Taylor River - Hand in 12 June 2025 Digital and/or Prints

Judge: Roger Thwaites

Digital and Prints - we'd love to see more prints for this topic.

The Taylor River ends when it meet the Opaoa River east of SH1 and will include the downstream tributaries (Yelverton Stream and Murphys Creek) and anything alongside the river (so you have to of been there). This is a huge topic.
Afterwards we're thinking of displaying the prints publically.
Capture the flow of water:
Use long exposures to create a silky, blurred effect on the water, or capture fast-moving rapids for a more dynamic look.
Focus on textures and details:
Look for interesting textures in the rocks, sand, and water, and capture them in detail.
Use filters:
Polarizing filters can reduce glare and enhance colors, while neutral density filters can help you achieve longer exposures in bright conditions.
Not just the river:
What else is alongside the river? – flora (plant life) and funa (animal life) and humans.
We trust you to be honest – if not – your only fooling yourself.

Members Suggestions: Taylor river, local waterways, rivers

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Open

Set Subject

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PREAMBLE:

Within this competition I felt that I would like to see a point-of-difference to the usual. (I thought that this would be an ideal subject to do this.) If you just went down to the river, and banged off a few shots without due consideration for the creative appearance of your image, then it was most likely going to score poorly. I have to say that my expectations were about right, and that there was a variety of different images, which were of average standard and could have been a lot better, but the images that received 'Merit' or better, displayed a higher standard, and scored accordingly. There are all sorts of ways to produce creative images. It's all about taking the time to think about the composition, and then applying the necessary settings to the camera to achieve the "winning" image, but in saying that, it pays to have a good knowledge of how your camera operates!

I have kept my comments deliberately short. I don't believe in a long preamble about photoshop, etc. and what you can do to improve your images. I believe in judging the images as I see them in front of me, and keeping my comments to the point. I hope that you get something useful out of all this.

Best Wishes, Roger.

C-GRADE OPEN:

Grove Arm Boatsheds: A fairly common view of this scene, but a nice contrast of colour of the boatsheds, with the Autumn colours of the distant poplars casting an interesting reflection. Good control of the exposure. MERIT.

Queen Charlotte Sounds: Great effect of the rays of light. The elements are well placed to compliment each other, and although the landform on the left, is very black looking, it adds to the balance of the image. MERIT.

Whites Bay: A nicely balanced image of the foreground rocks, the sea, and the distant cloud formations. A nice clean composition which shows sharp focus and good "depth-of-field" throughout. The lighting is well handled, and it is a shot which greatly appeals. MERIT.

B-GRADE OPEN:

Brilliant Memories: Even though the lighting on the main subjects are a little on the dark side, the action of the horses crossing the river is well caught, with strong contrast. I would suggest using a bit more light to lift up the darkness of the shadows (this could probably be done by using Photoshop or similar). ACCEPTANCE.

SEPARATION: Great action shot, and good timing catching same. The lighting emphasises the surfer which is caught at just the right instant in time. A difficult shot, which is well handled. The sharp detail and colour is what gives this image a high degree of excellence. Well done. HONOURS.

Wipe out: Another interesting surfing image. The action of the water crashing all about and the wayward surf board in amongst it, gives this image strong viewer interest. It would help this composition if we could see more detail of the surfer (In a perfect world,guess!) ACCEPTANCE.

A-GRADE OPEN:

Lindis Pass: The most striking part of this image is the light hitting the hills and the cloud forms, otherwise the foreground is a bit bland, and doesn't do much for the image as a whole. There is good detail throughout, but I think you might have missed the best of the light, for this shot. NOT ACCEPTED.

Marsden Point Refinery: The main chimney on the left, is very much a dominant feature, but the beautiful sky binds all the elements together, although the gap between the chimneys on the left, does suggest a picture with two separate compositions. ACCEPTANCE

Opening Split in the Ploughing Competition: (The title is a bit of a mouthful!) But clearly shows all the action, and the story comes across well in this image. Good detail and colour and it is sharp, but it does have one small glitch: The frame on the left encroaches into the left side of the picture, which is a pity. However, interesting shot, showing the history of how things were done in the early days. MERIT.

Tarns in the Southern Alps: This is a photo which brings back memories of the times I spent in Fiordland when I was younger man. The flow of the tarns through the gorges, is well seen, and the picture has good balance of the elements, with good detail. The mist adds to the mood of this image. The flat lighting allows the eye to see all the elements without any interruptions from any contrasty shadows. HONOURS.

C-GRADE SET SUBJECT:

Autumn Abundance at Taylor Dam: A clean looking image which clearly shows the elements in sharp focus. The Autumn colours are just about to show (but not quite). Quite a busy image with lots to see. With an image like this it is sometimes an advantage to have a strong point of interest(focal point), that the eye can zero in on. ACCEPTANCE.

