FIRST PLACE WINNER
Total judging points: 32
Judge's Comments:
1. This is an impressive image. The colors are striking, and the exposure and focus are spot-on. The composition is very strong. The photographer uses lead-in lines very effectively, and the colors of this image create atmosphere and impact. Impressive!
2. I adore this image. The tonality of the warm yellows against the cool blues is just lovely. And I love how the photographer has composed this image, making the central point of focus (the lance-like encrustation ringed in yellow, I presume?) off center with the cracks in the trunk radiating out from it or leading our eyes to it, depending on your perspective.
By way of suggestions, I might darken the highlights on the left side of the picture; their brightness does tug my eye away from the lance. And I might like to see just a tad more sharpness, particularly on the lance.
Overall, just a wonderful image.
5. The colors combined with the lines create a wonderful composition. Using a larger f-stop number or focus stacking to keep all areas of the image in focus would improve the image.