Our second competition of the 2023-24 season was ‘any subject’ and took place on 30 November 2023. It was judged by David Smith, whose anecdotes and useful suggestions kept us all entertained. David was particularly impressed by the variety and quality of the entries.
Judges are asked to choose their favourite image and then a number of Highly Commended and Commended images.
Judge’s favourite images of the evening
As always at Storrington, the standard was high. The judge’s favourites were:
- Prints: “Early morning sunrise” by Liz Barber – a beautiful, delicate, ICM image of a beach scene. The judge praised the colour pallet and the gradient of colours from left to right.
- PDI: “Protesters” by George Reekie – showing protesters at a march; the contrast between the man in the foreground and those in the background is very effective – an excellent documentary photograph.
A further 4 images were Highly Commended and 6 images Commended.
Printed Images:
- Highly Commended: “Prairie Yellows” by Daisy Kane – a multiple exposure image showing three yellow flowers, which create an interesting feeling.
- Highly Commended: “Diaphenous Daffodils” by Kristina Byng – almost pen and ink drawings of decaying daffodils, showing tremendous detail and arranged in an interesting fashion.
- Commended: “Autumn Woodland” by Alex Swyer – a very atmospheric early morning woodland scene which draws the eye through the image.
- Commended: “On her own“ by Daisy Kane – an interesting image of a deer with beautiful markings, which blends well with the background.
- Commended: “Abstract inferno” by Norman Kirby – a very colourful abstract image which coveys a great sense of swirling movement.
In total there were 20 printed images; too many to describe them all in detail. The judge was complimentary about all of them and mentioned the large variety of genres and styles.
Projected Images (PDIs)
- Highly Commended: “Images from the bark” by Bill Butland – an unusual tryptic of ‘faces’ in the bark. A well spotted and imaginative image.
- Highly Commended: “Glass and Steel” by Liz Barber – a lovely mono-chrome image with lots of contrasting shapes and lines, lots of detail and contrast to capture the eye.
- Commended: “Shady Lady” by Nigel Cherry – a monochrome image showing a lady posing in the shadows; makes excellent use of the shadows to create atmosphere and intrigue.
- Commended: “Frozen Birch” by Alex Swyer – a nicely spotted image of frost covered Birch trees – the contrast between the warm foreground and the cold background adds interest.
- Commended: “Nuthatch” by George Reekie – a lovely photograph of a Nuthatch perched on a tree, showing beautiful colours and a very complimentary background.
With the judge’s tasks completed, Chris West gave a vote of thanks, bringing an enjoyable evening to a conclusion.