Sharp Focus May 2024

MESSAGE FROM YOUR CHAIRMAN

May 2024

Hi all

From the amount of emails flying around following our workshop on studio Portrait photography on Monday, 6^th May, I think it was a great success. John Alexander, who led the workshop, went to a great deal of trouble to bring a lot of his studio equipment. He arrived early and took a great deal of time setting it up, and making sure that all worked by the time people started to arrive. As expected of a teacher and headmaster of a school his t

Geoff

 

FROM YOUR EDITOR’S DESK

Winter is upon us

• able to shed layers when you’re expiring with heat.
• Do not forget your beanie, and make sure it fits for the trip’s duration and doesn’t slide up above your ears.
• Enjoy yourselves, love what you’re doing, and grab that hot chocolate when you’re dying for something warm and sweet to keep you going!!

Maureen

 

JUDGE’S CORNER

Last month I quoted artist Barbara DeGenevieve describing how she initially “naively” felt she could know something about a stranger by seeing them in a photograph, even when there was no accompanying text. She was initially disappointed to realise that all she ever could learn was about herself, which she put down to “the  narcissism of the viewer”.

vent of digital photography and, more recently, AI-generated images. But I would argue that even when the photo represents exactly what was in front of the camera, it is still a constructed truth at best. In the case of the above photograph the untruth is a) by omission (removing the companion, as described above), and b) the implication that what is being understood when viewing the photograph is real and true (aided by the use of mono which, as a photographic trope, implies “realness” and “truthfulness”. The lack of aestheticisation is also a device that implies truthfulness.)

OK, enough about me – I am going to draw to a close here, leaving you with one last photo (not by myself) to look at and see what kind of meaning you can glean from it. Next time we will look at the construction of the photograph, as well as what agency, if any, the subject had in this presentation of himself.

 

 

Winners of Digital Image of the Month (May 2024)
Please click on images to see titles and photographer names.

Evaluation of Digital Photography
Digital Entries
Title	Category	Author	Star	Score	Award	Points
Abandoned	Open	Lynn Toms	3	9	Silver	2
Auch, such a Thorn	Wildlife	Johan Kloppers	MB	13	COM	4
AWOL	Open	Kate Graham	1	9	Gold	3
Bike on the Dyke	Open	Patrick Cardwell	2	9	Gold	3
Bokkies in Camouflage	Pictorial	Maureen Miller	3	10	Gold	3
Burned Fields	Landscape	Derek Goldman	4	9	Silver	2
Camouflage	Portrait	Peter Brandt	MB	11	Silver	2
Country Lane	Landscape	Ceridwyn Jamieson	4	11	Gold	3
Dreamy Dawn	Scapes	Peter Franklin	3	12	Gold	3
Evening Glow	Open	Lynn Toms	3	9	Silver	2
Eyes Wide Open	Sport	Keith Lyle	4	12	Gold	3
Fisher Haven	Seascape	Didi Franklin	3	12	Gold	3
Herdeiro	Open	Kate Graham	1	11	COM	4
Is it a Bird	Sport	Keith Lyle	4	11	Gold	3
Jackal Fighting	Wildlife	Johan Kloppers	MB	12	Gold	3
Little Egret Reflection	Black and White	Geora Zadok	1	13	COM	4
Moth in Flight	Macro	Ceridwyn Jamieson	4	8	Bronze	1
Muddy Snacktime	Nature	Peter Brandt	MB	11	Silver	2
Off for More.	Wildlife	Didi Franklin	3	11	Gold	3
Our Pictures	Portrait	Mike Wesson	3	10	Gold	3
Red Berets in the Gloom	Wildlife	Marielouise Cardwell	2	10	Gold	3
Roped and Ready	Open	Derek Goldman	4	11	Gold	3
S Bend	Open	Magaret Silk	1	9	Gold	3
St George’s Street	Scape	Mike Wesson	3	7	Bronze	1
Stalker	Wildlife	Lorne Sulcas	4	10	Silver	2
Superb Sugarbird	Wildlife	Patrick Cardwell	2	12	COM	4
Taking a Break	Wildlife	Sharon Crowther	1	7	Silver	2
The Day is Done	Open	Magaret Silk	1	12	COM	4
This Rock is Hot	Wildlife	Marielouise Cardwell	2	11	Gold	3
Threatened	Wildlife	Lorne Sulcas	4	12	Gold	3
Through the Doors	Open	Peter Franklin	3	10	Gold	3
Up Yours	Nature	Geora Zadok	1	11	COM	4

 

Winners of Theme Image of the Month – (May 2024)
There was only one Theme winner this month – congratulations Lorne on your great zebra image.

Evaluation of Theme Photography
Theme Entries
Title	Category	Star	Score	Award	Points
Chic chick	Theme	2	11	Gold	3
Cool pirate vibes	Theme	3	8	Silver	2
Domestic dispute	Theme	2	11	Gold	3
Go West, young man	Theme	4	9	Silver	2
Just Married	Humour	3	8	Silver	2
Kaalgat in the rain	Theme	3	11	Gold	3
Laugh like a hyena	Theme	1	8	Gold	3
laughing behind his back	Theme	4	13	COM	4
Meditation Sucks!	Theme	4	11	Gold	3
Ready to place an order	Theme	MB	9	None	0
Sunny Stroll	Theme	1	9	Gold	3
Watering can’t	Theme	1	8	Gold	3