Bellbird at Taylor River Dam: The eye and the beak of this bird are pin-sharp, with great colour of the plumage - this makes it stand out well. An excellent nature shot, which is well posed. MERIT.

Colourful Refuge: Alot of birds on the lake, but not that well defined. The weeds in front, tend to compete, and act as a distraction. In places, the dark contrasts are too strong, which causes some of the detail to be lost. I looked at this image full-screen, and thought that it looked a bit grainy (Noise?) It's a composition which needs more attention to the detail and how it is displayed. ACCEPTANCE.

Eye to the World Beyond: Some interesting shapes here, with a very specific focal point centred around the outlet pipe. A simple, but effective composition, which works well as a strong focal point of interest, to draw the eye. Well seen. MERIT.

Flight to Light: A nice enough scene, with the tree in the centre being the main focal point. I think the "flight" part of the title refers to the bird (Which is hardly noticeable). It's rather attractive image, with the green colours of the hills adding to the character of it. ACCEPTANCE.

Inlet and Reflection: There is a similar image in this competition, of much the same scene. I don't know whether it is the same author, but it is best to avoid similar images in the same competition, as it leads to comparisons being made by the judge. (The competition secretary should make people aware of this, so that one entry could be withdrawn.) However, it is there now, and I have ACCEPTED it.

Pukeko in a Panic: The flight pattern of the Pukeko is well caught. Perhaps the colour of the plumage is a little on the flat side? I think I would be inclined to crop off the dark piece of foliage (top right) as it tends to show as a distracting influence. A good effort. ACCEPTANCE.

Taylor's trees: A pleasant landscape shot, with the reflections adding foreground interest. As a landscape shot, I am looking for some special attribute which makes the image stand out. It needs something different, to make it any more than a record shot. ACCEPTANCE.

Waxeyes in the Fennel: An attractive little nature shot, which rather appealed to me. The Waxeyes, are mainly sharp with good colour, but I found the dark brown blotches in the background to be somewhat annoying. At this point, I will reiterate something from my "hobby horse": Backgrounds are most important, and should be compatible with your image, without any jarring distractions. ACCEPTANCE.

B-GRADE SET SUBJECT:

Goofing Around, Great Memories: Both the horses and their riders, look to be having fun. The water splashing about emphasises the action, and the tight frame around the horses and their riders, keeps the eye focussed on the main subject. Good 'interaction' shot. MERIT.

A-GRADE SET SUBJECT:

After JS Parker's Plain Song: I wondered about the association between a piece of artwork and this landscape. In some ways, it does resemble the JS Parker "Plain Song", but then, considering what it does as a photograph, is a different thing altogether. The river bank full of nicely laid stones is probably the main feature, but the scruffy stalks of the weeds in the foreground, takes away the effect. ACCEPTANCE.

Angry Pied Stilt: The action of the angry stilt stands out well with sharp focus of the bird, contrasted against all the out-of-focus yellow flowers in the background. I'm not sure about the other stilt flying out of the picture - there is two ways of looking at that: It could be a distraction, or it could be a bird taking flight into the top right corner of the image? Anyway, I decided the latter. MERIT

Playtime at Taylor River: This is strong image, with lots of action as the dog fetches the stick. There is excellent detail, with lots of water splashing up, and the brown eyes of the dog draws the viewers attention. The image is sharp, the action tells a story, and the sharp brown eyes are the main point of interest. Great shot. HONOURS.

Reflection: Some effort has been made to give this image a creative aspect by sloping the camera, and while I encourage this sort of composition, it has to show a meaningful result, and I don't think that this has quite succeeded. However, on the plus side, it casts an interesting and colourful reflection, and does have a 'painterly' effect about it. ACCEPTANCE.

Taylor River: The first point of interest is the bird then the eye shifts to the tree on the right. The light effect of the black and white medium reminds me of a lead pencil drawing. A clever effect, which brings with it, a different composition and view of the Taylor River. Well done. HONOURS.

Taylor River Trail: A colourful example of this scene, but I did not feel that it was a strong competition photo. It looks to be more of a family snap, because of the static looking composition. It's more of a record shot, which needs more action to draw the attention of the viewers. ACCEPTANCE.

The Harrier: The action of the harrier forging a bow-wave along the Taylor, is a good action shot. The movement is obvious, and it tells a good story. A strong but different view of the Taylor River. Good capture. MERIT.:

The Meander: Beautiful Autumn colours with the flow of the river taking the eye through the picture. The hills in the background mimic the shapes of the trees. There is a nice balance of the elements, which all come together to make an interesting landscape image of the Taylor. MERIT.

Walking the Taylor: A pleasant enough image, with the human element adding to the interest of the picture. It is an image that needs a bit more happening, to hold the eye. Nice enough Autumn colours though. ACCEPTANCE.