In yet another ‘first’ for the Society, Sean Corlett had been invited to make his debut on the judging scene – and a great job he did too! (Judging any ‘open’ competition is a challenge, even for the most experienced judges, with such a disparate range of topics on view). Sean is not new to photography, of course, having considerable gained experience in many genres of photography, such as portraiture, landscapes (including seascapes), animals, various sporting (and other) events, such as the TT Races, wedding photography, shooting after dark, and commercial work. Some of his images can be viewed at seansshots.co.uk
Sean had clearly taken a good deal of time in preparation, studying each image with great care and he proceeded to comment on each one with a conciseness one would normally expect from judges with much greater experience than his of judging. His observations were soundly based on his knowledge and personal experience and he offered constructive suggestions, particularly on composition, designed to improve a few of the entries.
As the images were displayed, there was a shock admission from one of the more experienced members who conceded that he had inadvertently entered an image with a dramatic sky which had been inserted using an artificial intelligence tool. Sean, in commenting on the withdrawn image, admitted that it would have scored more highly but, in a stark warning to other amateur photographers, the Committee pointed out that the use of AI is strictly forbidden in any competition work and would lead to automatic disqualification!
Sean then awarded his assessments for the hotly contested classes, as follows –
Digital Colour
1st place – ‘Gaiety Theatre’ by Chris Blyth - 19 points; Joint 2nd – ‘Vik Church’ by Martin Sanderson and ‘Flower Power’ by Sue Blythe – 18 points each.
The image taken from the Gaiety Theatre stage into an empty auditorium was particularly commendable as the Island’s Victorian theatre is always extremely difficult to illuminate evenly.
Digital Mono
1st – Shadows on the Steps by Sue Blythe – 19 points; Joint 2nd – ‘Rumble Churn, Dunstable’ by Chris Blyth and ‘Outriggers & Chains’ by Barry Murphy – 18 points.
After the refreshments break, members and guests viewed the non-competitive members’ images, taken over the festive period, followed by an audience participation session comprising the L&CPU projected images which, perhaps surprisingly, generated mixed reviews from those present. www.iomps.com
By Antony Hamilton
