Familiar landmark takes on a different feel at night

"Brighton Bandstand" by Anne Nagle

The 3rd Print competition was judged last Thursday by Rob de Ruiter ARPS from Bognor Regis Camera Club. Working to the set subject of Monochrome it was not a huge entry, but the standard was exceedingly high, and it was a tough one for Rob to assess. He started out by saying that he was interested in the attitude to BW photography, and recommended a couple of books on the subject (perhaps someone could tell me what they were?). Throughout the evening he gave tips on which images lend themselves to monochrome. Because we see in colour, the image needs to grab you and say “look at me”, relying entirely on the range of tones to do this.

When down to the last five images Rob commented that each had some very strong elements, and there was a sheet of Bronco between them, it was that close! (I had to google a sheet of Bronco to understand this, being slightly too young!).

Twenty images scored 18 or over with several authors gaining 2 or 3 good marks, so I will start with the single 18s. These went to Norman Kirby for 'Austerity Hits the Palace', with strong lines lending well to mono. Rob particularly liked the fact that there was no guard in the box, as well as the letterbox format keeping all of the buggy in view. Next up was my 'Summat wrong with yer brakes, Mate', which I think gained points for making everyone smile. Finally we had Di Walker's 'Indian Schoolgirl' a lovely portrait of a girl who was clearly very happy to see the photographer, giving a lovely interaction, with perfect catchlights in her beautifully sharp eyes.

The first of our two single 19s went to Glenn Donnelly with 'Dartford Crossing' a subject that lent itself to the mono sepia treatment, with nice lines and balance, and wonderful detail keeping the suspense going, set off well with a matching mount. Next up was Liz Barber with a softer sepia 'Titchfield Abbey', which had a yesteryear pencil-drawing feel, enhanced by the vignette, prompting Rob to say “my mind went right back to those old prints in a box that our parents had”.

Two photographers managed an 18 and a 19. First image of the evening was Chris West's 'Ansel in Derbyshire', a brave claim, although Rob didn't realise that Mr Adams was still around! The image backed up the claim, with good composition, and a good range of tones. Later on Chris gave us 'Shoulders of Giants', another nice subject for mono, with a grainy feel which was probably a deliberate move on his part. Scoring 19, this was a powerful shot with a light area setting off the dark locos, and a good range of dark and mid greys.

Jane Coward's foxy 'Night-time Prowl' gained her an 18. Acknowledging that the treatment gave a different feel and look, Rob commented that it was an acquired taste, a “Marmite” picture, but that he quite liked that, and it gave a pencil sketch feel to it. Well caught and framed, with nothing distracting, it was a very successful shot. Her 19 was for another wildlife image 'Queueing for the Bathroom', which would have failed miserably in colour, but the mono draws the eye to the stars of the show, the two doves. Rob loved the water droplets flying from the bathing dove, who is definitely looking at the author.

Derek Grieve went a step further, with two 18s and a 19. Starting with 'Winter View from Bury Hill', Rob thought that he recognised the tree as one that has often defeated him as he has not been able to stop the …... car. The white snow and dead tree on the third, with the concentration on the lovely landscape of the hillside down into the Arun valley all worked to give a nice degree of punch. Soon after this, 'The Royal Oak Langstone' also scored 18, with super detail, and very sharp throughout. This could easily not have worked, but with the control of contrast it did, and the letterbox and unusual mounting set it off really well. Finally 'I Wish' went one better at 19 for one of the few street photographs in the set. A punchy strong mono with a fun composition, her coat was a fortunate choice giving the image lots of strength.

Solo 20 honours went to Daisy Kane for one of the panel of five images that Rob agonised over at the end, 'Dusk by the Thames' an image with a very nice restful feel to it. The lanterns were very strong in the fading light, giving a nice range of tones which would have been lacking otherwise. (I think this might well have been from our photoshoot?)

Martin Tomes had another excellent evening, with all three of his images being held back, and two being in the final panel of five 20's. Eventually 'Disintegration' scored 18. A close study of fishing nets, a very valid subject Rob was all too familiar with, he remarked that “it comes to all of us sooner or later”.

Martin's first 20, 'Melting Snow' was one that Rob had been quite keen to see under the easel lighting. He liked the brave approach of shooting into the sun, and commented that the exposure had been held very well, or there might have been a bit of HDR very sensitively done (apparently there was!). I think this really shows how useful HDR can be when used with care.

Finally, 'Salzburg Cathedral' was one of the superb architectural shots in the set. The less-contrasty feel suited the subtle tones in the building, set off by a wonderful sky. Rob encouraged us all to have a close look at the super detail, unfortunately not something I managed to do at the time, as this was one of my favourites in the final panel.

Jean McWhirter's 'Gentoo Penguin and Chick' opened her account with an 18. Admittedly mono by itself, the penguin had lovely detail and was nice and sharp with a good shadow.

Her 'Confrontation' was one of the five 20s, and came a very close second overall. Commenting that “we are talking about two guys with guns!” Rob wondered what was going between the two. Despite being almost silhouettes, there was detail in their figures, and they were in an interesting landscape. Having heard the real story, I prefer Jean's interpretation!

'Salisbury Cathedral' worked well for Anne Nagle, scoring an 18. The shadows in the foreground gave a nice lead in to the image, and she had captured the gothic detail in the arches well, making Rob wonder if this was another sensitively handled HDR?

Her 'Brighton Bandstand' joined the other four images with a 20, and, after much deliberation, Rob put it in the top slot. As one of the few night time images, this familiar landmark takes on a really different feeling at night. Not an easy image to take, in terms of the extremes in lighting, Rob felt it had been held pretty well, and liked the framing and position of the bandstand. He also remarked that the front rail was a strong part of the image, giving a mid-tone feel which set the rest off in a very graphic way.

All in all, a very successful evening, and plenty of food for thought for those of us who perhaps struggle with monochrome. Congratulations to the five images that pushed Rob hard at the end, and to Anne for a fine eventual winner. Thanks to Alex and John for masterminding the prints smoothly, and Rob for his perceptive comments and constructive critique.

Submitted by Janet Brown on