An Ethereal Glow by Shahnaz Parvin

Captured with a keen eye for natural beauty, this photograph showcases a golden dragonfly resting upon a weathered tree branch. The sunlight catches the insect's delicate, iridescent wings, creating a soft, ethereal glow that contrasts beautifully against the muted, earthy textures of the wood. This image is award-worthy for its masterful use of shallow depth of field and the striking juxtaposition between the vibrant subject and the minimalist background. It serves as a testament to the photographer's ability to find profound elegance in the quiet, fleeting moments of the natural world.

An Ethereal Glow by Shahnaz ParvinAn Ethereal Glow by Shahnaz Parvin
CANON EOS Kiss X4 with 85mm | Exposure 1/400sec @ f/1.8 | ISO 200 | Focal Length 85mm
Copyright Β© Shahnaz Parvin
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Shahnaz Parvin

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Shahnaz Parvin was a celebrated award-winning photojournalist and a passionate advocate for the culture of Bangladesh. Based in Dhaka, she gained international acclaim for her evocative documentary photography, consistently ranking among the world's top photographers during her career. As a dedicated contributor to Light & Composition, she documented the complexities of conflict, people, and society with profound sensitivity. Her legacy remains defined by her commitment to representing her homeland through a lens of deep empathy and technical excellence.

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13.6/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
336/500
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Award Reach | Reviews
22,685 views | 4 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date December 5, 2010
65.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 12.0
Clarity 12.0
Composition 18.0
Style 12.0
Skill 11.0
Photograph Location
Dhaka, Bangladesh

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Close-Up Photography
Shahnaz Parvin Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (13.6/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,712/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
22,685/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.2/5 points
4/100 Review
Submissions
3.4/5 points
336/500 Submission
Jury Score: 65.0/80
Resonance Score: 13.6/20
Total Award Score: 78.6/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 4

Thomas Hargreaves Earned Photographs, Craft Discipline & the Long Wait Expert Review
A dragonfly at f/1.8 is a gamble that rarely pays off. Most would have settled for a blurry mess, but Parvin clearly sat in the humidity until the insect decided she was part of the scenery. It’s a sharp, quiet bit of work. I’ve spent enough damp mornings chasing macro subjects to know the frustration involved here. She didn’t just find this; she earned it. It’s a rare, disciplined patience I’m forced to respect.
Dmitri Kasakov Contrast, Shadow Drama & the Metaphysics of Light Expert Review
The dragonfly’s wings burn with a light that feels borrowed, almost stolen from a dying sun. It’s beautiful, yes, but it’s a fragile, desperate beauty. I’m struck by how the wood beneath it refuses to yield, holding its darkness like a secret. Parvin doesn’t just capture an insect; she forces us to confront the void surrounding it. It’s a quiet, heavy reminder that even the most iridescent life exists only because the shadow allows it to breathe.
Clara Whitfield Award Criteria, Legacy & What Makes an Image Endure Expert Review
Of the thousands of macro shots I’ve reviewed, most are just technical exercises in focus. What separates this is the way the dragonfly’s wings catch the light, turning a common insect into something fragile and ancient. I’d hang this in my own home. It’s the tension between the decaying, rough bark and that fleeting, golden iridescence that makes me believe we’ll still be looking at this in thirty years. It’s a quiet, perfect victory.
Isabelle Fontenay Colour Harmony, Tone & Atmospheric Light Expert Review
That golden dragonfly, suspended in a light reminiscent of Turner’s late, hazy horizons, vibrates against the bark’s desiccated, umber silence. It’s a chromatic collision I find utterly intoxicating; the insect’s wings, shimmering like oil on shallow tidal water at dusk, dissolve into the bokeh’s muted, earthy depths. One cannot help but feel a sudden, sharp ache for such fleeting radiance, as if the very air in Dhaka has been transmuted into liquid, sun-drenched amber.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Sven Lindqvist

The Weight of Light

We spend our lives waiting for the heavy things to reveal themselves. We look for the mountain, the storm, the turning point. But the world is held together by the small, the fragile, the things that possess no weight at all.

Read the reflection →
By Priya Kapoor

The Hum of Stilled Wings

The air before a storm has a specific, heavy textureβ€”it clings to the skin like damp silk, thick with the scent of ozone and crushed mint. I remember sitting on a wooden porch as a child, my legs dangling, feeling the rough, splintered grain of the cedar against my thighs.

Read the reflection →

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