Delighted to be making my debut with my Photo Encaustic pieces at The Smithy Gallery, Strathblane, with some pieces in the exhibition until 24th December 2016... some pieces that will be on view over that time will be...
Highly Commended!
I am absolutely delighted to have an image of mine achieve a 'Highly Commended' award in the 2015 Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. Out of the three images that had made the final, the image below of 'Wildflowers, Torrance' achieved the accolade in the Four Seasons category of the competition.
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE
"Having passed by this lovely view on work days many times, the chore of having to wait for the right conditions becomes easy… This random scattering of wildflowers among the barley fields near the little village of Torrance on the outskirts of Glasgow produced a picture of beautiful early morning summer pastel hues".
The tech stuff... Camera : Fujifim XT-1, Fujinon XF 56mm f1.2 R, f11, 1/90 sec, iso250, Lee 105 Circular Poloriser, Lee 2 stop graduated Neutral Density filter, Tripod The original Jpg. was cropped and processed in Adobe Camera Raw, with additional processing of shadows and saturation in Nik Software Viveza 2.
This means that the image will be seen alongside the other winners in the competition book as we'll as the national exhibition which will be touring Scotland in 2016
Congratulations to the other winners, particularly Ian Cameron, what was the overall winner and my mate Karl Williams who got two images commended in the general section.
In all, I had three images shortlisted for the final, so was delighted that this year I have gone one better turning my 'commended' images into 'Highly Commended'.
Below are my two other shortlisted images from the competition...
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Autumn Ferns , Dukes Pass, Trossachs
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Loch Lubhair, Crianlarich.
Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year - Commended
I am absolutely delighted to have two of my images Commended in the Inaugural Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. Out of the three images that had made the final these two images, The one above from Loch Rusky...
Loch Rusky
...The other a view from the Dukes Pass in the Trossachs, will appear in the exhibition book and possibly be showcased at the exhibition still to be announced.
Dukes Pass, Trossachs
Congratulations to the other winners, particularly Craig Aitchison who won the overall competition and is Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year...
"... and the winner is..." The Al Thani Award Prize week!!
Having had the honour, and I mean honour, having been selected to judge the Al Thani Awards for Photography in November… and expecting nothing more, you can understand my surprise when I received an unexpected Email inviting me and to the award ceremony for the competition in Doha, Qatar. So, with national costume of Kilt and accoutrements packed carefully and visa in hand, I flew to London in the company of section award winner, Robert Fulton, a photographer I had met briefly whilst doing a talk in Paisley, who knew that he was a section winner, but nothing more at that time.
In London we were joined by fellow Judge Gabriel O’Shaughnessy, and onward to Doha.
Little did I know at that time the week that lay ahead.
Next morning, whilst we were awaiting the other winners and organisers we left the Sheraton, where we were staying, and the venue for the Gala dinner, and set about exploring the City of Doha on foot… A high-rise spectacle, very reminiscent of a cinematic futuristic metropolis.
With the weather a balmy twenty one degrees and a pleasant onshore sea breeze, it was like a beautiful Scottish summers day, minus the cloud, rain and cold wind…
After a day of wandering and a visit to the cultural village for lunch we returned to the hotel to prepare for the Gala Dinner.
Respendant in my Scottish traditional costume, and getting more than a few curious looks from residents we made our way to the Gala dinner for the Al Thani Photographic Awards, in a hall surrounded by the images that we, the judges had seen a couple of months earlier and looked fantastic adorning the room, printed spectacularly, and wonderfully representing the climax of a great competition.
After dinner, and many interruptions for photo calls (and numerous compliments) with my kilt!!... We moved to the prize giving ceremony and, to massive acclaim, Grand Prize, $30,000 USD, a Leica M6 camera, a F.I.A.P gold Medal, a P.S.A gold medal, and a massive relief for me personally, having kept the secret since the judging, went to my fellow Scot, Robert Fulton, with his depiction of ‘Winter Trees’.... a beautiful mono landscape.
The Al Thani Award for Photography 2013 Robert Fulton Scotland "Winter Trees"
The rest of the evening was a blur of conversations, smiles, kilt talk, and representing Scotland as best I could in a Highland costume…
It was a fantastic evening and finished off this part of the competition wonderfully.
Robert and I and his winning image...
However, although the wards had been dished out, and the photographs taken, interviews for local TV given, the week was far from over… and although Robert, the winner, had previous photographic commitments to fulfil in other parts of the world, we promised to have a good time in the following days, on his behalf…
The V8 Toyota Landcruisers waiting to have half the air removed from their tyres...
