20th October 2016

​1st Open Print Competition, Colour/Mono.
 
Last night saw the results of our first competition of the season. Our judge on the night was Lionel Bryan from Morpeth.  Lionel has been a photographer for many years and enjoys the process of judging.  In his words "I love pictures and in this way I get to see a great deal of good work".  He complimented the club on the quality and variety of images presented to him, both colour and mono.
 
First session was the Mono section, with 33 images. First out the box and highly commended was Margaret Stephens "Caged and Ready", beagles waiting for the hunt.  Next HC went to Dawn Tweddle for "Step into the Light", a very provocative image of a model gracefully lit from the left.  Ray Thompsons' "Speed", Bill Stephens "Tyne Bridges" & "After the Storm on Longsands" also gained the praise from Lionel and scored HC.  5th Place went to Jamie Welsh with " Sandie Film Noir" a delicate portrait of a young aspiring actress?? 4th place once more Jami Welsh for " North Tower" a moody classic of Dunstanburgh castle and the rocky coastline of Embleton Bay.  3rd place goes to Margaret Stephens "Remember Me" a depiction of the imposing metal sculpture entitled 1101, by Ray Lonsdale, to which Lionel treated us to a potted history of the artist. 2nd place Peter Moody "Rose with Raindrops" a tight crop of this delicate flower and pin sharp.  Lionel saved "The Outflow" by Bill Stephens till last and awarded first place for his printed image of Blyth beaches sewage pipe in a cracking display of exposure and contrast. Well done Bill and all who entered, a stunning collection.
 
The colour section came next and Lionel informed us that there were more highly commended than usual due to the high standard of the entry. Once again he regaled us with anecdotes of the scenes in some of the images as he discussed them.  Three HCs in the first five minutes from Derek Parker for "Emerald Hummingbird" the first of many `natural history shots`, Phil Conroy for "Mysterious Man" a portrait of a young man wearing a venetian style mask, Peter Moody for "Dandelion Seed Head" a striking example of close up photography. Over the next minutes Lionel gave us his comments on all the images as he saw them and how they might be looked at differently by the author.  Next couple of HCs "Mouse" by Jenny Jewitt, a close up head shot which caught the light. Janet Leadbitter`s "Leaf on Water" a glistening Lily leaf in a still pool. A few more `natural history` and  landscapes before our next batch of HCs, "Warning Stripes" By Phil Conroy and "Bag for Life" by Colin Livingstone. "5 O`clock Shadow" Dawn Tweddell, a moody well lit shot of a male model.  Janet Leadbitter`s "Time for reflection" and Bill Stephens "Rusting with Pride" brought the total highly commended to ten, double the usual.  Lionel now comes to his choice for top positions, 5th place "Pow Wow Twirler" by Bill Stephens, a colourful crisp Asian dancer, and 4th place "Red Panda Tasting the Air", also by Bill Stephens, a natural history shot of the animal in its natural surroundings.  At this point Lionel give the club a dilemma, he puts up his choice for 2nd & 3rd place and challenged us to choose the order, to see if we picked as he did.  3rd place Derek Parker, "Green Woodpecker," a challenging shot of the bird leaving the nest.  2nd place Derek Parker, "Woodpecker", a spotted woodpecker clinging to the trunk of the tree.  As usual Lionel talked about all the images in detail and critiqued them with positive comment.  And so we come to the winner in the colour section, a young model made up in period attire, flowers in her hair and perfectly captured catch lights in the smiling eyes, called "Victorian Beauty" by Dawn Tweddell. Congratulations Dawn, and well done to our winners and to all who entered.  Looking forward to our next print competition. Lionel stayed for a while to talk to members and discus some of the images.
 
Our president Lauren thanked Lionel for his time and generosity and the club showed their appreciation in the usual manner.