Chepstow Bridge
Some members had a trip to Chepstow Old Bridge. They planned the timing of their visit so that high tide, sunset and a full moon would give them optimum conditions for the best light and reflections. For more images go to the Field Trips and Outings page and the Gallery.
GPU Ribbon
Many congratulations to Elisa Best, her image "ElephantFamily" was awarded a GPU ribbon in Cheltenham Camera Club's 2022 exhibition.
All About the Light Competition
On Friday April 1st we held our first print competition for over two years. Our judge was Alex Gjika, EFIAP, DPAGB, who gave a great critique for each image explaining what was good and what could be done to make it better. Congratulations to Adrian Butcher who was awarded first place for his lovely atmospheric print "Out of Nowhere". There were three images in second place, "The Hat" and "Snowy Egret" by Sue Carter and "Sunset Lower Lighthouse" by John Crowland. The Sharples both got a third place with "Deep,Dark Woodland" by Keith and "Sailing Home" by Lyn. It was an enjoyable evening and great to see prints again. To see a full list of the images with placings go to the Competitions page (Drop down menu Competitions 2021-2022).
Welsh Salon 2022
It has been a very successful year for Monmouth PC members in the Welsh Salon with a total of 31 acceptances between six members this year. Elisa Best had a dpi accepted, Fintan Healy had one dpi, one colour print and one monochrome print, Keith Sharples had three monochrome prints, (including a WPF ribbon), and two colour prints accepted, Lyn Sharples three colour prints and two monochrome prints, Sue Carter had eight acceptances and John Crowland had nine acceptances and was given the Peter Bisley award. Well done everybody, a fantastic result. A selection of the accepted images are shown below.
Battle with Ross 2022
Our annual battle with Ross Photograhic Society was held on 18th March via Zoom. Each club entered 20 dpis. Our judge for the evening was Leigh Woolford AWPF, EFIAP, DPAGB, BPE4*, FWPF Hon. Leigh did a fantastic job for us giving a well considered critique for each image before giving his mark. The scores were close and at half time Ross was just one point ahead of Monmouth. After the break, however, Monmouth began to edge ahead and finished nine points ahead of Ross with final scores of 349 to Monmouth, 340 to Ross. A win to be celebrated as it is some years since we have managed to beat Ross in this annual battle! Thanks to all members who submitted images for use in the battle. Special congratulations to Elisa Best, John Crowland and Sue Carter who all had images achieving the top mark of 20 (images below).
Save the Date
Going forward into next season we are planning to have more club trips out. The first of these is on Monday May 2nd (Bank holiday) when we are invited to Fintan's garden in Brockweir - part of the National Gardens scheme. All are welcome including partners/spouses/friends. Bring a picnic and your camera. It is a chance to socialise and enjoy a beautiful garden with great photographic opportunities. There will also be a photo competition for those who want to take part.
Another Success
John Crowland has done it again! Congratulations John on four acceptances into the Photography Pathshala India International Salon, and an Honourable Mention for "The Boatman".
Exhibition Success
Congratulations to John Crowland who had eight
images accepted into Midphot (Midland Counties Photographic Federation Exhibition), and Sue Carter who had seven images accepted. One of John's images "The Upper Gushing Falls" and one of Sue's images "The Lighthouse" are shown below. Well done John and Sue, an excellent achievement.
Ace of Clubs 2022
Thirteen clubs took part in this WPF competition, which was again run on Zoom this year. Each club submitted thirty images to be scored by a team of three judges. It was an enjoyable afternoon viewing the 390 images. At the end of the afternoon Monmouth's score put us in 6th position, a very pleasing result. Our highest scoring images were "Sika Deer" by Sue Carter and "The Boatman" by John Crowland. Congratulations to the winning club, Gwynfa Camera Club.
DPI Competition February 2022, Open Subject
Congratulations to the winners in February's club competition. Many thanks to our Judge Julie Morgan, AWPF, who gave a comprehensive critique of all the images. Julie awarded first place to the lovely image "Confetti Flower Field in Summer" by Janet Cox. "Thoughtful" by John Crowland came second, and "Red Crowned Cranes" by Sue Carter was third. Five images were highly commended: "Loch Arienas" by Fintan Healy, "Severn Bridge" by Adrian Butcher, "On the Dock" by Chris Morris, "Sparring Polar Bears" by Sue Carter, and "Walking the Dog" by Lyn Sharples. Four images were commended: "Joanna" by John Crowland, "Feed Me!" by Anne Richards, "Mull Trawlers" by Christopher Jones, and "Portland" by Adrian Butcher. To see all the images in the competition go to the Galleries page.
Bristol International Salon 2022
Congratulations to members Elisa Best, Sue Carter, and John Crowland who all had images accepted into the Bristol Salon. Elisa's image "Breakfast" was accepted, Sue had two images accepted, one of them "Red Crowned Cranes" is shown below. John had seven images accepted, two of which, "Iron Man" and "Quiet Beauty", are shown below.
