"September 2025 Photo Contest Image Critique"

The results are in! Our September 2025 Wildlife Photography Contest explored the theme “Non-Direct Light.” Members submitted 1,700 images across all skill levels — Advanced 426, Intermediate 1026, Beginner 248.

This month’s live critique was led by Daniel Cadieux, who noted how enjoyable and competitive the judging was given the strength of entries.

💥 What the Judges Looked For

• Purposeful use of non-direct light — backlight, rim light, side light, and silhouettes used to create shape, mood, and depth.
• Exposure control — detail held in highlights and shadows when shooting into or across light.
• Clean, balanced composition — strong placement, intentional negative space, no distracting mergers, and no clipped body parts.
• Color integrity — natural tones without unwanted green/blue casts that can creep in with indirect light.
• Theme alignment + authenticity — wild subjects, ethical field practices, and edits that support the scene rather than dominate it.

🔍 What Daniel Covered in the Critique

• Straighten horizons — even a 0.3°–0.7° tilt weakens an image. Fix it in Lightroom/Photoshop with a quick rotate or ruler-tool adjustment.
• Crop with intent — reduce empty space, avoid cutting off key features, and test portrait vs. landscape to strengthen balance and subject presence.
• Correct color casts — watch for subtle blue/green shifts; small nudges to temperature, saturation, or vibrance can transform the image.
• Make small fixes that add up — tiny adjustments to level, crop, and color can move a photo “tenfold closer” to pro-level polish.
• Field discipline — sometimes the best choice is not to press the shutter if light, angle, or background isn’t working.

💬 What Members Said

• “Super cool spider pic—congratulations!”
• “Small changes make a significant difference. Thank you for showing us.”
• “This must have been really difficult to judge—all the images are crazy good.”
• “Beautiful capture—great detail in the water.”
• “I learn a lot from these—thanks!”

🏆 September 2025 Contest Winners: “Non-Direct Light”

🟢 Beginner Category

Winner: Silken Prism by Heather Hall
→ Iridescent color and delicate structure turn a simple web into an elegant study of light and form.
View the winning image →

🟠 Intermediate Category

Winner: Sweet Mama by Marie-Claude Gravel
→ Gentle side light, clean framing, and tender behavior come together for a warm, emotive portrait.
View the winning image →

🔵 Advanced Category

Winner: Sunrise Takeoff by Penny Schiek
→ A dawn landscape strong enough to stand on its own, elevated further by the flock’s perfect timing and gesture.
View the winning image →

Thanks to everyone who entered and joined the live critique. Keep experimenting with light, watch your horizons and color, and give your compositions room to breathe. We’ll see you next month with a new challenge.