Previous Photo Review Challenges

PR17 Photo Challenge: In a Blur
The challenge: Most photographers bend over backwards to keep their images perfectly focused. But tacksharp shots aren’t the answer for every photographic situation. Indeed, if you want to capture a sense of motion and movement, one of the best ways to convey an accurate impression is to let your image blur. What we want you to do is slow that shutter speed down and to have fun. Impress us with a beautiful blur. Move your camera or let your subject move – we don’t mind!

The task of picking a winner was more difficult than usual but one has to decide, and so we chose Noel McWilliams’ beautifully composed Deer Run. It was a close thing with Neil Fifer’s amusingly amazing Red-rumped Parrots. Garry Hughes sent in several studies from the snooker table which were both interesting and technically superb. Peter Finlayson’s Team’s Pursuit is a very good use of slow shutter speed and panning technique. As the winner, Noel McWilliams will receive a copy of Adobe’s Photoshop Elements 2.0.

Details of the current Photo Challenge are published in Photo Review magazine. Click here to order online or to find out where to buy your copy.

PR17 Photo Challenge Runner up is…

Red-rumped Parrots – Neil Fifer

PR17 Photo Challenge Highly Commended…

Peter Finlayson

Garry Hughes

Neil Fifer – Yellow Robin

Neil Fifer – Finch Bath

Stephanie Gough

PR16 Photo Challenge: Opposite to Dawn
No-one said PR16 Photo Challenge was easy – capturing the ‘Opposite to Dawn’ rather than dawn itself proved to be a tricky assignment. In the end it came down to a decision between two quite different images – Mark Kennedy’s ‘Water’ and Troy Baker’s ‘Morning Haze’. We enjoyed the mix of pastel colours in the sky in Troy’s image and the rising mist. It was tempting to call a dead heat, but with only one copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 on offer, we didn’t have that luxury. In the end we opted for Mark’s portrait-format landscape as it met the challenge a tad more completely. We also liked the way Mark has put aside the Rule of Thirds to get the maximum drama in his broad expanse of sky. We’re very please to be giving Mark a copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 for his winning entry.

PR16 Photo Challenge Runner up is…

Troy Baker

PR15 Photo

Challenge: Letters
We thought our PR15 Photo Challenge would be an easy one. But it seems that finding letters in the shapes of the world around us was a bit harder than we’d anticipated so entries were down on the usual numbers. Happily though, the creativity of our entrants was at its usual high standard and judging was once again a challenge. In the end we thought Melissa Grimley’s picture of the letter “T” formed by windows in an old factory was the very best. We quite liked Melissa’s letter “s” and “o” as well, but we decided that our runner-up should be Anthony Marin for his letter “K”. As this issue’s Photo Challenge winner Melissa receives a copy of Adobe Elements 2.0.

Anthony Marin

Details of the current Photo Challenge are published in Photo Review magazine. Click here to order online or to find out where to buy your copy.

PR14 Photo Challenge: Essence of Summer
How would you capture the Essence of Summer? It’s tougher than you might think, but the broad brief didn’t deter our challengers. Once again, we are very impressed by the standard of the entries we received. It was a difficult choice, but we settled in the end on John White’s emblematic kids-at-the-beach shot for our winner. We loved the balance, the bright colours and in particular the little girl’s outstretched arms. Coming in a close second was Andrew Murdoch’s sweltering silhouette. We’re very pleased to be sending John White a copy of the the highly-regarded image editing software package Paint Shop Pro 8.

PR14 Photo Challenge Runner-up…

Andrew Murdoch

PR13 Photo Challenge: Framed
Our October-November 2003 issue Photo Challenge on the theme of ‘framed’ produced the usual crop of clever responses. We had scenes framed by old windows in abandoned buildings, by castle walls and even by the trees on either side of a path to the beach, but in the end we really had to give the guernsey to Damien Smith. His image of a cat reflected in a pair of sunnies is both simple and a good example of thinking a little bit outside the square. We like that in a picture. Our runner-up was Matt Grech’s ‘Sunrise on the beach’. Taken along the track leading to Tallow Beach in Byron, it finds a frame where many photographers wouldn’t have noticed one.
Damien Smith will receive a copy of the superb image editing package, Paint Shop Pro 8.

