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Welcome,

Welcome to the first edition of Masterpiece Monthly. Let's start by celebrating the winners of the January Masterpieces of the Month. Congratulations to these photographers and to all of you for your excellent photos. Your dedication to your craft is evident in the amazing images submitted.

It has been wonderful to engage in conversations with you in the Masterpiece Forum and my sincere pleasure to chat with many of you on our first "Fireside Chat" teleseminar.

Next month we are heading to St. Augustine, Florida for another BetterPhoto Summit. Meeting members who share my passion for picture taking is deeply rewarding and the Summits are truly a highlight of my year. Going out shooting together is even more gratifying. The friendships made on our workshop shoots last a lifetime, and spending time with photography fans like you deepens my overall understanding of your goals, interests, and needs.

Hearing from you here in Masterpiece Membership, on our calls and in person is how we grow to meet your needs. Much of what we offer at BetterPhoto comes directly from your feedback so keep the questions coming and the constructive conversations in the forum going as well. This is exactly what I envisioned for this special membership: a place where people dedicated to photography can reach their personal best and share in the continued journey. As Ansel Adams continually worked to create masterpieces, let's continue on the path to excellence together...

Masterpieces of the Month Winners

	"Searching the Dunes" © Mark M. Orlowski ( 27 nominations ) Feedback +13		"Fall Portrait" © Jennifer Jones ( 24 nominations ) Feedback +14
Hi Mark, I love this strong and simple composition. It's a perfect example of visual, artistic creativity, with so much visual impact. You did a great job in isolating the colorful subject against the sand dunes. The red outfit jumps out in contrast to the sunlit browns and darks, a nice pattern of light and shadows on the dunes. The placement of the subject to the left of center works perfectly, with her face in the upper left. This rule of thirds composition, combined with the fact that she is facing toward the right, allows the viewer to also enjoy the amazing land before her view. She appears serene, and this harmonizes perfectly with the soft, sandy tones and graceful curves of the background. What a wonderful, peaceful, and visually compelling image!		Hi Jennifer, this is a wonderful capture of a very photogenic subject. I love the thoughtful expression, the tilt of the head (which adds extra visual energy) and, of course, those big, beautiful eyes. The close focusing, wide aperture and telephoto focal length created an ideal depth of field, with all of the important aspects of your subject (eyes and face) perfectly sharp and the background blurred. The soft light is beautiful too, and perfect for portraits. (Note: I would just warm it up a bit. I am guessing this was shot in open shade, and the blue sky is causing a very slight cool cast in this portrait.) What I like most about this, especially when I see your "Before" photo and hear the story you relate in the feedback thread, is how much difference a simple change can make. You could have stopped at getting a cute photo of your subject… the "Before" version is very good. But by asking her to lean a bit on the back of the chair, you started a chain of small events that led to this final result. I love the way her eyes become even more of "the star attraction" now that her smile is no longer competing for attention. The horizontal crop further helps the viewer appreciate those amazing eyes. What a success, Jennifer!

	"Lake Mattamuskeet Reflection" © Mary Lou Dickson ( 21 nominations ) Feedback +8		"On the Lookout" © Laurie Shupp ( 19 nominations ) Feedback +8
This is such a beautiful scene, Mary Lou, I almost didn't believe it. As you know, I had to ask you if this was a software creation, because the perfect symmetry made me think of the popular Flood filter! You answered that it was almost straight out of the camera and, Wow!, what a scene to behold and to capture. You did a great job placing the horizon/shoreline low in the frame, which both creates a more unique composition and allows you to show the outstanding cloud formation in the sky. The diagonal sweep of clouds contrasts nicely with the horizontal horizon line and the vertical trees. The reflections are very striking. You have here a simple and powerful waterscape scene that has a lot of visual impact! Excellent work, Mary Lou!		Laurie, this is an excellent and attention-grabbing image! You did a good job in composing the scene, zooming in so tight with a big telephoto. The subject sure fills the frame, and fine work in including sufficient space in front of the subject's face (at the left). One note: I wonder how this photo would look with even more space to the left. His eyes are somewhat centered in the composition and moving them to the right might create an even more unique image. However, this may very well be a case where centered eyes are the best choice. I also love the soft and pleasing light that reveals beautiful colors and details. The warm colors on the subject and the cool blues of the background contrast well with each other. A fine use of depth of field too, with the wide aperture and telephoto view making the background a fine blur of colors. This is a perfect demonstration of the right use of post-production techniques… you started with a strong image and made it your own with a skilled and careful use of software filter effects. Fantastic job interpreting your original capture, performing your original score.

