Monthly Image Challenge
APRIL 2023 - MOOD
Tom Watson an Maurice Young jointly selected this month’s best entries.
This month’s theme Mood, evoked in our mind a sense of emotion and drama. It is for others to judge if that is a correct interpretation or not but it clearly influenced the choices we made.
Congratulation to Graeme Taplin whose MOODY SHINGLE STREET we selected to be this month’s winner of the challenge. The image was full of drama and we both felt that we were there subjected to the conditions Shingle Street often throws at photographers. We asked Graeme about the image and here is what he had to say:
" I made a trip to Shingle Street on the Suffolk coast in late November - one of many visits over the year. The weather apps had forecast a clearing sky around sunrise due at 07:30am. I met Pat Stebbings in the car park and we set off across the beach - under gloomy skies. Immediately, the rain started to blow through in showers (some heavy) for the couple of hours we were there and the sun refused to show. However, it did produce some interesting moody skies, so switching form the horizon to a composition looking west, we shot off a few long exposures for effect. "It was one of those mornings where you had to really work for a good image and a couple paid off."
This image was taken on Graeme’s Canon 5D Mk4 - 16-35mm f/2.8 lens lens @20mm focal length. Exposure 20 seconds @ f/18. ISO 100 and ND grad filter.
Our second selection was THE SOLENT by Des King. Another image that captured the drama of a small sailing boat alone in a vast expanse of water surrounded by threatening skies. We did think howver, the image would be even stronger if the light section was removed from the bottom of the image.
Next, WINTERTON BEACH y David Cole. Again a very strong and different shot of the beach that just lost out to the other two selections..!
MOODY SHNIGLE STREET by Graeme Taplin
Monthly Image Challenge
Each monthly challenge begins on the first day and closes at midnight on the 24th day of each month. The ‘image of the month’ and two runners-up will normally be announced before the end of the month. The theme for the MAY (2023) CHALLENGE is shown below. It is a ‘PICTORIAL’ challenge meaning there is no restriction regarding the composition of the image and post-processing techniques you may use.
MONOCHROME - Keep in mind not every image makes a strong black and white. Instead, you want to capture a photo with strong shadows and bright lights.
Members can enter a maximum of TWO images in the challenge
When submitting images for the MAY challenge the reference to be added at the end of the file name is MC05.
About the challenge
The Society’s Monthly Image Challenge is the perfect opportunity for members to test their photography skills, and to compete with other members in a friendly environment without the rigours of formal competitive photographic competitions. It is, therefore, a perfect challenge for anyone who has recently joined NDPS, particularly if they are just starting out on their photographic journey, and/or, have not entered a photo-competition before.
The Monthly Image Challenge is open to all CURRENT members of the Society including eMEMBERS
The THEME for each challenge will be confirmed at the start of each challenge but for those who prefer to plan ahead they can also be found along with everything else you need to know about the Monthly Image Challenge below.
Selector/Judge’s Choice
When each monthly challenge closes a ‘ballot’ will be held to pick at random the member who will be asked to select the ‘image of the month’, two runners-up, and to provide a few words explaining their choices.
INCLUDED in the ballot will be the names of those members who entered images in the monthly challenge that has just closed but in order that everyone get a chance to be a ‘selector’ the names of those members who have been the selector for any of the last three closed monthly challenges will not be included
Selectors will be reminded that the ‘Monthly Image Challenge’ has everything to do with being fun and inclusive. It is not about winning or losing but rather should reward those members who take a chance, are bold with their composition, try something new or simply invoke emotion in the mind of the viewer.
Gallery of all April’s Images
Monthly Image Challenge
As with all other photographic competitions, there are few rules to follow. These are required to create a ‘level playing field’ for all who participate and because it is much easier and quicker to handle and store the images if they all arrive correctly named in the same format and size. In addition, for members who are less familiar with submitting images into formal competitions it is also good practice, under no pressure, for the real thing...!
The ‘image of the month‘ will be displayed on the Society’s website together with a gallery showing all the other images entered that month’s challenge. There will also be an archive so members can look back through the galleries of past monthly challenges. The ‘image of the month’ will also appear on the cover of In Focus (the Society’s monthly newsletter) and on the Society’s Facebook page @ndpsinfocus.