And so began the second part of the prize, three days of culture, photography and adventure. Starting with a day in the desert and after the obligatory camel ride to warm us up... only then to be terrified by the locals, who proclaimed that they knew what they were doing, but, it would seem, who’s only goal was to terrify the life, or something else out of you by proceeding to, on any occasion, divert the course of the path through the south Qatar desert and launch their supercharged V8 Toyota Landcruisers over perfectly navigable sand dunes in order to elicit a terrifying response from the occupants.
Going sideways...
It was no surprise to me that my driver, in his responsible job, was an airline pilot, but obviously missed being airborne on a daily basis, and felt compelled to rectify that in his 4x4…
It was simply stunning, and the terror, excitement and nervous laughter was only matched by the majesty and desolate beauty of the surrounding, which, on a sultry day in January were a manageable twenty two degrees and a photographers paradise.
We took lunch in a base in the desert, and returned there for dinner and, campfire relaxation and a liaison with Ali and his Camels… who, I Have to say, were the most patient animals I have seen under the instructions of a dozen or so demanding photographers determined to get that sunset image… I, for one, if I judge another competition, will never view another camel caravan picture without suspicion again!!
The classic desert shot...
The very patient Ali and his camels...
The perfect end to a wonderful and varied day…
Interesting Scultures in the cultural village...
Next day was more relaxing and found us in the Katara Cultural Village for a tour of the village and a view of the National Geographic photographic exhibition at the Qatar Photographic Societies gallery in the Cultural Village.
Along with an exhibition of modern art, where, almost predictably, photographers cannot wait to be ‘creative’
Photographers being 'photographers'...
Dinner in a local Lebanese restaurant...
Later that day, in an open topped bus, under escort from about thirty or so Harley Davidson outriders, we proceeded to the Qatar Photographic Society as guests of the club, and my fellow judges, main prize-winners and I gave presentations to the gathered members and guests. We then proceeded to dinner at a local Lebanese Restaurant which proved a congenial and very pleasant end to the third day in Doha.
A view of our hotel, The Sheraton, from our morning Dhow cruise...
Day four, and our last day began with a trip on a beautiful traditional Dhow, wooden built and very comfortable… with a journey up and down the coast that provided us with spectacular views of the coastline of Doha and a relaxed and chilled cruise, topped off by the appearance of dolphins, although I do not think, even with the plethora of cameras, knowhow and equipment, that anyone managed to capture one on camera…
Doha from a Dhow...
With the perfect weather, the sea breeze, and pleasant company, I could not think of a better way to spend a relaxing few hours…
The afternoon, however, found us in the Souk Waqif, and following a brief history, proceeded to tour the souk following the unstoppable and irrepressible Abdulrahman, our host in Doha... experiencing the unique sights, sounds, smell and noises that pervade the narrow alleys, streets and squares...
We had been told that you could buy almost anything in the Souk, however, it was the first time that I have seen an adjoining street that caters only for Falcons, with several shops selling birds, and in the middle a ‘Falcon Hospital”.. such is there devotion to these creatures…
We finished with some time to stroll round the marketplace in order to soak up the Souk atmosphere!
We said our goodbyes that night and reflected on a stunning week of adventure, critique, friendship all with a common love of photography and its appeal that brings like minded individuals together to share, compete and enjoy this eclectic passion for photography... I made many friend in the time I had in both Lunz, Austria and Doha, Qatar... and I ask that if this adventure of a lifetime appeals to you.. get your entries in soon as The TRIERENBERG SUPER CIRCUIT closes on the 14th March 2014 ... and this and many other similar prizes awaits the top winners...
A special thanks to Chris and Ulrike Hinterobermaier, a wonderful couple and great organisers, who took a chance on a lowly Landscape Photographer , and gave him the best photographic experience of his life... to date... until he actually wins the competition now that he can enter!!
See you there!!
Judging an International Photographic Salon... The Al Thani Award for Photography 2013 (Part 1)
As a non club attending, non competition entering, pretty isolated photographer, I have always been sceptical of the motives of competition organisers, and the reasoning behind the sometimes high entry fees that belied the final reward and subsequent ‘exposure ‘ in sometimes dubious publications that could barely make the kitchen, far less the coffee table.
I had entered a couple of competitions like this in the past seven years with varying success but felt that they were loaded in favour of profit rather than reputation.
I did not enter any others due to this, but recently favoured the ‘take a view’ landscape photographer of the year as I felt that the balance was right, and the competition highlighted and represented the genre well.
However, having recently been invited and been involved as an international Salon Judge on the Al Thani Award for Photography, I now realise that there are some competitions that should not be missed or avoided, and who’s prizes and exposure far outstrips anything I have seen locally, or indeed, internationally.
