Forest of Galtres Camera Club

Monday 9th March 2015

Mike Barnard ABPA LRPS judged the two remaining set subject competitions, Hands at Work and Still Life. He began considering the entries for Still Life. Throughout, he was constructive in his advice on this particular area of photography. Basically, keep the content simple: less is invariably more. Everything is under the control of the photographer who selects the subject, how it should be displayed and very importantly, how it should be lit. There were some technically brilliant photographs which lost marks because there was too much content or the items failed to link together. Lizzie Stewart and Peter Rushton each scored 18 points. Carole Smith’s image Friends for a Moment earned 19 points. This was an interpretation of the Still Life which stood out from the rest. It showed a memorial scene with two soldiers, one German and one British, reaching out to each other on that first Christmas of World War 1. The background tones were subtle, the image was almost monochromatic and a distinctive shadow was cast onto the background. The winner of this section was provided by Peter Rushton scoring the maximum 20 points with Nostalgia. This reminded photographers of days past, the days of folding cameras. It included an old roll of film and a few black and white photographs. Mike liked the way the items were visibly linked together through the thoughtful composition by the photographer.

Hands at Work saw some of the same photographers coming to the fore again: Carole Smith, Lizzie Stewart, and Peter Rushton together with David Chambers, scored 18 points. But this time Jill Dobson took second place with 19 points for Trimming Wood. This was a digital image taken at the Viking Festival in York. Mike liked the fact that the left hand of the ‘Viking’ was clearly exerting pressure to hold a wooden spindle still while his right hand, blurred through motion, showed the energy being used to saw through the piece. But Lizzie Stewart’s The Harpist scored the maximum 20 points with The Harpist. This was a beautifully taken digital image. Mike declared this a simple composition which was its strength; the hands of the harpist were in a good position in relation to one another within the frame of the image.

Many thanks to Mike for his useful advice on those aspects of these two categories that will give members something to think about when next out with their cameras.

Next week, we look forward to a selection of AV sequences presented by Ken Proudley and Peter Rushton, two club members well respected for their photographic skills.