WPF Memorial Trophies Competition 2022
The Welsh Photographic Federation Memorial Trophies competitions were held via Zoom on 23rd January. Like last year there were two competitions, the Gwyn Morgan Trophy for Monochrome dpis and the Walter Morgan Trophy for Colour dpis. Twenty-one Clubs entered four images in each competition. It was a great afternoon of wonderful images with excellent positive critiques of each image from the judge, Leo Rich ARPS, DPAGB, EFIAP/g, Hon PAGB. In the Monochrome section Monmouth entered the following images: "Snowy Owl" by Brian Challis, score 14, "Hard Times" by Lyn Sharples, score 18, "The Railway Buff" by John Crowland, score 17, and "Llanddwyn Island" by Keith Sharples, score 16. We were delighted to come equal sixth out of the 21 clubs in the Monochrome competition. In the Colour section Monmouth entered the following images: "Elephant Family" by Elisa Best, score 17, "Down the Tube" by John Crowland, score 17, "Heavy Going in Heavy Weather" by Fintan Healy, score 18 and "Polar Bears" by Sue Carter, score 18. Again we came a very pleasing equal 6th out of the 21 clubs. An excellent result for Monmouth. Many thanks to all members who put forward images for selection for the competition.
Exhibition Success
Congratulations to Sue Carter on a very successful entry to Edinburgh Photographic Society's Digital Salon. Sue was awarded a PSA ribbon for "Sika Deer", a FIAP Ribbon for "Brown Bear Cubs", an Honourable Mention for "Sparring Polar Bears" and also had "Osprey Nest Building" accepted into the exhibition. Well done Sue, great images.
Studio Session
Some members of the club visited f/8 Studios in Gloucester recently for a session with a model. To read more about the trip go to the Field Trips and Outings page.
Shapes Competition
Our DPI Shapes competition was held on 3rd December via Zoom, kindly judged for us by Roger Parry ARPS, MPAGB, HonPAGB, EFIAP. First place was awarded to John Crowland for his image "Going Down the Tube". Iain McCallum came second with "Beach Architecture" and "Rusting Shapes" by Keith Sharples came third. Three images were highly commended, "Chimney" by Janet Cox, "Trees in the Sand" by Sue Carter, and "Solitary" by Christopher Jones. "Glen More" by Christopher Jones and "Beach Curve" by Keith Sharples were commended. Well done to everyone who entered with such an amazing variety of shapes images. To see all the images go to the Galleries page.
Competition Success
Congratulations to Fintan Healy. Fintan's lovely image "Autumn Stroll" came second in a recent competition run by the Societies of Photographers on the theme of Autumn.
Bronze Award
Great news - Sue Carter has won a bronze award in the Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers' Bird Photographer of the Year Competition, with her image of a heron. Congratulations Sue.
Historic Photograoher of the Year
Huge congratulations to Iain McCallum who's drone image of the Wastdale H and Arkendale H wrecks in the River Severn won the 'Where History Happened' category in the Historic Photographer of the Year competition. Entries to the competition were judged on originality, composition and technical proficiency alongside the story behind the submission amd its historical impact.
Smethwick International Exhibition
Several of our club members were successful in Smethwick International Exhibition recently. Fintan Healy had his image "Blea Tarn" accepted, Sue Carter had "Goats on Great Orme" accepted, "The Gunsmith" by John Crowland was accepted and Elisa Best had three images accepted, "Breakfast", "Sugarcane Children" and "Elephant Family". "Elephant Family" was also awarded a SPS Ribbon. An excellent achievement, congratulations to all four.
Live Meetings Re-start
Following consultation with members it was decided to have a mix of both face-to-face meetings and 'Zoom' meetings for the current season in order to best meet the wishes of all members. Friday 5th November was our first 'live' evening back in the Hall together since the covid lockdown over 18 months ago. Despite some qualms about following covid regulations and cold etc the evening was a great success.
Allen Lloyd, who up until a couple of years ago was a landscape and wildlife photographer, gave an amazing presentation on astrophotography. But not as we know it! This was deep space that took hours and hours of exposure, apps to tell you what you couldn't see, and a serious tripod with tracking thing! Surprisingly the kit was affordable - you didn't need NASA type equipment for NASA type pictures.
Well done to Iain for finding such a fascinating speaker with some terrific pictures, (we even had soothing music). Not only that, we got to see some friends we hadn't caught up with in a while, all at a safe distance and a well ventilated, (but still warm), room.
Margam Park Outing
A group of us enjoyed a visit to Margam Park recently to photograph the deer. We had a very enjoyable morning with good views of the deer. John Crowland's image (above) has now been chosen by Margam Park as the header on their Facebook page. Thanks to John for organising the trip and to Margam Park for their help. For more details of the visit go to the Field Trips and Outings page, and to see more of the images from the day go to the gallery.
First Competition of the New Season
Our first competition was held on October 15th, an Open subject DPI competition. Our judge was Ed Cloutman, EFIAP, Hon FWPF, who did a great job for us giving useful comments for each image on what he liked about the image and how it might possibly be improved. Ed awarded two first places, "Durdle Door" by Adrian Butcher and "Lighthouse" by Lyn Sharples. Three images came equal second, "Allen's Shaft" by Fintan Healy, "Dinorwig Slate Quarry" by Keith Sharples, and "Old Pier" by Lyn Sharples. There were six images in third place, "The Boatman" by John Crowland, "Loco Runround" by Catherine Jones, "Lanyon Quoit and Ding Dong Mine" by Iain McCallum, " Left to Nature" by Keith Sharples, and "Blea Tarn" and "Bedruthan Steps" both by Fintan Healy. Well done to everyone who entered, there were 51 images in total and some amazing quality of work. A good start to the 2021/22 competition season. To see a full list of results including the Highly Commended and Commended images go to the Competition Results 2021-22 page. To see all the images in the competition go to the Gallery.
