The Club’s league challenge cup, round one, theme of ‘Red’, Tuesday, 31st October.

Hi Folks,

Last night was the club’s first round of the league cup.

Dave Hipperson was the judge for the evening and he was judging the theme of ‘Red’ and of course the open category.

Before the start our chairman Chris gave a small speech to the new members on how one can learn from such competitions just by listening to the judge’s comments.

There were 26 entries in the theme round and 22 entries in the open.

Dave said that he feels he is a kind judge and unlike some keeps his marks between 13 – 20 lol.

At the start of the competition Dave asked for a run through of pictures in the theme of red and said, well there is a good selection amongst them but with  just one or two thinly bordered on the edges of red.

Oh dear I thought, probably one of mine lol.

Marking was IMO unusually low in the red theme but the first to get an 18 was ;

Title :Taking in the red line

Dave said, he first thought this was like a TV ad with a red carpet going over a car.  He thought the red pattern was made by a red lit pole. The car did not look overly sharp and the light on the car wing looked genuine. The background has a tree/ bush coming out above the car and he thought it would have been better cloned out to make it more spooky. The border around the picture is correct.

The next to get 18 was;

Titled: he says he will probably be the only red herring in the competition

Dave liked this saying the ice almost looks like the sea with the fish leaping out. He was not sure what the object on the bottom left was but I can say it was part of a sale sign on the shop counter. He thought everything in the picture added interest

The next to get 18 was ;

Title: the Red Arrows

Dave said, he liked  the diagonal angle of the plane in the picture which was right. There was enough space allowed in front of the jet to give the impression of movement. The lighting was right and fitted the theme perfectly

Next 18 was;

Titled: Church with the red roof

a perfect letterbox shot with just a nice piece of cloud filling the left of the picture. Plenty on interest in the foreground grass which can often be boring but worked well. A lot of logs to burn there for the winter lol

so now we had got to number 22 of 26

and another 18 was given;

Titled; Follow me guys

Dave like this one, although he said that the back ones were going out of focus but hey it did not matter, as we had plenty to see of them at the front. In fact he said that it looked as if they were coming out of the desert with dust kicking up behind.

Things were getting a bit exciting with five of us with 18 points

However, Dave had had his eyes on the next

Titled: One Fat bottomed Girl

Dave said normally this probably would not get a show but is so perfect for this evenings theme and asked for it to be held back

The last one of the evening to get 18 was;

Titled: Red hot chilli peppers

Not quite sharp on the chillies but nicely cropped. Photographing chillies is always difficult said Dave as the lighting exposes the highlights on the chillies but the lighting of them is important

So as said, an unusual situation where Dave just had to give the ‘One fat bottom lady’ a twenty and well done to Alan Taberer

So with no others to discuss with no second or third place and no names to attribute to the above, the rest of the 18’s are joint second place lol

Coffee time

The second half had 22 entries in the open.

Dave had a run through and I must say they had some stunning shots in the category

and a number of them were held back.

The first of these were ;

Titled: Tree by the loch

Dave said it should have had a better title even if one invented a Loch name. A lovely picture said Dave, with the eyes driven down past the tree and to the loch and that area completed the picture. He wondered what it would have been like in colour.

If he were picky said Dave, he might have cloned out the bottom branch which touches the mountain side but not suggesting the photographer did it.

The next to be held back was ;

Titled: Quietness of empty

All the archways lined up perfectly. The height was a comfortable position to see it from and there are lovely pinks in the colours and looks very artistic.

The next to be held back ;

Titled: Marina Bay Sands

I think that was the title and a very swish hotel in Singapore. Dave was fascinated by the shapes of the forms or whatever they were. The blank wall on the right was not too bright and the eyes were led down the well in the middle. Dave said the picture might work in several directions but the photographer had picked the best position.

The next held back ;

Titled: Fright Night

A very app picture for the evening of Halloween. It needed the border and worked well. Some of it was going out of focus but gave it that more scary look.

Next to be held back;

Titled: Grey sky on Bryher (sorry mine out of focus)

Dave said the bright green moss helped what could have been a dull day. There is a bird on the top left, not sure whether that was by chance but the correct place for a bird to be lol.

The rock just sticking out on the right perhaps could have been cloned out.

Next held back;

Titled : Ivory

Nice hair to the left and the model’s hand is just in the right position. The picture has an interesting background said Dave.

The last to be held back;

Titled: Sunset in beech woodland (sorry my shot of it not too good, holding too may things lol)

Dave like this saying although there is not a lot to focus the eyes on but the sun producing a streak of light amongst the trees and on to the grass was lovely .

So it was order of preference for the judge

The Judge’s decision

Judges favourite, Ivory by Chris Andrews, 20 points

also

Quietness of empty by Dawn Cave, 20 points

Fright night by Mike Ashcroft, 20 points

Grey Sky on Bryher, Mike Ashcroft, 19 points or 20 but not sure which

Tree by the loch by Neil Lovell, 19 points

Marina Bay Sands 19 points

Sunset on Beech woodland, 19 points

Next week bring your camera along

Practical Evening – Lighting for Portraits