PSNZ Canon Online Photographer 2023 Round 3 Results

By John Hawkins PSNZ Canon Online Coordinator

The Winner!

Congratulations to Barbara Lee APSNZ, winner of the Canon Online round 3 for 2023. There were 99 entries in this round.

About Barbara and her winning image…

My photography usually starts out opportunistic – what happens to catch my eye when out with the dog. The results are largely mediocre, but sometimes an image stimulates me to do something with it. Time Ticking was such a one.

Upon finding a perfectly intact dandelion seed head, I “gardened” it and was just about to push the shutter, when said dog bounded up and brushed against it – aargh! Ruination! But I took a photo anyway and, yes, it was a decidedly ordinary image. But it made me think of the transience of life – the beauty and the sadness, of beginnings and endings.

I did not achieve optimum focus (oops!), so masked that with PP. I applied extreme clarity and sharpening on the lower spent parts and radiating “pixel explosion” on the upper part. I then added texture and a “grunge” filter to help bring out the story.

About Cushla Moorhead, our judge for this round…

I am an artist and photographer. I did a judge training weekend some years ago, solely for the benefit of my own photography. I had no intention of being an accredited judge when I started. I thoroughly enjoy evaluating work for clubs and seeing all the wonderful images from around the country. My own photography is veering more to composite work which I enjoy.

Judge’s Comments

I feel privileged to be asked to evaluate these lovely images for Canon Online. The standard is high and it took me a while to decide on the top six as I feel there is very little between them. The simplicity of the story and the lighting were two of the aspects that I followed.

1st - Time Ticking by

Barbara Lee ASPNZ

I have seen and taken lots of images of dandelions. This one caught my attention because it was completely different. The texture of the background adds depth and I love the way the seeds appear to be trembling, ready to fly. It looks very simple yet it is quite a complex image.

2nd - Sorry, I'm not Heron you by Peter Foulds

This is such a delightful and fun image with a very clever play on words in the title. I laughed out loud at it. For that alone it is worth second place. A great image too.

3rd - Lady in Red by Terry Molvik

I feel that might be the name of the rose as I have one in my garden. It is a beautiful image. I have a visceral reaction to it. It ticked all the boxes for me – composition, simplicity and details to tell the story.

4th - And one fell over by Pauline Smith APSNZ

A well-lit sharp image that stood out from the black background with such clarity. The one that fell over made this image.

This image made me smile. I think it is very clever and very well done, with just the right balance between the birds and the cups. It is imaginative and unique. The lighting draws me in.

The detail in this is so interesting and sharp. I love the way the tiny hairs show against the background and the lighting shows them up in the centre too. Simple and effective.

I found the eyes very compelling. There is something about his expression and his eyes that kept me coming back to this image.

The delight of childhood is expressed for me in this very natural-looking image. Such a lovely feeling of joy.

- These People Are Our People

I feel there is so much information in this image, yet it has been very cleverly coalesced into the sign in the front. The other placards are still readable and give more of the story. Very historic.

The fierceness of the birds as they fight over the prey is well portrayed. It gives me an insight into the behaviour of the kahu and I like how it shows a different aspect that I wouldn’t normally see.