2020/2021 Awards
With online only meetings this year presenting the annual awards and trophies has been difficult. However we did manage to hold a small outdoor ceremony recently to present some of the awards. Pictured below receiving their trophies from Chairman Christopher Jones are John Crowland and Brian Challis. John received the Photographer of the Year trophy and Brian received the Tony Cutting Trophy. Not able to be present were Elisa Best, a joint winner of the Tony Cutting Trophy, and Adrian Butcher, recipient of the Chairman's Award.
Calendar Success
Well done to Iain McCallum who had two images chosen in the Monmouth Savoy/Rotary Calendar competition. Iain's successful images were of The Kymin and Caxton Tower.
Llangattock Ploughing Match Photography Competition
Well done Anne Richards for being awarded second place in this competition for her image of harvesting.
Welsh International Salon 2021
Congratulations to Sue Carter and Elisa Best who both had success in the Welsh International Salon in the Nature section. Sue had two images accepted, (Dunlin and Fox with Prey), and Elisa had one accepted, (Elephant Family).
Rhossili Sunflowers
Some members enjoyed a day out at Rhossili recently photographing coastal landscapes and the sunflower fields. More about the trip and more images can be found on the 'Field Trips and Outings' page and in the Gallery.
Nash Point
A great evening photographing the Heritage Coast. Go to the Field Trips and Outings page, and Gallery to see more.
Congratulations
Well done to Sue Carter who achieved her CPAGB recently (Photographic Alliance of Great Britain merit Award). For this Sue had to submit ten prints to a panel of six judges, and to pass had to gain at least 200 points in total (out of a maximum of 300). Many congratulations Sue, well deserved.
Website Competition "Motion"
Results are now in for May's website competition on the theme of Motion. Sue Carter's amazing "Great Tit in the Rain" was awarded first place. "Windsurfer" by Lyn Sharples was second, and "Bluebell Woods ICM" by Adrian Butcher was third. Three images were highly commended: "Spitfire" by John Crowland, "Splash" by Elisa Best, and "Knot Returning to Roost" by Sue Carter. Five images were commended: "Fairy Pool" by Chris Morris, "Bobbing About" by Adrian Butcher, "Snowdog" by Elisa Best, "Tour de Gwent" by John Crowland, and "Beach Walkers" by Lyn Sharples. An amazing variety of images were entered showing great imagination and creativity. Many thanks to our judge, John Ryland of Ross P.S. To see all the images with judge's comments go to the Website Competitions page, (drop down under Competitions).
Jubilee Cup 2021
The Jubilee Cup is a 5-way Battle organised by Cwmbran PS, and this year participants were: Abergavenny CC, Cwmbran PS, Hay-on-Wye CC, Maesycwmmer CC and Monmouth PC. Our images were Reddish Egret and Grizzly Bear Cubs by Sue Carter, A Carer's Struggle by Lisa Jordan, Harbour Steps by Christopher Jones, Last Light by Fintan Healy, Glum by Elisa Best, Hard Times by Lyn Sharples, The Happy Drunk by John Crowland, Llanddwyn by Keith Sharples, and The Barber by Chris Morris. Congratulations to Hay-on-Wye who came first with 184 points. Three clubs scored 175 points, Abergavenny, Maesycwmmer and Monmouth. Abergavenny were placed second as their top image had a 20 score, and Maesycwmmer and Monmouth tied for third place. Cwmbran were 5th with 171 points. Our highest scoring images were The Happy Drunk, Llanddwyn and The Barber which all scored 19. Many thanks to Cwmbran PS for organising the event, and to all members for allowing their images to be used.
PAGB Ribbon
Congratulations to Sue Carter who's image "Grizzly Bear with Salmon" was chosen to represent the Welsh Photographic Federation in the 2021 Interfederation Competition. In the competition Sue's image scored 14, (out of a maximum of 15), and was also awarded a PAGB ribbon.
Zoom Licence
Monmouth club have now purchased our own 'Zoom' licence. (Previously we have been using Zoom by kind permission and assitance of the Welsh Photographic Federation). We are hoping to hold ad-hoc 'Zoom' events over the summer months.
End of Season Awards 2021
The Photographer of the Year Award 2021, (for the highest culmulative total of all this season's competitions), was won by John Crowland. The Tony Cutting Trophy, (highest score excluding 1st, 2nd, 3rd and HC), was won jointly by Elisa Best and Brian Challis. The Chairperson's Award, (awarded at the Chair's discretion to a member who has shown improvement in photography and/or contributed to the wellbeing of the club), was awarded to Adrian Butcher. Congratulations to all of you for your well-deserved success.
Annual Open Competition May 21st 2021
Our final competition of the season, the "Annual Open", was held on May 21st. This is the only competition where members are allowed to re-enter images used in previous competiions if they wish to, so we had a good mix of the 'best' images of the year and new work. Many thanks to Martin Fry FRPS EFIAP/p AV-EFIAP ABPE APAGB for his considered and thoughtful judging. First place was awarded to Sue Carter for her delightful "Grizzly Bear Cubs". Chris Morris achieved both second and third placings with "The Old Mine" and "The Barber". Highly commended images were: "Mousehole Canoes" by Terry Rees-Pedlar, "Tree" by Adrian Butcher, "Osprey with Nesting Material" and "Reddish Egret" both by Sue Carter, and "Hard Times" by Lyn Sharples. Commended images were: "Harbour Steps" by Christopher Jones, "Thunder Bike" by John Crowland, "A Wet Day" by Keith Sharples, and "In the Bluebell Wood" and "Retired" both by Lyn Sharples. Once again there was a very high standard of images. To see all the images go to Galleries, (Club Galleries).
