Premium Photo Competition 2013 Q3 : Results

Judges Comment
This image has many levels of good photography, from landscape over black and white to being in the right place at the right moment. Well seen, executed with a steady hand and a good eye for composition and storytelling. This is a superb image and makes it this competition's winner.
Photographers Comment
My name is Tony I am a Pharmacist from Singapore. This photo was taken in the middle of a desert in Xinjiang China with Contax 645 with Aptus 5II and a 35mm equivalent of a 21 mm on tripod. This photo was taken during noon time the lighting was harsh and there are not much color in the surrounding. I walk around this dead before I discovered this angle the dead tree trunk look like a dinosaur feeding on the vegetation. Hence, I decided to convert it into B&W and using high contrast to show the fine details of the dead tree, the living tree in the background is a bonus .Golden Euphrates Poplar 胡楊 the Chinese love and adore this tree for it resilience characteristic. There is a saying that this tress survive for a thousand years and it will not fall for another 1000 years and even it has fallen it will not rot for another 1000 years. [email protected]

Judges Comment
A portrait of a pig, or simply a photo from another day at the farm. This is cute, has impactful personality and humor. Nice tones and good definition of space. Very well done.
Photographers Comment
This pig was on the fence and what caught my attention was his look, almost human. The photo was taken in the Azores, Terceira Island.
ruicaria.com

Judges Comment
Great atmosphere, tones and balance. Simple image that somehow tells a good story.
Photographers Comment
This is my friend Father Júlio Rocha. We were doing a job for a photographic exhibition theme and while searching an area for shooting, he pulled away and the fog has recreated this moment I find quite interesting. This one was taken in Azores, Ilha Terceira. The other mark of excellence with the pig portrait is mine. Thanks for this marks!
ruicaria.com

Judges Comment
If we pretend that we don't know there is thick glass between the photographer in the image and the shark and the fish, this becomes a surreal picture. He could be standing on the bottom of the ocean with his iPhone. And even though we know there is glass, it is still a very well composed image with great light and colors. Well done.
Photographers Comment
This photo was taken in Paris. There is a big aquarium there next to the Eiffel Tower. Here is my brother taking a photo with his phone. I toke that photograph with a Canon 40D with a canon lens 18-200mm. ISO 3200, focal length 18mm, f4.5 and 1/13sec. Thank you very much for the very nice comment! Nicolas DELAFRAYE

Judges Comment
Lots of space and details. Going from dark shadow to extreme highlight it still works as a very well defined image with things to look at. This image would work well in large print on a wall.
Photographers Comment
I work as an oil pipeline patrol pilot in Alberta, Canada. The scene is west of Pincher Creek at the Waterton Metering station, looking southwest to the Rocky Mountains. I had just completed patrolling a line. While turning to the right I saw this scene under the wing. The photo was taken though a Nikon 18-200mm VR-DX lens mounting a D7000 camera body. The photo was given minimal lighting and sharpening adjustments in Photoshop Camera Raw. It is nice the photo is enjoyed by people who see it.

Judges Comment
A snapshot from a day at work that could almost work as an ad for coffee. Nice colors, balance and mood. We like it.
Photographers Comment
Lorenzo Moscia, Chile, M9.50 f2, soft sizes burned. Fisherman having breakfast.
www.lorenzomoscia.com

Judges Comment
Soft light hitting the main subject, with the story unfolding in the details in the shadows. Well composed and well balanced tones.
Photographers Comment
Hi, got again for Mark of Excellent ! This photo was taken in the house of Traditional weaving cotton maker in Bukit Tinggi-Padang-Sumatra-Indonesia. Post processing were done for Black and White converting and adding Ray of Light through the window, using Photoshop. My name is Suryo Ongko, you can follow my works in my Facebook. Thanks.

Judges Comment
A great postcard and well executed memory from an unusual place. It simply works.
Photographers Comment
I first visited the small village of Gásadalur in the Faroe Islands some twenty years ago, when it was accessible only by boat or by walking over the surrounding mountains. Today the once secluded village can be reached by car and last summer I went back and brought my photography gear. For this shot I used a Canon 5D Mark II with the Canon 16-35mm lens and a couple of Lee filters for a 30 second exposure to capture the scene as I had intended. Thank you for the Mark of Excellence. All the best, Hans J. Hansen
www.flickr.com/photos/hansjuul/

Judges Comment
A number of glasses made into an aesthetic image in the moments before they will all be gone. Well seen and executed.
Photographers Comment
I took this picture while hosting a wedding reception - these are glasses for the champagne toast. My staff was giving me a hard time for making them wait to pass the glasses until a got the shot I wanted! I use a Cannon Rebel T3i f5 1/100 iso800. I am so excited to get the Mark of Excellence! Thank you so much!! I love photography and am honored to be part of this group of beautiful photos!

Judges Comment
Despite that this is a night shot, it has an unusual meeting in the foreground and the complete landscape in the background. Very well executed at the right moment under difficult conditions.
Photographers Comment
My passion is for Travel Photography. I would like to thank "I shot it" for the opportunity to share and to compare my photo to fellow phothgraphers. This time I got lucky I had summitted 2 photos and both got selected . Contax 645 55mm with aptus II 5. [email protected]

Judges Comment
Great composition that tell a story of one person in the frame of location and activities. With good definition of distance from front to back, which creates space and makes the event seem important.
Photographers Comment
Taken in Venice Beach CA on a January afternoon. I used a Canon 7d with a wide angle Tokina lens @ 16mm, which basically required me to be rather close to the subject. It's a spontaneously taken shot but I did want to capture Venice youth in all its glory on a typical sunny Southern Californian Day..
www.marcgruninger.com

Judges Comment
This looks interesting, "what is it?" is the first reaction. In space, under water, through a microscope..? You look for a while and then you figure it out. It also works in other ways, but we like it like this.
Photographers Comment
Thanks for the Mark of Excellence award! This is actually a photo of lily pads on Phantom Lake in Washington. I was able to capture a clear reflection of the trees and decided the flip the image upside down to show the lily pads as if they were floating in space.
500px.com/alexlevinephotography

Judges Comment
Frame in frame in an unusual way. It works!
Photographers Comment
I am Mohan, a physician with more than a passion for photography. I shot this picture in Doha, Qatar, where I live. This is an image of my friend Nikki, adjusting her canvas to trace out the outlines for a large portrait. I always keep my camera handy and when I saw the projector's image on Nikki's back and on the canvas, I took two quick shots before she stepped back to see if the canvas was straight. I used an Olympus OMD-EM5 with the Leica 25/1.4 Summilux DG to shoot this image.
www.bwadventures.com