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Fences, Gates and Walls – Competition 12th February 2026

Any form of fences and/or gates and walls needs to be the main point of interest.

The following are the images that achieved the highest scores in the competition along with the Judge’s comments.

In the Projected Set Colour category top scorers were Kerry Malec with ‘Shadows’ and Jenny Pedlar with ‘Cats on a Wall’.

Kerry Malec - Shadows — Kerry Malec – Shadows

A good composition with lovely lighting. An inventive photo showing the shadows on the wall very well.

Jenny Pedlar - Cats on Wall — Jenny Pedlar – Cats on Wall

Well seen by Jenny, Without the cats, it wouldn’t be such an interesting image. The cats give balance to the brickwork and the pipe provides a frame.

The following images were also high scorers in the Projected Colour Set subject.

Michael Selge - Always watching — Michael Selge – Always watching

This is a different point of view, an interesting wall with the the red coloured lines, and the camera. It is a creative shot.

Jenny Pedlar - Covid Wall London — Jenny Pedlar – Covid Wall London

A good photo journalist shot. Has great meaning and tells a story.

Kerry Malec - Sea Wall — Kerry Malec – Sea Wall

The spot of red from the bucket adds interest and it has been taken from an unusual angle. Good creativitiy.

Paul Hughes - Well Spotted — Paul Hughes – Well Spotted

An attractive picture, lots of detail in focus but nothing distracting.

Could have cropped the top so that it becomes almost an abstract. Lovely detail on the wall and in the shadow on the steps.

Michael Selge - The Wall — Michael Selge – The Wall

A good view of the Great Wall. Even though the lighting is poor it doesn’t detract from the photo. The leading line going down draws the eye and the vegetation is not a distraction from that. An increase in contrast and a slight darkening in the right top corner may have improved it even further.

In the Projected Colour Open section, the top scorers were Michael Selge with ‘Superman’ and Meredith Retallack with ‘Try Not to Drop This One’.

Michael Selge - Superman — Michael Selge – Superman

A beautifully captured shot. The lighting is good and even with the helmet you can still see the rider’s eyes. There is good detail in the bike and a fast shutter speed has obviously been used.

Meredith Retallack - Try Not To Drop This One — Meredith Retallack – Try Not To Drop This One

A classic pose for seagulls, nice composition and with no distractions.

The following images were other high scorers in this category.

Sheila Gatehouse - Alone at Blue Hour — Sheila Gatehouse – Alone at Blue Hour

A good image, its simplicity is its attraction. There is a lovely pastel shade in the background.

Meredith Retallack - Busselton — Meredith Retallack – Busselton

A slow shutter speed used to get the clouds blurry and flatten out the water. The way the sheds have been used on the left is nice, almost creating negative space. It gives a sense of a wide vista,

Sam Savage - Looking for Breakfast — Sam Savage – Looking for Breakfast

Nicely caught in flight, unfortunate that the light is coming from behind, but compositionally brilliant as there are no distractions.

Di Gage - Morning on Halong Bay — Di Gage – Morning on Halong Bay

A nice shot of the bay, the boat adds to the image, rather than being a distraction.

The top scorer in the Projected Mono Set subject was Kerry Malec with ‘ Luxury Villas’.

Kerry Malec - Luxury Villas — Kerry Malec – Luxury Villas

A nice use of the lighting, leading lines in the pathway and the villas. The sign does not distract and it sharp all the way through the image. The light has been used beautifully.

The other high scorer in this category was Meredith Retallack with ‘Do Not Enter’.

Meredith Retallack - Do Not Enter — Meredith Retallack – Do Not Enter

The opening to the doors is sharp and leads through to the background which is also sharp. Good idea and creativity.

In the Projected Mono Open category Michael Selge had two images that were top scorers ‘Lindeman’ and ‘Not Again’.

Michael Selge - Lindemann — Michael Selge – Lindemann

Well handled with good light on the performer’s face. The viewer is drawn to it.

Michael Selge - Not Again — Michael Selge – Not Again

An amusing image. You can put your own interpretation on this!

Other high scorers were Paul Rix with ‘Lake Panong’ and Meredith Retallack with ‘Cast Aways’.

