Winner Chosen - February 2013 - Admin's choice - Image of the month

**Marko** · 03-11-2013, 10:47 AM

Hi members,

In case you are new around here this is where the Admin (me) chooses one excellent photo each month from all the photos nominated by other members during that month in the Member's monthly choice forum.

Just so it's clear, the photo I choose is not necessarily the best one of the month. I've come to realize it's not really logical to pit images from totally different genres against each other. That's why there are categories in photo contests.

My goal is to simply choose an excellent photo and talk about why I think it rocks.

This month's choice is Green Sea Turtle by Matt K.

I chose this image for two reasons:

1 - Composition and perspective - I like the out of the box thinking on this one. At first glance (without the aid of the title and other pics) you aren't immediately sure what type of creature this is and this is due to camera's angle shooting 'above-straight' relative to the subject. For me this adds a sense a mystery as I am used to seeing crocs or alligators shot this way. I really dig that the head is partially out of the water as you can see the surface tension of the water which is a lovely detail. I also dig the suggested repetition of the roundness of the shell complimenting the roundness of the head.

2 - Aperture and sharpness - Normally with creatures we shoot for eye sharpness but given that the position of the turtle's dark eyes relative to the camera's position make it hard for the viewer to appreciate the eye sharpness, the sharpest element in the image is in front of the eyes at the nose level. This draws us into the nostrils (and mouth) which for me also adds a sense of interestingness. The relatively large aperture makes the turtle's shell in the background go soft which is a nice touch as it keeps the focus on the front of the face.

For all these reasons, this is my choice for image of the month. Since we all have opinions, some members may disagree with my choice. That's cool but THIS thread is not the place for debate over my pick, NOR is it the place to further critique the image. The purpose here is to suggest strong elements in the photo that we may learn from.

Congrats again Matt. K!