Images of the Month
Each competition month one of our members selects a digital image to be designated as Image of the Month. They will be choosing one that has a particular appeal to them, not necessarily the image that received the highest score. Each month’s image is chosen by a different member.
Image of the Month - January 2026
“Striving for Obscurity”
Photographer: Norbert Kugele
Selected by: James Zeman
About my image.
About My Image: In the winter months, I often like to sit inside with my camera and watch for birds that land on a pine tree just outside our kitchen. In this instance, the sun had just come out from behind some clouds when a red finch landed in the tree. The late afternoon sun provided some striking backlighting. The bird was mostly obscured by pine needles, but I had a chance to quickly take s step to my left and get a clear shot of its eye before the bird flew away. I captured the shot using my Canon R7 with a Canon RF100-500 F4.5-7.1 L IS USM zoom lens at a focal length of 400mm, with an aperture of 6.3, shutter speed of 1/1000 sec and ISO 1600. I processed the photo in Adobe Lightroom, where I adjusted light tones and did some denoising. Because the denoising process often adds a little softness to the focus, I then moved the photo into the Topaz Sharpen tool to add a bit of compensating sharpness.
- Norbert
Why I liked the image.
I like this image for its elegant balance of color, light, and restraint. The photograph has a shallow depth of field to place the viewer’s attention precisely where it belongs—on the small songbird—while allowing the surrounding pine needles and branches to dissolve into a soft, luminous frame. Compositionally, the off-center placement of the subject and the diagonal flow of branches guide the eye naturally through the frame.
– James
Previous Images of the Month
DECEMBER 2025 | WORLD OF MUSIC | STEVE PORT
NOVEMBER 2025 | REDDISH EGRET | KIM IVES
OCTOBER 2025 | THE SWELTER | GARY KIRFMAN
SEPTEMBER 2025 | JAGUAR CAUGHT THE PREY | JIM KNAPP
JUNE 2025 | KARNER BLUE | MARTY KEIRNAN
MAY 2025 | CELEBRATE GRAND RAPIDS | KATHY KENDALL
APRIL 2025 | RWBB | JOE MANCY
MARCH 2025 | DANDELION SEED HEAD | JAMES ZEMAN
JANUARY 2025 | GIZA MAN | JOE MANCY
DECEMBER 2024 | SHINE ON | DIANE CHARVAT
NOVEMBER 2024 | GOLDEN GOLDEN HOUR | TODD HARBIN
OCTOBER 2024 | HIBISCUS DETAILS | JAN LEWIS
SEPTEMBER 2024 | BOMB BURST | JOE MANCY
JUNE 2024 | PROUD GRAD | REBECCA HUMES
MAY 2024 | THE COLOR YELLOW 01 | STEVE JESSMORE
APRIL 2024 | FOGGY NIGHT IN THE CITY | DELLA LANDHEER
MARCH 2024 | DIAGONAL LEAVES | MIKE MITCHELL
JANUARY 2024 | FEATHER NUMBER 4 | JACK EICHNER
DECEMBER 2023 | DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE | DIANE CHARVAT
NOVEMBER 2023 | THREE SISTERS | EVIE CARRIER
OCTOBER 2023 | FAMILY STROLL | DONNA DOBBS
SEPTEMBER 2023 | FRESH FISH | JOE MANCY
MAY 2023 | THE WATCHER | MICHAEL KOOLE
APRIL 2023 | SHARP TAILED GROUSE BATTLE | JAN LEWIS
MARCH 2023 | STREET VIEW | EVIE CARRIER
DECEMBER 2022 | FIRE DANCE | JEANNE QUILLAN
NOVEMBER 2022 | LADDER TO THE MOON | EVIE CARRIER
