“Black Hmong Lady” Sapa, Northern Vietnam

This photo was taken on our recent trip to Vietnam & Thailand, an amazing experience.  I fell in love with Vietnam…….

We left OR Tambo on 17 April and Arrived in Bangkok the following morning and got onto a flight for Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam.  After ‘n quick trip to the Tam Cốc channels we got on the overnight train to Lao Cai.  In the morning when we arrived we were transported by bus to Sapa.  Sapa, is a frontier town and capital of Sa Pa District in the Lao Cai province in northwest Vietnam. It is one of the main market towns in the area, where several ethnic minority groups such as Hmong, Dao, Giay, Pho Lu, and Tay live.

The Hmong are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.  Hmong are rich in culture, art and family and are distinguished by costume/dress (fabric patterns represent fruit, vegetables, farming, chickens, eggs, etc.)  Vietnamese Hmong women continuing to wear 'traditional' clothing tend to source much of their clothing as 'ready to wear' cotton (as against traditional hemp) from markets, though some add embroidery as a personal touch. In Sapa, now with a 'standardised' clothing look, Black Hmong sub-groups have differentiated themselves by adopting different headwear; those with a large comb embedded in their long hair (but without a hat) call themselves Tao, those with a pillbox hat name themselves Giay, and those with a headscarf are Yao. For many, such as Flower Hmong, the heavily beaded skirts and jackets are manufactured in China.

The lady in the picture are one of the many “vendors” in town.  They are less “aggressive’ than the lady vendors you find in the rural villages.  I think the reason is that they do more sales in the towns and thus “less desperate”.  The picture was taken just after we arrived and unpacked at the hotel in Sapa.  I was mid-morning and quite misty with the sun just breaking through every now and then.  I knew then I was in for one amazing trip.

Camera	Canon EOS 7D
Focal Length	300 mm (Canon 70-300 L IS lens)
Shutter speed	1/200 sec
Aperture	F 5.6
ISO	100
Club Competition	Gold, May 2013, 5* Winner, Senior winner

Andre Norris 5*

Discounted tours available

We have been informed that the two tours mentioned below are now available at discounted prices to those interested.

John Hosten will offer a R 500.00 pp discount on the tours detailed below, visit the web site for detailed information.  You must contact Johan by Wednesday for the Waterval Boven tour and by Monday for the Kaapsehoop tour.  Johan can be contacted at:

• cell:        082 887 5501
• tel:         012 361 9283
• fax:        012 361 9283
• e-mail:  info@landshapes.co.za
• web:      http://www.lensafricasafaris.co.za/

June 7-9 : Waterval Boven
2 nights. Very good value package.

This is another amazing venue for landscape and special photographic opportunities. Just over 2 hours from Gauteng. At this time of the year one can capture the misty mornings. We plan unique mountain climbing shoots (not the photographers!), trout dams and Elands River scenery, special township visit and a quaint old cemetery and the most picturesque steam train graveyard in the country. Stay over at Zongororo Lodge and enjoy quality accommodation and good food.
Meals and tuition included. No single supplement. Own transport.

July 18-21 : Kaapsehoop
3 nights (or 2 night option).

Delightful mountain retreat village about 3 hours from Gauteng, near Nelspruit. Mist, forests, stunning escarpment views, streams and amazing rock foundations, wild horses and flowering aloes. Stay over in Kaapschehoop Guest House.
Breakfast, dinner and guiding included. Own transport.

Panel comments on photo –Take off

We have received out next photo for comment.  This was an interesting one to get comments on, as it is obviously a good photo, but it had a number of challenges.  At the club evening there was a short debate if this can be accepted as a nature entry.  The judges did decide to give the author the benefit of the doubt and judged the photo in the nature category.

As before, you can view the full original image by clicking on it.  Remember to add your comments as well.  Here is the photo and thanks to the panel for their comments.

Panel Comments 1

Always great to capture a bird in flight and the head and eyes are sharp and we can see the movement in the wings which is also a plus.   The bird is completely lost against the back ground and does not stand out at all. If a shallower depth of field had been used the background would have been more out of focus.

