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Astrophotography – Competition 7th May 2026

This competition requires images depicting stars, the moon or the heavens as the main subject.

The Judge for this competion was Susanne Opitz.

The following are Suzanne’s comments and feedback on the top scoring images.

Projected Colour – Set Subject

Meredith Retallack scored highly with two of her photos. Of ‘Salute to the Cosmos’, Suzanne loved the portrait aspect. The Milky Way is very clear and the windmill helps to balance it.

Salute to the Cosmos - Meredith Retallack
Salute to the Cosmos – Meredith Retallack

The Judge loved the foreground of the below image as well as the composition. The night sky contrasts well with the desert colours.

The Heavens Revealed - Meredith Retallack
The Heavens Revealed – Meredith Retallack

Helen Whitford’s ‘With a Touch of Green’ has a beautiful aurora and a good composition as the trees frame the aurora.

With a Touch of Green - Helen Whitford
With a Touch of Green – Helen Whitford

‘Icelandic Lights’ by Duart McLean is a good composition showing the reflection of the Northern Lights.

Icelandic Lights - Duart McLean
Icelandic Lights – Duart McLean

‘Nature’s Display’ by Heather Connolly is a beautiful photo of the Northern Lights.

Nature's Display - Heather Connolly
Nature’s Display – Heather Connolly

The below image by Cathy Freestone is also a lovely photo with good composition and a nice reflection in the water.

Southern Aurora Under the Magellanic Cloud - Cathy Freestone
Southern Aurora Under the Magellanic Cloud – Cathy Freestone

Projected Monochrome – Set Subject

Once again Meredith Retallack scored well in this section. ‘Heaven and Earth’ is a very pleasant image and is well composed. The tree works well, is not over exposed and has good detail.

Heaven and Earth - Meredith Retallack
Heaven and Earth – Meredith Retallack

Also scoring highly, ‘ Barossa Night’ by Michael Selge was appreciated by the Judge. Suzanne liked the composition with the building on an angle, it is a very different view.

Barossa Night - Michael Selge
Barossa Night – Michael Selge

Projected Colour – Open Category

Top scores were given to Paul Rix for ‘Mungo Sunset’ and ‘Tyre Smoker’, Sam Savage for ‘Confined Flight’ and ‘Sunset Walk’ by Michael Selge.

Mungo Sunset - Paul Rix
Mungo Sunset – Paul Rix

The Judge said ‘Mungo Sunset’ was a particularly beautifuly photo. The clouds are in an ideal position and the colours are beautiful.

Tyre Smoker - Paul Rix
Tyre Smoker – Paul Rix

‘Tyre Smoker’ has a feeling of speed with a blurred background and tyre smoke.

Confined Flight - Samuel Savage
Confined Flight – Samuel Savage

This is an amazing shot, with the bird in flight. It is a lovely composition and is completely in focus.

Sunset Walk - Michael Selge
Sunset Walk – Michael Selge

‘Sunset Walk is a beautiful shot.

The following also scored highly in this section.

Galah Attitude - Michael Selge
Galah Attitude – Michael Selge

Suzanne loved the colours in this image and the expression of the Galah.

On the Move - Paul Hughes
On the Move – Paul Hughes

‘On the Move’ has a bland background which emphasises the colours of the lizard.

After the Fire - Angela Cogman
After the Fire – Angela Cogman

Angela Cogman’s ‘After the Fire’ has beautiful lighting, it brings out the textures and colours.

Parrot - Keri Rain
Parrot – Keri Rain

‘Parrot’ is beautifully in focus with lovely light on the wings.

Morning Flight - Samuel Savage
Morning Flight – Samuel Savage

‘Morning Flight’ is a lovely composition with good light on the bird.

Got Your Attention - Helen Whitford
Got Your Attention – Helen Whitford

The birds grab attention and are highlighted by the plain background.

Projected Monochrome – Open Category

What's In It For Me - Meredith Retallack
What’s In It For Me – Meredith Retallack

Meredith Retallack’s ‘What’s in in for Me’ has quite stark lighting on the side of the subject’s face, but on this type of portrait it helps to bring out the subject’s character.

Wind Directions - Kerry Malec
Wind Directions – Kerry Malec

Suzanne loved the simplicity and shapes of ‘Wind Directions’. The diagonal lines of weeds and the texture of the sand add interest.

Magpie Lark - Heather Connelly
Magpie Lark – Heather Connelly

The Magpie lark looks as though it has posed for the photographer with his puffed out chest. The light coming through the feathers is lovely.

Helmet - Michael Selge
Helmet – Michael Selge

Michael Selge’s ‘Helmet’ is a perfect shot and he has controlled the lighting well. The viewer can feel the musician’s beat.

Visiting Arles - Meredith Retallack
Visiting Arles – Meredith Retallack

‘Visiting Arles’ is a lovely shot of Arles. The wharf bending around towards the bridge and the dramatic clouds in the background are well composed.

Print Colour – Set Subject

Aurora Arc - Helen Whitford
Aurora Arc – Helen Whitford

‘Aurora Arc’ is a really good, clear, nicely coloured photo.

Just Across the Road - Paul Hughes
Just Across the Road – Paul Hughes

Suzanne loved the earthy tones of the Milky Way in ‘Just Across the Road’.

Print Colour – Open Category

Bouncing Pardalote - Paul Hughes
Bouncing Pardalote – Paul Hughes

A well taken photo of the Pardalote with a lot of clarity throughout the bird. The feathers are clear all the way through from front to back.

Please Love Me - Helen Whitford
Please Love Me – Helen Whitford

‘Please Love Me’ is very sharp in beak, eye and feathers.

