October 2022 – Home Or Adopted Town Or Place

Judge: Carol Sheridan

Thank you for the opportunity to judge your photographs. When I first opened up the folders containing the images sent to me by Gwynn I was struck by the quality, the different ways people had approached the subject, and the fact that I was looking at a shared scene. Shared in that in every photo there can be said to be at least two people, the photographer and the viewer. Where you live or where you call home can define your life and what I feel is important about this subject, is that the photographer is able to share that feeling of home with the viewer. My evaluation on this occasion is as much about how the photographer shares the feeling of “home” as it is about the technical aspects of the image. As always a judgment is subjective so if you agree or disagree with my observations or comments that’s fine, this is after all just one person’s viewpoint and another judge may see the entries in a different light.

Beginners

I was impressed by the creativity and potential of some of these shots. One thing that surprised me was the fact that some entries have been cropped and manipulated which leads me to wonder if a small number of photographers in this section ought to be in the intermediate section.

Intermediate

Overall I was surprised by the small number of entries in this category. I was also taken aback by the lack of feeling in many of these images. The subject of “home” was a great opportunity to convey belonging or to share with the viewer what makes your home or adopted place special and many of these images just missed out on achieving that.

Experienced

In the experienced section it can often be difficult to separate out the top runners, so after taking into account technical aspects of the front runners I have taken the more subjective view and considered how each image delivered the message of home.