Paul Rix - Lake Pangong — Paul Rix – Lake Pangong

A nice scene. The dark clouds don’t compete with the rest of the scene. A suggestion would be to try it without the bottom half of the lake so the viewer is drawn to the mountains instead, even though there is a lovely reflection on the lake.

Meredith Retallack - Cast Aways — Meredith Retallack – Cast Aways

Nice composition. It is almost minimalistic and fills the frame. The seeds could be a little whiter to match the main plant.

In the Coloured Prints Open category top scores were achieved by Michael Selge with ‘Angus’.

Michael Selge - Angas — Michael Selge – Angas

A well captured image. There is space for Angus to move into. The foreground is sharp and the background is slightly out of focus concentrating the viewer’s eye on the main subject.

A high scorer in this section was Susan Bell with ‘Rising Star’.

Sue Bell - Rising Star — Sue Bell – Rising Star

Hard to take photos in public venues. Handled pretty well with light coming down from upper left. There is catch light in the eye and a nice smiling face. Could tone down the skin tone in the lighter areas but the composition is good and the background is well darkened.

In the Mono Prints Open Category Top scores were achieved by Mark Pedlar with ‘ See N Ya’ and Michael Selge with ‘Suzi’.

Mark Pedlar - See-N-Ya — Mark Pedlar – See-N-Ya

The leading lines of the column and arches draw the eye to the figure disappearing into the distance. The railing could be removed as it could be a distraction. The image is sharp throughout.

Michael Selge - Suzi — Michael Selge – Suzi

A great photo, front on Suzi fills the frame, the drums don’t distract and form part of her environment.

Also scoring high marks was ‘Room for One More’ also by Michael Selge.

Michael Selge - Room for One More — Michael Selge – Room for One More

The bird flying in prevents the image from being static. The darker areas could have more detail. The image is reasonably sharp and well composed.

Posted by susanb1977 | 23/02/2026 | Categories: Blackwood Photography Club News | Tags: concerts, fences, gates, performers, Photography, photography-tips, walls | Leave a comment

Blackwood Photographic Club Annual Exhibition 2025

Our Annual Exhibition was held on Thursday December 4th with a good turn-out of members to celebrate our achievements for the year. Peter Phillips, one of our judges, was a special guest. He presented the awards.

There were three specialist category awards:

The Best Portrait Award was won by Meredith Retallack with Apprehensive

The WEA Landscape Award was won by Duart Mclean with River Reflections

The Best Still Life Award was won by Sarah Bailey with Ranuncula in Profile

Projected Digital Images – Colour Division

First – Hutt St Photos Award – Angela Cogman – Turtle

2nd – Sam Savage – Breakfast at Waitpinga

3rd – Gordon Lindqvist – Illuminated Cactus

Merit – Michael Selge – Airpower

Merit – Michael Selge – Take Off

Merit – Sarah Bailey – Billy Buttons

Merit – Sarah Bailey – Ranuncula in Profile

Merit – Susan Bell – Busselton Jetty

Annual Aggregate – Projected Digital Images – Colour

First – Meredith Retallack

2nd – Michael Selge

3rd – Judy Sara

Projected Digital Images – Monochrome Division

1st (Arthur Farmer Award) – Meredith Retallack – Apprehensive

2nd – Angela Cogman – Leafy Seadragon

3rd – Angela Cogman – Kangaroo Cuddles

3rd – Meredith Retallack –Slicing the Loaf

3rd Michael Selge – After the Storm

Merit – Kerry Malek – Aerial Display

Merit – Michael Selge – Pelican Walk

Merit – Ray Goulter – Traffic on the River

Annual Aggregate – Projected Digital Images – Monochrome

First – Judy Sara

2nd – Michael Selge

3rd – Meredith Retallack

Colour Print Division

First – Judy Sara – Naughty Zebra

2nd – Di Gage – Pale Yellow Robin

Image not supplied

3rd – Duart McLean – River Reflections

Merit – Di Gage – Nankeen Night Heron

Image not supplied

Merit – Judy Sara – Looking Back

Merit – Michael Selge – Callistemon Snack

Annual Aggregate – Prints – Colour

First – Judy Sara

2nd – Michael Selge

3rd – Vicki Kramer

Monochrome Print Division

First – Kerry Malec – Art Deco

2nd – Mark Pedlar- Room with a View

Image not supplied

3rd – Paul Hughes – River Wensum 1

Merit – Di Gage – A Different Perspective

Merit – Michael Selge – Missy

Annual Aggregate – Prints – Monochrome

First – Michael Selge

2nd – Judy Sara

3rd – Mark Pedlar

Ray Goulter was awarded the Bill Templer Service Award; nominated by members for a person who has given great service to the club in 2025.

Posted by Gordon L | 15/01/2026 | Categories: Blackwood Photography Club News | Leave a comment

Silhouette – Competition 9th October 2025

An image using backlighting to present the main subject as a black shape against a much brighter background.

The following are the images that achieved the highest scores in the competition and the Judge’s comments.

In the projected colour set subject the top images were from Kerry Malec and Judy Sara.

Kerry Malec - Teepee — Kerry Malec – Teepee

The Judge loved the simplicity of this image and pointed out that it was well composed technically, with the vertical item intersecting the foreground, the mid ground and the background, tieing the whole image together.

Judy Sara’s ‘Elephants on the Move’ is an example of a perfect silhouette with the elephant and calf in motion.

Judy Sara - Elephants on the Move — Judy Sara – Elephants on the Move

Also by Judy Sara, ‘Running Along the Beach’ has good composition with interest in the foreground, mid ground and sky.

Meredith Retallack’s ‘Sunset Dreaming’ is also a good demonstration of a silhouette of the main subject with a beautiful sky. The lighting in the foreground makes the subject pop.

Meredith Retallack - Sunset Dreaming — Meredith Retallack – Sunset Dreaming

‘Sunset Dreaming’ by Vicki Kramer has captured the clouds as part of the silhouette and they pop against the bright sky. Plus it is a nice beach scene.

Vicki Kramer - Sunset Silhouette — Vicki Kramer – Sunset Silhouette

In the Silhouette set subject mono section Meredith Retallack’s ‘Leaving the Mount on Foot’ scored well. The image is defined well, the viewer can see the sunlight shining through the tower. The image has a fantastic sky and foreground interest with the reflection on the water, sand corrugations and the person giving mid ground interest.

Meredith Retallack - Leaving the Mont on Foot — Meredith Retallack – Leaving the Mont on Foot

In the open colour section, the top scorer was Sarah Bailey with “A Stroll in the Garden’. Sarah’s image was creative, and the contrast between the colours is very good.

Sarah Bailey - A Stroll in the Garden — Sarah Bailey – A Stroll in the Garden

In the open mono section Michael Selge’s ‘Victory’ is a great concert shot, the singer has been captured in an interesting pose and the lighting has been photographed well.

Michael Selge - Victory — Michael Selge – Victory

In the colour prints set subject category, Duart McLean scored the highest mark with ‘Palm Morning. This is a beautiful scene, with soft colouring and good gradation in the sky.

Duart Mclean - Palm Morning — Duart Mclean – Palm Morning

In the mono prints set subject category the highest scorer was Judy Sara for ‘Elephant on the run’. The Judge found this to be a fantastic image, the rim lighting shows the texture on the trunk and in the corrogations. The image is dynamic with action and movement.

Judy Sara - Elephant on the Run — Judy Sara – Elephant on the Run

Following the set subject categories are the open categories. In the colour prints Duart McLean’s image impressed the judge the most with ‘River Reflections’. This is a beautiful image, the lighting shows it was taken at the right time of day, it shows the texture on the cliffs and has lovely contrasts. The lines lead the viewer into the background. The ripples add interest to the photo as does the sky.

Lastly in the mono open category Judy Sara’s ‘Trees in the Storm’ is a superb image, with an interesting foreground and wonderful trees. Nice lighting shows the curve of the branches. It has a lovely background with the diagonal lines contrasting with the vertical lines on the ground.

