Annual Monochrome Competition

For commentary on the whole competition please visit our Highlight page the winning images are shown below.

Annual Projected Image

1st Waiting By Penny Clarke

‘Waiting’ by Penny Clarke @penc2021 was awarded 1st place in the Annual Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024 and was presented with the Constance Mundy Trophy for best monochrome projected image.
Waiting was taken on a recent trip to Paris. I was just wondering around and saw this lady and liked how the light showed off her hair a put her in silhouette. I just had to take her image. I also liked the simplicity of the shot.

2nd Ynys-y-Pandy Slate Mill By Frank Collins

‘Ynys-y-Pandy Slate Mill’ by Frank Collins @frank.collins23 was awarded 2nd place in the Annual Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024.
Ynys-y-Pandy Slate Mill is in a little visited corner of south west Snowdonia. I wanted to capture a sense of bleakness from the dereliction of a former slate mill - quite a challenge on a warm spring evening when the clouds were not entirely playing ball either and the setting sun was bright to the right of the shot. Scrambling down the discarded slate so far as it was safe to go, has the lower viewpoint enhancing the sense of bleakness and dereliction with a skeletal tree conveniently providing balance to the right hand side. The sky took a lot of processing to draw out sufficient texture to give interest, after conversion to monochrome.

3rd Wistful Thinking By Craig Purvis

‘Wistful Thinking’ by Craig Purvis @purvis_pictures was awarded 3rd place in the Annual Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024.
"My grandson was stood on the sofa gazing absently minded out of the window, when I saw an opportunity for a nice naturally lit portrait against a dark background. I grabbed my camera (kept reasonably close at hand, with a very fast 56mm lens fitted), and took a burst of shots. I imagined him wondering about what his future holds".

HC Taking a moment By Gerald Clarke

‘Taking a Moment’ by Gerald Clarke @geraldclarkephotography was Highly Commended by the judge in the Annual Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024.
Taking a moment’ was taken in Ambleside last November, at Stockghyll Force, in the middle of town. I am fascinated by the look of moving water when photographed at different speeds. The force was strong and relentless, and l noticed this stone resting between two larger rocks, out of the current, not being buffeted by the water. The thought that passed through my mind was that this could be a metaphor for life. Exp. 1sec, f14, iso100, 85 mm.

HC F18 By Richard Blackbourne

‘F18’ by Richard Blackbourne @s.blackbourne was Highly Commended by the judge in the Annual Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024.
The F18 was from a very gloomy R.I.A.T. and while looking for a mono image I thought this worked very well with the condensation trails.

Hc Going Over The Top By David Weeks

‘Going Over the Top’ by David Weeks was Highly Commended by the judge in the Annual Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024.
I took the image whilst on holiday in Norway. The bridge is called Storseisundet Bridge and is located in the Midwest of Norway. It is known locally as the Drunk Bridge, it is a cantilever bridge measuring 850ft long and was opened on the 7th July 1989. Originally a toll bridge until June 1999. This bridge is the longest of 8 bridges which make up the Atlantic road. The image taken was hand-held after travelling over the bridge. It’s also known for its appearance in the latest James Bond movie.

HC Pondering By Richard Blackthorne

‘Pondering’ by Richard Blackbourne @s.blackbourne was Highly Commended by the judge in the Annual Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024.
Pondering is from a Timeline event from Didcot station after battling for tripod position I decided to put a bigger lens on and get some closer portraits.

HC Shard in Reflection By Dave Johnson

HC Panning A Zebra By David Wilkinson

‘Panning A Zebra’ by David Wilkinson @David.wilkinson.75685962 was Highly Commended by the judge in the Annual Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024.
Panning a zebra, Botswana summer23. I wanted to create a different style image as the zebra's looked very plain as they were running through an open area in front of us. By turning into Monochrome I reduced the distractions in the background and panning with a slow shutter speed but maintaining focus on the head it created a pleasing alternative image.

HC Early Morning Red Deer Encounter By Simon Knight

HC Call of the Wild By Simon Knight

HC Let The Music Flow By Penny Clarke

‘Let the Music Flow’ by Penny Clarke @penc21 was Highly Commended by the judge in the Annual Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024.
Let the Music Flow was taken in Paris of performers on one of the bridges. They were enjoying themselves so much and I wanted to show the feeling they had when playing and I think this came across. The weather was not great but they were still out having fun.

Hc Man Group Corners By Dave Johnson

HC Great Egret By Richard Blackthorne

‘Great Egret’ by Richard Blackbourne @s.blackbourne was Highly Commended by the judge in the Annual Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024.
Great Egret was taken on a gloomy day which converted to mono very nicely with the added attraction being in the grass and not in the water.

HC Poppies By Bridget Codrington

'Poppies' by Bridget Codrington @bcwilts was Highly Commended by the judge in the Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024.
I took this image during a visit to a garden local to Marlborough last summer. I'm usually trying to find an unusual angle to a familiar flower such as a poppy and the backs of the petals and hairy stems make an interesting study. The flowers were a vivid orange colour which I didn't find at all pleasing so I converted them to black and white and rather liked the result. Some of the distant flowers became bokeh in the background.

HC Chilling By David Wilkinson

Chilling’, by David Wilkinson @david.wilkinson.75685962 was Highly Commended by the judge in the Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024.
Photographed in a field next to my house last month, with a misty background and frost on the ground and a very chilled cocker spaniel called Stacey, I had all the ingredients to make this picture.

