Summer Print Competition

01 July 2024

Colour section Results

Colour section all entrants

Click a photo to open gallery

Monochrome section Results

Monochrome section all entrants

Judges Comments

Monochrome section

Abandoned in the Woods

Lustre paper- good but needs a bit of life in the image. Conversion to mono has been handled well, but there is a slight green tint, could be a colour profile problem. Needs more detail in the shadows. Texture on the wall and foreground is good. Textured paper would help. Mounted close to the top, a white key line would give more space and help bring the viewer into the image. Mount colour- needs to aid the tonal range, a black mount would help it stand out better.

The Pope at Prayer

True black and white image. Good depth. Really nice portrait, gorgeous rim lighting. Breaks the rule of thirds, but does it well. Elbow placement at bottom of frame is good. Background well handled. Use of black mount with white cord helps the image stand out. Second.

Woodland Dreams

Slight abstract shot, quite artistic. Uprights make the image stronger. Slightly burnt out at the top of the frame. Paper type could be used to improve the image- use a white textured paper to give a bit more softness. Would lift the texture in the bark. Commended.

In Need of Repair

Good conversion to black and white. Subject works well. Good use of rule of thirds, with the castle footings leading you in to the shot. Good tonal contrast, sky handled well. Some more texture in the stone work would help. Held.

On the stage

Really nice piece of studio work. Great pose and staging. Lighting well controlled. Tight crop on the right but still gives plenty of room and balance. Bit more light required to lift her eye. Great depth and tonal range. Possibly print wasn’t fully dry, as there are slight marks. Consider dark room papers. Commended.

Baker Street- waiting for the train

Very popular location, lighting very well controlled. Great blacks, so well converted. Great detail in the shadows. Strong black and white image, wouldn’t be anywhere near as effective in colour. First.

I spy lunch

Unusual to see black and white nature shots. Very well done. Black and white gives a different feeling. Hard to get depth of field right, well done here. Make sure to pay attention to detail, some highlights in the trees at the top that could be cloned out. Slight evidence of poorly done cloning in the grass at the bottom, could be fixed by cropping. Highly commended.

Next step

Nice conversion, muted tones. Black mount works well. Good use of light and lines. Well framed. Burnt out highlights in the top of the image, lost detail in the area of the sign in the ceiling. Before printing, convert Lightoom background (tab+ff) to black which helps you see problems within the image.

Harry pulling a Tram along the Prom

Good warmth in the image. Position of tram works well, with the tramlines leading you in. Slightly too close a crop at the top, touches the top of the tram. Some cloning has been done along the top, which leaves too heavy a line. Bit too bright on the cars, tone down to match the rest of the image.

Rutheven Barracks

Print works much better than the PDI. Leading line of the road works well, light on the fence helps draw the eye too. Light on the castle is excellent, and drama in the sky works well. Consider the mount colour, could be better on a black mount. Some lost detail in the forest area, but doesn’t matter. Third.

The Melancholy Colombian

Nice core black mount. Nice portrait, pose with the hand is good. Quite dark in the print with some detail lost. Needs to be a little bit sharper, slightly too soft for a studio portrait, especially around the eyes.

The old Pier

Printed at a lab, but when it’s going on a lightbox, needs a back board so you can’t see through the print. Lovely long exposure. Gulls on the posts are good, and help lead you through the shot. Could be cropped to a letterbox taking off the bottom, might improve it. White key line disappears in to the white mount. Highly commended.

Steam Fair

Nicely taken image. Good conversion to black and white. Lovely subject matter. Interesting paper. Diagonal line is good. Good tonal range in the body of the image, but the sky area is a bit too bright, bleeds out. Human element adds to the story, could be stronger by a puff of steam out of the chimney. 

Opposites attract

Love the size of the image in the frame. Crop has been handled well, to the left of the pillar. Good depth. Good street documentary, great interest and good buildings. Slightly soft on the gentleman in the image, though the woman is sharp, both need to be sharp for it to work. An offset aperture for the image in the mount would work better, would work well with the steps.

Colour section

Taransay at Dusk

Colour difference between DPI and print, print is much better. Could be a problem with colour profile when printing or monitor calibration. Gorgeous muted colours, but lost some detail in the foreground shadows. Means there’s nothing to draw you in to the image. Printed on lustre paper, but with softness in the image would benefit from an art paper.

A Walk in the woods

Lovely detail, well caught. Hard to get the bluebell colour correct, which has been well done here. How to crop your image- think about the edges, slightly more space needed on the right hand side, to give more depth. Gorgeous textures. Black mount works well, gives relief with the white key line.

