costuming, accessories, makeup, soft light. The toning sets it perfectly in the bygone era. The Wahine is posed very elegantly, tilt of her head, eyes looking over her shoulder all matching the elegant finery of her dress and jewellery. A total package….Love it. | Honours |
| Accordion lady | It looks like she was playing for a special occasion and so you probably had little choice as to background where there is a lot going on. She looks like she is concentrating, in the throes of playing with movement visible in her hand. A good capture of a moment in time but unfortunately you probably needed to have a bit more control of lighting and backdrop to have this move into a portrait keeper. | No award | |
| Captivating Charm | Yes her smile is captivating. She exudes warmth and friendliness. Lovely skin tone and highlights on her cheeks. The model is wonderful .. It is the background that troubles me. Not sure on the pose with the shoulders and head tilted in opposing directions. The background texture looks like an overlay however there is lightness on the right by her cheek and around her ear on the left. I think the texture needs to be carefully taken up closer as the light halo here does distract me. Stretching the texture to lose the dark part at the top and taking out the pole on the right would also help. | No award | |
| Craig | Kristal Merry | A great example of a chiaroscuro portrait – light and dark. It is dramatic . I like that if I look closely I can see detail in the darkness – It is subtle but I can see over to his right ear….so it draws me in , makes me look intently and spend time viewing this image. He has a rather cold stare and seems rather stoic but the photographers choice of warm lighting helps soften this portrait. Excellent. | Honours |
| B GRADE | |||
| Jen the Steampunk | A warm happy smile and good eye contact with the photographer. Well focused and all the blues tone in well together . I would consider a crop just under the pearl necklace as the dark bodice has limited detail and my eyes get drawn down to the lightest part of the image which is the white necklace. I think further cropping would enhance the image even more, at the very least take out the white pipe on the wall but try cropping out the whole of the brick wall and the beige border. There is still enough of the hat to know Jen’s a steampunker and in my opinion makes us see more of Jen as she stands out on a clean background. | No award | |
| Steampunk | Rose Kerin | Sharp image with lovely detail in his face particularly around his eyes. The background is well muted in colour and blur. I like how you have lighting coming in from the side but there is still detail in the right side, His skin tone gives me the impression he has been working around machinery. It is just a pity his t-shirt gives him away as a modern day traveler to Surfers. If you crop this out you still get a hint of his chain and a slight crop off the left keeps the image a bit more portrait in size. A good solid image. | Accepted |
| KitCat | Danielle Armstrong | Oh my this cat is on the move and is determined. A wonderful capture at the right time of day with just a hint of sunlight and muted tones, right place – in a natural unobtrusive environment and right camera settings with sharp eyes, just enough movement and great use of aperture. His steady gaze at the viewer is perfect. | Honours |
| Indie | Danielle Armstrong | Indie is beautifully sharp on her face against a very pleasing background with a splattering of texture. There is a hint of warm light at the tip of her muzzle and down the front of her neck which I like with the gold of her bit and holds my interest the most. Lovely side profile and she gives me the impression she is calm and well behaved …just waiting to be photographed. | Honours |
| Peanut | Peanut…I guess that is his name. Works well in black and white where you are drawn to the textures on his forehead and beard. The image tells a story.. I can see he is a train conductor on a tramway and it does evoke emotion… for me he looks sad or tired. It is always difficult to photograph against light and as a result there is a loss of detail in the blacks. The detail is probably there and for me it needs further editing so the black is not so heavy. | No award | |
| Happy trucker | Brian Edmunds | A wonderful environmental portrait. He is well positioned beside and infront of his trucks. Yes he does look happy with a wee sparkle/catchlight in both his eyes. Although taken on a bright sunny day it is well exposed. I also like how you have framed it with a similar amount of truck on the left and his jacket across the bottom of the image…well balanced. | Accepted |
| Strike the pose | Peter Wright | Love the pose and that he is looking at you. The foreground leads us nicely up to him and the clear open expanse of the sky. Nice added touch that you also captured a well positioned seagull. There does seem a wee white halo along the back of his rump…but not enough to be distracting. I would like to see it a bit lighter.. seems a bit too overall grey.. try lifting the levels a tad. ie moving the right hand slider slightly to the left. Having the bird does tend to make your eye jump back and forth. I’d prefer the image with a crop to under the bird which also moves the horizon off midway. Well seen and captured. | Accepted |
| Greatest Of All Time | A very up close and personal image which took me a few moments to decipher. The eye appears sharp and there is a nice flow taking me from the eye to the ear and around the tip with intriguing white hair edging. The horn follows a similar flow but then there is an abrupt cut off. It is a unique crop that does make me pause and ponder. There is some mystery with the dark toning, only part of the animal shown and mystery in the title. This image poses a lot of questions and although unique and dramatic, I think it would do better in a category other than portrait., just not telling me enough about this model. | No award | |
