Peter Eastway's Better Photography Magazine

Grand Prize & Incredible Sport Winner: Chan Kwok Hung. Score: 91

Chan Kwok Hung won our 2011 Photograph of the Year Award with his incredible sport image. So why was this photo selected as the winner? Let's look at the positive aspects and take away from these what we can.

In competitions, you only have a few seconds to impress the judges and Chan Kwok's image certainly did this.

Let's look at five aspects that have assisted this image.

Subject Matter. Entered into the sport category, Chan Kwok has selected an unusual sport, so the selection of subject matter helps the image stand alone. Funnily enough, there were a couple of other photos of this sport entered, but you can see an entire sport category and not see this 'running of the bulls' or water buffalo as the case may be. So full marks for an interesting subject.

Framing. What you leave out of a photograph is just as important as what you keep in. Chan Kwok has carefully framed the image to exclude unnecessary elements. The background and foreground have been darkened, but his framing is wide enough to include a reflection. A nice touch.

Composition. Some people might think that placing the subject in the middle of the frame is poor composition, but this is certainly not the case. Rules, if there are any, are made to be broken and Chan Kwok's central placement is perfect for his subject. However, note how he has tilted the horizon a fraction. Whether this was how he captured the frame or an intentional edit doesn't matter, because by tilting the horizon he has added to the tension and drama in the image. A straight horizon would have looked a little settled or even boring. So, while a risky strategy, the dutch tilt has certainly worked.

Technique. There is nothing in the photograph that shows poor camera technique and this is enough. Many competition entries have obvious camera issues, such as missing the focus and poor exposure. This makes it easy for a judge to dismiss an entry. And in post-production, Chan Kwok has gone for a slightly contrasty rendition that matches his interpretation. Personally, I feel there is a touch too much contrast and that maybe the sharpening effect in the splashing water has been overdone. However, without seeing what the image was like before these changes, I'm not really in a position to say. However, there is nothing in the technique that distracts the viewer, and good technique is invisible technique.

Light. I don't think Chan Kwok had the best lighting conditions. At a guess, it is overcast and middle of the day, but this has been hidden somewhat by the increase in contrast. (Perhaps increasing contrast was the only solution.) So while this photograph doesn't have the best lighting, the photographer has made the most of what he has, beginning with some amazing subject matter and following through.

So, there are a few points that I think that helped Chan Kwok into the winner's circle. What do you think?

Kitchen Cupboard, Motel, Winton

Perhaps I am a strange fellow, or perhaps it is simply the nature of a photographer to be curious. Or perhaps I am just a busy-body who should keep his nose out of other people's business.

I imagine for people working in the hospitality industry that scenes like this are commonplace, but for me it was quite a novelty to look inside a kitchen cupboard in a small motel in Winton. My host was very accommodating, allowing me to set up my camera and tripod in her kitchen and spend half an hour recording the contents of her cupboards.

I guess what we respond to (or perhaps I should say, what I respond to, as I cannot assume you enjoy this photo like I do) is the repetition of shapes. Although a complicated scene in that there are lots of pots, it is simplified by all the pots being the same shape. The colour is also greatly simplified, given there is next to no colour in the silver, and just a little warmth from the wooden shelves. I was also careful to line up the camera so it was aligned with the shelves, although a small amount of perspective correction when processing the file in Capture One was helpful.

But there is a twist and that is the gravy boat.

A wisp of cloud between the plane and the islets adds another element to a beautifully lit seascape. You can be lucky sometimes!

Yesterday I spent an enjoyable afternoon walking through the art gallery with Les Walkling. Les, many readers may already know, is well known in educational and contemporary art circles within Australia and around the world. He's also a part of our 90Degrees5 group that is currently photographing the South West. You can read more about Les on his websit - www.leswalkling.com.

During our trips away, the conversation is inevitably releated to photography, especially the way that modern photography fits into the art world. There are two camps: those who believe a photograph should look like a photograph, and those who say a photograph can be anything it wants to be. I can appreciate both schools of thought. Both are valid.

Of course, there can be a great deal of discussion about the definition of 'a photograph'!

One of the challenges in the digital age has been the use of colour. In comparison to the colours we could capture and reproduce with film, today we can produce much stronger, more vibrant and saturated colours. Should we?

And this is where my walk around the Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth with Les was so instructional. We took great delight in looking at the paintings (not photographs) hanging on the wall and observing their use of colour. Talk about out of gamut! Of course, not all of the works were highly saturated, but many of them were. Artsts, it seems, are quite comfortable with colour in many guises.

But photography isn't art, is it? Perhaps this is better stated that photography isn't always art. Sometimes photography is a scientific record or an historical piece. We expect to see natural colours in some photographs, depending on their context. But when it comes to using photography as a means of expression, I think we can afford to be a little more adventurous.

And the colour in the photograph of the islands? No, this is pretty natural and is straight out of Capture One. We had a kiss of light right on sunset that lit up the two islands on the right, but missed the one on the left. The natural colours were exquisite.

Taken with a Phase One 645DF, IQ180 and 110mm Schneider lens; 1/250 second @ f5.6, ISO 200

Following my trip to Winton in September where I judged the Images of the Outback exhibition (and some great photographs there were too!), I was invited by the Mims family back to their station for a couple of nights.

Being a city slicker, I was like a small boy with eyes wide-open as we mustered the sheep and explored the station. I reckon I asked all the dumbest questions, but being a guest has its advantages and, feeling sorry for me no doubt, I was treated to some great photo opportunities.

The properties out here are huge and while we might think of central Queensland as being relatively flat, when you're on the ground there's lot of wonderful relief to photograph. This tree was flowering and, while not quite as well endowed with yellow flowers as it appears in this photograph, it had a wonderful colour to it.

I'm using this photo in the next issue of Better Photoshop Techniques to demonstrate the difference between the Vibrance and Hue/Saturation adjustments in Photoshop. Essentially, the saturation slider in the Hue/Saturation dialog is a relatively blunt instrument, although it does allow you to make adjustments on a channel by channel basis. In comparison, the Vibrance and Saturation adjustments in the Vibrance dialog are more intelligent, increasing the colour saturation in the less saturated colours more than the already saturated colours, so you're less likely to push your colours out of gamut.

All will be revealed in the next issue of Better Photoshop Techniques which will be on sale in Australia early February.

Taken with an Alpa TC with a Phase One IQ180 and 23mm Digaron lens; 1/40 second @ f5.6, ISO 35