Monochrome picture competition

Throughout the evening Rob offered advice on which images best lend themselves to monochrome.

As opposed to all the colour elements which make up what we actually see, monochrome images, he said, need to rely entirely on the range of tones and contrasts for effect.

Of the five prints awarded the top score of 20, the first went to Daisy Kane for ‘Dusk by the Thames’ an image with very nice atmosphere. The riverside lanterns were very strong in the fading light, giving a pleasing range of tones to the image.

Martin Tomes’s, ‘Melting Snow’ was praised by Rob as the author had obviously held the exposure very well while shooting into the light, or there might have been a bit of HDR very sensitively done, he ventured.

‘Salzburg Cathedral’ was Martin’s architectural shot with a less contrasty feel which suited the subtle tones in the building, set off by a wonderful sky.

Jean McWhirter’s ‘Confrontation’ was another of the five 20’s, and came a very close second overall. Despite being almost silhouettes, there was detail in the two intriguing figures, and they were in an interesting landscape.

The final 20 was awarded to Anne Nagle’s ‘Brighton Bandstand’ and, after much soul searching, Rob decided to award it best print of the night.

As one of the few night time images, this familiar landmark takes on a really different feel at night. Not an easy image to take, in terms of the extremes in lighting, Rob liked the position of the bandstand in the frame, and remarked that the front rail was a strong part of the image, giving a mid-tone feel which set the rest off in a very graphic way.

Report and pictures contributed by Storrington Camera Club.