Atherton & District Amateur Photographic Society

Thanks Janice – nice to see everyone's different interpretations of “communication” – a great subject for the competition.

I’m currently suffering from a bad chest (aawww) of the bronchitis/asthma-type, and Gwen is really looking after me (bless her) and caring for me (but not yet wearing the nurse’s uniform that I asked her about…).

So I’m choosing “caring” for the next topic. It can be caring for people, plants, animals, the environment, inanimate objects, etc – whatever floats your boat – let’s see your interpretation of “caring”.

The closing date is Sunday 12 November at the new time of 11pm.

My Great Aunt lived with us for a few years, until it became necessary for her to move into a home. We continued to care, and here Sue is cutting her nails as the "career carers" didn't seem to be able to cope with such details.

A Grandmas Love

The way I look at the Forum competition, is that in the first place, it’s quite fun to enter, but in the second place, it can really make you think about your images and the message they put across to the viewer. This is the reason that I chose the more intangible subject of “Caring” to see the variety of interpretations that it evokes.

SIMON
This is such a simple photograph, but when you understand the story behind this image, you will realise the extremely powerful emotional impact it creates. This actually brought a lump in my throat when I first saw it some time ago. A very strong interpretation of a father’s caring and love for his son, brilliantly interpreted and a very courageous submission.

JOHN RILEY
Having visited my elderly mother in two nursing homes, I can identify with the care demonstrated in this image. Even small tasks that we might take for granted, such as cutting nails, and massaging tired feet, are really meaningful and appreciated by those in care, since as you say John, the “career carers” never seem to find time (or sometimes the inclination) to carry out such minor tasks. You can see from the expression on Great Aunt’s face that she really appreciates what Sue is doing for her. Great interpretation of the subject.

JOHN CHAPPELL
A pleasing image of a young lass caring for her two horses. The main subject is in focus and the background blurred just nicely. However, this image would really benefit from being taken so that we can see the faces of the lass and her horses, rather than their backs, and the bush on the lower right adds to this issue. A nice interpretation of caring, but not as strong as others.

JANICE FREEMAN
I love the tone of this image – I guess it was taken “in the golden hour”? And again, although the people are not facing the camera, we do see them in profile, so it is difficult to interpret their facial expressions. Nevertheless they are clearly communicating with each other, visually and audibly. A lovely image, and I think it could be improved further by lifting the shadows on the bench and the people.

CHERYL
A strong visual impact here - I particularly like that the camera is zoomed in onto the hands, strengthening the impact of the praying. A shallow depth of field has been achieved, but the image is sharp where it matters. There is a slight distraction from the two-tone background, which might have been avoided by just moving to the left or right a bit before operating the shutter. An excellent attempt.

So here’s my judgement:

3rd place: Cheryl
2nd place: John Riley
1st place: Simon Openshaw

As a general comment, not all photographs submitted had titles with them - and we’ve just had a presentation on how important titles are!

A very thoughtful competition and some very thought provoking entries. More would have been nice, it might be a difficult subject but it's worth doing.

A special mention to newcomer Cheryl - well done sorting out your first competiton entry and a very good one it is too!

Good thought provoking subject and interesting to see the interpretations. Simons image was always going to win - because it is an excellent shot, fits the criteria superbly and even without knowing the background is very emotional. Shame there were few entries but all of them good! Welcome Cheryl hope to see many more entries from you.

Thank you Mel, Janice and John for your kind words, means a lot. It was a catogary out of my comfort zone as I like to shoot landscapes/ Nature photography, i think it’s good to challenge ourselves though and I’m always happiest when I have a camera in my hand