The majority of entries were pretty routine action. Routine action should be par for the course, a base hit (to belabor the sports metaphors), and we want better if we’re going to reward the images. The judges agreed, if you get LeBron dunking, it’s gotta be a GREAT LeBron dunking photo, it’s not enough that it’s LeBron. There needs to be a combination of peak action, storytelling moment, and strong composition and general aesthetics. There were too many images that were grossly out of focus. Honestly, we all agreed, no matter how interesting the moment may be, if it’s blurry, it really should not have even been published. Cropping is also a constant issue. Crop to the action folks, don’t leave the bottom of the basketball net in the frame if that means leaving a broad expanse of empty space as well. First place had a great combination of faces and action. We all thought a minor tweak in the crop, to a more dramatic horizontal, would really help the eye stay within the action, but even given that, it was our choice for the top spot. The combination of the faces of the defenders, and the action of the fouled player made for a great moment. Far too often hockey photos are a tangled mess of distracting element, disembodied limbs, and overall clutter. The judges were drawn to the clear peak moment of the goalies pad making contact with the attacking players stick, the deflection of the puck, and the faces of all three players clearly focused right in on the play. An added bonus was the layers added by the clean line of spectators creating a nice framing element without detracting from the action. The facial expression and the sense of motion, without motion blur, gave third place its spot. Ther was one NBA photo, a foul from behind, it lacked the strong emotion of the HS basketball, but it was clean, nicely cropped, and a good peak moment, a strong contender.
Judges:
Sean D. Elliot/ The Day Publishing Co., Robert Button/ Freelance, Wes Bunnell/ Shore Publishing
Judges Comments
The majority of entries were pretty routine action. Routine action should be par for the course, a base hit (to belabor the sports metaphors), and we want better if we’re going to reward the images. The judges agreed, if you get LeBron dunking, it’s gotta be a GREAT LeBron dunking photo, it’s not enough that it’s LeBron. There needs to be a combination of peak action, storytelling moment, and strong composition and general aesthetics. There were too many images that were grossly out of focus. Honestly, we all agreed, no matter how interesting the moment may be, if it’s blurry, it really should not have even been published. Cropping is also a constant issue. Crop to the action folks, don’t leave the bottom of the basketball net in the frame if that means leaving a broad expanse of empty space as well. First place had a great combination of faces and action. We all thought a minor tweak in the crop, to a more dramatic horizontal, would really help the eye stay within the action, but even given that, it was our choice for the top spot. The combination of the faces of the defenders, and the action of the fouled player made for a great moment. Far too often hockey photos are a tangled mess of distracting element, disembodied limbs, and overall clutter. The judges were drawn to the clear peak moment of the goalies pad making contact with the attacking players stick, the deflection of the puck, and the faces of all three players clearly focused right in on the play. An added bonus was the layers added by the clean line of spectators creating a nice framing element without detracting from the action. The facial expression and the sense of motion, without motion blur, gave third place its spot. Ther was one NBA photo, a foul from behind, it lacked the strong emotion of the HS basketball, but it was clean, nicely cropped, and a good peak moment, a strong contender.