The 6th and final competition of the photographic year took place on 15 May and was for the judge to make his selection of the best images from the previous five competitions; that is, choosing the ‘Best of Year’. Our judge was Andrew Mills who has spent many years as a professional photographer and also as a university lecturer in photography.
Prior to the competition, Andrew gave members a talk on ‘Photographic Composition’. His vast knowledge and experience soon became apparent, as did his sense of humour and his refreshingly different approach. Again, these qualities became apparent when he chose the ‘Best of Year’ during the evening session. He concentrated very much on the positive aspects of our images and only then did he offer suggestions for improvement, where appropriate.
As well as choosing the overall best print and projected image, Andrew gave a number of images Highly Commended and Commended status.
Judge’s favourite images of the evening – Best of Year:
- Prints: Autumn Vibes by Alex Swyer; a woodland scene which the judge described as perfection itself, with lovely delicate colours and shapes.
- Projected images: Both in Love with Him by Janet Brown; street photography which the judge described as superb – the look on the faces of the two people featured tells a powerful story.
A further 6 prints were Highly Commended and 4 more Commended, whilst 6 PDIs were Highly Commended and 5 Commended. These are all listed below. Andrew was impressed by all of the images and the large number being Commended reflects the high standard in the club. In all 16 prints and 20 projected images were entered by members into the competition.
Printed images:
- Highly Commended: Leaning into the Light by Martin Tomes
- Highly Commended: Woody Nightshade by Janet Brown
- Highly Commended: Sunset Sailing New York by Chris West
- Highly Commended: Cold Canal by Chris West
- Highly Commended: A Frosty Riverbank by Dean Sephton
- Highly Commended: Dawn at Eryri National Park by Alex Swyer
- Commended: Pollen Buds by David Perks
- Commended: Azaleas by Daisy Kane
- Commended: Snowdrops by Liz Barber
- Commended: Dribbling while anticipating lunch by Dean Sephton
Projected images:
- Highly Commended: Fancy bumping into you by Nigel Cherry
- Highly Commended: As red as they get by Daisy Kane
- Highly Commended: City delivery by George Reekie
- Highly Commended: A close up? no chance! by Dean Sephton
- Highly Commended: Fancy gondolas, Rialto by Daisy Kane
- Highly Commended: Go on give us a kiss by Liz Barber
- Commended: Neglected and abandoned by Liz Barber
- Commended: Cold glow by Alex Swyer
- Commended: Uphill struggle by Chris West
- Commended: Gravel trap by George Reekie
- Commended: Stairs and prayers by Chris West
With the judge’s tasks completed, a vote of thanks was given by Janet Brown, on behalf of our Chairman. A pleasurable afternoon and evening then came to a conclusion.
PS – detailed judge’s comments on all images are available on application.