Selective focus

Photographer Luzi Enrico has captured a stunning image of these two Swallowtail butterflies. Focus was perfectly placed on the subjects, and the aperture chosen provided strong detail in the butterflies and flower. The complimentary warm and softly blurred background is distraction free and works well to keep all attention on the subjects. Lighting is soft and even and the diagonal in the flower stem line creates an interesting composition. An excellent selective focus image and worthy of a first place finish.

The photographer's clever use of selective focus makes this such a unique wedding image! The photograph on the photo screen is tack sharp, and such a strong contrast to the soft blur present in the rest of the image. The blur simplifies this scene, and the black and white conversion adds yet another layer of simplicity. It's great to see a wedding photo that is different than the standard image. This tells the story in a new and creative way.

I absolutely love the painterly look of this image! Depth of field is super slim, and that created a gorgeous background bokeh full of light and colour, as well as a sense of movement in the Goldenrod, as if it is dancing. The selective focus was well placed on the plant as well. The photographer really created a lovely image, showing us an ordinary subject in a new and very different way. I think this is a very beautiful, impressionistic photograph!

I see this as a very powerful story-telling image, full of emotion and quite a bit of sadness. The photographer's choice to focus on the man's hand holding the chain and dangling cross brings the viewer right into the scene yet keeps us at a distance, as if we are somehow witness to a very private and personal event. The blur softens that moment perfectly. The black and white conversion is also well done and simplifies this timeless photo beautifully.

I love the use of selective focus in this image! The photographer did a wonderful job choosing a point-of-view that lined the gulls up! The gradual fade off to more and more blur works really well to simplify the photo and this is well exposed and composed too. The only change I would like to see would be the inclusion of the feet of the foreground bird, this is cropped too tightly at the bottom. Backing out just a little more would make it even stronger.

This photograph is enchanting! The dragonfly is sharp with strong detail, I think it is smiling at me! The subject is also very well isolated from the softly blurred background with lovely bokeh back there as well. Soft lighting is gently illuminating the dragonfly and the pastel colours present in the image are quite lovely. I really like the point of view this image was taken from – I feel like I am eye to eye with this wee fellow!

The selective focus on the centered snail is tack sharp and very well placed too, the photographer did a beautiful job with that. But what makes this image magical for me is the softly coloured background, and the colours! The blue/green foliage is so different and unexpected and is well complimented by the pink, purple and yellow also present in the background. The image has a very dreamy mood, and we could all use a bit of magic!

I really like the super shallow depth of field in this photo and the colors of the Fuschia flowers are wonderful! Shooting close to the foreground blossoms reduced them to a veil of soft color, which simplified the subject beautifully. Lighting is also soft and gentle on the flowers. The only change I see needed here involves the inclusion of the in focus petal sneaking into the left side of the frame. That could be eliminated with a slight change in composition, or blurred in post-processing.

I love the colors in this photo, and the out-of-focus leafs spreading diagonally across the frame add a soft and dreamy feel to the photograph. The photographer did an excellent job with the selective focus on the two small mushrooms in the lower right. The only thing keeping this from a commendation is the upper left area. Because that stem is also in focus, it creates a second focal point which pulls the viewer's eye away from the stronger subject below.

This butterfly photograph has a very soft and dreamy feel to it which is lovely and also works really well with the subject matter. I also like the separation between the butterflies and the blurred background and the soft lighting. The only thing holding this photo back from being amazing is the inclusion of the large out of focus rock in the foreground. Choosing an angle that did not include the rock or shooting with a longer lens that would eliminate it from the composition would make this image stronger.

This Dahlia photo is well composed, the photographer did a wonderful job moving in close and filling the frame with the flower. The dark background and selective focus simplify it nicely. All this needed to be outstanding was soft, even lighting. The strong light has added shadow lines and bright spots which distract from the natural lines and colours of the flower. Using a diffuser to soften the light or shooting on a cloudy day would eliminate the strong light.

The super low point of view chosen by the photographer works extremely well here, as it brings the viewer eye-to-eye with this gorgeous Snowy Owl, creating an excellent connection. This is also well exposed, and the subject is nicely isolated from the well blurred background as well. The only change I would suggest would be to clone out the darker blurred weed in the foreground, it really stands out against the white snow, but this is still a beautiful photograph.