An Open Digital competition was the subject for this week’s Isle of Man Photographic Society meeting – with local photographer Gary Harrison taking on the task of judging a very wide-ranging set of images.
An ‘open’ is always something of a challenge for a judge, because the images can literally be of any subject – from a portrait to a landscape, from a still-life to natural history, and everything in-between.
It proved a very entertaining evening, with Gary engaging in ready banter with our members, asking for the details of when, where, why, how the images were taken in an effort to understand the mindset of the photographer and whether he or she had succeeded in their artistic intentions. The results at the end of each section made clear that Gary had an eye for talent, and had recognised where that talent had been used to produce an exceptional image.
All of the winning images showed both skill and determination by the photographers – where an effort had been made to use those skills to produce, not just ‘snapshots’, but works of the highest quality.
The superb, almost microscopic detail in the splash of a droplet of purple milk against a white background gave Sue Blythe a win in the standard group, while a study of a child on a tricycle, set in a faded vignette, earnt Hazel Walsh first place in the intermediate section.
Chris Nicholls won the advanced group with a continental street scene, taken from ground level, and with an excellent perspective and lighting. However, Gary also remarked that some of the work being entered in the so-called ‘standard’ section was at least as good as that being shown in the ‘advanced’ - a reminder that experience can perhaps lead to complacency, and that enthusiasm and effort can often produce something quite outstanding.
In due course, Gary nominated his ‘best image of the evening’ – which led to a quite unexpected, indeed unheard-of result – his overall winner proved to be an image which had been marked as second in the standard section, a lovely shot by Steve Meadows of light rays penetrating through trees, showing a great understanding of lighting and exposure.
Gary explained that he felt the standard section had shown two images of such quality that it would be unfair not to have given both an award – so had split his result such that one won the section and one the overall award.
Our next meeting on 9th December 9will include a Photoshop ‘skills development’ session with Ruth Nicholls, as well as a folio of images from the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union. IOMPS meetings are held at Thie Ellyn (the Art Society building) in Withington Road, starting at 7.30pm. Meetings are open to the public.
Chris Blyth
RESULTS – Open Digitally Projected Images. Standard Group – Sue Blythe (1 & C), Steve Meadows (2 & C), Barry Murphy (3 & C), Peter Keena (4), Deborah Turk (5 & C),Jonathan Carey (6 & C), Patricia Larkham (2 x C), Sue Leeming (2 x C),Mike Howland (C), Tim Norton (C), Karen Norton (C). Intermediate Group – Hazel Walsh (1), Annette Slater (2 & C), Beryl Quayle (3), Nessie Gillen (4 & C), Richard Shafto (5 & C), Jenny Shanley (6), Shirley Lotfy (2 x C). Advanced Group – Chris Nicholls (1 & 6), Diane McCudden (2 & C), Claire Stringer (3 & C), Sue Jones (4 & C), Ruth Nicholls (5 & C),Bob Servante (C), Chris Blyth (C), Nigel Owen (C). Best Image of the Evening – Steve Meadows with “Beacon Fell”.