A superbly composed and decisively captured study of an age-old profession. A difficult exposure has been exceptionally well handled with crucial elements just right: the positioning of his hands with the tools of his trade; the smoke issuing from the horse’s hoof; the inclusion of the horse’s tail; the dark brooding clouds; and the fixed concentrated look on the blacksmith’s face. Lovely sharp detail, too, especially in his work trousers.
SECOND PLACE: WATCHING YOU
An ‘eye-catching’ image full of impact and vibrancy. It’s bitingly sharp – as it should be – with just enough of the bird to tell us it’s a parrot. It’s not only a superb close-up portrait, but also a fine study in colour and texture with an almost abstract quality to the image.
THIRD PLACE: FEELING DEFLATED
An image redolent of England with the frosted grass, bleak setting, louring clouds and bare goalpost. I would have preferred to see an old-fashioned brown leather ball to give the photo an even more nostalgic feel but, even so, the more modern ball has a lovely, crumpled, knocked-about look, suggesting that the game has been abandoned because this was the only ball the kids could play with. They’ve maybe left the scene, deflated themselves!
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
ST IVES – A very effective HDR (High Dynamic Range) treatment, giving the image a lovely, painterly look. I love the dramatic, broody sky and the shimmering movement in the water.
LITTLEWOOD TERRACE, ROBIN HOOD’S BAY – Thoughtfully composed evocation of an old rural street, taken at a perfect time with the wetness still on the stone floor adding to the impact and atmosphere of an attractive image, well suited to the monochrome treatment, too.
ALONG TICKNALL TRAMWAY – Suggestive of a Victorian photograph with its sepia treatment and its atmospheric evocation of childhood adventures in the great outdoors. I also like the feeling of the two pals heading towards the light where maybe greater adventures lie…
BATIK WORKER – The mono treatment superbly captures the atmosphere of this dark workshop. It’s very well printed, too, with the wisps of smoke perfectly rendered. There’s lovely light on the worker though I just wish I could have seen more of her face and the woman actually engaging in her work.
CRUMPETS – I can almost taste those crumpets! A very well set-up still life study, with every element well positioned. It’s been slightly let down by the pinkish and burnt out colour of the roaring fire but this is still a pleasing and technically impressive effort.
YOUNG WINNER – PUFFIN WITH SAND EELS
Puffins are quite small and difficult to photograph well. To get a puffin with sand eels in its mouth is a real bonus and may well have been the result of a lot of patience and perseverance by the photographer. This is a well captured study in a setting made all the more pleasing by the central placing of the bird surrounded by the flowers.
GENERAL COMMENTS
There was a satisfyingly wide range of imagery and overall the standard was good, though it was a shame to see a few images over-exposed and under sharpened.
The photos of the deer (Kind Eyes), Bleak Contemplation, the steam train (Ready To Go), Gnashers, The Cross, Lock Keeper’s Cottage, Whitby Steps and Abstract Nude Study were all placed in the initial selection of the best images.
I felt there was a thoughtful sense of composition and it was good to see a healthy display of monochrome entries along with attempts at something a little out of the ordinary. My only criticisms would be over the quality of most of the nature pictures. Many of the subjects were placed too big in the frame and too many were lacking in sharpness and detail. A few backgrounds were rather vivid or too cluttered; in nature photography, it’s important to remember that the background can be just as important as the foreground.
