Success for Roseanne and Dave in competitions

Guest Judge Geoffrey Bradford had been given the task of looking at the entries in both the Colour and Monochrome print sections of the popular ‘Three of a Kind’ contest.

Members had been asked to produce a set of three prints with a link or theme to form a panel. Each panel was to consist of a left, a right and centre print to be judged as a whole.

Geoffrey stated that he had set the prints out around his home and had looked at them many, many times over the previous two weeks. He said that he liked to get a feeling about the work, to ask the question why the author had taken them and to understand what they were trying to convey in their panels.

Opening the evening with the Colour print section, there was a huge variety of subject matter in the members’ submissions. Indian village life, flowers both real and manipulated, watercolour cityscapes, rocks and beach scenes were all well photographed and well thought out.

Four panels were awarded highly commended – Dying Roses by Sue Dawson, Quayside at Night by Karin Jackson, Patterns by Peter Downs and Cango Caves by Paul Appleby.

Fifth place went to Peter Downs with Springtime Abstract, one image that had been creatively treated in three different ways but had retained the shapes and graphic design.

Fourth place went to Davy Bolam with Love Locks, where the creative process had transformed the weathered, tarnished and rusting padlocks into a piece of graphic art. Third place also went to Davy Bolam for Smoke Trails, a well-balanced and beautifully presented set of prints that invited the viewer to forensically explore the subject.

Second place went to Stephanie Robson with A Spiral Staircase. A significant piece of architectural design had been transformed into a jewel-like study using scale, the balance between positive and negative space and intelligent handling of light.

First place was awarded to Roseanne Robinson with The Lit and Phil Library, a refreshing set of working interior shots that had worked around the possible problems of lighting, negotiating with space, people and furniture to capture the reading room atmosphere.

Moving on to the Monochrome prints, there were panels depicting a wide selection of photographic themes that included still life objects, landscapes and seascapes, abandoned items, sand patterns and architecture.

Four panels were awarded highly commended – Discarded by Helen Vaudrey, Watching Stormy Seas by Roseanne Robinson, Out of the River by Sue Dawson and Maritime Alps by Karin Jackson.

Fifth place went to Helen Vaudrey with Posts from the Beach, an imaginative interpretation in portrait format of wooden beach posts.

Fourth place went to Stephanie Robson with Sea Creatures, a richly modelled treatment of moving water in a square format. Third place went to Paul Appleby with Limestone Pavement Trees, a landscape panel of a well-worn subject that was well composed and printed.

Second place went to Davy Bolam with Down to the Wire, a set of mirrored photographs that exploited the graphic qualities of the subject when combined with mono rendering.

First Place was awarded to Dave Bisset with Infinity Arcs, where the symmetry, placement and proportion had come together in a beautifully presented study of the Infinity Bridge.

Geoffrey concluded that in this type of competition, he considered the idea and the imagination behind the sets rather than just the quality. He had been impressed by all of the entries and had thoroughly enjoyed looking at the prints and interacting with the authors.

Co-chair Roseanne Robinson then thanked him for his constructive comments and advice given during his assessment of each panel. The prints were then displayed around the room to view up close and discuss over coffee.