Panel Comments 2

The key attraction in this pic is the eyes of the owl, which is also sharply in focus - very fortunate indeed. Higher shutter speed would have helped to sharpen the moving wings, but that is not always possible in the circumstances. Pity the background is similar to owl plumage but then that is why nature invented camouflage...  the background deprives the shot of needed perspective, being very uniform and flat. The pic could perhaps benefit from increased colour saturation to relieve the dullness and accentuate the eyes. This is allowed for nature category.

Panel Comments 3

This is a photo that one would normally be very proud of as it is technically good.  Unfortunately the background killed the photo for me and you will require heave post processing to try and make something of this photo. Personally, I think you were lucky not to be disqualified.  Photos with man made components will always be risky to enter in the nature category.

Panel Comments 4

Ek hou van die foto en die outeur het die uil baie mooi vasgevang in vlug. Die vlerke wat ‘n bietjie uit fokus is wys vir my daar is beweging. Die oë is baie mooi skerp wat belangrik is. Die agtergrond veroorsaak dat die uil bietjie wegraak in die foto. Ek sal ook voorstel dat die outeur die uil stywer crop in ‘n portret formaat. Sny die linkerkanste gedeelte af.

Panel Comments 5

The original image was very well captured and I particularly like the slight movement in the wings. It shows movement and the bird is in flight. As presented and compared with the original image, the author did very well in applying a horizontal flip.

There is however a concern about the Nature category. The thatch roof indicates captivity or a sanctuary and many arguments may follow but some judges may not approve of this.

Unfortunately the original image does have some problems

1. The eye is drawn to lighter areas and in this case the big area on the left marked in red circle competes with the bird. The same applies in a lesser value with the smaller red circle.

2. The green circles indicate areas where the grass on the thatch roof seems damaged.
3. A bigger problem is the background competing with the subject. It is of similar colour and one would like to separate the bird more from the background.

Suggested Post Processing

Because of the limitations of the Nature category I will suggest the following;

1. 1. The cropping can be done like the image suggest below. The eyes are the focal point of this image and are so strong that placing it in the middle of the image would improve the impact of this image and will also remove the big distracting area on the left. With this crop, the wings are placed on the two thirds making the composition even stronger.
2. The horizontal third is slightly below the bird giving the photo the impression that the bird is flying into the frame.
3. With this crop, I do not believe the horizontal flip will add more impact.
4. Lastly, the distracting damaged thatch roof was corrected using the clone tool

The final Image

Some adjustment in exposure (-1 stop) on the whole image and then selective exposure adjustment on the bird to bring it back to the original exposure seem to separate the background.

In an open category one could also apply a slight vignette to get rid of the over exposed thatch and focus the viewer on the bird.

Lastly

Well done with the image. The shutter speed was perfectly selected to freeze the bird, yet show the wing movement.

Panel comments on photo–Plek van my hart

We have received a photo from a 4* member asking for comments on a photo as entered in the February competition.  You might remember this panorama photo as entered in the theme section.

From the comments we received back, it is clear that this is a good photo and ideally suited for a panorama entry.  The panel had little to add to improve the photo, apart from suggestions how the author can increase the impact of the photo with a little more punch.  Some sample photos were also provided to illustrate the points made.  Let us know what you think.

As before, you can click on the photo to view the full size original. 

Panel comment 1

This image as a panorama works very well and depicts the wildlife in its environment.   I added a bit of contrast to the image which I feel gives it a bit more punch.   There is very good detail in the sky and reflections just add to the image.   The only thing I would have done is add this little bit of contrast that I said and I cropped slightly on the left. See the proposal below:

Panel comment 2

This is a very pretty panorama, with nice colours and it conveys a peaceful atmosphere.  I really like the Giraffe in the picture as it provide context to the photograph and gives the viewer an idea of the vastness of the space.    The reflection in the pool of water is also very appealing
 
Possibly some room for improvement in that the horizon is centrally placed in the photograph – I would suggest that the author possibly reconsider the way that the photograph was cropped, if there is enough room, I would leave a little more space in the foreground and less of the sky in order to move the horizon more towards a third in order to give the picture more impact
 
There appears to be a halo around the tree on the left hand side, this could be due to too much post processing, or over saturation, also prevalent in the very blue sky in the left hand corner of the picture

Panel comment 3

My impression is that this photo tells us a strong story and one can almost feel the atmosphere that the author must have experienced.  Looking at the original photo, I think it was well stitched together into this panorama and not much to improve.

