The Anglo-Scottish Interclub Battle 2009
We had a wet start to this annual competition on the weekend beginning Friday 6th November. Saturday was equally bad though Sunday 8th was much improved. Despite the weather the turnout, both from NCPS and other clubs was excellent, ensuring a full house at Portinscale Village Hall for the competition
Under new ownership, the Derwentwater Hotel continues to give us excellent service and serves as a good base for the weekend. The Conservatory/Lounge is a comfortable place to read a book whilst the more foolhardy are out walking. Richard Scaife again organized the Saturday walk, this time centred on Crummock Water. One such walker explained to me that walking in the rain was good for the soul. I had mixed explanations as to why Jon Allanson was up to his waist in Crummock Water - did he slip, or was he pushed? And was Richard trying to wash him down or hold him under subsequently? I guess now we shall never know the truth.
Several of us did car tours looking for that magic shot in the rain. The wet certainly brought out the autumn colours. But it was not always easy to stop when a stunning view suddenly appeared round a corner. We were entertained by the many old open-topped cars which kept passing us, occupants hidden in macs, hats and goggles; clearly an unfortunate weekend to choose for whatever vintage rally it represented.
The Hall was open from 3.00pm with coffee, tea & biscuits available soon after for the early arrivals. Jack Bamford, the organizer of the competition welcomed Karen Storr, our judge for the evening, promptly at 4.00pm. Karen was a breath of fresh air in her judging. She saw photography as an art in communication. The image spoke to the viewer; and in all the images she sought this inter-relationship - what was it trying to say to her? Having established this connection she occasionally commented on how changes to the image would have improved this communication. Having studied the 80 images at length in advance, she had ordered and marked them. As expected, all the images were of high standard, and she noted that no mark would be less than 20 out of 30. She, herself, used mostly film, and she had used a magnifier to examine, for example, faces in an image. She noted with interest the fact that some faces in an image were grainy, whilst neighbouring faces in the same image showed much less grain! With so many images she could only comment briefly on each one in the time available. Some of the audience seemed to be thrown by the fact that she offered suggestions on how she would have "improved" an image whilst still giving it excellent marks. However it was plain to most of us that she had already marked and ordered the images, and on the day was adding her honest comments on each one, and how it affected her. The prints were laid out on tables around the Hall, in club order, for the audience to examine them in more detail, after the judging, and whilst we were having more refreshments.
Initially, NCPS were doing well, with two opening marks of 24. Sadly this didn't last and the final scoring was:
| Position | Club | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dumfries CC | 243 |
| 2nd | Carluke PS | 242 |
| 3rd | Hartlepool P&DG | 232 |
| 4th equal | North Cheshire PS | 225 |
| West Cumbria PG | ||
| 6th equal | Tyneside Digital IG | 220 |
| Keswick CC | ||
| 8th | South Manchester CC | 218 |
Carluke had the winning print, Railway Porkers 30 marks, with Gymnast from Dumfries second with 29 marks, and Mr Abdullah, also Dumfries, with 28 marks.
Karen repeated the observation that in colour the viewer observed the clothes, whilst in monochrome one saw the Soul. She felt this applied to one of our prints Wartime Gossip. NCPS prints and marks are listed below.
| Title | Author | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicity | Geoff Robinson | 24 |
| Meeting Place | John Garner | 24 |
| Off Road Vehicle | Dorothy Redford | 22 |
| Misty Dawn | Jackie Robinson | 22 |
| Puffin - Isle of Lunga | Alan Saunders | 23 |
| Hellebore | Jonathan Bawden | 21 |
| Reflection | Martin Currie | 22 |
| Singing in the Street | Barry Pearson | 22 |
| Old & New - Hong Kong Harbour | Paula Martin | 23 |
| Wartime Gossip | Geoff Robinson | 22 |
Jack thanked the judge and all helpers at the conclusion. Back at the Hotel, after dinner, our President Roger Dye thanked Jack for his hard work in putting on another excellent competition. The following NCPS members were observed during the weekend: Colin Pickles, Roger Dye, Tony and Dorothy Redford, Joyce and Gordon Robson, Barry Pearson, John Garner and Katie, Frank and Margery Hutchinson, Richard Scaife & Penny, Alan Bromage and Jackie, Karen Leefe & Simon, Jonathan Bawden and Rachel, Jon Allanson, Bill Chadband and Milly, Graham Johnston, Pam Davies, Jackie Robinson, Martin Currie and Jennifer, David & Lynda Hockin.
Barry Pearson adds a comment about binoculars
Past experience told me that I would be unlikely to get close enough to the prints during judging to see clearly what the judge was talking about. This proved to be the case - I was about two-thirds towards the back.
I took my binoculars along. (Bog-standard Bushnell 8 x 42s, years old and not the latest model, that I carry around for bird watching). They proved excellent for the purpose! I viewed every print while it was being judged, and could see lots of detail - nearly everything mentioned by the judge. Being 8x, the image size was probably about equivalent to sitting in the first (or possibly second) row. The field of view was good, showing the whole image with a margin around. Although not night glasses, (just over 5 millimetre exit pupil), they showed the well-lit prints well.
I'll certainly repeat this next time. I'll consider trying it at our next print competition to see if it works well from my position towards the back. (Assuming I have time while keeping score!)