People DPI Competition April 9th 2021
Our fourth competition of the season was held on April 9th and the subject was "People". Congratulations to John Crowland who was awarded both first and second place with his images "The Happy Drunk" and "Thoughtful". Lyn Sharples came third with "Fag Break". Three images were highly commended: "Hot and Dirty" by Christopher Jones, "Clambering" by Janet Cox, and "Dancing in the Rain" by Chris Morris. Four images were commended: "Snoozing in the Sand Dunes" and "Two on a Seat" both by Catherine Jones, "Photo Bomber" by Keith Sharples, and "Watch the Bird" by Adrian Butcher. Our thanks to the judge, Michael Krier ARPS AFIAP MA (Photography), who had a difficult job as there were so many fantastic images. Well done to all who entered. To see all the images go to Galleries (Club Galleries).
Website Competition "Windows"
Congratulations to the winners of the website competition for March - "Windows". Many thanks to our judge, Sandra Walding, who chose "The Plant in the Window" by Brian Challis as first, "Monmouthshire Countryside" by Bill Stace as second, and "Newport Window" by Chris Morris as third. "Church Windows" by Janet Cox and "Green Shutters" by Sue Carter were both highly commended. Two images were commended, "Window Boxes" by Adrian Butcher and "Window Service Only" by Keith Sharples. To see all the images and judge's comments go to the Website Competitions page (Drop down menu under Competitions).
Facebook Theme
The facebook theme for March was "Moon". The two images above tied with the most 'likes', taken by Iain McCallum and Anne Richards. Iain has chosen "Spring" as the theme for April. Go to the facebook page to enter your images and choose your favourites.
Welsh Salon 2021
Monmouth PC members have enjoyed success in the Welsh Salon this year. Six members have had a total of ten images accepted. Elisa Best had two images accepted, "Juvenile Bataleur with Skull" and "Tigers Drinking". Sue Carter had two acceptances, "Reddish Egret" and "Grizzly Bear Cubs". She also won the John Chamberlain Award for "Grizzly Bear Cubs". John Crowland had two images accepted, "Tying the Knot" and "Where's Mum?". Chris Morris had an acceptance for his image "The Barber". Lyn Sharples had "Hard Times" accepted and Keith Sharples had two acceptances "Scottish Beauty" and "Winter Walk". Congratulations to all.
Battle with Ross 2021
Our annual battle with Ross on Wye Photographic Society was held on 24th March, hosted this year by Ross, on Zoom, with 20 dpis from each club. The judge was Colin Walls from Beacon Camera Club. It was an enjoyable evening with some really great images. Sadly we were beaten by Ross yet again with the final scores being 351 to Ross and 328 to Monmouth. Our best scoring images were "A Carer's Struggle" by Lisa Jordan and "Reddish Egret" by Sue Carter which both scored 19 points. Thanks to everyone who allowed their images to be used.
Salon Success
Congratulations to Sue Carter for getting four images accepted into the Bristol Salon 2021.
Facebook Theme
February's facebook theme was "Reflections". Two images received the most 'likes': "Lockdown Frustration" by Iain McCallum and "Canal Bridge" by Anne Richards. Anne has chosen the theme "Moon" for March. Go to the facebook page to enter your images and choose your favourites.
Ace of Clubs WPF Competition February 2021
Thirteen Welsh Federation clubs took part in the Ace of Clubs competition on 21st February. The competition had to be run slightly differently this year due to Covid-19 restrictions, and the whole event took place via Zoom. Each club entered 30 images which were scored by the three judges, Colin Harrison FRPS MPAGB EFIAP/d3, Paul Keene FRPS MPAGB EFIAP/d3 MFIAP, and Roger Parry ARPS MPAGB HonPAGB EFIAP EsFIAP. It was a very enjoyable afternoon viewing 390 images. Congratulations to Tenby CC who came first and Gwynfa CC who were second. We were very pleased to come 7th overall out of the 13 clubs. Thanks to all our members who submitted images for us to use. Our two highest scoring images, which both got 13 marks (out of a maximum of 15), were "Water Rail on Ice" by Sue Carter and "And...Break" by Iain McCallum.
Open Subject DPI Competition 19th February 2021
Many thanks to Les Loosemore ARPS, AWPF, DPAGB for judging our club open DPI competition. First place was awarded to "Suspicion" by John Crowland, "Reddish Egret" by Sue Carter came second and "In the Bleak Midwinter" by Janet Cox was third. Five images were highly commended: "Feeling the Heat" by John Crowland, "Hard Times" by Lyn Sharples, "Under the Board Walk" by Fintan Healy, "New Growth" by Iain McCallum, and "The Roaches" by Keith Sharples. Five images were commended: "A Storm is Brewing" by Lisa Spary, "Swan Lake" by Adrian Butcher, "Rivets, Rust and Lichen" by Terry Rees-Pedlar, "Tree" by Keith Sharples and "Retired" by Lyn Sharples. Congratulations to everyone with placings, and well done to all for great competition images. To see all the images go to Galleries (Club Galleries).
Website Competition - Reasons to be Cheerful
Despite the current circumstances members managed to come up with a lot of varied reasons to be cheerful for the January website competition. Congratulations to Chris Morris whose striking image "End Game" was awarded first place. "Fishing on the Pond" by Sue Carter came second, and "Future Plans" by Lyn Sharples was third. "Loving Lillies" by Brian Challis was highly commended and Chris Morris also had his image "Spring Beckons" commended. Well done to all who entered for your great ideas. Many thanks to our judge Ron Lines DPAGB EFIAP/b BPE3 AWPF for taking the time to judge and critique the images. To see the judge's comments go to the Website Competition Results page (drop down menu under Competitions), and to see the full size images go to the gallery.
