Many images of Kingfishers were submitted to this competition, but this one stood out from the rest. This beautiful capture shows great technical mastery. The balance between shutter speed and ISO is just right to ensure a crystal-clear capture of this fast-moving bird. And the aperture, at F6.3 is wide enough to nicely blur the background whilst keeping the bird and most water drops sharp. This contrast, between the soothing softness and stillness of the background and the sharp, fast movements of the subject in front, adds great visual impact to the image. The colour grading is beautiful and balanced, and the subject is nicely positioned following the rule of thirds, which greatly benefits the composition of this shot. A fantastic capture certainly deserving of first place. Well done!
I'm captured by the uniqueness of this image - there was nothing like it in the competition. I love so much about it. How the sunlight hits the bubbles and the boy's silhouette. The expression on his face. His dirty hands. The simplicity and innocence of it all.
Technically, a wider aperture would have benefited this image in blurring the house in the background and allowing the bubbles and subject to stand out even more. Even though I like the reflection on the glass, perhaps the shot would have also benefited from less space behind the boy (left of frame), and more space ahead of him.
Nevertheless, those of us who have photographed children know that in shots of this type we don't always have time to review images and give deep thought to camera settings. Sometimes we have to capture what's in front of us in the best way we can before the magical moment passes right before our eyes (or lens!). And I'm so glad this photographer did. What a beautiful shot, well done!
This is a visually striking capture with plenty of character and Halloween-vibes. Whereas most other mushroom shots submitted to the competition were macro, I like how this image includes their (beautiful and captivating) surroundings. It's unique, and it sets the image apart from the rest.
The rule of thirds works extremely well. Having the subject off-centre allows space for the misty forest to fill the rest of the frame, adding context and story to the image.
The editing is beautifully executed yet invisible (which is what makes it so successful!). The image is clean, the exposure perfectly balanced on both foreground and background, the contrast striking and the sharpness on point.
A very successful 'rule of thirds' image indeed. Well done!
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2,083 Images entered
1,076 Photographers
Brief
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**This contest is open to photographers ranked 1001+ in this week’s <a href="https://www.photocrowd.com/photographer-community/">Leaderboard</a>.** The rule of thirds is a compositional guideline or ‘rule of thumb’ that can be employed in order to strengthen the composition of one’s images. It advises that prominent vertical or horizontal features within the image, such as a horizon, a tree, or a main portrait subject, be placed one third of the way into the image, either vertically or horizontally, in order to give the most pleasing composition for the viewer. In reality of course one often relies more on gut feel, and not all scenes offer the possibility of using this rule. Do please use the Not on Brief button sparingly in this contest, as a degree of latitude can be employed in using the rule.