Strumming - Michael Selge
Strumming – Michael Selge

‘Strummin’ is a lovely coloured photo with good light.

Print Mono – Open Category

Morning Darlin' - Paul Hughes
Morning Darlin’ – Paul Hughes

The close crop on ‘Morning Darlin’ ensures that the viewers eyes are on the tigers. It is a good, very clear composition.

Just Tex - Michael Selge
Just Tex – Michael Selge

Michael has done well to to avoid getting a lot of light in the glasses of ‘Just Tex’. The centering of the subject in this case is good and the plain background brings him out.

Birds and Animals – Competition 9th April 2026

Birds and animals will be the main feature for this competition. This subject is not reliant on the ‘Nature’ definition, so ‘the hand of man’ can be present.

The following are the comments from Judge Geraldine Hough.

In the Print Colour section Judy Sara’s ‘What did I Tell You?’ tells a lovely story, the left hand animal has his eyes closed and is not listening to the other. Geraldine said it is a beautiful image, well taken with good catchlights in the eyes.

Judy Sara - What Did I Tell You!
Judy Sara – What Did I Tell You!

In the Print Colour Open section, two images scored equally.

Michael Selge’s ‘Bruges” is a lovely photo showing very distinctive architect. Michael has captured beautiful reflections.

Michael Selge - Bruges
Michael Selge – Bruges

‘Wentworth Punt’ from Duart McLean has demonstrated a particular effect, almost like a water colour. It was well seen, with soft colours.

Duart McLean - Wentworth Punt
Duart McLean – Wentworth Punt

In the Print Monochrome Set category, ‘Just Fledged’ by Helen Whitford is a stunning image. The detail is in the mouth. The image is sharp from front to back, with beautifully clear wing feathers. The photo was taken from a great angle.

Helen Whitford - Just Fledged
Helen Whitford – Just Fledged

Also from Helen, ‘Where’s Mum’ is a lovely shot. It is clear that the bird is upset and is waiting for food. There is nice clear detail in both face and open mouth, you can even see inside his mouth. There is good detail in the eye with good catchlights.

Helen Whitford - Where's Mum
Helen Whitford – Where’s Mum

The next category, Print Monochrome Open, had one top scorer. Michael Selge submitted ‘Columns and Lights’. The Judge could not see anything that could improve this image.

Michael Selge - Columns and Lights
Michael Selge – Columns and Lights

There were five top scorers in the Projected Colour Set category.

‘Hands off my Dinner’ by Susan Bell is a beautifully taken photo, with a lovely head and eye detail. The inclusion of the fish is nice.

Susan Bell - Hands Off My Dinner
Susan Bell – Hands Off My Dinner

‘I Remember’ by Michael Selge has captured a lovely expression in the Orangutan’s eyes. The detail aroud all the edges of the fur is very clear in spite of the blurred background. The animal has a half smile. It is a really nice portrait shot.

Michael Selge - I Remember
Michael Selge – I Remember

Paul Rix captured ‘Four Tawnies’. It is a very nicely taken shot. The angles of all the heads is very good with the closest bird looking up and each bird then having a slightly different angled head and all the tails in a row adds great interest to the photo.

Paul Rix - Four Tawnies
Paul Rix – Four Tawnies

‘Searching’ captured by Michael Selge is a lovely minimalist photo. The detail under the bird is very clear as well as the eye. It is a difficult shot.

Michael Selge - Searching
Michael Selge – Searching

Kerry Malec has presented ‘Pied Butcherbird’ as a triptych. It has a nice aspect with the birds all looking different ways.

Kerry Malec - Pied Butcherbird
Kerry Malec – Pied Butcherbird

Moving on to Projected Colour Open section, ‘Remarkable Rocks’ by Susan Bell was the only top scorer. Geraldine said that the light did Susan a great favour, giving dramatic shadows. The sky is also pretty and adds to the photo.

Susan Bell - Remarkable Rocks
Susan Bell – Remarkable Rocks

‘Sylvaine’ and ‘Grace’ were both the top scorers in the Projected Monochrome Open section, both by Michael Selge. Of Sylvaine, Geraldine said it was a well taken concert shot. The light on the face is beautiful as well as the detail on the guitar area. The face and expression is lovely. The Mic is needed in the shot as it is part of the story.

Michael Selge - Sylvaine
Michael Selge – Sylvaine

Grace has a nice expression. The Great detail in the clothes is interesting. The eyes are soulful and the photo has more impact in monochrome than it would have had in colour.

Michael Selge - Grace
Michael Selge – Grace

The final category, Projected Monochrome Set Subject had two good scorers.

Judy Sara - Leopard
Judy Sara – Leopard

‘Leopard’ by Judy Sara is a lovely shot, and so lucky for Judy to see it in it’s own environment. The leopard has lovely eyes and detail on the body.

Kerry Malec - Tasmanian Devil
Kerry Malec – Tasmanian Devil

This is a nice little Devil. Tasmanian Devils don’t have a very interesting colour, so it works well in monochrome. Background is a bit bright, but as the Devil is black he still has good definition. The Devil has beautiful expression on it’s face and good catchlights in the eyes.

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.

Paul Rix - Stairs
Paul Rix – Stairs

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.

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

Duart Mclean - 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

Duart Mclean - River Reflections

Merit – Di Gage – Nankeen Night Heron

Image not supplied

Merit – Judy Sara – Looking Back

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.

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.

Judy Sara - Running Along the Beach
Judy Sara – Running Along the Beach

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.

Duart Mclean - River Reflections
Duart Mclean – River Reflections

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.

Judy Sara -Trees in a Storm
Judy Sara -Trees in a Storm