Double success for Martin Ross as East Sutherland snappers tackle ‘floral’ themes in November competition
It may have been a very wet summer but East Sutherland Camera Club members put on a floral delight at their November competition.
The judge was Patricia Roberts ARPS from Nairn. Members set her the demanding task of judging over 70 colour and monochrome images, writes Andy Kirby, Club Secretary.
Flower photography is a notoriously difficult genre to do well.
The best weather conditions are windless and cloudy because getting close to the flower means any movement is exaggerated and can lead to blur.
Sunlight is far from ideal as it can cause harsh shadows and over bright reflections on petals and foliage.
It is also often difficult to get all of what needs to be in focus sufficiently sharp; taking a closeup can highlight any blemishes and busy backgrounds can distract the viewer’s eye away from the main subject. The importance of this last point can be seen in all the winning images.
Patricia highlighted all these potential pitfalls in giving her critique of the submitted images. The evening provided a lot of helpful learning and tips.
The competition title of “Floral” was, of course, open to interpretation and in the colour class Alan Butcher from Golspie did exactly that with his carefully illuminated fourth placed image: Floral Notes.
He clearly enjoys a glass of wine!
Jan Charge from Culrain came third with a delightfully light and airy image: Floating in Space.
The composition was well balanced and the dark background avoided any distractions.
Alan Butcher also came second with Cosmos, a similarly well focussed image without distractions showing the full detail of the flower.
First place went to Martin Ross from Golspie with what can only be described as a stunning image of Meadow Saxifrage.
The light and shade on the flowers brought out the delicate detail of the flowers which were set off by just enough information about the foliage. Overall a very artistic image.
At first thought it might seem odd to have a monochrome class for essentially colourful subjects but monochrome is a photographic genre which has both a traditional appeal and demands a more graphic approach, focussing on shape and texture.
Andy Kirby from Dornoch came fourth with Magnolia in Flower, a tonally well balanced image which emphasised the texture of the petals and stamens.
Shiela McKenzie from Bonar Bridge came third with Chickweed Wintergreen. The eye was drawn to the sharp white flower which, compositionally, sat well with the plant’s leaves.
Zoe Gray from Portmahomack came second with her beautifully lit Chrysanthemum which had been photographed on a dark reflective surface, although the judge did suggest she would have liked to have seen a little more of the reflection.
Martin Ross was clearly in winning form and he came first in this class too. His Iris in the Rain was a beautifully detailed close-up of the flower which emphasised shape and texture.
New members are always welcome and details of the club’s programme and the club itself are available on the club web site at eastsutherlandcc.org.uk.