It all Started in May 2013 with an email from Ulrike Hinterobermaier, the wife of the Salon organiser, Dr Chris Hinterobermaier… a quirky, inviting and dedicated couple who organise a large majority of the European and International salons through the Trierenberg Super Circuit in Austria.
Now, I get several emails a week to my website and various social media sites with invites, offers to make me millions by representing my images in various galleries, requests for critique, and some wonderful feedback, but on the whole many that are instantly dismissed on the grounds that ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is’… so I ignored it...
However, Chris and Ulrike are nothing if not tenacious, and a second email sparked my interest, thinking that the usual ‘weird’ emails generally give up after one.
I did a bit of emailing around past judges along with web searches, and determined that it was not some international organ harvesting gang, or a Nigerian money laundering service, as Chris had asked for nothing but my time and expertise in judging photographs… so I agreed with trepidation and excited anticipation.
I next find myself arriving in Linz, Austria on a grey morning in November to meet up… at the airport, with two of my fellow judges, Gabriel J O’Shaughnessy (Ireland) and Christophe Kiciak (France), both previous salon award winners and superb photographers…
We arrived in downtown Linz and met the remainder of the judging group Derek Galon (Canada), Ario Wibisoni (Indonesia) and Dr Joao Taborda (Portugal) as well as Dr Chris Hinterobermaier, his wife Ulrike and Abdulrahman Fajhroo from Al Thani Awards in Qatar, and other members of the organising committee. After a ‘getting to know you’ dinner and a couple of beers afterwards in the hotel bar with the other judges, it was early to bed as the judging started at 8.30 sharp on the Saturday morning…
This is where Dr Chris , Ulrike and the entourage come into there own with the immaculate timing that seems to be built into Austrians. We were marshalled, instructed, commanded and organised within an inch of our life to ensure we understood the rules, the timing, and the expectations of day one.
Gabriel, Derek and I on the first morning judging session...
All of the judging was to be videoed and the all judging was done in the presence of an observer from the Al Thani Competition committee, to ensure fair play was observed.
The rest of the day was a blur of several thousand prints and very quickly we got into the rhythm… due, in small part to the realisation that the judges in the room between them within their time in photography, had seen every genre, composition, technical flaw that had ever been made, and amazingly, the best, most original, and stunning photographs started to be shortlisted.
The Lovely Ulrike Hinterobermaier...
One thing that amazed me was the level of consensus between the judges, and we almost all agreed or disagreed to all the shortlisted images, with few exceptions.
In the afternoon the three judges that had been looking at the tens of thousands of images then switched to viewing the digital images on a large HD screen, with the same shortlisting criteria, yes/no and the images shortlisted dependant on the amount of either.
We finished after an exhausting but ultimately pleasurable day looking at some stunning photography at 5pm precisely.
Day two saw the two judging groups come together and viewing the shortlisted images narrowed down even more and viewed dependant on the categories… an organisational nightmare akin to herding cats, taken in its stride by the charismatic Chris and his very experienced team.
The Jury panel on Day 2... Myself, Ario, Christophe, Joao, Gabriel and Derek... with Chris on this side of the table...
This culminated with the final images being displayed and projected in front of the judges for final adjudication by vote, under the ever present but unobtrusive watchful eyes of the organisers and the observers.
Shortlisting, day two...
This was a tense few hours and as the stakes were high with $30.000US prizemoney plus a Leica M6 camera for the grand prize, there was furious debate, several journeys to the window light with prints and not a little changing of minds as various defences and discussions sparked up over the top images in each category and the ultimate prizes.
Attention to detail...
One thing that sticks out from this part of the two days was the isolated bubble that seemed to be created by the six judges, almost protective of their opinions, but working as one to ensure that the decision was right… whether it was conscious or not, we were, at that point, alone in a huddle of experience and photographic ability, dependant on each others expertise in many different genres and technical know how, but working as one.
Below is a video (Thanks to Alfred) of the judging stage of the competition, taken by the organisers to ensure fair play, and a great example of the organisation that goes into this competition and the task in front of the judges…
If you are thinking of entering the competition, you can get an application form from the link below, with the substantial prize money, $30.000 USD, medal acclaim and the ultimate awards week in Qatar, this is not a competition to be missed... I know, now that I am not judging it, I will be entering this year... The TRIERENBERG SUPER CIRCUIT closes on the 14th March 2014
Watch out for part 2 of this blog where I detail the winners and the fantastic prize for the invited winners in Qatar!!
Coming soon.... Part 2... And the Winner is!!... The winners and Award Ceremony in beautiful Qatar...
