Keith Gibson, fromKingston near Lewes came to judge our final competition round. New to us, Keith has been involved in photography for 40 years, specialising in landscapes both monochrome and colour. A science teacher by trade, he has 20 years judging experience, and it certainly showed. He was clear, candid and supportive in his comments, and definitely knew what he was looking for in an image.
In the prints, 12 photographers scored 18 or more, with 4 getting two good scores. Peter Picthall scored his first 18 in over a year with 'Medieval Passages', an image with a lot to look at and excellent exposure and detail. One of several images that could work well in monochrome, Keith did admit that he liked the colours. A classic Ray Foxlee image 'Pillars and Arches' also gained an 18, with the vertical format emphasising the height of the columns and dappled lighting adding interest. Jane Coward scored 18 for 'Take off at Dawn', which was very atmospheric with the early morning light and colour. All it needed then was her strongly silhouetted bird in a fantastic position. The next 18 was for Martin Tomes with 'Nantlle Mine Pump', another one that could work in mono, but with superb colours. Showing a long disused piece of industrial history, the rusty metal was set off well by the wood and intricate mechanism. Another photographer getting his best mark in over a year was Robert Mitchell with an 18 for 'First Class Service'. A study of one of the attendants in an old Pullman style railway carriage, he hadhandled the restricted space and difficult lighting well.
Chris West and Anne Nagle did well with both their images. Starting with Anne, her 'Sky High' gained an 18 for a very good action shot which had been timed very well. Her 'Cat on the Rocks' went one better at 19. An unusual monochrome Natural History shot, the patterns on the rocks worked to emphasise the big cat's patterns. 'Travelling First Class' opened Chris' account with an 18 for what could easily be a commercial shot. Perfectly presented and beautifully sharp, the two guys in the vintage car appeared to behaving a whale of a time with lots of banter. 'Misty Mekong Morning' at 19 points was nicely composed, with desaturated subtle colours, and lots of atmosphere.
Single 20's honours went to Di Walker, Daisy Kane and John Gauvin. Di's 'Beach Kite Flying' had been done very well, with a pastel quality, a reflected figure, and the bright kite standing out against a dramatic sky. 'Grazing in the Lake District', a lovely colour landscape from Daisy, showed ragged mountains as a backdrop to grazing cattle, with clouds swirling overhead. Despite debating whether we wanted to see the cows' bottoms, Keith did love their position in the landscape! John's 'Astrantia' was a nice flower study, with a very strange background which Keith rather liked. The colours of the main flower really took your eye into it's centre.
I managed an 18 for 'December Rose', a deliberately brightly printed flower study emphasising the colour. My other image 'Vanitas' was held back, partly so that Keith could try and work it out. Eventually scoring a 20, Keith described it as a well put together still life printed on matte paper, with a purple velvetty feel to it.
Derek Grieve went a couple of notches better, starting with a 19 for 'Brewhurst Lock, WA Canal'; an IR monochrome, it had an ethereal quality, and a heck of a lot to enjoy. The lighting was fantastic, and the still water was reflecting the trees perfectly. Not only did Derek score a 20 for his other print, 'Kingfisher Preparing Lunch', he also won the print section of the night. Keith described his perfect Natural History shot: it should show the creature's anatomy and colour, habitat and an aspect of its behaviour. This did all three, and Keith took into account the difficulty of getting the image as these birds are very small and move like lightning. To get it that sharp with the light picking up the colours on the bird was superb, and he loved the way the spray was captured. Well done Derek!
Again, 12 photographers did well in the PI's, with 3 getting two good scores. Audrey Gray got her second 18 of the season for 'Concentration', a study of a game of chequers elsewhere in the world with the players being completely oblivious of the photographer. Alex Swyer's child portrait 'Me or the Monkey' definitely had the “ah” factor, with wonderful eyes, and was absolutely right in monochrome.
Jane Coward did even better, with two 18's for some classic street photography. 'One Step Ahead in the Rain' worked extremely well, with silhouetted legs against wet pavement with a lovely texture. 'Yellow' was a nice image with a good title. The signs and colours were important, and matched, even down to the ladies carrier bag.
John Gauvin's 'Yank Tank' opened the 19's, with a detail of an American car. Nicely composed with the right approach, the colours worked well. New member Sarah Beard got her first 19 for her pattern picture, 'String of Lights' a scene that most photographers would try to capture, but one for which it is difficult to get the right exposure. Keith particularly loved the curve of the lights from top to bottom right. 'Sunlight Coming In' from Anne Nagle also scored 19. A nice interior study, with the ochre walls and wood door holding it together well, the parallel lines take the eye straight to the door.
Chris West again did well with 19's for both images. 'Sportsmen' was a nice bit of street photography working well in mono. Keith particularly liked the interaction between two of the people, with the third not being a part of this at all. 'Now Then Lads' was a retro style study of a nice little group of men. Keith suggested a sepia effect rather than BW to reflect the era that was being shown, and maybe a punchier treatment, but the composition was strong.
David Seddon started with an 18 for the peaceful, tranquil atmosphere of 'Wetlands Sunrise'. With a glorious light in the sky, and water to reflect it, the conical roof of the building holds the two halves of the image together. His absolutely superb and well timed 'A Hot Day' scored 20, with its strengths being the position of the subjects, the delightful shadows, and the triangles top and bottom.
Single 20's went to Daisy Kane, Derek Grieve, Ray Foxlee and Norman Kirby. Daisy was lucky to be there when the mist was rising for her 'Misty Morning Bushy Park'. A very atmospheric image, the icing on the cake was the presence of the deer in the foreground. 'I Eat Bees' was another stunningly beautiful bird image from Derek, with a defocussed background. Ray's 'Des Res' is what monochrome should look like. The quality and texture were fantastic, with real blacks and real whites. The composition worked and the mono suited the subject.
Finally to the first PI of the night, 'Edgy Light' from Norman, who was unfortunately unwell and missed his moment of glory when his abstract study of an agave won the PI's. Having spent hours photographing at Kew Gardens and the Eden Project, Keith was particularly taken with the light edges and central conical section, with light and dark areas in this strong image. Congratulations to Norman, and get better soon!