In an attempt to give the photo more impact you can consider to increase the contrast to make the beautiful colours stronger and a looser crop gives me a bit more context to the photo.  Smaller touches were to reduce the halo around the tree and boost the reflection in the water.  See the proposal below:

Panel comments on photo – Lelie

We have received our first photo submitted by a 5 star member for comments on the photo.  The comments indicate that judging is subjective and different people look differently at a photo. I trust that you like this feed back and would make use of this opportunity to send us a similar request on one of the photos that you have entered.  You can click on the photos in this article to see the original photo.

The photo to the right is the photo as entered in the February competition.  Please add your comments to this article.

I always like to look at the work of an expert in the field and came across the work of Clive Nichols.  Select his web link or go straight to the flower pictures.

Ather web links that I personally like were 41 Delicious flower photos or How to photograph flowers.  Go and look on these web sites to get fresh ideas.

Panel member 1

Ek sou graag of meer van die wit blom of baie minder wou sien. Tans kompeteer die rooi en wit vir my aandag. In my opinie sou dit n baie sterker foto gewees het, indien die fotograaf op die stuifmeeldrade gekonsentreer het, sonder die wit blom

Panel member 2

I personally do not see anything wrong with this image, it is pin sharp right through, the post processing has been executed extremely well.   Where it should be sharp it is sharp, exposure is excellent, composition perhaps could have been slightly improved, perhaps just having part of the petals coming in from the left pulled the image down slightly..  It is not easy to to get an image like this pin sharp right through.  I could not have post processed it any better.

Panel Member 3

1. The author captured the flower well.
2. Technically there is nothing wrong with the picture.
3. I don’t think the subject matter in the photo is strong enough.I would have scored this a 3 if I was the judge.
4. It might help to look at other similar photos on the internet.  Click here

Panel Member 4

1. The simplicity of this photo is striking with the diagonal lines are a strong component of the photo.
2. The photo is balanced and your choice of crop is good.  The crop helps to frame the photo.
3. The dark background works well in this case and contributes to emphasize the focus point.
4. Technically you have unfortunately a number of challenges.
   1. Once the raw photo is cropped, you are already on or below the competition format size of 1080 high.
   2. As this is almost a macro photo, it is critical that it is pin sharp on your focus point.  You could try to vary the depth of field to find when the eye is drawn to the focus point.
   3. In your photo, there is some room for improvement in gaining sharpness and improving the contrast.  I have attached the same photo, processed slightly differently that shows a different emphasize on the photo and taking some of the suggestions into account.
5. Other ideas to try:
   1. By using a polarising filter one can possible reduce the shiny reflections.
   2. A reflector on the top or right hand side can be tried to see if you can balance the light with a fill light from the side
6. As flowers are regularly photographed and entered into competition, it is very difficult to compete on a 5* level in this topic and to make your photo stand out from the rest.  It must  therefore be a powerful photo that is technically exceptional on this level to get a high award.

Foto terugvoer en kommentaar geleentheid

As hierdie my foto was…

Ons wil graag probeer om lede meer geleenthede te gee om terugvoer op fotos te kry.  Die volume fotos op ‘n kompetisieaand maak dit baie moeilik om aan al die fotos aandag te gee wat hulle verdien.  Daar is die moontlikheid om hierdie Blog te gebruik om verder teruvoer te gee sodat meer lede daarby kan baat vind.

As ‘n toets wil ons die volgende probeer

Lede kan vra vir kommentaar van enige foto wat hy in die laaste kompetisie insgeskryf het.  Hierdie fotos is relevant want meeste van ons het dit in kompetisie verband gesien.

1. Stuur ook jou oorspronklike foto aangeheg soos voor jy met verwerking begin het om te help om beter kommentaar en alternatiewe voorstelle te kry.  Die foto wat jy ingeskryf het, het ons reeds en jy kan net die titel stuur.
2. Hierdie fotos sal dan na ‘n paneel gestuur word vir vrywillige kommentaar en voorstelle.
3. Fotos waarop daar genoeg en sinvolle kommentaar van die paneel terug gekry word sal hier bespreek word saam met voorbeelde van die oorspronklike en verwerkings voorstelle.