| Steady now | An image showing action, concentration and skill. Lovely light and well composed. You did well to take this as he was positioned between the space of the two trees. Not your classic portrait and I think would do better as a sports photography entry. It does tell me what he likes to do and that has been well captured, but I don’t feel this image really “portrays his likeness” . | No award | |
| C GRADE | |||
| Sarah | Linda Ritchie | Sarah has a captivating gaze and is well framed with her hoody. Her eyes are beautifully sharp as is her bottom lip. There is an obvious soft focus treatment on the rest of her face and although flattering it was also the first thing I noticed about the image – I would like to see it his pulled back a tad particularly around her eyebrows and when it links in with the hairline. Saying that though a portrait I am sure Sarah would have been delighted with. Honours | Honours |
| Benjamin | What a cheeky happy smile. Benjamin’s essence has been captured in a candid moment and it is obvious he has a great connection with his photographer. A nice close up, well cropped and I like how his head is on a slight tilt. Although there is a duplicate of stripes on his shirt and background I’m undecided it if it adds to or detracts from the image. This image does appear a bit grainy , perhaps it was a significant crop from a larger image or a high iso. It is a good family record. | No award | |
| Jayshri | Hayden McCoy | A very pleasing image of Jayshri who has a lovely relaxed smile and connection. Taken in what looks like the golden hour with soft highlights on her face – her complexion looks great with the golden glow. The depth of field is spot on with the soft water a calming backdrop. Well done. | Accepted |
| Please Lord | Linda Ritchie | Wow! I love the perspective and the story this image tells. The floor being used as the full backdrop is so interesting and adds to the story… where is she? … a mosque, a Greek church… it holds interest but is not intrusive. The warm light on her face gives the impression she is looking up to a deity, pleading her case. Wonderful story and so well executed. | Honours |
| Jayshri Ratnam | Hayden McCoy | A crisp, carefree image with the beautiful light as in Jayshri’s other portrait. The simple colour palette is great and again nice use of aperture. There is nice movement in the image that goes with that carefree feeling. I would have preferred not to have seen the underside of her tongue as I am drawn to this part of her face rather than her eyes. Try cropping some of the left to make a square format with Jayshri off centre and walking in the image – I think this adds to the sense of movement. When putting in two similar images it is always tempting to decide which do you prefer… but I can’t decide so also an Accepted. | Accepted |
| Gillian | Gillian looks relaxed and comfortable with the photographer. I like the square format and the unobtrusive background… Be careful though as there is a line(perhaps from cloning ) halfway down on the left. The colour has obviously been altered and it looks fine apart from the pink on the right of her nose. Was there a reason you chose this colour treatment…The treatment looks old worldly but I am not sure Gillian is. Was there a mood you were trying to convey? Keep experimenting. | No award | |
| Joy | Joy, within a frame, is a fun way to display an image. The frame is sharp but sadly the image is not and for a portrait the eyes really need to be sharp. | No award | |
| Chasing light | Monita Baird | A sharp and well lit image. HIs eyes are the star of the show with lovely catchlights and detail. I like that he is looking into the side light. You also have done well to keep detail in the white shirt. I am probably just not so taken by the pose/angle as you seem to be slightly lower than him so what is most predominate in this image is his chin and stubble. Get a bit higher next time I will think improve this pose. | Accepted |
| Cow’s eye view | What fascinated me about this image is how the hair swirls in all different directions. HIs eyelashes are beautiful. The above/side lighting helps accentuate the details. Consider the title – is it a “cow’s eye view” or is it a “view of a cows eye”? It is a sharp cow’s eye but I do not think it alone tells me enough about the cow. | No award | |
| Willow | Trenna Francis | A clean simple portrait of Willow. Slightly under exposed lacking detail in her ears and muzzle. I think it is there though you just need to play with some levels in an editing tool without losing the lovely colour you have achieved. | Accepted |
| Rebecca | Kath Cosgrove | A delightful portrait that tells a story . Rebecca being assisted to walk/stand with the help of an adult/Mum. She is fully alert looking at the photographer with curiosity. Clever use of the adults clothes as a dark backdrop. Overall you have captured good skin colour and wonderful detail throughout. A treasure. | Honours |
| Kai | Is she called kai or just had a kai? She looks like she has had a good feed and ready for a sleep. Her face is sharp. A crop would improve this image, getting rid of the white distraction on the right and perhaps a slight crop on the left.. then we can really focus in and look her in the eye. | No award | |
| Siblings | Wendy Pope | Lovely relaxed expressions from the siblings, natural smiles and her head on her brother shows their connection. Sharp from front to back. Black and white works well with a good tonal range. Slightly blown out on her shoulder. A subtle vignette would help this and also tone down the highlights in the couch. But that is my only suggestion – it is a good clean image that tells me about them and their relationship….at that moment 🙂 | Honours |
| Wahine | Sue Titmuss | Best A Grade, Champion | |
| KitCat | Danielle Armstrong | Best B Grade | |
| Please Lord | Linda Ritchie | Best C Grade |