WINNERS : FOCUS AUGUST 2020 COMPETITION

Grant Galbraith has won the Focus August 2020 competition with a stunning black & white image of a waterfall. He will receive a NiSi V6 Switch Kit – 100mm Filter Holder with Enhanced Landscape CPL & Switch – valued at $429 – courtesy of Focus Sponsor Nisi Filters Australia.

Second place was awarded to Steve Algie and third place to Stephane Thomas, who will receive a credit from the Focus Committee of $150 and $50 respectively, to spend with any Focus Sponsor.

The Focus August 2020 competition, themed “LONG EXPOSURE” was designed to challenge Focus Plus Members to shoot new long exposure images during the month of August 2020.

The competition attracted 87 valid entries. Two independent judges, Adam Williams of Easy Way Photography and Andrew Code of NiSi Filters Australia studied and scored each one.

Every competition entrant can access their scores by re-entering the competition website : https://comp.focusphotographers.org/enter/login.php

A gallery of the top 25 images is available here :  

Adam Williams said :
“A huge congrats to all that entered. Whether or not you got an award is irrelevant. All the photos had something special in their own way.”

Commenting on the winning image, Adam added :

“Packed with atmosphere and mood and a sublime handling of the tones, made this the stand-out image of the competition for me.”

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Andrew Code added “

This is a beautiful image!  The waterfall was captured at the perfect shutter speed to show movement and create a smooth flow, which looks stunning contrasting with the dark background. The mist adds so much drama and leads the eye to the waterfall.”

Commenting on the second-place image, Adam Williams said:

“Simple and intriguing, the sense of isolation and loneliness in combination with the weathering and exposure time, told a really emotive story.”

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Andrew Code added :

“ A beautifully captured long exposure that shows movement and gives the sense of a long period of time. The brightness on the horizon contrasts well to the building and this contrast really draws the eye to the building. I don’t often see B&W star trails, but it works perfectly and really made this image stand out.”

Commenting on the third-place image, Adam Williams said:

“A visually stunning image. Beautifully planned and executed. The pop of colour and light, the complementary colour palette, the simplicity and the story of time passing and history decaying, all added to a very visually appealing photo.”

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 Andrew Code added :

“This image was the longest exposure (series of exposures) of all the entries, to tell the story of movement over a long period of time. I loved the great use of complementary colours between the blue from the stars and orange from the lights on the Furnace. The image feels balanced and I’m drawn into the centre of the celestial pole while taking in the great textures on the Furnace.  Well done this was a wonderful image!”

Jo Andrews, Chairman of the Focus Committee, said
“Congratulations once again to Grant Galbraith. Thanks also to our two judges, Adam Williams and Andrew Code, who donated their time and applied considerable skill to their task. And finally, thanks to everyone who entered this competition. Whether or not you were successful, entering a free competition is a great experience, to develop the quality of your work and test how well it communicates.”

Note. This competition was free to enter but limited to Focus Plus Members. Focus Plus membership costs just $5 p.a. and offers access to Focus Sponsor discounts, special events and competitions. More details here.

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