Scottish Autumnal colour...
Scotland has an Autumnal colour palette second to none, and depending on the weather leading up to it, the amount of wind and rain you get when it arrives, and the amount of settled weather that is required to actually take some images... Autumn in Scotland can be very special...
Take a view...
I am absolutely delighted, once again, to be Commend in the prestigious Take a View, Landscape Photographer of the Year... for two images!!
I had been shortlisted with four images this year, but it is beyond my wildest dreams to have two of my images commended.
Both images will appear in the competition book , Edition 7 (available at discount through Amazon), and you can see them in print at the National Theatre in London from December 7th.... there's still nothing to beat an actual print.
The exhibition will open on Saturday, December 7th 2013 and run until Saturday, February 8th 2014, so lots of time available to plan a visit. Over 100 of the winning and commended entries from this year's Awards will be on display. Entry to the exhibition is free.
Loch Rusky
Loch Rusky
The beauty of this little loch belies its size… from its infinity view to the south over the Campsie Fells to the seemingly endless ripple free surface… the light creeps along the far bank ensuring a well lit scene… an early Autumn morning, welcoming only the dedicated fisherman and insomniac photographers…
Pentax K5 with Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4.5 @ 48mm
0.8 sec, F16, 100iso
Lee 105 circular poloriser
Tripod
Cropped, curves, levels and saturation in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop CS6
Dukes Pass, Trossachs
Dukes Pass, Trossachs
There is no such thing as bad weather in the Trossachs… only the lack of midge repellent… I was drawn to this scene by the regularity of the birch trunks combined with the misty stillness of the forest after the rain and the light created by the wet leaves and raindrops against the trees autumn hues…
On my tripod, I used the flattening effect of the long lens to compress the distant scene, giving a specific feeling of depth…
Pentax K5 with Sigma 120-400mm, f4.5-5.6 @ 200mm
1sec, F16, 100iso
Tripod
Curves, levels and saturation in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop CS6
Be Prepared...
Having been a Boy Scout for many years, and well used to fitting kit into numerous rucksacks in my time, it is no surprise that in my Camera bag there are many useless and redundant articles... like midge repellant in winter (just in case I forget to put it back in) ... however, many photographers return from a days shoot having failed to get a decent image for the want of a bit of kit that is a permanent fixture in my bag and has got me out of blank days on several occasions.
It is the ten stop neutral density filter (mine by B+W)... but there are many and various types.
On a wet day, they can transform a seemingly contrast free image into a decent shot by smoothing the water and allowing the clouds to develop a pleasing pattern... on a bright day, allowing longer exposures than would be possible...
All in all, when they are mastered, and this itself takes time, they can provide an extension to a dull or over bright scene, and the chance to get at least one image to take home...
All the images below, from Millarochy Bay, Loch Lomond, were taken within ten minutes of each other and show the effects, moods and variety that can be achieved with these filters.
All images are taken on a tripod, with a cable shutter release, all at f16, mirror up with the longer exposure ones, and several attempts to get the timing right...
Original (no filter) 0.5 seconds, F16
Long Exposure 33 seconds at f16
Long exposure 25 seconds at f16
A touch of Autumn...
It has been a long , reasonable pleasant summer this year, which did not bode well for production regarding landscape photography with the harsh white sunlight and the amount of low contrast green about.
Softer warmer , end of summer light...
However, all that is about to change, and the signs are seen here in this mornings shoot on Loch Ard, in the Trossachs...
Subtle changes in the foliage and the light...
...early fern colour changes, warmer and lower light and the touch of subtle colour changes in the leaves, grasses and end of season wildflowers...
Wildflower and grasses colour muted at the end of season...
...a promise of a colourful autumn and the awakening of the hibernating photographers who seem to rise from their summer slumber at this time of year...
Train for the future...
Sunrise train passes through Ashfield towards Kinbuck...
Read MorePortencross, low tide...
A rare trip to the coast... I haven't been to Portencross for a while, certainly not since the scaffolding has been removed from the Castle... normally a sunset venue, but worth a trip to this secluded little gem of the Clyde coast.
Portencross Harbour
View over to Arran
Harbour and stone Jetty
Some nice early light between the showers this morning... and a low enough tide to get amongst the boats, allowing a decent angle onto the Castle. This is a nice venue, only a thirty minute drive from Glasgow, with plenty scenery within a small area, stunning views over to Arran from Portencross.
The main attraction (for fishermen, and photographers) is the stone Jetty, offering the option for terrific views across the Clyde, long exposure and sunset opportunities... check out my fellow snapper Peter Ribbecks work from Portencross
Grounded yacht at Portencross