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Photographic Competition Results

"Waitomo Caves Museum Trophy" (Novice Cup)

^{Novice Cup rules}

Caving is fun
S Davis

In boots and all
S Davis

The Atrium
S Davis

Waitomo Waterfall Cave
P Smith

Wonderful smiles, but as a photograph it is just a good snapshot, spoiled by burned out highlights and all the characters looking straight at the camera.

A super image showing the sheer horror that is a caving squeeze! But it is spoiled by the bright highlight surrounding the central activity. It needs to be cropped and the centre brightened or the highlight burned down so it is not so distracting.

Diagonal lines give excitement to a composition and here the shafts of light provide the drama. However, the burned out sections of the image leave me searching for detail that is just not there. With such a grand and dramatic scene it would be worth setting up the camera on a tripod (or rock) and taking two photographs one exposing the highlights and the other the shadows and combining the two into a single image.

A dramatic photograph beautifully seen. Exposure is perfect giving good detail in the highlights and the shadows. The bold zig zag shadows enhance the excitement and focus the eye onto the central subject.

"Hobson Cup"

^{Hobson cup rules}

Careys Cave Wee Jasper
M Trayes

Oparara Arch
S Davis

The Bathtub
S Davis

Art and documentary photography are treated as the same thing by many art commentators, and this image works in this section more by what it reveals (wherever we dump our rubbish it offends someone) than its photographic merit. Here a surface dweller has dumped a bath and piping into a grotto, probably unaware that cavers might find it offensive. It looks like a point-and-shoot image, where the flash has burned out the foreground, rather than a carefully studied composition.

This photograph could have been better placed in another section, as it is a good image well seen and composed. But its only nod to being 'artistic, modified or fantasy' is its apparent mirror image, which it isn't, or being two photographs in one which is not strong. It would benefit from Photoshop work to lasso the highlights, burn them down and then brighten the shadows.

Mirrors are great objects to include in a photograph to give mystery, depth and complexity. This image successfully breaks the rules of composition with the subject in the centre instead of in one of the thirds. Strong graphic lines of the handrails focus the gaze. It succeeds in the artistic section in that it leaves room for the viewer to make their own interpretation. It did not earn honours as there are technical problems with distracting grain (from high ISO?) or oversharpening. It could benefit from a more graphically resolved reflection in the mirror.

"Pybus Cup"

^{Pybus Cup rules}

Denise at Metro Main Entrance
M Trayes

Fairy Cave Buchan
M Trayes

Great Fangs Cave Chamber
N Barth

Royal Cave Buchan
M Trayes

The Fangs
N Barth

Triumph
N Barth

A good subject well seen but deserving of more careful composition and lighting. The foreground is flatly lit, and the top of the image hints at fascinating formations poorly revealed.

The cave entrance is well seen and executed with good rippling on the water. The foliage is nicely exposed and accentuated by the black shadow. But the caver is too large and distracting and the photograph would have worked better if they had been placed in silhouette on the far side of the pool.

A pleasing composition and well lit with enough colour and texture contrast to justify on-camera flash. Usually a subject like this would benefit from off-camera flash to accentuate the shadows. There is an edge softness that detracts when enlarged, although this may be simply because it is such a small file.

A terrific composition with lovely rendering in the water. The fangs are well named and well revealed in the photograph. However the flare, edge softness and washed out horizon detract.

Dramatic light that reveals plenty of detail with the whole scene tightly framed by the darkened arch of the roof. Good composition with the caver on the right, but the red and blue canoes detract rather than add to the image.

A dramatic image perfectly exposed with good use of thirds. The sidelighting on the water reveals dramatic turbulence, the paddler in glorious 'triumphant' pose is perfectly placed in silhouette and the line of falling water tying the top and bottom completes an excellent composition. It is hard to imagine how the exquisite ceiling detail and fine grain could be achieved without the use of a tripod.

"Dimond Cup"

^{Dimond Cup rules} No entries received

NZSS Trophy Winner

Nic Barth

Competition Judge

Alan Knowles