Bird Photo Competition 3 2020 : Results

  • Competition Winner : First Prize
  • $593.60
  • Judges Comment
  • Hummingbird photos have now become so cliched that many bird photographers won't even bother taking them. For those that do, it's essential to be extra creative to avoid 'more of the same' images. This image is a great example of such creativity, combining a backlit plant with the bird in a composition masterclass. Composition is as much about what's left out of an image as what's included: the strongest compositions almost always have the minimum number of elements. In this case, photographing the hummingbird as it fed from an elegantly-curving plant against a black backdrop effectively reduced the composition to two complementary elements. Backlighting has accentuated the wing feathers and the green leaves and red flower. Finally, square framing with the plant emerging from a corner and the bird off-centre complete the composition.
  • Photographers Comment
  • Photographer: Charley Wraight Photography Location: Roseville, California, USA. Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: Nikon 200-500mm I had trimmed the bushes back so that this solitary honeysuckle branch was showing against a dark fence backdrop. I knew that the hummingbirds fed on this branch, so set myself up when the sun would backlight the subject and branch. I further darkened the fence in photoshop.
  • https://cwraight.picfair.com
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • Blur shots rarely work, mainly due to the lack of at least one sharp 'anchor' point. The presence of such an anchor to the lower left of centre allows the variety of other blurs to be enjoyed, especially silhouetted against a twilight sky.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • A dynamic capture of this mighty Gyrfalcon in a maximum-g horizontal turn, elevated by the vertical wing angle, head-turn and non-sky background.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • A humorous shot in which one owl appears to be gloatingly enjoying a meal while the other looks on jealously.
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • A well timed shot of squabbling Greenfinches, made more interesting by the presence of blur everywhere except the point where the birds' heads meet
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • A serene view in which a single bird heads off to roost as the sun slips below the horizon.