Facebook Theme
January's Facebook theme was "Ice". Lisa Spary's image of Iced Spider Webs and Iain McCallum's image of a 'frozen bird' both received the most likes. Lisa has chosen "Reflections" as the theme for February. Go to the Facebook page to enter your images and choose your favourites.
National Drone Photography Awards
Many congratulations to Iain McCallum who had success with two images in this national competition. His image "Farringdon Folly" was in the top ten Landscape images, and "Sunset Tree Avenue" came third in the abstract section.
Memorial Trophies Competition 2021
The Welsh Photographic Federation Memorial Trophies competition took place on Sunday 17th January via Zoom, and was an enjoyable afternoon with a chance to view 168 great images. There were two competitions this year, Monochrome and Colour, both dpi only. Monmouth P.C. put in a very creditable performance and were pleased to come joint 7th in the monochrome and joint 8th in the colour competition, out of 21 clubs competing. Our scores were as follows: Mono - Path to the Fallen by Iain McCallum 17 points, Storm Clouds Brewing by Pat Hopkins 16 points, A Carer's Struggle by Lisa Jordan 20 points and Harbour Steps by Christopher Jones 19 points. In the colour section: Last Light by Fintan Healy 18 points, Flowers with Salt and Spice by Alison Stace 16 points, Apache on the Warpath by John Crowland 18 points and Water Rail on Ice by Sue Carter 19 points. Many thanks to those members for allowing their images to be used, and congratulations to Lisa for achieving a score of 20 with her superb image. Also well done to the WPF for putting on a well organised and entertaining event despite difficult circumstances.
Website Competition: Autumn
The results are now here for November's website competition on the theme of Autumn. Many thanks to our judge Barbara Nash, CPAGB, who managed to retrieve the results and critiques despite a total laptop failure! Congratulations to all who had placings and well done to all who entered for a superb set of images. In first place "Island of Beauty" by Keith Sharples, second "Autumn at Blaen-y-Glyn" by Janet Cox, and third "Deer Rut Early October Morning" by Sue Carter. Two images were highly commended - "Hanging by a Thread" by Janet Cox and "Autumnal View" by Lyn Sharples. Two images were commended - "Autumn Fire" by Fintan Healy and "Kingfisher Amongst Autumn Leaves" by Sue Carter. To see the judge's comments for each image go to the Website Competition Results page (drop down menu under Competitions). To see all the images full size go to the gallery.
Facebook Theme for January
Elisa Best's lovely photo of a Yellow Billed Kite was the most liked image for December's theme of Birds in Flight. Elisa has chosen "Ice" as the theme for January. Go to the Facebook page to enter your images and choose your favourites.
WPF Memorial Trophies Competition 2021
Due to Covid-19 restrictions the Welsh Photographic Federation Memorial Trophies event is going to be run slightly differently this year. Instead of the usual colour print, monochrome print and dpi competitions there will be just two dpi competitions, monochrome and colour, both open subject. The competition will run on Sunday 17th January 2021. Monmouth Photographic Club are entering both competitions and the images have been selected. The entries for the colour competition are: Apache on the Warpath by John Crowland, Flowers with Salt and Spice by Alison Stace, Last Light by Fintan Healy, and Water Rail on Ice by Sue Carter. The entries for the monochrome competition are: A Carer's Struggle by Lisa Jordan, Harbour Steps by Christopher Jones, Path to the Fallen by Iain McCallum, and Stormclouds Brewing by Pat Hopkins. Thanks to the authors for allowing their images to be used. Fingers crossed for a good result on the day!
Facebook Theme
Congratulations to Anne Richards, her image "Frosty Shapes" was the favourite for November's
Patterns and Shapes Facebook theme. Anne has chosen "Birds in Flight" as the theme for December, so go to the Facebook page to enter your images and choose your favourites.
Weather Competition DPI December 4th 2020
Our second club competition for this season was on the theme of weather. Sixty images were entered showing an amazing variety of weather, and gave our judge, Nick Jenkins, quite a task. Congratulations to John Crowland who was awarded both first and second place with his images "Five Degrees Below" and "After the Storm". Two images tied for third place, "Misty Morning" by Adrian Butcher, and "Heavy Going in Heavy Weather" by Fintan Healy. Twenty-six images were highly commended and seventeen images were commended! Well done to everyone. To see all the images go to the Galleries page - Club Galleries. To see a full list of award winners go to 'Competition Results 2020-2021' (Drop down menu under Competitions).
The British Photography Awards
Congratulations to Iain McCallum for having his image "Solo Swim" shortlisted for these prestigious awards. Follow the link to view the shortlisted images in all the sections, and vote for your favourites. (Iain's image is in the Drone category.)
2021 British photography awards shortlist
Christmas Card
Well done to Iain McCallum for having his image, "Fat Robin on Branch", chosen to be produced on a Christmas card sold by Visit Highworth (Highworth, Wiltshire TIC).
Congratulations
Congratulations to John Crowland who has just gained the EFIAP award for excellence. To gain an EFIAP you need to have had at least 250 acceptances in FIAP exhibitions, with a minimum of 50 different images. These acceptances must be spread over a minimum of 20 different countries. Below are three of John's successful images, "Coal Angel", "Quiet Beauty" and "Simple Pleasures". Well done John, a magnificent achievement.
