1st Place - Artistic
I love the subtle composition of this picture, it's asymmetry. The composition is interesting because of how each gerbil, facing the center, chewing on a seed, is so different in size and position... the gerbil up front, closer to the edge, is, of course, much larger in the picture, yet the gerbil in the back, with the long, extended tail bringing his body closer to the center, is the one more in focus, becoming the focal point of the photograph. I love the soft focus and coloration of the picture, and the texture of the rug (or towel?) the gerbils are standing on, as well as the soft light and shadow. Beautiful gerbils. |
PET03 - Starlight & Hero Owned by Gail Payne |
Fantastic, sharp, close-up focus on this sweet gerbil, We can see every hair, every whisker! Well done! I love the spatial depth and the different textures in this photo.
3rd Place - General Adorableness Love the attitude and head tilt! A monarch on their cardboard throne. |
PET05 - Sunni Owned by Saffron Jones |
Honorable Mention - Artistic
This is an adorable gerbil and photograph! The perfect definition of "pocket pet"! LOL! I just keep smiling whenever I see this photograph! I love the way he his head subtly tilts toward the center of the picture, too. Great focus on him. 1st Place - General Adorableness Cornchip - Nothing I love more than a shot that shows the bond between gerbil and person. The shallow focus really adds a lot. |
PET07 - Cornchip Owned by Polly Weldon |
2nd Place - Artistic
I just love the peacefulness and feeling of security of this whole picture. I feel the tenderness of this sweet, gerbil family. I love the color pallet of the picture- the pastel colors of the wood shavings bedding, and the pastel blues and off whites of the cloth (perhaps the cloth is, in reality, a contrasted powder blue and white, but the soft lighting makes it look subtle, rather than being a harsh contrast). Even the uneven stitching of the stripes on the cloth adds to that softer feeling. It looks like daybreak, with the sun coming up on the left, gently lighting that area of the picture, the heads of two of the pups, plus part of the father's face. The lighting also makes the father gerbil's eye the composition's focal point. The focal point is off center as it should be (since the father is in the middle of the page). The group of mother and babies isn't centered, which makes for a good composition. The darker tips of the father's and mother's ears as well as all the darker contrasts (a closed gerbil eye slit, the shadows of a gerbil's limbs, the different fur colors- light to dark- of the babies) help move the eye around the picture. This is a lovely family portrait of serenity. |
PET10 - Dad Georgio watching over mom & pups Owned by Donna Anastasi |
3rd Place - Artistic
Such a cute gerbil and fun, creative use of props in this bright-contrast picture! Made me laugh! It was as if Amy knocked over the two mini skateboards. The cleverness of the idea scored high with me. I love the way the arrow above the scripted word, "Chocolate" points to the light blue skateboard, which was put on a diagonal, leading the viewer's eye straight to the gerbi! This triangular working of the composition is often used in fine arts paintings and photographs. The yellow coated wires of the cage behind the gerbil, filling in the background, lead us up, then the contrast of the green solid are of the cage with the small, red label, help our eye travel around the picture, back down to the red writing on the arrow on the turned over, horizontal skateboard, back up to the gerbil and his subtle, pink nose and very dark eye. The small, red areas create an inverted triangular way for our eyes to move back up to the gerbil, yet again. Just an interesting observation/analysis here. What this is really about is a cute gerbil with two knocked over miniature skateboards. LOL! |
PET11 - Amy (Submission 1) Owned by John Arbuckle & Eleni Moraites, Selmer Pet Land |
What a darling gerbil pup and photo! I love that he's in a very subtle, blue-cast shadow to match the background.
2nd Place - General Adorableness Those paws! That smile! It's just too much. What a well-trained and well-mannered little gentleman. |
PET12 - Delvin Owned by Rumiko Küllsen, Clan Waterfield |