Posted by susanb1977 | 14/10/2025 | Categories: Blackwood Photography Club News | Tags: art, Competitions, nature, Photography, Photography Clubs, silhouettes | Comments Off on Silhouette – Competition 9th October 2025

Bridges – Competition 8th May 2025

An image showing a structure built to span a physical obstacle such as a body of water, valley, road or railway without blocking the path underneath.

The judge for the Bridges competition was David Rowlands and the following are his comments.

The images that took out top honours in the colour print set subject were Gordon Lindqvist with ‘Pont d’Avignon’, Vicki Kramer with ‘Sydney Icon Peeking Through’ and Michael Selge ‘Over the Bridge’.

The Judge said that ‘Pont d’Avignon’ is a nice image with the bridge well positioned. The image has sharp detail and a good reflection.

Gordon Lindqvist - Pont d'Avignon — Gordon Lindqvist – Pont d’Avignon

Vicki Kramer’s ‘Sydney Icon Peeking Through’ showed a different view and angle of the bridge. The inclusion of the structure on the right was a nice touch and the image has good exposure and was technically well handled.

Vicki Kramer – Sydney Icon Peeking Through

‘Over the Bridge’ by Michael Selge had good colour contrast, the people add interest and they give a feeling of movement.

Michael Selge - Over the bridge — Michael Selge – Over the bridge

In the monochrome prints section, three following three images by Mark Pedler were chosen.

‘D’Avignon’ is a lovely photo and it suits a monochrome image, it has good side lighting, showing detail in bricks and building.

Mark Pedlar - D'avignon — Mark Pedlar – D’avignon

‘Tooleybuc’ is framed well using the leaves. The bridge is well poistioned and has good contrast.

Mark Pedlar - Tooleybuc — Mark Pedlar – Tooleybuc

‘Under The’ is a lovely image, the bridge takes up the screen real estate well and is very sharp with fine detail.

Mark Pedlar - Under The — Mark Pedlar – Under The

In the monochrome prints open category, two images by Michael Selge took top honours.

‘Gabriela and Rodrigo’ is a well handled image in spite of the bright stage lights, the artist has good expression and it is well composed and sharp.

Michael Selge - Gabriela and Rodrigo — Michael Selge – Gabriela and Rodrigo

‘Perched’ is a well handled image, the animal has a good expression and there is enough room in the image for the animal to be looking into.

Michael Selge - Perched — Michael Selge – Perched

A number of images took high score in the digital colour set subject section.

‘Saltstraumen Bridge’ by Angela Cogman shows an interesting contrast in architectural styles and was shot at a good time of day.

Angela Cogman - Saltstraumen Bridge — Angela Cogman – Saltstraumen Bridge

‘The Safe Way Across’ by Meredith Retallack has a dramatic sky and has a fairy tale feel about it. It is a lovely bridge and is quite dramatic with the sky and the mountain in the background.

Meredith Retallack - The Safe Way Across — Meredith Retallack – The Safe Way Across

‘Moors Bridge’ by Di Gage has a lot to look at, you could make a book cover from it, the fence, the moss covered rocks and the dangling chain give a feeling of age to the image.

Di Gage - Moors Bridge — Di Gage – Moors Bridge

‘Under the Bridge’ by Judy Sara almost looks like an abstract image. The Judge particularly liked the reflections under the bridge and it has good zig zag patterns.

Judy Sara - Under the Bridge — Judy Sara – Under the Bridge

Again by Meredith Retallack, ‘Golden Glow Avignon’ is a super dramatic image, with a lovely red tinge in the sky and good exposure on the buildings.

‘Birkenhead Bridge’ by Sheila Gatehouse is a sharp image. The water is is like a mirror. The inclusion of the boat is a nice touch, the lights have been handled well.

Sheila Gatehouse - Birkenhead Bridge — Sheila Gatehouse – Birkenhead Bridge

Meredith Retallack’s ‘Sweeping Toward Mont Saint Michel’ doesn’t have any blown highlights, there are sweeping leading lines. There is nothing to distract the viewer and no cropping is needed. There is interest all the way through and it has a lovely sky.

