Dutchess Regional Professional Photographers

Print Competition Winners

Spring 2008

Judges for our Spring 2008 Print Competition were Frank Dispensa and Joe Brady - excerpts of their comments are listed beneath each of the winning photos below.

Best in Show
"Delighted Dancer"
by Theresa Terilli

Local photographer Theresa Terilli of Photographic Images takes pride in her work. As one of the few Certified Professional Photographers in the area, she specializes in family portraiture from pregnancy to graduation. This portrait of Analiese entitled -"Delighted Dancer" was taken at Theresa's studio in LaGrangeville. To see more of her work, visit www.PhotographicImagesbyTheresaTerilli.com.

Judges loved the broken border with the smudges, liked the diagonal arms, and well-lit face of the dancer. They noted that the brightest area of the photo was - correctly - the dancer's face. Also liked the direction of the light, from left to right, with the highlights on the left and shadows on the right. Very well done!

First Place
"I'm Sorry"
by Theresa Terilli

Judges thought the title and expression were 100% perfect! Loved the eyes positioned at the upper third of the print, and the great posing. Nice painter in eyes. One judge suggested shifting the little girl a bit higher in placement so the white under her eyes wouldn't be seen as much; lowering the camera angle a tiny bit would correct this minor technicality. Judges recommended darkening her hands and fingers a touch. Both judges also commented on the fact that the subject's hair wasn't painted like the rest of the image; if any part of an image is painted, all of the image should have "painter" retouches on it.

Second Place
"Empty Spaces"
by Ken Kijewski

The composition worked well. Very nicely done. Judges enjoyed the composition and title. They suggested more detail in the darker cloud, and a little more selective dodging and burning. A solid black mat would have made for a better presentation of this print.

Third Place
"Handful of Love"
by Dawn Sela

Real stunning image. Loved the composition. Had tremendous impact.
For improvement, photographer should go ahead and center this image . . . the composition and globe-like appearance would make it perfect for centering. The border was too strong - too wide - make it thinner (about one-eigth of an inch) and use a midtone color from the image. Baby's face should be brighter than hands. The bottom left was a bit too bright. Possibly could use a little more head room. Clone out Dad's hand imperfections. Could even try using a parabolic light, with barn doors, for greater lighting emphasis on the baby's face.