Total judging points: 22
Judge's Comments:
1. This very strong image captures the colors and textures of the cyprus knees in the bog area of the UT Arboretum.. The judge suggests cloning out the stick(s) in front the central cyprus knee and cropping from the left and bottom to further focus the viewer's eye (rule of thirds).
2. This image offers a multiplicity of good image possibilities, but as seen here it suffers by trying to show too much in a single view. Every element has to compete with lots of other elements that are equally sharp, equally colorful, and equally demanding of the viewer’s attention.
To make this image stronger, I would suggest zooming in on smaller parts of this scene, such as the multi-colored/red-tinged tree root in the lower left adjacent to the floating sweetgum leaf. The simplicity of the tree root and the leaf might make an appealing and distinctive image. Another possibility: zoom in to highlight the texture in the stump to which the root belongs, or look for a different vantage point from which to photograph the stump so it would stand out more clearly as the subject.