Our 1st competition of the 2021-22 season took place on 14 October. It was also the first competition for some period of time where members were physically present, as was the judge, Tim Clarke LRPS from Godalming Photographic Club. This was a welcome change from meeting over Zoom!
Whilst judging, Tim gave us the benefit of his wide experience, suggesting possible improvements in composition and technique. The standard of both prints and PDIs was high; many images winning welcome compliments.
Favourite images of the evening
The judge’s favourite print of the evening was “Thames Barge” by Martin Tomes, a beautiful photograph of a Thames barge becalmed on the water, with the sun shining through the sails and with lovely reflections in the water.
The judge’s favourite PDI of the evening was “Stabled Horse” by David Seddon, a striking picture of a horse looking out of its stable – which the judge described as beautifully composed with additional items of interest in the frame. The lighting was perfect.
Both were worthy winners!
Results in more detail
Prints
In total there were 22 prints. The judge was impressed by the high standard of printing, which reflected in the number of high scores. Out of a total of 22 prints, 4 scored the full 20 points, 3 scored 19 points and 12 scored 18 points.
Those scoring the full 20 points were:
“Thames Barge” by Martin Tomes and already described – a lovely image of a becalmed Thames Barge
“No wind” by David Perks, another lovely photograph with a nautical theme, showing a group of yachts also becalmed. The judge described the photograph as very calming, with beautiful colouring.
“Spotting a tasty morsel” by John Gauvin, a stunning photograph of a cheetah licking its lips, presumably having spotted a possible meal. A beautifully crafted photograph, with the subject standing out well against a blurred, dark, background.
And “Storm gathering over Cuba” by Chris West. A well captured architectural scene with a very threatening sky, perfectly contrasting against a local church and surrounding buildings and printed in black and white.
The 3 prints scoring 19 marks were:
“A Wonderful Bird”, again by Chris West and showing a white pelican with lovely reflections in the water – described as gorgeous by the judge.
And two images by Liz Barber:
“Botanicals” a very delicate and gorgeously presented arrangement of dried flowers
And “Impressions of a Cornish seascape” a very artistic and calming representation of a seascape with nothing sharp – very skilfully done.
The 12 images scoring 18 are too numerous to mention individually. They included two images each by Bill Butland, Daisy Cane, Dean Sephton, Kristina Bing and Norman Kirby and one image each by Janet Brown and Martin Tomes.
Projected Images (PDIs)
In total there were 38 projected images, of which 3 scored the full 20 points, 7 scored 19 points and 9 scored 18 points, again illustrating the high standard.
The three images scoring 20 were:
“Stabled horse” by David Seddon, a stunning photograph of a horse, already described.
“Bent by the wind” an excellent monochrome landscape showing a tree bent over by the wind, perfectly framing a distant walker. The judge described the composition as lovely.
And “Coming and going!” by Nigel Cherry, a carefully crafted monochrome picture of visitors entering and leaving the Tate Modern in London – an image you want to look at and understand, said the judge.
The 7 images scoring 19 points were:
“Oh dear!” by Martin Tomes; capturing a candid shot of a film actress, who was clearly not amused! The expression says it all, said the judge.
“Say cheese” by Liz Barber; showing a group of photographers on a film set taking photos. It clearly captured the atmosphere – amazing said the judge.
“Robin’s nest” by John Gauvin; a very well captured image of robin feeding her greedy chicks! A lovely natural history image which was obviously difficult to get.
“Skimming the waves” by Janet Brown; an exciting image of turbulent waves at sea with a seagull flying past, very reminiscent of images by Rachel Talibart. An exciting composition.
“Honesty” again by Janet Brown; showing the translucent seed heads of honesty illuminated by a ‘rainbow’ of coloured light - a very artistic approach.
“A calm and a prosperous voyage” by Chris West; showing a Thames Barge struggling to make headway. An interesting and well exposed image.
“Lamberley Viaduct, Northumberland” by Bill butland; a lovely monochrome photograph showing the detail and textures of the viaduct with sunlight pouring through the arches.
The nine images scoring 18 are too numerous to describe individually. They were by Suzanne Frossard, Norman Kirby, Liz Barber, Kristina Bing, John Gauvin, David Seddon, Daisy Kane, Bill Butland and Andrew Caswell.
The judge’s comments on all images, both prints and PDIs, may be viewed in the attached files and the images themselves may be viewed by following the links at the head of this report!
Following a very enjoyable evening, Janet Brown, standing in for Martin Tomes, brought the event to a conclusion with a vote of thanks to Tim, whose careful judging and useful suggestions gave a very interesting evening!