In association with MPB
Here are the top ten images uploaded to Photocrowd from Round Nine, Action, with comments by the AP team and our guest judge
Round Nine Action
Action is one of the trickier rounds in APOY to judge, perhaps because it has the potential to encompass so many subjects. In many ways it’s almost an open round in terms of genre, where anything goes – within reason. Everything from sports to wildlife to street photography can make a great action shot, but imbuing the image with imagination and creativity is where the challenge lies. We want to see more than just great panning technique coupled with an ultra-fast shutter speed. As with every round in APOY, we want something memorable that fuses technical skill and originality – be that shooting from an unusual angle, a treatment of a subject that we may not have seen very often, or glorious light that lifts a shot out of the ordinary. Narrowing down the images to create this top ten was no mean feat, but we hope you enjoy them.
1 Jon Morris UK 100pts
Guest judge Mike Owen says:
‘A unique take on an icon of British wildlife. This is an incredible shot, showing a kingfisher in flight. You often see kingfishers frozen in time with water splashes all around them or a fish in their beak, so this is a more unusual take on that. The use of a slow shutter speed really brings the dynamic nature of the shot to life, and shows the speed of the bird in flight. The lighting on the bird has been incredibly well managed, and I am sure the image has taken a significant number of shots to get right, testing shutter speed and light settings to get multiple wing beats, with enough sharpness to not lose the essence of the bird itself. The clean background enables the vivid colours to stand out, ensuring that even from a distance the type of bird is clearly identified, while the diagonal framing ensures you are tracking the journey of the bird towards what you can easily imagine is its prey.’
2 Florian Kriechbaumer Dubai 90pts
There’s a fabulous tension and drama in this action shot, which could almost be mistaken for a film still. The low viewpoint and wide focal length combine so that the viewer almost feels as if they were there, hearing the horse’s thundering hooves and feeling the water spray on their face. The timing is also superb, capturing the handler’s face in just the right spot, while both the bird’s wings and horse’s legs are outstretched. A brave shot that has paid off handsomely.
3 Sara Jazbar Italy 80pts
‘This classic shot has been executed really well, with the angle being low down to the water, and capturing that moment of takeoff after the prey has been caught. The shutter speed ensures each water droplet is frozen in time, but a shallow enough depth of field means the bird is isolated from
