Members of the Dawlish & Teignmouth Camera Club warmly welcomed back Richard Curzon, from Kingsbridge Camera Club, to judge their 4th Open Competition.
Richard had previously judged a competition back in December 2020 and had earned himself the accolade of ‘the best judge we’ve ever had’ – so expectations were high. And Richard did not disappoint.
Casting his expert eye over 53 colour and monochrome images from beautiful landscapes and stunning astrophotography to colourful abstracts - there were even a few ‘pictures within pictures’, which Richard commented were ‘photographer’s photos’, denoting the way the artist sees an opportunity for an unusual image.
However, the images that were awarded Gold both belonged to Tony Wilson. Tony is renowned for his quirky street photography, so his monochrome image, The Last Word, was instantly recognisable as his. He explained “The Last Word Cafe is in the area around Euston and Kings Cross Stations. I was intrigued by the name. I was thinking that it might make a picture as the people in the café could well have been having a last word before embarking on a journey somewhere. Then, the young lady came along, sat down and proceeded to use her mobile. Maybe she was having a last word too.”
However, it was with some surprise to discover his new foray into wildlife photography with his detailed colour portrait of an iguana. It turns out he had actually been at the Butterfly Farm in Buckfast trying to photograph the butterflies when he came across the Iguana hiding on a wall amongst the undergrowth. Tony explained “It was very difficult to get the picture as the undergrowth was pretty dense, but I was rewarded for my patience as it eventually moved just sufficiently for me to get the shot. On enquiry, I was informed that the Iguana is a pet and his name is Izzy!”
The winners:
Gold - Tony Wilson x 2
Silver – Bob Kent, Bob Kethro
Bronze – Tony Wilson, Naomi Stolow, Graham Eteson
Highly Commended – Kim Goodman, Kevin McDonagh, Debbie Ironside-Smith, Edward Chorlton, Ken Holland, Alex Rosen
The Club meets on Wednesday evenings at Holcombe Village Hall and/or on Zoom and offers a packed programme of guest speakers, competitions and in-house evenings. All the information you need about joining is on our thinking of joining the Dawlish & Teignmouth Camera Club page.