The   Redlands   Camera   Club   would   like   to   congratulate    Alex   Mitroff    for   winning   the   best   of    show   with   his   image Boulder Bay - Big Bear in our winter competition. Alex Mitroff  is a recent member of our club.  The   judges   gave   some   excellent   suggestions   on   how   members   could   improve   their   images.     Images   need   to   be in   focus   or   sharp   where   they   need   to   be   sharp   and    blurry   where   they   need   to   be   blurred.    Some   images   needed to   be   cropped as   they   had   too   much   sky   or   foreground   showing.   Some   images    would   be   viewed   better   if presented   in   a   panorama.   Items   that   distract   from   the   image   should   be   removed.   Horizons   need   to   be   straight. Images   need   to   be   properly   exposed,   hot   spots   need   to   be   toned   down,   foregrounds   or   backgrounds   lightened or   darkened   as   needed.   Members   could   use   a   Neutral   Density    (ND)   filter   for   slower   shutter   speeds   to    show water   movement.    Images   could   make   a   better   presentation   by   adding   a   complementary   stroke   or   boarder around the image.  This   last   year   one   our   speakers   spoke   about   high   ISO   and   noise   in   an   image.   He    stated   that   if   an   image   was properly   exposed   noise   was   not   a   problem   when   shooting   at   high   ISO.   I   am   looking   forward   to   many   more speaker and competitions to help improve  our photography May   all   of   you   have   a   blessed,   safe   and   prosperous   New   Year.   May   you   have   a   great   time in   capturing   the   world around you. Happy New Year