Meredith Retallack - Sweeping Towards Mont Saint Michel — Meredith Retallack – Sweeping Towards Mont Saint Michel

In the projected mono set subject three images scored highly. ‘Arches, Toulouse’ by Meredith Retallack, has a grungy look on the underside of the bridge. It provides really nice framing of the second part of the bridge with the people. The entire composition and the exposure is done well and the detail is maintained throughout.

Meredith Retallack - Arches, Toulouse — Meredith Retallack – Arches, Toulouse

‘Anzac Bridge’ shows a nice cityscape. The exposure is perfect and it provides great framing and contrast of the darker bridge against the light cityscape.

Vicki Kramer - Anzac Bridge — Vicki Kramer – Anzac Bridge

Vicki Kramer’s ‘Anzac Bridge is a lovely shot. This image is a perfect candidate for a monochrome shot and it has fantastic tonal range.

Angela Cogman - Budapest Chain Bridge — Angela Cogman – Budapest Chain Bridge

In the projected colour open category ‘Yellowcard’ by Michael Selge has good timing. The artist in the background is fantastic and there is great expression on both their faces.

Michael Selge - Yellowcard — Michael Selge – Yellowcard

‘One Missed Out’ by Sam Savage was loved by the Judge. It is almost as if Sam had directed the birds. The photo was taken down low and at eye level with the birds. There is enough of the ocean to see it is a shore bird and there are no distractions in the sand. This image should be put in nature exhibitions.

Sam Savage - One Missed Out — Sam Savage – One Missed Out

‘Autumn Luminance’ by Sarah Bailey is a lovely shot taken from different angles and then stacked.

Sarah Bailey - Autumn Luminance — Sarah Bailey – Autumn Luminance

Lastly in the projected monochrom open category there was one high scorer. ‘Buildings’ by Judy Sara is a good architectural shot. The image presents a snippet of a larger building which makes something interesting to look at, with contrast of different directions and vertical and horizontal lines.

Judy Sara - Buildings — Judy Sara – Buildings

Posted by susanb1977 | 14/05/2025 | Categories: Blackwood Photography Club News | Comments Off on Bridges – Competition 8th May 2025

It’s Not What it Seems – Competition 27th March 2025

Abstract art usually refers to the creation of non-representational or non-objective artworks that focus on colours, shapes, lines and textures, rather than visible objects or scenes. Use filters, blends, warp, overlays or light to create images in Photoshop (or similar).

The Judge for this competition was Geoff Smith. Geoff started his photography journey as an apprentice photo technician for SA Government in the early 70s. He went on to become a Senior Photographer. He later became a professional portrait photographer.

Geoff made some suggestions that all photographers could take note of. Several of the images with dark backgrounds had a one pixel wide border that made the image stand out when projected onto a screen as it differentiated the image from the dark background on the screen.

Geoff also said that when presenting a monochrome image the main subjects should have good tonal separation so that they don’t blend together.

The following are the top images from the competition and a brief summary of the Judge’s comments.

Projected Colour Set Subject

Topping the charts was Vicki Kramer with ‘Nub’ and Gial Iskov with ‘Water Colour’

Of ‘Nub’ Geoff said it is a delightful change, the texture could be paint on the wall and it looks as though it has been printed on a lovely grade of art paper. Great subtlety of colour. A good use of the frame.

‘Water Colour’ is a very interesting study. The highlights were interesting, good forms and repetition of elements. It is fluid, the highlights are interesting. It has a very good structure and good design elements with the flow of the design going from bottom left to top right. Nicely composed.

Gail Iskov - Water Colour — Gail Iskov – Water Colour

Also scoring highly was Susan Bell with ‘Out of Place’. The image compositionally invites the viewer to explore the area that is not as busy, and leads the eye to left of centre. Good colour.

Susan Bell - Out of Place — Susan Bell – Out of Place

‘Amazing Technicolors’ by Kerry Malec has colours that jump out, compositionally it works beautifully. The attention is drawn down to the shape and the viewer is invited to explore up by the red colours and to see the blue line at the top.

Gail Iskov’s ‘Autumn Leaves’ shows definition, there is good light, tone and texture. Good use of frame and shape. There is a 3D aspect to the image. It works very nicely.

