East Sutherland Camera Club members find light in the darkness
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The March competition theme for East Sutherland Camera Club (ESCC) was Night Time, writes club secretary Andy Kirby.
Alfred Stieglitz, the famous American photographer once said, “Wherever there is light, one can photograph”. Club members had no difficulty in putting Stieglitz’s words into action by finding light in the dark.
The street lights of Dornoch earned Willie Skinner first place in the colour section with December Snow.
Peter Roberts from Nairn, who judged the competition, commended Willie on the careful handling of the tones in the difficult combination of snow and street lighting. The excellent composition took the viewer along the street into the distance.
Andy Kirby, also from Dornoch, gained second place with Blue Hour; also snowy but a little further from home, being of the bay at Reine in the Norwegian Lofoten Islands.
Blue hour refers to the period of twilight when the sky can take on a vivid blue tone. In this case the lights and mountains were perfectly reflected in the calm waters of the bay and contained by the snow covered shoreline.
There have been some stunning auroras this year and Dornoch Academy’s Zara MacDonald has been more than up for the photographic challenge.
Her third placed Aurora Borealis had all the hallmarks of an excellent aurora image: clear, pinpoint stars and strong colours with good reflections in foreground water. In this case with the added interest of a silhouetted Wee Mannie.
Martin Ross from Golspie came fourth with his Night Seascape. A moody night scene making full use of moonlight and interesting clouds and reflections. Capturing the tonal range that moonlight can bring to night shots was well presented.
In the monochrome section Andy Kirby came first with his atmospheric shot of The Vennel, a dimly lit Edinburgh street scene. The side walls and steps taking the eye down the narrow street with the castle terminating the view.
Zoe Gray from Portmahomack had slipped out one night to photograph nearby Tarbat Ness Lighthouse to good effect, capturing the light at the top as well as the side lighting on the main structure. The image was awarded second place in the monochrome class.
Sheila McKenzie, Bonar Bridge, had not ventured out at night but chose a domestic scene familiar to many - Insomnia – which earned her third place.
The lighting was very well balanced with the brightest part pulling the eye into the key elements of the story. As a nice ironic touch the dog appears not to be sharing the insomnia!
Willie Skinner had clearly had a very productive trip out with his camera in the Christmas snow with Dornoch Square which was placed fourth.
Snow is always difficult to photograph as it is easy for it to lose any detail or become grey rather than white.
Willie’s image was perfectly exposed with a great range of visible tones in the buildings. A quintessential shot of Dornoch Christmas.
East Sutherland Camera club meets twice a month from September to June in Dornoch Community Centre and new members would be welcome
For more details about the club see www.eastsutherlandcc.org.uk – where the wining competition images can be seen. The secretary can be contacted at: esccsecretary@btinternet.com
