Club Meeting, A4 Print Competition & Assessment - Tuesday 4th December 2018.
The annual A4 Print Competition and Assessment evening was held at Morpeth Camera Club on Tuesday 4th December.
Everyone had been invited to bring along their prints so that they could be appraised by fellow members and commented
upon by photographic judge and club member Steve McDonald. With all the prints displayed, everyone had an opportunity
to study them at close range over a period of 20 minutes. This time was given to enable the viewer to get a feeling of what
the authors wanted to say, to decide whether they had been successful and to keep a note of any prints which particularly
stood out. They were then asked to select their top five, the results of which would be announced later in the evening.
This exercise put club members in an environment similar to that of photographic judges, some of whom have a few weeks
to study a set of images while others only have a few seconds in which to decide on a winner. Most judges have to select
from a broad spectrum of subject matter and with club photography being of such a high standard nowadays judging can
finally come down to a matter of personal preference.
Various photographs were picked by Steve at random from the display which ranged from an abandoned bridge covered
in undergrowth to a geometric picture formed from modern architecture. An asymmetrical arrangement of chairs led to a
discussion on symmetry. Steve commented that life is not symmetrical, and a focal point which is offset can often be softer
on the eye because it is natural. He picked out a perfect example of successful asymmetry with an image of public seating
at Central Station; the seating when deliberately placed slightly to one side and framed by symmetrical roof arches seemed
to compliment each other. Steve went on to draw attention to a portrait of a girl which had been overlaid with basket weave
layer, saying that it was interesting and bold, he could see that it was meant to be controversial and added that this print
would very likely be a challenge for judges.
A surreal image raised much discussion, with the audience expressing their ideas on what the scene could be, which proved
that it was a successful picture in terms of communication with its viewers. With a lone Physalis, side lit to highlight its veining,
a view of Edinburgh from Arthur’s Seat under stormy skies, torch lit crystal owls, sunset glowing onto a craggy outcrop, a
brightly coloured abstract using mirror images, a dew laden spiders’ web and a montage of bottles and posters, the audience
had its work cut out to decide a winner. When the votes were counted it was established that Canary Wharf Abstract by Glyn
Trueman, taken from the bottom of a shaft looking skyward to the moon was the favourite print of the evening.
1st.
Throughout the exercise Steve provided a judges eye view, together with comments from the audience, each author was
asked if they would like to identify themselves and explain the methods they had used to achieve their results. At the end
of a great interactive evening, Vice Chairman, John Barnes, thanked Steve for his constructive comments adding that it
was always interesting to hear comments from a judge’s point of view, after which coffee was enjoyed.
Steph.
Everyone had been invited to bring along their prints so that they could be appraised by fellow members and commented
upon by photographic judge and club member Steve McDonald. With all the prints displayed, everyone had an opportunity
to study them at close range over a period of 20 minutes. This time was given to enable the viewer to get a feeling of what
the authors wanted to say, to decide whether they had been successful and to keep a note of any prints which particularly
stood out. They were then asked to select their top five, the results of which would be announced later in the evening.
This exercise put club members in an environment similar to that of photographic judges, some of whom have a few weeks
to study a set of images while others only have a few seconds in which to decide on a winner. Most judges have to select
from a broad spectrum of subject matter and with club photography being of such a high standard nowadays judging can
finally come down to a matter of personal preference.
Various photographs were picked by Steve at random from the display which ranged from an abandoned bridge covered
in undergrowth to a geometric picture formed from modern architecture. An asymmetrical arrangement of chairs led to a
discussion on symmetry. Steve commented that life is not symmetrical, and a focal point which is offset can often be softer
on the eye because it is natural. He picked out a perfect example of successful asymmetry with an image of public seating
at Central Station; the seating when deliberately placed slightly to one side and framed by symmetrical roof arches seemed
to compliment each other. Steve went on to draw attention to a portrait of a girl which had been overlaid with basket weave
layer, saying that it was interesting and bold, he could see that it was meant to be controversial and added that this print
would very likely be a challenge for judges.
A surreal image raised much discussion, with the audience expressing their ideas on what the scene could be, which proved
that it was a successful picture in terms of communication with its viewers. With a lone Physalis, side lit to highlight its veining,
a view of Edinburgh from Arthur’s Seat under stormy skies, torch lit crystal owls, sunset glowing onto a craggy outcrop, a
brightly coloured abstract using mirror images, a dew laden spiders’ web and a montage of bottles and posters, the audience
had its work cut out to decide a winner. When the votes were counted it was established that Canary Wharf Abstract by Glyn
Trueman, taken from the bottom of a shaft looking skyward to the moon was the favourite print of the evening.
1st.
Throughout the exercise Steve provided a judges eye view, together with comments from the audience, each author was
asked if they would like to identify themselves and explain the methods they had used to achieve their results. At the end
of a great interactive evening, Vice Chairman, John Barnes, thanked Steve for his constructive comments adding that it
was always interesting to hear comments from a judge’s point of view, after which coffee was enjoyed.
Steph.