Gail Iskov - Autumn Leaves — Gail Iskov – Autumn Leaves

Projected Monochrome Set Subject

The top scorer in this section was Judy Sara with ‘Daisy Mandala’.

Judy Sara - Mandala — Judy Sara – Mandala

‘Mandala’ fits well within the square format. It is an interesting subject giving a suggestion of texture.

Projected Colour Open Category

‘Gastro Slug’ by Meredith Retallack is a very impactful shot. The image is very tasteful. The slug is a lovely contrast colour.,

Meredith Retallack - Gastro Slug — Meredith Retallack – Gastro Slug

Gordon Lindqvist’s ‘Gull in Flight’ is a lovely capture, there is nothing distracting in the background. It is all about the light contrast against the blue sky. The red around the eye and on the beak stand out. There is space in front of the bird for it to move into.

Gordon Lindqvist - Gull in Flight — Gordon Lindqvist – Gull in Flight

‘Knock Knock’ by Michael Selge is a delightful study with beautiful red doors and gargoyle knockers. It is a good use of frame.

Michael Selge - Knock Knock — Michael Selge – Knock Knock

Projected Monochrome Open Category

‘Adorned with Dew Drops’ by Meredith Retallack is a nice study with the backlight coming through on the dew drops and a diffused background. The lighting on the coils and springs works well and it has subdued colour and tones behind. The web is highlighted by the dew and it has strong contrast tonally.

Meredith Retallack - Adorned with Dew Drops — Meredith Retallack – Adorned with Dew Drops

Judy Sara’s ‘Sheep’ is interesting, even the sheep look interested. The image has good composition and it is good that the sheep are backlit. The separation of the individual animals is very good and the slow rise to the background frames the sheep well.

Colour Prints – Set Category

The square format of Judy Sara’s ‘Daisy Twirl’ frames the subject well. The strong colours stand out with the attractive brilliant red in the middle. It has nice symmetry.

Judy Sara - Daisy Twirl — Judy Sara – Daisy Twirl

Vicki Kramer’s ‘Abstract Glass’ is an interesting composition, with different moulded shapes and the relevant shadows. The image has movement and has a strong diagonal composition. It shows a good use of the portrait format.

Vicki Kramer - Abstract Glass — Vicki Kramer – Abstract Glass

Lovely forms in Vicki Kramer’s ‘Lake Tahoe Morphed’ and it fits the space well. It keeps you guessing what it is.

Vicki Kramer - Lake Tahoe Morphed — Vicki Kramer – Lake Tahoe Morphed

This is a high impact image by Vicki Kramer. ‘Which Way is Up’ fits into the square format well.

Colour Prints – Open Category

Judy Sara’s ‘Bee Eater Eating’ is a good use of the format, is has a horizontal element with the branch balanced by the line of the bird. Good detail on the bird and well executed and composed.

Judy Sara - Bee Eater Eating — Judy Sara – Bee Eater Eating

Again by Judy Sara, ‘Ostrich Family’ has warm tonings, the ostriches have good detail, good depth with the out of focus background. The three chicks tell a story. It is nicely composed with no distractions and enough space to give balance.

Michael Selge’s ‘Calistemon Snack’ shows the lovely colours of the bird and the flower. The background is controlled and out of the way. There are no distractions. The profile of the bird is good, rather than front on. It is looking at nebulous space.

Michael Selge - Calistemon Snack — Michael Selge – Calistemon Snack

Monochrome Prints – Open Category

Michael Selge’s ‘Horny’ is all about the silhouette and the stark lighting. The movement from the arms and bodies add interest as does the diffused lighting.

Michael Selge - Horny — Michael Selge – Horny

Also by Michael Selge, ‘Dune Rats’ is a delightful live concert image. The singer’s eyes really stand out. There is strong lighting behind him, making this a difficult capture. The strength of the image is in the singers’ expression. The image has good tone and good composition.

‘Baby Elephant Drinking’ by Judy Sara has good tonal separation. The little elephant shows good separation from the adult. The image has good texture. Even though we canno see the absolute scale of the larger beast, we can see the little one which gives the scale of the larger animal. There is enough detail on the highlights and it has a lovely tonal range and tells a story.