PR13 Photo Challenge Runner-up…

Matt Grech

PR12 Photo Challenge: High Noon

Our Aug-Sept Photo Challenge on the theme ‘High Noon’ did not see us receiving bales of Gary Cooper imitators squinting flintily at bad guys. Our winner and runner-up each approached the difficult noon lighting by confronting it head on – they pointed their cameras up. A tough call, but in the end we came down in favour of Melissa Lowe’s nicely angled cityscape for our winner.
A very worthy runner-up was Jane Bradbear’s lively shot of an old fair-ground ride on a very hot Brisbane day. Melissa Lowe will receive a copy of Paint Shop Pro 8 , the highly-regarded image editing software package.

PR12 Photo Challenge Runner-up…

Jane Bradbear

PR11 Photo Challenge: Clouding Over

Our June-July 2003 Photo Challenge on the theme ‘Clouding Over’ managed to get all our photographers, bar one, snapping, well, clouds. Some fine work too, but in the end it was Annette Blattman’s looking down to see up approach that earned our first place award. Close runner-up Stuart Elfett from Adelaide captured an alluring combination of sea and sky at sunset with his Canon Powershot G2.
Annette receives a copy of Paint Shop Pro 8 , the highly-regarded image editing software package.

PR11 Photo Challenge Runner-up…

Stuart Elflett

Details of the current Photo Challenge are published in Photo Review magazine. Click here to order online or to find out where to buy your copy.
PR10 Photo Challenge: Catch the Wind
(from Digital PhotoReview Apr/May 2003)

Our April-May Photo Challenge on the theme ‘Catch the Wind’, attracted the usual interesting variety of responses. It was tough to decide between the first and second place images, but in the end we gave the nod to Malle Timmerman’s lovely study of a seagull in flight. Malle writes: ‘I often watch the various birds here enjoying “playing” in the thermals above the lake (Lake Macquarie NSW) and was fortunate enough to be able to get this shot just as the seagull was swooping away after feeding in the shoals. (It was taken on my Nikon F55 SLR using a telephoto zoom.) Only bought the camera a few weeks back and have already found your magazine a great help with imaging tips etc. I look forward to the next issue.’ Regards from Malle Timmerman.
Our second place getter John White’s study of a boat under full sail was quite impressive too, and we got a big kick out of the amusing windmill image from Joy Ireland.
Malle Timmerman will receive a copy of Nova Photo Explosion image editing software.

PR10 Photo Challenge Runners-up…

John White

Joy Ireland

PR9 Photo Challenge: Near and Far
(from Digital PhotoReview Feb/Mar 2003)

Our February-March Photo Challenge on the theme ‘Near and Far’, attracted a surprising variety of responses. Once again the judges were under pressure because we thought several of the images were right on the mark. In the end, Charles Adams’ nicely forced perspective of Mauve alliums and a rural idyll won out. Mr Adams’ humorous shot of Dan the Dog and his ball provoked a few smiles as well. Both pictures were captured with a Canon G2. Mr Adams noted that it took him three visits to get the right lighting for the flower shot. Also worthy of note, we thought, was Annette Blatman’s quiet study of a duck and the reflection of a tree. Charles Adams will receive a Canon CanoScan LiDE 20 flatbed scanner for his fine lens work and dedication.

PR9 Photo Challenge Runners-up…

Charles Adams

Annette Blatman

Mark Matuschka

Greg John

PR8 Photo Challenge: The Eyes Have It
(from Digital PhotoReview Dec/Jan 2003)
We want you to come up with an image (or images) that captures the essence of those “windows on the soul”; get in close and personal with a pair of expressive peepers.

