The judge was Peter Fry from Barnstaple. Peter had a massive task as we had a record number of entries. There were 49 in the Mono and 23 in the Open section. Not only was this a record but in the Mono, 25 different photographers entered. So, congratulations on that but also for being so careful with your mounting and presentation of your images. Peter remarked how good they were and unlike some other clubs where he thought they might have used 'knives and forks' to mount the images, Wellington's were great! So all Paul's nagging has paid off.
The images in both categories were really outstanding and it is clear that everyone has upped their game. Even if you were not placed in the top ten, the judge made it clear that on another day, in another competition, the results would have been different. Two things emerged from his judging. One was that whilst record shots can be technically good, they may not be appropriate entries in an open competition - which in fact was what Mono was - despite that being the 'theme'. So club members need to think - is this image which I like a lot and which I know is technically sound - is it right for this particular competition. The second thing that came out was - 'what has the photographer put into the image'? In other words, could anyone have taken your shot? Or have you made it something that shows your intentions by the way you have treated the subject or created the image? If you can say to yourself - 'No one else will have an image like this', then it's a fair bet that the judge will give it more attention because remember, they see hundreds of images as they go around judging other clubs.

The results were
Mono - 49 entries
1st - Steve Wilcox for 'Smokey Jo' - a terrific profile portrait of a man smoking.
2nd - Peter Elliston for 'Jack' - a creative shot of a playing card featuring an accordion player
3rd - Peter Elliston for 'Shading St Paul's' -a rooftop image of an attendant 'shading' St Paul's Cathedral'' with an umbrella
Highly Commended - Steve Wilcox for 'Icon' and 'How long for the exposure?"
Held Back were - Jon Peters 'And Breathe',Tony Dunkley 'Biker', Di Farnham 'Bikes Below', Peter Tickner 'Observation', Nick Farnham 'Solo Exit'

Open
1st Peter Elliston for 'The Blackhawk Gang' - a group of bikers in Bristol
2nd - Martin Cumper for 'Gate at the Taj Mahal' - a very different Taj Mahal shot
3rd - Polly Knowles for 'Going Home - a beautiful sunset shot with an elephant silhouette
Highly Commended went to - Tony Dunkley 'Gateshead Millennium Bridge', Terry Norris 'Morning Light, Andy Mayson 'To journey is better than to arrive'
Also held back were Frank Colebrooke 'Egg on squares', Peter Elliston 'Hampton Court windows and chimneys', Brian Tobin 'Reflection Rannoch Moor', Steve Wilcox 'Stourhead'