For July's contest, we had a leading expert in photography, author and speaker Jack Hollingsworth as our judge. We try to mix up the judging for our monthly contest so that our community gets a wide range of expert views about their work.
Jack Hollingsworth is a respected professional photographer, with a celebrated career, where he has traveled the world taking photos for commercial, advertising, and editorial clients. He rediscovered his love for photography in 2011 when he started taking pictures with his iPhone and found he could take remarkable and inspiring pictures while enjoying the freedom only a pocket, connected, and fun Phone camera can offer. His work has appeared in Apple’s #ShotoniPhone campaign and he is a speaker at Apple stores worldwide.
You can find some of Jack's work on his blog iPhone Diaries and he shares a lot of his work on his Instagram account JackHollingsworth. You can follow him there to see some of his works. He is also on Twitter as PhotoJack and on Facebook.
He is also taking a photography tour to Cuba soon so get in while there are still spots!
We are happy that Jack agreed to help us with our contest judging for July and here is what he had to say about the winning photos:
Introduction
In photography composition, balance refers to the distribution of visual elements within a frame to create a sense of harmony and equilibrium. Achieving balance ensures that no single part of the image overpowers the rest, making the overall composition more pleasing to the eye.
Balance creates a sense of harmony and order in an image. Effective balance helps guide the viewer’s eye through the image. Balanced compositions often evoke feelings of calmness and stability
By mastering balance, photographers can enhance the aesthetic quality of their images and effectively communicate their intended message.
The winners for July's contest, Elements in Balance are:
1st Place: “Gliding” by Wendy P
This photo is a great example of Symmetrical Balance, occurring when elements on either side of the frame are identical or very similar, creating a mirror-like effect. It often conveys a sense of formality and stability.
I also like the wing span being slightly “soft” in focus, this adding a sense of motion and dynamic to the frame
You can find more of Wendy's work on Flickr and Instagram.
2nd place: “Florida Polytechnic Institute” by Kevin E Flint
This is a fantastic example of Asymmetrical Balance. This type of balance is achieved when different elements on either side of the frame have equal visual weight. It’s more dynamic and interesting than symmetrical balance and is often used to create a more engaging composition. With the same frame you have strong vertical lines balancing the bottom horizontal line.
3rd place: “Morning Sunshine” by Kaleem S
I find this early morning sunrise shot to be a great example of Tonal Balance. This involves balancing the light and dark areas of an image to create a pleasing-to-the-eye composition
The “positive” space here, the land mass, is balanced out by the “negative” space, the skies. Dark and light.
Runner up: “Nature’s Balance” by Pat Garrett
This image is full of Emotional Balance. The Doe (mama deer) flanked left and right by her fawns (baby deer). I especially love how the doe is looking directly at the camera while the calves are busy milking. Beautiful balance.
You can see more of Pat's work on her website and follow her on Instagram.
People's Choice Award: “Perseverance” by Michael
Each month, our community gets to vote for their favourite shot in the contest, and for July, the winner is, Michael with this wonderful shot of a rock. You can find some of Michael's work on Flickr. Congratulations to Michael who wins $100 in Light Stalking store credit!
Our new monthly contest is already well underway. If you haven't signed up to be part of it for a chance to get your images judged by a professional, as well as a grand $250 cash prize, then don't forget to sign up here!