Full flight

Composition works really well, subject works nicely in the frame. Good depth of field. Slightly soft on the bird, needs to be sharper. Tethers need cloning out, this can be adjusted in an open competition, but not if entered in a nature category. Slightly faster shutter speed (at least 1/2000^th) to capture the movement. Mounting is done well, with the added effect of the 3D, possibly a bit too hard in this instance, a single white line being more suitable.

Keeping an eye

Lovely sharpness on the bird, great muted colours on the background. Colours are fantastic. The eye has to be tack sharp, and this has been well thought through. Held.

Valentina

Print lends warmth compared to the PDI. Black mount with white key line works really well. Lighting is well handled, pose is excellent. Slight imperfection on her foot, tiny bit of cloning would have got rid of this. Putting it slightly off centre works well. Held.

Siting on the fence

Lovely subject to photograph. Really nicely caught, as can be quite shy. Lead in of the fence is good. Too tight a crop on the bottom of the frame, no space for the squirrel to move in to. Nicely printed, good size in the frame. Sharpness is missing slightly on the eyes.

Guitar man

Good subject, well themed. Good bit of storytelling. Needs a bit more blending of the two images. Eyes need to be sharper in an image that is a portrait. Could reduce the size of the image in the frame, as this could disguise the softness.

Sitting Pretty

Harris hawk

Burrowing owl

I’m so talented

Sunshine and showers

Young robin

Aquatic ripples

Foxglove

Themed section – “Times Gone By”

Solitude in an old town alley

Good composition. Printed on a metallic paper which helps lift the black and white element. Good leading line with person mid-way through the frame and buildings in the distance. Clone some of the marks on the building on the left. Commended.

Two horse power

Lovely subject, great timing of the image. Good size in the frame. Nice to have smiling subjects. Movement in feet is good. Could try it in black and white, which would help remove distraction of background buildings which are not in keeping with the theme, tight crop on the right, and bit more space on the left to give more space for it to move in to.

Times gone by but still enjoying the style

Good black and white conversion. Good street shot, though it has been posed. Slightly too bright in the centre of the shot. Good tones in the subject and background. Held.

Remembering Cod Liver Oil

Not great title- better with something like The Fisherman. Great conversion, worked very well. Good lighting and balance, great catch lights. Needs a bit more detail in the shadows on the left. PDI still has more of the detail. Great character. Highly Commended.

Fairground

Nicely caught and well framed. Gorgeous details within the carousel, well lit. Would benefit from a textured paper to help fit the theme. Colour in the sky could be toned down, bit too bright. Commended.

Times has gone by

Interesting shot, bit different. Effect works quite nicely. Good detail on the clock face, though it could do with being a bit sharper. Sense of speed and movement, but needs more sharpness for impact. Good depth to the image, especially the background.

Eighty years

Really nice piece of storytelling, shows good thought from the author. Lovely quality to the image. Interesting to have the beacon, as often these images are done with poppies. Shoulders could be softer by turning him slightly. Third.

Snafell Mine

Looks like HDR from a distance, but is not, as it’s printed on a gloss paper. Works with this image due to strong colours. Works up close, but not at a distance. Not fully sharp enough to tolerate gloss, textured would be better as would give a painterly effect. Placement of items within the frame is very strong, as are the colours, Death of field is too shallow to give sharpness.

Room on Top

Really well caught image, great timing. Good crop, but maybe needs slightly more space. Great positioning within the frame. Well printed, good detail, Held.

Boulangerie

Lovely building. Good textured paper has been used. Emphasises the texture in the subject and foreground. Very mellow colours. First.

Ploughing

Good black and white conversion. Good tonal range. Nice use of space within the frame. Could benefit slightly from textured paper. Would give more detail in the grass and soil. Highly Commended.

Waiting for a missing comrade

Antique colouration used works well, as does the square format. Aged effect works well- looks the part. Slight vignette is good. Tells a good story. Held.

Winter steam

Really nice, good conversion to black and white. Steam works well and really helps the image. Some warmth and good lighting control. Good depth with leading diagonal. Light on side of train works nicely. Dynamic feeling from the steam is great. Second.

Left behind

Good storytelling. Nice to have a bit of variety in these types of images. Positioning is strong, a bit reminiscent of Oliver. More detail on the PDI, but print has a bit more feeling. Print is a bit too dark, needs a little more light.

Locked out

Great character to the building and gorgeous tonal range. Black mount is good with this image. Slight angle is good, as it takes you in to the image. Possibly add a bit more contrast to the brickwork to help match the arches. Textures in the image would be better printed on a textured paper. Commended.