	"Farrier's work" © Stacey A. Bates ( 18 nominations ) Feedback +4		"The Who" © Ellen Hodges ( 18 nominations ) Feedback +9
This is a fine "storytelling" photo, Stacey! I love the selective-color work with this "hot" subject jumping out in the black-and-white scene. Others often try to do this "splash of color" effect but leave the wrong part in color. You have done perfect Photoshop work here, and the end result is an image where the viewer can't help but feel the heat of this subject. I see many other good things going on here, too: the slow shutter speed provides an exciting feeling of motion with the one hand, while a steady camera shows good details in the other key parts of the scene. The shallow depth of field ensured that the foreground subjects stand out against the blurred backdrop. The tight composition keeps the focus of attention on the best parts of this scene. Great capture and excellent, complementary post-processing with this selective-color creative effect.		Hi Ellen, this is an excellent wildlife capture! The use of a telephoto, wide aperture and perfect focusing isolates the owl against the soft details and colors of the distance. This makes for a stunning wildlife portrait. The lighting is perfect too: soft and pleasant, so that the colors and details stand out so well. I like how the subject is placed to the left of center, since the owl is leaning rightward into the rest of the scene. Don't you just love those amazing eyes, and the details, all standing out so clearly against the muted, pleasing background. A very well-composed and well-lit scene ... nicely done!

	"And to Think...It's not even High Tide!" © Jacqualyn A. Volker ( 17 nominations ) Feedback +8		"A Coy Witness" © Oscar Suarez ( 17 nominations ) Feedback +9
Wow, Jacqualyn - what a dramatic photo! The crashing of the waves into this lighthouse is spectacular. I imagine you used a relatively fast shutter speed and shot several images to capture this one winner. Also, the lighting adds to the overall drama too, especially with the highlights on the waves in the foreground, along with the lighting hitting the burst of surf over the lighthouse. A good job in using the lines and repetition at the left to lead the eye to the lighthouse.		Hi Oscar, you have so many fantastic portraits in the Big Shot Lounge… this is just one of many excellent photos of your subjects! You used a high ISO to get a fast shutter speed, and shallow depth of field to isolate focus and bring all of the viewer's attention to the eye. What I like best about this unique portrait, though, is how the one eye peeks out from its position placed according to the rule of thirds. The folds of the scarf fill up the rest of the picture frame, adding such a pleasing element of color. Such bold color too, with the contrast of warm-toned skin with the cool-toned scarf. The lighting is excellent as well - very soft and pleasing, with just enough shadows, highlights and textures to make the material really "pop". Fantastic job making great use of the props that were at hand - this is a winner!

	"The Stairway" © Graham D. Sher ( 15 nominations ) Feedback +4		"Black Gold Waiting" © John Singleton ( 14 nominations ) Feedback +4
Beautiful photo, Graham. I so enjoy the curves and swirls of this very strong graphic design. You captured the scene with perfect compositional balance. With the curving line that begins in the far lower-right corner and curving leftward, upward, and inward, you give the viewer a pleasing path to follow into your scene. This is artistic capture (and adventurous from what I hear of you leaning to get the shot!) of an artistic architectural design. It takes a creative eye to be able to do justice to art like what we see in this staircase. Also, great use of the rule of thirds, with the placement of the main focal point, the brightest area at the upper left. This is fine wide-angle work!		A very striking use of light and line, John! The sunlight catching the tops of the rail cars and tracks - in contrast to the dark tones - make the lines really "pop" out of the image. The camera position was perfect, so that the lines "move" upward from the bottom border, and the curve in the upper distance adds extra visual energy as well. The telephoto focal length ensured that just the graphic-design lines and curves filled the frame. The vertical format helped to emphasize the lines too. This is a very pleasing composition of this powerful graphic element, and it's a fantastic testament to the rule of bringing the camera with you everywhere you go. Well done, John!

	Mark Orlowski Masterpiece Member Mark Orlowski's image "Searching the Dunes" received 27 nominations! and was awarded Masterpiece of the Month. Read More >>

	Jennifer Jones Jennifer Jones has been a BetterPhoto member since April 14, 2004! Almost at her 5 year Anniversary! Read More >>

Mary Lou Dickson

Mary Lou has been a member of BetterPhoto since February 2008.

Read More >>