PSNZ Canon Online Photographer 2023 Round 2 Results

By John Hawkins, PSNZ Canon Online Coordinator

The Winner!

Congratulations to Nel Davison LPSNZ, winner of the Canon Online round 2 for 2023. There were 103 entries in this round.

Some history about Nel:

I have been into photography for the last six years and just love learning new techniques all the time. I am into most genres but love birds, animals, landscapes and people the most. I am enjoying the editing side of photography a lot more as my knowledge in this area grows, and I love pushing the creative side of my brain that very quickly becomes dormant!

Nel writes about the winning image:

This image was taken at a workshop run by Shelley Harvey BPSA. She is a wonderful tutor.

I edited this one in Photoshop firstly as a single edit and then I decided to have a play with some double exposure via the NIK collection. I was really happy with this one. Thanks to Shyana for being such a beautiful subject to capture.’

The judge for this round was Judy Alley LPSNZ.

An introduction to Judy: It is an honour to be invited to evaluate this round of Canon Online images. Thank you.

I have been with the Photographic Society of New Zealand and Waikato Photographic Society for more than 13 years. I am a PSNZ accredited judge whose love of photography is taking me on a never-ending learning experience.

I am retired now but another passion has been radio and television journalism. I enjoyed more than 12 years with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Macquarie Radio news network, presenting news, weather and current affairs, ultimately taking on the job of radio news Director.

I also have published a candid photo-book about my son’s successful journey through the ups and downs of nearly a year in Starship Hospital. Documenting this 2005/2006 journey is probably where my love of photography began.

Judge’s Comments

Once some initial choices were made to reduce the Canon Online 103 entries, the heart-breaking difficulty then was having to eliminate great images based on small details that could not be ignored.

My main criteria were the emotional impact of the stories and how photographers chose to tell them. Only then were technical aspects taken into account before an image might reach the final ten. (Nature images have been assessed in Open category.)

1st - Looking Over Your Shoulder by Nel Davison LPSNZ

The gaze of these eyes seems intense enough to drill into one’s deepest thoughts. Not only are they sharply enhanced by well-controlled lighting and dark make-up, they look out from under the lids as though from a very private place. The loosely draped, pastel tones seem to contribute to a softer aspect of femininity while the background, combined with the title, might be hinting at a shadowy intrigue

While I am not inclined to get near a bumblebee, the sharp detail makes this one worthy of a gentle finger-pat on its side perhaps. It is a curious privilege being able to examine the minutiae of this tiny creature that without such focus, attention to exposure and steady patience would otherwise go unnoticed by people like me. Thank you.

3rd - On the Back Benches by Barbara

Lee APSNZ

The simplicity of your composition is its strength, in my opinion, and the subjects’ eyes draw me in. The smooth, solid surface, so well placed across the composition, visually anchors the little swallows within that shallow depth of focus and juxtaposes with their brightest hues and feathery textures to retain attention there. Capturing their interaction also brings a delightful character and personality to the story

4th - The Girl with Friends by Jennifer Burton

It is not necessarily the girl strolling into the image that strikes me; it is the sharp focus on fabulous colour strutting into a space. The girl in a mask. The girl with blue hair. I wonder where she has been all this time and what has she been doing? Where is she going. I like that you give her all that space to move into and I appreciate the expertise with which you introduce her faceless "friends" there.

5th - Kotuku with Chicks by Toya Heatley FPSNZ AFIAP

The sharpest white lines of the adult’s plumage and curved beak combine with the lines leading into the image from either side to draw me quietly into the kotuku family’s private environment. I feel privileged. It’s a moment that many of us might never come across and you bring it with careful exposure and clarity – and the dedication needed to be there.

The sharp, strong form of the skeletal head placed at one of the strongest points of the composition demands attention. I inspect the aged texture and the curvy forms and soon much softer layers engage my attention. These important aspects of your composition add movement and lead the eye around the image where you seem to suggest degrees of emotional tension. I admire how your creativity has "filled the frame" so artfully

It is a surreal feeling to be here at this hour of the day; like breathing in layers of quiet. I love how you have captured the light in the atmosphere of the mountains and the long exposure that softens the water in the foreground. The darker tones of the church stonework and roof and the soft texture of the grasses sit so easily between them. Beautiful.

I am drawn to the sharpest, darkest geometrical features of these human shapes that seem to move with a common purpose in an overflowing sea of dancing light. I admire how you bring that impression in an abstract composition. Your use of light and perspective takes me to the edge of the water where surfers or lifeguards might stumble into the sea or bound back onto the beach. The blue of a summer ocean is an equally effective element.

The nonchalant feeling of this young man is palpable. The head bowed to concentrate on his phone, the drift of his cigarette smoke and the toe of his well-worn work shoe turned blindly in our direction, capture the essence of how some might view labourers on work breaks. The lean against the doorway in a gritty and graffitied environment and your own treatment of the image enhances the feeling.

It’s the perspective, clarity and the dreamy, long exposure that invite me down under the wharf to see what I can see. Sharp focus on the first two uprights and the interesting patterns where the light touches the rocks across the foreground is where I begin. It reaches out along the length of the structure where there are noteworthy effects of weather on timber and steel, as well as various outcrops of what might be shellfish that hold my hold my interest and encourage me to stay awhile.

$1199