Success for Dave and Glyn in competition

Guest judge Jim Welsh of Blyth Photographic Society and Immediate Past President of the Northern Counties Photographic Federation commented upon and announced the results of the Monochrome print and Colour print sections.

Jim opened the evening by saying that ‘prints are the real thing’, a process of making a photograph, which he said is his forte.

He began with the monochrome section which included wintery skeletal trees, gritty carriage wheels, a tree stump with a storytelling quality, varieties of flora, reconstruction scenes, night time railway signals, wood carvings, glass bottles, coiled rope, stone steps, architecture and ruined castles.

He went on to announce his four Highly Commended awards to Dave Bisset for Desolation Coast and Dusk at Infinity, Cape Fur Seals by Paul Appleby and View of the Alps by Roseanne Robinson.

Jim awarded fifth place to Davy Bolam for Steel Wheel Detail with its sharp content and good tonal range and fourth place was awarded to Pat Wood for Seaton Delaval for good perspective, lighting and printing.

Third place went to Glyn Trueman with the Gateshead/Newcastle Quayside for totally capturing the essence of the area and second place went to Paul Appleby with Distant Snow Showers for its sense of movement and lead in lines.

Jim then announced the winner of the Monochrome print section to be Glyn Trueman with Infinity Bridge Abstract, which he admired for its great tones, detail and sharpness – adding that the author had used good original thinking.

The judge continued with the Colour section that included Blyth Harbour Yacht Club, a snow ridge below clear blue skies, Oriental billboards, sunset-glowing Blyth Beach Huts, evening light on Skye, iron stained water, a variety of flora, a vibrant Italian tram, the Tyne Bridge, snowlines on the beach, a towpath cyclist and graffiti, multi storey reflections and a stylised image of Beadnell beach.

His four Highly Commended awards went to Davy Bolam for Simple Beauty of Architecture and for Sand Patterns; to Glyn Trueman with Seaweed and to Martin Goble with The Ripple Effect.

Fifth place was awarded to Roseanne Robinson for Lady from Vietnam for its lovely skin tones and fourth place went to Sue Dawson with Morpeth Castle for its stormy skies and honest colours.

In third place was Davy Bolam with Wren on Seaweed for its detail and great depth of field and in second place was Peter Downs with Springtime for its soft pastel abstract quality.

Jim then announced the winner of the Colour print section to be Dave Bisset with The Gaze. He was very impressed with its good use of light, wonderful detail and considered depth of field.

Throughout the evening, the judge pointed out his ideas on what adds to a picture and what could be taken away – concluding that he liked the use of borders in many of the prints because they keep the image contained.

Club co-chair Roseanne Robinson thanked Jim for his kind comments and considered opinions on all of the entries in the competition, after which refreshments were served.

For more information regarding the club, go to www.morpethcameraclub.co.uk and its dedicated Facebook page.