Nature, Bird, and Wildlife Photography: A Doorway To Sacred Nature Moments
Selecting A Winning Photograph
Ghost Boat, A Retrospective On The Past
ANALYSIS CRITERIA
IMPACT —————COMPOSITION—————-TECHNIQUES
IMPACT — GETTING THE ATTENTION OF YOUR VIEWER
COLOR — Appealing Color Palette
SHAPES — Varied Size and Shape
MOOD — Exposure To Match Mood
STORY APPEAL — Clear Storyline
CUTE APPEAL — Watch Out for Cliche
ORIGINALITY — Don’t Copy Style
COMPOSITION — HOLDING THE INTEREST OF YOUR VIEWER
Strong Leading Lines
No Distracting Bright Areas
Uncluttered Image
One Prominent Subject (Ken, used to use the phrase, “Queen of Spades”, when he judged) I use the phase “Queen of Hearts”
All Elements Directing Inward
TECHNIQUES — APPROPRIATE TECHNIQUE FOR IMAGE
Professional Detailing — Touch-up, ETC
Sharp & Diffused Areas Defined
Perfect Exposure for Mood and Lighting
Care in Use of Proper Filters
Care in Use of Photo Manipulation
Good Choice of Lens
Mask (Crop) or Duplicate To Change Format
*By Ken Eugene
10-25-92
Remembering Ken Eugene
*Ken Eugene was a longtime photographer and member of Peninsula Camera Club, and saw service in WWII. The club’s award, the Parks-Eugene Service Award, for outstanding contributions and excellent service to the club is named for him. I won this award in 2000, and I have one of Ken’s sailing images frame for my contribution to PCC, gracing my walls of my apartment. In remembrance of him, I have included two of my images taken during the America’s Cup competition in San Francisco, during August 2013.
Artemis America’s Cup Boat Makes An Extreme Turn In Front of Alcatraz
Here is more information about Ken and his life from long time PCC member Lois Shouse.
Ken was an avid Sailor and served crew on sailing ships like the ones that competed in the recent S.F. races (the older sailboat version, not the catamaran type). He had many talents. He created parts for camera equipment – attachments to tri-pods, quick releases, etc. He was always willing to share his knowledge freely and help other photographers. He was always ahead of the times in what he was trying in photography. He was doing adjustments to slides before Photoshop came along, but he took to it like a duck to water. Ken taught Photography free at Little House in Menlo Park for years. He was always willing to give of his time to share his love of photography with others. He was truly worthy of having the Peninsula Camera Club honor him by adding his name to our Service Award. He served the club for about 20 years, and was a mainstay of our social and field trip life.
Nature, Bird, and Wildlife Photographer
Mission Statement:
Restore your life’s essence, experience a child-like wonderment and reconnect your spirit with our mother earth. My mission, as the owner of Dream Catcher Images, is to create beautiful photographs that hauntingly sing to one’s heart of the earth and its magnificent wildlife. Through this imagery, a sense of awe about the sacredness of life is shared and communicated to the image viewer or a workshop participant.
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6 thoughts on “Selecting A Winning Photograph”
Thanks again Bruce for sharing your thoughts to succinctly categorize (judging) elements associated with the impact of a photograph. To me, item #4 – Story, is a biggie and might even be broken out into sub-elements or perhaps amplified a bit. For instance, the psychological impact, emotional impact of the picture’s genre (beyond the mood’s exposure) and drama (harmony/tension/spectacle/etc) and even a picture’s name can make a huge impact on the merits of a photo. And while perhaps not a key element to make your “TOP 18” list, texture might also be a good addition to the criteria if room permits.
These elements of what makes a winning photograph were from Ken Eugene; his style of judging was to be succinct, clear, and concise. I agree that there can be more elaboration on the story element, and that evocative effects of photographic images on human beings.
You are welcome Bob! I tried to tie the information with the man, Ken Eugene. It’s important not to forget those that helped you along the way, along your photographic journey to better and more creative images.
Thanks for sending me this, I really appreciate it. I too am a sailor and the image of the sails perfectly captures the feeling of being under sail. Please put me on your email list whenever you feel like sending some of your images out – I like them very much. – Mike
Thanks again Bruce for sharing your thoughts to succinctly categorize (judging) elements associated with the impact of a photograph. To me, item #4 – Story, is a biggie and might even be broken out into sub-elements or perhaps amplified a bit. For instance, the psychological impact, emotional impact of the picture’s genre (beyond the mood’s exposure) and drama (harmony/tension/spectacle/etc) and even a picture’s name can make a huge impact on the merits of a photo. And while perhaps not a key element to make your “TOP 18” list, texture might also be a good addition to the criteria if room permits.
These elements of what makes a winning photograph were from Ken Eugene; his style of judging was to be succinct, clear, and concise. I agree that there can be more elaboration on the story element, and that evocative effects of photographic images on human beings.
Thanks for sharing this with the club. Very succinct, very useful.
Bob
You are welcome Bob! I tried to tie the information with the man, Ken Eugene. It’s important not to forget those that helped you along the way, along your photographic journey to better and more creative images.
Thanks for sending me this, I really appreciate it. I too am a sailor and the image of the sails perfectly captures the feeling of being under sail. Please put me on your email list whenever you feel like sending some of your images out – I like them very much. – Mike
Hi Mike,
I am glad you like the post, and that my image reminds you of sailing and captures the feeling of being under sail. That’s what I was trying to capture, with the zoom blur technique. I will add you to my e-mail list. You can also follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dream-Catcher-Images/189957027746098?ref=hl and on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/brucefinocchio/