Judges Comments

Probably deliberated about the Feature Single category more than any other, with many solid, diverse entries. Had six total images in final contention, but eventually settled on the top awards after extended dialogs regarding the merits of each. The first place winner, which was nearly overlooked in the initial edit, garnered the most conversation between the judges. It's an image that tended to grow on us the longer it stayed in the edit. There's a lot going on the image - the size of the pool relative to the yard, the angles of the fence line, the busyness of the urban environment, plastic pink flamingos and more. Sort of Magnum-esque in its documentary feel, we found it to be an intruguing slice-of-life weather feature with many interesting visual elements. The second place image was appreciated for its clean lines, unique angle and forward thinking approach by the photographer. We were drawn to the third place photograph on a number of fronts. The body posture of the subject, the lack of an apparent audience and other unique visual elements, including the performer's attire and red travel bag in the foreground. The background's a little busy, but in a way, we thought that added to the relative isolation of the performer.