HC On Shed By Frank Collins

‘On Shed’ by Frank Collins @frank.collins23 was Highly Commended by the judge in the Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024.
On Shed was taken in Darjeeling in January 2023, at the upper terminus of the Darjeeling Himalaya Railway, 8000 feet up into the foothills of the Himalayas. The loco shed is in the middle of town, next to the Main Street and not fenced off in any way. All the steam locos on this line are over 100 years old, but some are still in daily use. I took this shot on my iPhone; some careful processing drew out the textures before conversion to monochrome and some final processing to portray the atmosphere of this near timeless scene.

HC Rime iced trees and sheep By Robert Harvey

‘Rime Iced Trees and Sheep’ by Robert Harvey was Highly Commended by the judge in the Annual Monochrome Projected Image competition 2024.
naturalworldphotography.net
Clinging to the northern edge of Salisbury Plain, Charlton Beech clumps make evocative subjects in winter. On this bitterly cold day, freezing fog left the trees coated in rime ice. I included a flock of sheep for scale and balance, and converted the image to monochrome.

Annual Print

1st Centenary Square, Birmingham By Bridget Codrington

'Centenary Square, Birmingham' by Bridget Codrington @bcwilts was awarded 1st place in the Monochrome Print Competition. Bridget was presented with the Fox Talbot Trophy for the best monochrome print.
This image was taken on a Sunday stroll around the centre of Birmingham. During the afternoon it began to rain quite heavily but I kept my camera handy. As I walked past this shallow pool opposite the Birmingham Exchange, a couple walked along the other side with a black and white umbrella reflecting perfectly in the water. I knew at this moment that this was a mono shot.

2nd Chrysanthemum by Heidi Massey

‘Chrysanthemum’ by Heidi Massey @pumpkindesignshandmade was awarded 2nd place in the Annual Monochrome Print competition 2024.
I bought this single stem Chrysanthemum especially to photograph for the Mono competition. I initially took the standard poses but felt that I could bring more to the image by going down a creative route. I experimented with some in camera multiple exposures as I was looking to show a softness and how delicate all the petals were. This was working quite well but I wanted more, so added some ICM. The result was this delicate ethereal image which is a 3-exposure image one with ICM.

3rd From Darkness into Light By Bridget Codrington

From Darkness into Light' by Bridget Codrington @bcwilts was awarded 3rd place in the Annual Monochrome Print competition 2024.
As I was walking out of the Parliament Building in Edinburgh with my son, I saw this contrasty image from the dark shadows to the light outside. My son obliged by walking several times from the door under the canopy until I managed to capture him in the right spot! The unlit lights lining the wall help to draw the eye out towards the figure.

HC A Picture of you By John Milburn

‘A Picture of You’ by John Milburn @milburn_wild_photos was Highly Commended by the judge in the Annual Monochrome Print competition 2024.
I was very fortunate on the day that saw this. I was on holiday in Lanzarote looking at some sculptures on the beachfront when I spotted these two taking pictures of one another on a wall and they went and sat right in the middle of the sculpture so I thought there’s a photo so I took it. I have entered this in another club competition in colour but it didn’t do very well but when changed it to monochrome it gave the picture a whole new look.

HC Lion Portrait By David Wilkinson

‘Lion Portrait’ by David Wilkinson @david.wilkinson.75685962 was Highly Commended by the judge in the Annual Monochrome Print competition 2024.
Botswana July 23. This was almost my first encounter to be up close and personal to an Apex predator, I was so close I could have leant out of the vehicle and touched this Lion. Had I done so, it would have been the last thing I did and wouldn't be sharing the image with you today! I filled the frame with his head and haven't cropped the image. - Wonderful experience.

HC Turning Tide at Hartland Quay By Robert Harvey

’Turning Tide at Hartland Quay’ by Robert Harvey was Highly Commended by the judge in the Annual Monochrome Print competition 2024.
naturalworldphotography.net
These rocks look best just after high tide when separated by water but still wet. A neutral density filter gave a long shutter speed to smooth out texture in the water , enabling the viewer to concentrate on the jagged rocks. This intriguing geology comprises sandstone and shales deposited in the Carboniferous period, subsequently folded and contorted by the Variscan Orogeny some 300 million years ago and now eroded by pounding Atlantic waves.

DPC CompMonochrome Competition
Held on 23rd January 2024
Judged by: Ginny Campbell
Results for the Projected image Section
1st	Waiting	by	Penny Clarke	Adv
2nd	Ynys-y-Pandy slate mill	by	Frank Collins	Adv
3rd	Wistful Thinking	by	Craig Purvis	Int
Highly Commended
	Taking a moment	by	Gerald Clarke	Beg
	F18	by	Richard Blackthorne	Adv
	Going over The Top	by	David Weeks	Int
	Pondering	by	Richard Blackthorne	Adv
	Shard in Reflection	by	Dave Johnson	Adv
	Panning a Zebra	by	David Wilkinson	Adv
	Early Morning Red Deer Encounter	by	Simon Knight	Int
	Call of the Wild	by	Simon Knight	Int
	Let the music flow	by	Penny Clarke	Adv
	Man Group Corners	by	Dave Johnson	Adv
	Great Egret	by	Richard Blackthorne	Adv
	Poppies	by	Bridget Codrington	Int
	Chilling	by	David Wilkinson	Adv
	On Shed	by	Frank Collins	Adv
	Rime iced trees and sheep	by	Robert Harvey	Adv
Results for the Print Section
1st	Centenary Square, Birmingham	by	Bridget Codrington	Int
2nd	Chrysanthemum	by	Heidi Massey	Beg
3rd	From Darkness into Light	by	Bridget Codrington	Int
Highly Commended
	A Picture of you	by	John Milburn	Int
	Lion Portrait	by	David Wilkinson	Adv
	Turning Tide at Hartland Quay	by	Robert Harvey	Adv