Exhibition Success
Well done to Sue Carter who had four images accepted into Smethwick International Exhibition. "Grizzly Bear and Cub" was accepted into the open colour section, and three images were accepted into the Nature section - "Osprey With Nesting Material", "Reddish Egret", and "Grizzly Bear with Catch".
Website Competition October - Monochrome
Many thanks to Julie Morgan AWPF for judging our October website competition, Monochrome. Keith Sharples' image Boat Sheds was awarded first place, Cell Block by Brian Challis came second, and The Photographer by Lyn Sharples was third. Six images were highly commended: Battle of the Giants by Elisa Best, Brigadoon by Chris Morris, Cloister by Lyn Sharples, Rhondda Hillside by Brian Challis, Old Barn by Keith Sharples and Pesky Flies by Anne Richards. Five images were commended: Beached by John Crowland, I am Looking at You by Anne Richards, Venford Waterfall by Sue Carter, Hardy Monument by Adrian Butcher and Rain on the Way also by Adrian Butcher. Well done everyone! To see the judges comments for each image go to the 'Competitions' page (drop down menu- Website Competition Results). To see all the images full size go to the gallery.
Facebook Theme
The theme for October was "Well I haven't Seen That Before". Again two images tied with the most 'likes' - "Giant Shells on Thorpeness Beach" by Jackie Poulter and "Shiny Balls" by Lyn Sharples. The theme for November is "Shapes and Patterns". Go to the Monmouth Photographic Club Facebook page, (Click on Facebook icon top right of menu above), to enter your images and to 'vote' on your favourites.
Calendar Success
Well done to Elisa Best who had two of her images, "Narthinia" and "Deer in Bluebells", chosen for the Narth Village calendar. Deer in Bluebells was also chosen for the front cover.
Open DPI Competition 16th October 2020
Our first competition of the season was due to be a print competition, but due to covid-19 that was changed to Dpi. Kindly judged for us by Dave Bennett, who provided a written critique for all the images, which was then read out to members via Zoom on the competition evening. Congratulations to Fintan Healy who was awarded first place for his lovely image "Last Light". John Crowland came second with "Getting Up Steam", and Lyn Sharples was third with "Blowing in the Wind". Six images were highly commended: "Siren of the Pool" by Iain McCallum, "Don't Burst my Bubble" by Christopher Jones, "Broadchurch" by Chris Morris, "Puffin Pair" by Catherine Jones, "Harris Reflection" by Adrian Butcher and "Sunset Lower Lighthouse 2" by John Crowland. Elisa Best, Fintan Healy, Bill Stace, Keith Sharples, Brian Challis, Iain McCallum, Alison Stace, Christopher Jones, Chris Morris, Sharon Thomas, Lyn Sharples, Adrian Butcher and John Crowland also had images commended. Well done to everyone, some amazing images. To see all the images go to the 'Galleries' page - Club Galleries.
Facebook Group Monthly Theme
September's winners of the Facebook theme challenge were Anne Richards and Jackie Poulter who both received the most 'Likes' for their images. The theme was "What Lockdown has meant to me". Anne's image was "Noticing more unusual birds in my garden" and Jackie's image was "I learned to play bridge". Congratulations to them both. October's theme, (chosen by Anne and Jackie) is "Well I haven't seen that before". Post your images on the facebook page by the end of October, (make sure you add them to the original post as a comment). The image with the most 'Likes' will be the winner.
Welsh Salon 2020
At last the WPF have been able to hold the judging of the Welsh Salon under Covid-19 regulations, and it was worth the wait! Monmouth PC members achieved a total of twelve acceptances from five different members. Sue Carter had four images accepted including a WPF ribbon for one image, John Crowland and Keith Sharples both had three images accepted, and Terry Rees-Pedlar and Lyn Sharples both had one image accepted.
The images shown above are "Getting Up Steam" by John Crowland, "Moody Durdle Door" by Keith Sharples, "Welsh Highland Railway" by Terry Rees-Pedlar, "Connected" by Lyn Sharples and "Great Blue Heron" by Sue Carter which was awarded a WPF ribbon.
Blaen-y-Glyn / Caerfanell Falls Photography Day
Our first camera club trip out since Lockdown was a very enjoyable visit to the waterfalls of the River Caerfanell. Go to the
Field Trips and Outings page to read more about the day and to the gallery to see more images.
Website Competition Results - "Isolation"
The results are in for August's website competition on the theme of Isolation. Well done everyone, as always some really great images. First place, "Alone Waiting for News" by Jackie Poulter. Second place, "Boy with a Ball" by Sue Carter. Third place, "Silent Vision" by Deb Griffiths. Three images were highly commended: "Bleak Solitude" by Adrian Butcher, "Billy No Mates" by Keith Sharples and "Lone Zebra" by Elisa Best. Two images were commended: "Lonely Gymnast" by Lyn Sharples and "Nature's Isolation" by Keith Sharples. Many thanks to our judge, Steve Betts. To see all the judge's comments go to the Website Competition Results page (drop down under the Competitions menu). To see all the images full size go to the gallery.
Monmouth PC Facebook Group Monthly Theme
Following a suggestion by a number of members we have a new 'not a competition' competition!
It’s only on our Facebook page, (click on the facebook link on the right of the toolbar above), so you’ll need have a FB account to participate.
The ‘competition’ will run on a monthly basis and the image with the most ‘Likes’ will win…and the prize…you get to choose the category/ theme for the following month!