OCTOBER 2022 | TRADITIONAL SONGS | KATHY KENDALL
SEPTEMBER 2022 | THE JUGGLER | JAN LEWIS
JUNE 2022 | COFFEE BREAK | ROGER FRY
MAY 2022 | COLD SWIM | JIM KNAPP
APRIL | 2022 | CHIHULY PORTAL | VAN MAAS
MARCH | 2022 | FOCUSED DETERMINATION | JAN LEWIS
JANUARY 2022 | GRANDFATHER GOAT | DELLA LANDHEER
DECEMBER 2021 | SCULPTURE CURVES | RUSS BARNEVELD
NOVEMBER 2021 | PANDAS LOVE BAMBOO | JIM KNAPP
OCTOBER 2021 | SEARCH FOR FITZ | EVIE CARRIER
SEPTEMBER 2021 | FOGGY MORNING AT RIVERSIDE PARK | REBECCA HUMES
MAY 2021 | COUSIN'S CONFRONTATION | JAN LEWIS
APRIL 2021 | MAN IN WINDOW | RICHARD JOHNSON
MARCH 2021 | KINDERGARTEN JOY | MIKE BERGEON
JANUARY 2021 | THE CIVIC | EVIE CARRIER
DECEMBER 2020 | MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM-1 | STEPHEN BURGSTAHLER
NOVEMBER 2020 | HONEYCOMB SKYLINE | STEPHEN BURGSTAHLER
OCTOBER 2020 | TOWER CLOCK | STEVE PORT
SEPTEMBER 2020 | CARDAMOM COFFEE | STEPHEN BURGSTAHLER
JUNE 2020 | DOGWOOD | DIANE CHARVAT
MAY 2020 | BACKLIT BEARD | REBECCA HUMES
APRIL 2020 | FLAMENCO DANCERS | LARRY HOWARD
JANUARY 2020 | MUSHROOMS | JERRY KEIFER
DECEMBER 2019 | SO, NOW WHAT DO I DO? | JEANNE QUILLAN
NOVEMBER 2019 | ARTESIAN AT WORK | KAREN THAUER
OCTOBER 2019 | BIG RED IN THE WINTER | ANDREW SCHWALLIER
SEPTEMBER 2019 | BUTTERFLY IN PINK | DELLA LANDHEER
JUNE 2019 | BEACHED SHIPWRECK | RANDY NYHOF
MAY 2019 | DEM BONES DEM BONES | RUSS BARNEVELD
APRIL 2019 | STURGEON BAY SUNSET | RANDY NYHOF
MARCH 2019 | PICTURED ROCKS | EVIE CARRIER
JANUARY 2019 | BRIDAL VEIL FALLS | MARK DARNELL
DECEMBER 2018 | WATER BALLOON | MIKE BERGEON
NOVEMBER 2018 | AUTUMN RED LEAF | RANDY NYHOFF
OCTOBER 2018 | DANDY WOOD DUCK | JAN LEWIS
SEPTEMBER 2018 | SUNFLOWER SUNSET | CHRISTINE DARNELL
MAY | 2018 | MAKE A WISH | REBECCA HUMES
APRIL 2018 | PROTEST | RUSS BARNEVELD
MARCH | 2018 | CHICAGO RIVERFRONT | RANDY WEGENER
JANUARY 2018 | SOAKING UP THE SUN | STEVE PORT
DECEMBER 2017 | SUNRISE | EVIE CARRIER
NOVEMBER 2017 | BRITISH METAL | RANDY ZWIERS
OCTOBER 2017 | BANANA FLOWER | RANDY ZWIERS
SEPTEMBER 2017 | STILL WATERS AND VIBRANT SKY | MARK DARNELL
JUNE 2017 | DEVOS MOBIUS | ROGER FRY
MAY 2017 | A MAN AND HIS DOG | ROGER FRY
APRIL 2017 | SOUL SEARCHING EYES | JAN LEWIS
MARCH 2017 | BIKE POLO | MIKE MITCHELL
JANUARY 2017 | SCOTTSDALE SUNSET | ROGER FRY
DECEMBER 2016 | JUNKYARD STARTUP | LINDA GREER
NOVEMBER 2016 | CITY VIEW | ROGER FRY
OCTOBER 2016 | YOUNG WRANGLER | JEANNE QUILLAN
SEPTEMBER 2016 | BIG RED AT NIGHT | MARTIN KEIRNAN
JUNE 2016 | 5TH AVENUE WONDERS | RANDY ZWIERS
MAY 2016 | TINY DANCER | REBECCA HUMES
APRIL 2016 | JUMPING SPIDER HOLDING FLY | CATHY KIEFER
MARCH 2016 | NICE TO MEET YOU | JEANNE QUILLAN
JANUARY 2016 | VIEWING THE CITY | GORDON KREAGER
DECEMBER 2015 | ICESCAPING | STEVE PORT
NOVEMBER 2015 | DEFEATING THE IMAGE OF DEATH | CATHY KEIFER
OCTOBER 2015 | WATCHING GULLS | KATHY KENDALL
SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE SHOE | DIANE CHARVAT
JUNE 2015 | WELL HELLO | JAN LEWIS
MAY 2015 | IT'S A LONG STORY | STEVE PORT
APRIL 2015 | ANT CAUGHT | JERRY KEIFER
JANUARY 2015 | TETON BARN 3 | RANGER STEVE MUELLER