PICTURES: Time for Easter Ross photographers to take a bow at horology-themed competition run by Highland camera club
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PHOTOGRAPHERS from Easter Ross were amongst the prizewinners for a camera club's latest themed competition.
The February competition for East Sutherland Camera Club had Horology as its subject.
A strict definition of ‘horology’ is the science or study of the measurement of time but photography being an art form this was very much open to visual interpretation by club members. They clearly enjoyed the challenge as demonstrated by many of the play on words between title and image as well as the creative techniques in their photographs.
The judge, Mark Janes from Tain, was delighted with the quality of the images and commented that setting a title for a competition stimulated creativity. As was expected his analysis was professional, detailed and thorough; never stinting on suggestions that could improve an image.
An excellent example of the play on words between title and image was Emma Deeth’s Time is Flying which earned her first place in the colour section. A carefully composed three shot composite creating the impression of a swinging pocket watch and mimicking the movement of a pendulum. Second placed was Zoe Gray from Portmahomack with her Dandelion Clock. Not the sort of image conjured up by the title, this was of a seed head with attached golden balls reflected on a golden sloping shiny
surface. Zoe explained it was resting on milk with subtle colour adjustments applied afterwards.
Something completely different earned third place for Martin Ross from Golspie with his carefully constructed and well lit still life. One Minute to Midnight, he explained, was a reference to the Doomsday Clock symbolised with the dried up vegetation.
Sheila McKenzie from Bonar Bridge came fourth with her carefully illuminated and composed candle clock by a window, titled Alarm at Window.
As ever in the monochrome section a key test was whether the image worked better in monochrome than it would have in the original colour. Colour can detract from graphic qualities and monochrome can impart a sense of age.
On that point Louise MacKay from Brora came first with a subtly sepia tinted image of elderly male and female hands supporting a clock on which was superimposed a wedding picture. The title Seven Decades said it all and was a perfect demonstration of the power of photography. In fact Mark gave it the maximum of 20 points, commenting that it was an outstanding image. It was also a very personal one for Louise.
Martin Ross came second with Have You The Time?.
No, it was not his twin brother but a carefully arranged composite. What at first sight appeared to be a superfluous statue showed on closer examination that it was holding a pocket watch – it had the time!
Louise came in third with a clever play on Time and Tide. Capturing the shot had been a rather damp experience for her. Returning to the sepia theme Emma Deeth from Tain had created a nostalgic story around Dad’s Watch.
For more details about the club see www.eastsutherlandcc.org.uk and where the wining competition images can be seen.
Winning images
Colour
1‘Time is Flying’ by Emma Deeth
2 ‘Dandelion Clock’ by Zoe Gray
3 ‘One Minute to Midnight’ by Martin Ross
4 ‘Alarm at Window’ by Sheila McKenzie
Monochrome
1 ‘Seven Decades’ by Louise MacKay
2 ‘Have You the Time?’ by Martin Ross
3‘Time and Tide’ by Louise MacKay
4 ‘Dad’s Watch’ by Emma Deeth