Die doel is die volgende:

1. Om almal te help met alternatiewe opsies of benaderings om fotos te verwerk of aan te bied, aangesien daar nie een regte manier is nie.
2. Praktiese voorbeelde te gee van die verwerkingsvoorstelle.
3. Dis nie bedoel om kommentaar te lewer op die resultaat of kommentaar wat in die kompetisie verkry is nie.
4. Om so veel as moontlik fotos te hanteer, maar waarskynlik sal ons nie almal wat ingestuur word kan hanteer nie.

Omdat die oorspronklike foto groot kan wees sal ek dit waardeer as jy die versoek kan epos na: ccc.webalbums@gmail.com en nie na ons normale klub epos adres nie.  Stuur sommer nou die oorspronklike foto asook die titel waaronder jy ingeskryf het.  Jy is welkom om ‘n spesifieke vraag in te sluit.

Groete

Bernard Richard

It hurts me more than it hurts you

Judging of photos is known to be subjective and we are quite often reminded of this fact when the judging topic is discussed. Remembering this is however a tall order to ask of any author with high expectations of a photo that he entered into a competition.

This month I was privileged to be on the other side of the fence. Yes, it is a privilege for me to be able to judge and comment on so many different entries where each author expects nothing less than Gold or better. I like the comment Evelyn made in a recent judging presentation: “…to judge as if you are friend of the author”. It remains a challenging task to judge with a huge responsibility and a lot of pressure.

 

It Hurts

This is what reminded me of the well-known phrase: “It hurts me more than it hurts you.” I must admit that I never believed it while I was on the receiving end. A judge's intention is not make authors feel discouraged or hard done by through the judging process.  When this is the result you did not judge his photo as a friend.

There are a number of factors that could lead to this despondent feeling. Some could definitely be improved upon by the judges and we must always work on that aspect of judging. Other contributing factors are created by a lack of understanding of the judging mechanism and its limitations or challenges as we say in South Africa.

 

Judging errors

Mistakes by the judges are possibly the most irritating aspect that is a major contributing factor to frustration of the authors. In reviewing the recent panel of photos where I assisted in the judging, I can see that we did make mistakes in the heat of the moment. We incorrectly disqualified some photos, but we have also accepted photos which should have been disqualified. These errors were mainly caused by technical information which is not available to the judge at the time of judging.

 

Putting it all together

A too high standard of judging is next on the agenda (or Facebook) after a difficult judging night. Not all authors are aware of the time and effort that the committee put into this aspect to try and avoid exactly this from happening. Alternative systems are investigated, the sliding scale is discussed to death, judges are briefed, statistics are kept, judges are blacklisted and so it goes on. This is all done to try and get the perfect system while we are using judges that will express their personal preferences. The history over the last 6 competitions showed we have statistically more problems with low standards than with high standards. In three out of the last six competitions we awarded Gold and COM to more than 70% of the entries. This does not demotivate authors and is therefore not so strongly debated or discussed, but is also a problem and makes me slightly uneasy when I get a COM award on such a night.

 

The target

What is the actual standard that we aim at? I think we all agree that we do not realistically expect all photos to be judged Gold or better. The rough guide line is that a Silver award means the photo is on the expected standard. Gold and COM awards are reserved for photos above standard. It is to be expected that there will be a distribution of photos that are judged to be above average on any given competition night. I do not think we should set a limit on awards. I am sure that most authors do not want a situation where photos will be awarded Gold by default. If we can only somehow manage to give a photo the award it deserves.

 

Finally: High Definition

We have changed over to HD format with a new projector and the picture is absolutely magic compared to the previous format. Unfortunately this magic projector now shows any error in the photo or post processing very clearly, for all to see. Working in the correct colour space is now more important than before. Attention to post processing detail will have to be improved on if we do not want to be disappointed with the presentation. There is a learning curve with this new technology for all involved. The projector was calibrated three times before the event to ensure we get the best possible result and this must be maintained to ensure the quality is the best that we can possibly achieve.

We will most likely keep on talking about the standard and criteria applied in judging and that is an integral part of our hobby. My wish is that we can avoid leaving authors despondent, through continues efforts to improve the judging for all and to make it as fair as is practically achievable.

 

For the record

Let me conclude by stating that I have never entered a photo in a competition, expecting to get anything less than Gold. Unfortunately I had a number of bad judges over the years and my below-Gold count keeps on increasing steadily. I am therefore making my contribution to keeping the stats down.

A personal opinion by: Bernard Richard.
X – Judge