To enter an image you have to be a paid-up member of the club but anyone can vote. For those that were unaware anyone on FB can see our page and request to ‘join’. Only those that have ‘joined’ can vote, and as said only full club members can enter.
The first category/theme is "What lockdown has meant to me". This is for September and votes will be counted on 30th September.
Amateur Photographer Magazine
We are famous! Monmouth Photographic Club features in August's issue of Amateur Photographer magazine. Well done to those who had images chosen by the magazine to be published.
WPF Lockdown Competition
Well done to John Crowland, Sue Carter and Elisa Best who all had images accepted into the Welsh Photographic Federation "Lockdown" gallery. John had two images accepted, "Depressed" and "Shielding", Sue had one, "Female Broad Bodied Chaser", and Elisa had one "Deer with Bluebell".
June's Website Competition - "Close Up"
There were 28 entries for June's online competition "Close Up". First place was awarded to Sue Carter for "Female Broad Bodied Chaser". Brian Challis was second with "High Hat", and Third was Jackie Poulter with "The Eye". Two images were highly commended: "Catrina" by John Crowland and "Fourteen Spot Ladybird" by Sue Carter. Four images were commended: "Keep Out" by Chris Morris, "Love in the Mist by John Crowland, "Canna Lily Leaf" by Deb Griffiths and "Hanging On" by Elisa Best. Congratulations to all, amazing images. Many thanks to John Ryland for judging and critiquing all the images. To see the judge's comments go to the Website Competitions Results page (Drop down menu under Competitions). To see all the images full size go to the Website Competitions Gallery - Close Up.
Jubilee Cup Results:
Another fantastic result for the club - in this five-way battle between Abergavenny C.C., Cwmbran P.S., Gwent P.S., Hay-on-Wye C.C. and Monmouth P.C. We came
first. The final scores were as follows: Monmouth 183 points, Hay 176 points, Cwmbran 170 points, Gwent 166 points and Abergavenny 156 points. Scores for our images were: Dark Skies Over Tower Bridge by Terry Rees-Pedlar 16, Flowers with Salt and Spice by Alison Stace 16, River Meadows by Christopher Jones 20 and
Best Overall Image in the competition, One of Life's Little Pleasures by John Crowland 20 and
Best People Image, Steam Train by Iain McCallum 20 points and
Best Landscape Image, Deer in Bluebells by Elisa Best 20 and
Highly Commended, Apache on the Warpath by John Crowland 19, Backlit Blue Heron by Sue Carter 18, Feeding Time by Lyn Sharples 18, and Slate Workers' Canteen by Keith Sharples 16. The battle took place live on Zoom and was a thoroughly enjoyable watch. Many thanks to Cwmbran P.S. for organising and to Peter Young for chairing and Gareth Martin for judging. Thanks to all members for producing such great images and allowing them to be used.
Mini Mono 2020 Results:
What an excellent afternoon watching this event live on YouTube. Many thanks to Gareth Martin for organising, and to the judge Kylie-Ann Martin, AFIAP BPE2* LDPS, for critiquing and marking all 96 monochrome images. We are very pleased to say that out of the 24 clubs taking part from all over the UK, Monmouth Photographic Club came
joint first (yes that is right joint first!) with Rhondda Camera Club, both of us on 75 points. As a tie-breaker Rhondda were awarded first place as they had two scores of 20 and we had one, (but that's OK we'll take that!). Cardiff Camera Club were third with 74 points. Our images scored as follows: "Harbour Steps" by Christopher Jones scored 17 points, "Llanddwyn Island" by Keith Sharples scored 20 and was awarded overall 3rd place in the competition, "Melancholy" by John Crowland scored 19, and "Up Close and Personal" by Janet Cox also scored 19. Thanks to those members for allowing their images to be used, and well done to all members who helped select the images by voting for their favourites, (you chose well).
Jubilee Cup 2020
We have been invited to take part in this five-way battle organised by Cwmbran P.S. The other clubs taking part are Abergavenny C.C., Cwmbran P.S. , Gwent P.S. and Hay-on-Wye C. C. Each club has entered 10 dpis. The battle takes place on
Wednesday 10th June at 7pm and you can watch via Zoom. (See email from Keith for link). Our entries are: "River Meadows" by Christopher Jones, "Flowers with Salt and Spice" by Alison Stace, "Steam Train" by Iain McCallum, "One of Life's Little Pleasures" and "Apache on the Warpath" by John Crowland, "Deer in Bluebells" by Elisa Best, "Dark Skies Over Tower Bridge" by Terry Rees-Pedlar, "Backlit Blue Heron" by Sue Carter, "Feeding Time" by Lyn Sharples, and "Slate Workers' Canteen" by Keith Sharples.
Mini Mono 2020
We are taking part in this monochrome dpi competition which is in place of the usual "Only Mono" which had to be cancelled. Twenty-four clubs have entered and the competition takes place on
Saturday 6th June starting at 2pm. If you want to watch the competition you should have a link to the live stream in an e mail from Keith. Our entries are: "Melancholy" by John Crowland, "Up Close and Personal" by Janet Cox, "Harbour Steps" by Christopher Jones and "Llanddwyn Island" by Keith Sharples.
End of Season Awards
The Photographer of the Year trophy 2020 was won by John Crowland, who achieved the highest cumulative score from all this season's competitions. The Tony Cutting Trophy (highest score excluding 1st, 2nd, 3rd and HC) was won by Elisa Best. Congratulations to both for producing such a high standard of images throughout the year.