And the PR8 Photo Challenge winner is…
This challenge sparked some very creative responses, making it exceptionally tough on the judges, but in the end we settled on Caroline Telfer’s collage entitled ‘deja vu’. Said Caroline of her technique, ‘I scrunched up the eyes as if to put them in the wastepaper basket before I unfolded them and held them over my face. It looks as if I am almost too scared to peek out from behind my hands. This is how I feel sometimes.’ For her efforts, Caroline will receive a Canon CanoScan LiDE 20 flatbed scanner (www.canon.com.au).

PR8 Photo Challenge Runners-up…

Paul Pennell

Peter Hardin

Jeff Dykes

PR7 Photo Challenge: Dusk
(from Digital PhotoReview Oct/Nov 2002)

The Challenge: Capture an image at dusk – without incorporating the sun into the picture. We’re looking for “evocation” rather than “documentation” on this one. Don’t hit us over the head with the obvious, think instead of the atmosphere and fleeting quality of light at the end of the day…

And the PR7 Photo Challenge winner is…
We thought that Fred Burman’s “Shoalhaven Evening” managed the task rather well, with his quiet, almost languid end-of-the-day image. Fred has won a choice of Dual CompactFlash & SmartMedia Optical Mouse or Datafab Memory Stick USB Reader from Mittoni (www.mittoni.com.au).

PR6 Photo Challenge: Leaf It Out
(from Digital PhotoReview Aug/Sep 2002)

The challenge: What kind of leaf or leaves? Well, we’ll leave that to your imagination! Branch out, get creative, leaf through your ideas book and then get snapping.

And the PR6 Photo Challenge winner is…
Katie-Lee Gulbransen, who writes “Photography has been a love of mine for many years. I am forever endeavouring to produce artwork which fools the human eye. Here is a little something I have been experimenting with lately. Because this is a relatively new idea of mine, I’m a little reluctant to reveal the secret!”
Well, secret technique or not, we thought Katie-Lee’s image was a creative and beautiful response to our challenge. We’re pleased to forward Katie-Lee a copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 (www.adobe.com.au) as a prize for her elegant study.
Details of the current Photo Challenge are published in Photo Review magazine. Click here to order online or to find out where to buy your copy.

PR5 Photo Challenge: The Vanishing Point
(from Digital PhotoReview Jun/Jul 2002)
A deceptively simple challenge this time. If you’ve ever studied art or geometry, you’ll have heard about the vanishing point. It’s the point where parallel lines appear to converge.
We want you to go out into the world and find a really interesting vanishing point. We’ll accept all forms of vanishing point, but we’ll be particularly impressed with those that do not involve either a road or a pair of railway tracks!

And the PR5 Photo Challenge winner is…
Brian Leonard, who managed to find at least eight distinct pairs of converging lines for his winning image. Mr Leonard receives a copy of the current version of Paint Shop Pro (www.jasc.com.au ).

PR4 Photo Challenge: It’s Behind You
(from Digital PhotoReview Apr/May 2002)
The challenge: Grab your camera and over the course of an hour, not longer, find 2 or 3 different subjects you like. Photograph them in any way you please. But each time after you finish taking your picture, turn around so that you’re facing the opposite direction and make the best possible image of whatever is behind you. It’s a great way to force yourself to step out of your usual pattern of subject selection. You may also be pleasantly surprised to discover just how creatively you respond to the challenge.

And the PR4 Photo Challenge winner is…Ed Hughes. While photographing the Cremorne Point lighthouse, he turned around and noticed an “amazing sky”. A moment later a ferry appeared to complete the picture. A perfect example of turning around to see anew!
Mr Hughes receives a copy of PhotoShop 7 for his winning entry. See more details on Photoshop 7 at www.adobe.com.au .
Details of the current Photo Challenge are published in Photo Review magazine. Click here to order online or to find out where to buy your copy.