It is far better to report that it is usually far better to be blessed with quality, rather than quantity, and such was the case when the Photographic Society held its annual ‘Nature’ themed competition for 2026. The invited ‘independent’ judge for the evening was none other than Dave Salter, himself a highly accomplished nature and wildlife photographer and current vice-chairman of the Western Photographic Society. Most of his photography was Island-based, though he had also captured nature images in Zimbabwe, Southern Africa.
In introducing the guest judge, Society President, Andrew Cairns, began the evening by reminding those present that entries for the Annual Photographic Competitions of the Society were now due in.
In his usually self-deprecating style, Dave said it was a privilege to have been asked to judge and he felt honoured to have been invited to do so. He averred that his was just the personal opinion of no more than ‘some random bloke on the night’, though the members present felt his suggestions, such as the need to pinpoint the main focus on the face and eyes, of living things, and to aim for a balance in the composition of the image, were immeasurably more valuable than that!
He quickly proceeded to examine the 11 digital print entries and the 22 digital projected images, having had sight of them in advance, expressing the view that, in his opinion, the standard of presentation in terms of quality was so exceptionally high that other Island clubs and societies on the Island would struggle to compete, if called upon to do so. He also commented that, without exception, the print entries had been beautifully processed. He advised, most helpfully, that he felt it was often better to have fewer elements in the images to avoid extraneous matter, which can detract from the overall subject content. He was in favour of careful cloning, in accordance with the normal rules for nature competitions, and had noted a high degree of clever mastery of the skills of both monochrome and colour photography in the entries, a truly accomplished and impressive feat.
The Best Digital Image which also gained Best Image in the Competition was taken by Jermy Broome-Smith of a Red Kite in flight, beautifully sharp from its beak to its wing tips, shot against the sky. Best Print taken by Sean Corlett was of a Hummingbird Hawk Moth, captured in the most difficult of circumstances with the movement frozen.
The next gathering of Society members (and guests) will start at 7.00 pm on the 4th March, at the St John Ambulance HQ, off Glencrutchery Road, and will principally be for a showing of selected entries from the L & CPU Folio ‘B’, an essential way to ensure the Society continues to keep pace with entry standards in the North West of England.
By Antony Hamilton
