Oh, Hi
welcome to latest blog (as long as you're reading it now)
Tonight we had our latest competition, the first of the new year, and the second PDI of our current calendar year.
The subject Food.
Now I don't know about you lot, but I found this very difficult. I realise that the kids today, all photograph their food and post it on social media, but really ... why?
Do you remember, back in the day, your mates coming round with a set of photos of their Sunday roast? Jeez it was hard enough sitting through the holiday snaps from Walton, let alone the sausage, egg & chips you had Thursday!
Hey, I digress.
OK, tonight's adjudicator was David Hall, a welcome return to our shores, with his dry, northern humour & (mostly) positive comments about our offerings.
With just 44 entries (Come on peeps, you need to up your games)it was a very easy going evening and he could wax lyrically about our images. The members came up with many interpretations that pushed the boundaries, but, as David said, it shows thought and techniques (some of which he said he'd try out himself) We had shots from far flung places (& Wales) and many studio shots as members tried to fulfil the brief.
Some of the efforts made your mouth water, whilst others made you think 'What?'
David had something kind to say about each and every image, with tips & hints of how he personally, would make them better. Not that he claimed to to be perfect, he regaled us with a story of a photo shoot with stuffed animals where he had failed to notice a stray makers tab that made it all the way through processing to be picked up by the judge.
So, after a pleasant amble through our efforts, he held back ten images (including all of Katherine's ... I dream of that) not bad from 44 starters. All of the held back images were studio shootings and, as he put it, all showing creative thinking. Compositionally, not to bad, maybe some crops ... rearranging some of the components, but as he said, just him being pernickety.
Of these ten, seven picked up maximum scores & when pushed, he chose Selva's almost cookbook worthy 'Breakfast' as the shot of the evening. I bet Selva is still celebrating his first win.
Second was Nick with his 'Peardrop'
& third was Jon's 'Souper Swimming Pool'
the other maximums being Katherine (x2) Jon and Nick.
facts and figures (if you are interested)
as only 3 images go forward to the yearly total ...
Joint first with 29½ was Katherine and Nick (hey, I'm getting a nose bleed being this high)
Third place went to Jon with 29
and forth to Selva with 26½
Average score for each photo a tad under 8½ with Katherines average per photo hitting 9.75 per photo.
