Our programme of weekly meetings for the IOM Photographic Society concluded this week with the judging of our second assignment, this one being on the topic of Book / Film or Song Title. We were fortunate to have John Keelan to adjudicate the event - he had his first camera at the age of 9, and with knowledge gained later in the dark room, has years of experience and a keen eye for a good image - and given the much delayed and frequent re-arrangement of the programme necessitated with pandemic restrictions, much patience and flexibility.
The assignment allowed free rein to the imaginations of our members as to images best fitting the topic and whilst a slightly reduced quantity of entries from our usual, the images presented were all of high quality and all in one way or another met the requirements.
Prints were judged first, but with only Martin Sanderson entering this section from the Intermediate group, all entries were judged as though from the Advanced group. Sue Blythe emerged the winner with Angels with Dirty Faces(1970s Sham song) seven apparently well behaved children sitting in a line. Steve Johnstone took the honours and best print of the evening with Another One Bites the Dust (song by Queen), a striking image of an egret with a fish caught in its beak, pin sharp with feather detail beautifully controlled and the bird well placed in the composition. Martin Sandersons Wipe Out (a surfer tumbling in the waves) and Sue Blythes New York New York (the city skyline in the evening light) vied for the runners up position.
More entries in the Intermediate digital sections meant there was a proper competition for this group. A well composed and beautifully exposed image of a padlock, three Oxo cubes and two small whiskey kegs earnt Martin Sanderson top spot in the Intermediate Mono section with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Two children, with a delightful interplay of facial expressions whilst occupying the front seats of a vintage motorcar gave Moira Blyth the winning image in the Intermediate Colour digital section with Riding Along In My Automobile. In the Advanced digital, Sue Blythe proved unbeatable, winning both the Mono and the Colour sections. A super image of waves battering Castletown harbour wall, the waves high over the pier and the lighthouse clear in a well composed The Perfect Storm, was a deserved winner for Sue in the Mono, whilst her shot of an eagle, with a fish in its talons and water droplets falling away, entitled Where Eagles Dare, gained top place and best digital image in competition.
Ruth Nicholls gave the vote of thanks to John Keelan for his well paced commentary in what has proved to be the final meeting of a very disrupted season for the IOM Photographic Society. The programme of weekly meetings will re-commence in late September but meantime, please check our website www.iomps.com and our Facebook page for details of our summer social events and programme updates. All will be given a very warm welcome to any of our events.
The Isle of Man Photographic Society is supported by the Arts Council
Chris Blyth
CAPTIONS:
IMAGE 01: 'WHERE EAGLES DARE' by Sue Blythe
IMAGE 02: 'RIDING ALONG IN MY AUTOMOBILE' by Moira Blyth
IMAGE 03: 'ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST' by Steve Johnstone