Annual Open Competition May 2020:
Many thanks to our judge Peter Young, CPAGB, AFIAP, APAGB, for judging our Annual Open competition at home and providing us with a full commentary of his critiques on all the images. Congratulations to Alison Stace whose lovely image "Flowers with Salt and Spice" was awarded first place. "Tree Peony by Lamplight" by Bill Stace came second, and Christopher Jones' image "River Meadows" was third. Five images were highly commended: "Early Morning" by Lyn Sharples, "Deer in Bluebells" by Elisa Best, "Dark Skies Over Tower Bridge" by Terry Rees-Pedlar, "Slate Workers' Canteen" by Keith Sharples and "One of Life's Little Pleasures" by John Crowland. Eight images were commended: "Smoke Gets in my Eyes" by Brian Challis, "Melancholy" and "Llanddwyn Lighthouse" by John Crowland, "Meeting Van Gogh" by Jackie Poulter, "Farm Building" and "Lake District Sunrise" by Christopher Jones, "Red Arrows" by Catherine Jones, and "Backlit Blue Heron" by Sue Carter. Well done to everyone. If you haven't watched it yet, the audio-visual commentary is well worth watching,
Youtube Monmouth Annual Open (It's 1 hour 16 mins long , so get yourself a drink and settle down for a good watch).
Landscape Photographer of the Year:
Congratulations to Iain McCallum (again!) - Iain's image "Steam Train" has been shortlisted in the Landscape Photographer of the Year 2020 competition.
Publication Success:
Well done to Iain McCallum for getting his image of bluebells in Ash Wood, Monmouth, published in the international online Landscape Photography magazine, (LANDSCAPEPHOTOGRAPHYMAGAZINE.COM). A lovely image and well worthy of publication.
Website Competition - "Still Life" April 2020
There was an amazing variety of images in our "Still Life" competition. Thanks to our judge, Sandra Walding, chair of Ross-on-Wye Photographic Society, for judging the competition. Congratulations to Janet Cox whose image "Evening Glow" was awarded first place. Second
and third places were taken by Jackie Poulter with "Slow Time" and "Feeling Wobbly" - well done Jackie! "Just Bits" by Mike Roberts was highly commended and "Spring in Isolation" by Pat Hopkins was commended. To see the judge's comments for all the images go to the
Website Competition Results page (Drop down menu under Competitions). To see all the images full size go to the
Website Competition Gallery.
Open DPI Competition March 2020
This competition replaced our "People" print competition which could not be held due to covid-19 restrictions. The judge, Michael Krier MA (Photography), ARPS, AFIAP, judged the images at home and sent written critiques and scores. Congratulations to Iain McCallum for winning first place with his intriguing image, "Steam Train". Second place was awarded to "One of Life's Little Pleasures" by John Crowland, and Keith Sharples was third with "Llanddwyn Island". Three images were highly commended: "Path to the Fallen" by Iain McCallum, "Slate Workers' Canteen" by Keith Sharples and "Railway Worker" by Catherine Jones. Seven images were commended: "Pin Tailed Ducks" by Anne Richards, "River Swale" by Christopher Jones, "Reach for the Sky" by Alison Stace, "Connected" and "Early Morning" by Lyn Sharples, "Impressions of a Photographer" by Keith Sharples, and "The Braai" by Elisa Best. Well done to all who entered and congratulations to all who had placings. To see the images and judge's critiques go to the drop down menu under
Competitions (Open DPI Competition March 2020).
Website Competition - "In the Winter Garden" February 2020
The competition has now been judged. Thanks to our judge, Ron Lines DPAGB, BPE3*, EFIAP, AWPF, who despite illness managed to judge and critique our images. Congratulations to Pat Hopkins whose image "Who Ordered This" was awarded first place. Second was "View from my Garden" by Heather Elliot, third place went to "Frosted Web" by Keith Sharples. Two images were highly commended, "Snowdrops" by Lyn Sharples, and "Robin" by John Crowland. Two images were commended, "Frosty Seed Head" by Anne Richards and "The Wicker Seat" by Heather Elliot. To see the judges comments for each image go to the
Website Competition Results page (drop down menu under Competitions). To see all the images full size go to the
Website Competition Gallery.
Peak District Photography Workshop Weekend
Thirteen of us hired a minibus and enjoyed a weekend of photography in the Peak District in March. We visited locations such as Lathkill Dale, Curbar Edge, Padley Gorge, Stanage Edge, Magpie Mine, and The Roaches, experiencing a variety of styles of photography and a variety of different weather! Go to the
Field Trips and Outings Page for a more detailed account of the trip.
AWPF Congratulations
Congratulations to Sue Carter for gaining her AWPF, (Associateship of the Welsh Photographic Federation), recently. To achieve this Sue had to submit a panel of 12 images for consideration. Each image needed to be of an excellent quality and the twelve images had to work together as a whole to produce a coherent panel. At this adjudication 21 photographers submitted images but only 12 of those were judged to be of the required standard. Well done Sue, and well deserved.
Dorset Trip September 2019
Seven members of the club enjoyed a trip to Dorset recently. We stayed in a lovely old Oast House at a fantastic location, (once we found it!), right in the middle of Weymouth. Wild and windy, (but mostly dry), weather was a photographer's dream giving us stormy seas and cloudy skies. We all particularly appreciated the spectacular Dorset coastline with visits to places such as Kimmeridge Bay, Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, Portland Bill and Chesil Beach. The area is full of amazing landscapes and places of interest and our four days there only gave us a small taste of what Dorset has to offer. Go to the Field Trips and Outings Gallery to see some of the images from the trip.