Last night's meeting was something of a celebration, our first print competition since February 2020!! It was lovely to see the prints, as our judge pointed out, prints are really the final product of any photograph. Our judge was Peter Otley, from Bleadon CC who gave a full and fair critique of every image in both sections, Themed and Open.

The print quality was in the main, of a high standard, which is commendable considering we were all a bit out of practice. The theme this month was 'Film Titles' which gave members a chance to stretch their creativity and imagination and gave rise to a very wide range of image subjects. It also raised a ripple of laughter when some of the images were shown, specially 'Blade Runner' - very imaginative!!!! Peter Elliston scooped the top two positions with 2 very diverse images, but his winning image 'Mars Attack', did make me wonder about his state of mind!! A great image requiring loads of imagination and skill to put it together!

The Open section as usual had a wide range of subjects, different genres and styles. It was good to see some great portraits and some creative techniques. On a personal note, this was the first time that I have had all 4 images 'held back' in the Top Ten - well chuffed!!

Open
1st 'Allium Head in a Glass Jug' by Polly Knowles
2nd 'Anhinga' by Keith Jennings
3rd 'Doh - Missed it Again!' by Steve Wilcox
HC 'Everyone Loves A Selfie' by Wendy Hopper
HC 'Last Minute Adjustment' by Polly Knowles
HC 'Nathaniel' by Steve Wilcox
HC 'Scotney Fairytale' by Deborah Hammond
TT 'Crossing Legs' by Huw Thomas
TT 'Double Trouble' by Keith Jennings
TT 'Green Woodpecker on Ant Hill' by Diane Rowe

Themed 'Film Titles'
1st 'Mars Attacks (1997)' by Peter Elliston
2nd 'Another Fine Mess (1930)' by Peter Elliston
3rd 'For a Few Dollars More (1965)' by Brian Tobin
HC 'Femme Fatale (2011)' by Nick Farnham
HC 'Fight Club (1999)' by Nick Farnham
HC 'Road Dance (2022)' by Deborah Hammond
TT 'Dance Girl Dance (1940)' by Diane Rowe
TT 'On the Beach (1959)' by Polly Knowles
TT 'Speed (1994)' by Martin Cumper
TT 'The Rose (1979)' by Polly Knowles

It was good to see some of our newer members featuring in the 'honours list'. Well done everyone!!

Paul re-enforced the necessity of reading the rules and instructions for each competition carefully. For the Film Titles section, the rule was - The image name must contain the film title and year e.g. ‘The Fast and The Furious (2017).jpg’. Several people did not include the year and could have been disqualified.

The league table is showing a battle for the top spot, with the lead changing and just 3 points in it! Then 2 points between the next 3 places!! The table is on the website, the link is on the Competition Winners tab, 22-23 Season page.

If anyone is having difficulty printing and mounting images and would like some help, please do email Paul at wdcccompetitions@gmail.com and he will be glad to help.

Peter T (Chair) told us of our 'Seasonal Meal', which this year will be at Villa Verde, Rockwell Green on Thursday 19 January 2023. Andrew will be sending out the menu so that attendees can pre-order.