Monthly Competition Winners: Landscape #photography #landscape #London #travel

This month’s voted for images:-

Congratulations to Jerwin John Civil (left image) and Pascale Hustings (right image)

We speak to Harry Jenkins, one of this month’s Collectors Club photographers #photography #London #londonphotofestival

My favourite medium is paint but when I had painted an abstract painting based on a photo I took of a street in London and compared it with my original photo of the scene (which I had taken because I had been able to finish sketching), it struck me that both had something to offer about the feel of that place.

The painting was my interpretation of  how I felt immersed in London. By combining my photograph and a photograph I then took of my painting it added a greater depth and the differences were highlighted and it emphasised indecision even further.

I personally really liked this image as it holds onto the feel of the painting and I was able to tweak the layering until the balance between them was most effective. It was a great moment to find out that other people had liked it too, particularly with so many great photos entered and I am so glad that I did.

I am now working on more in the series and this has motivated me to continue to explore my own City  and capture it in this dual way.

We speak to Amy Bateman @Croftfoot our fine art/abstract #photography #competition winner #London #cumbria

Convergence

This photograph was taken on a family outing to a local tarn in Cumbria. It was winter and had been a hard frost. The tarn had frozen in the still shallows, yet, was still unfrozen in the deeper parts. The convergence between ice and water was making a stunning rippled effect and the picture has so much texture from the water, ice and movement that I took a whole series of photographs. These have become some of my favourite shots.

Photography has become a serious hobby since giving up work to look after our children and I have been entering a few competitions on the internet when I stumbled across the London Photo Festival. As a very busy mum of three I’d forgotten I’d even entered. Receiving the email to say I’d won was amazing. I’m delighted that the judge was taken with the shot as much as myself and my twitter followers! I am really looking forward to seeing my photograph exhibited at The Bridge Lounge, a pinnacle of my photographic career to date.

We speak to 1st Runner Up Guy Needham! #photography #London #londonphotofestival

Being based on the other side of the world and only being an occasional visitor to the UK, I jumped at the chance to be able to show some of my work at the London Photo Festival.

The timing was perfect as I had just finished an exhibition about the Hamar tribe of Southern Ethiopia, and it was some of these images that I put forward for the Festival. The main reason I wanted to enter was to get further international exposure and test the appeal of my cultural portraits in a metropolitan marketplace. I wanted to show images designed to be interpreted as cultural crossings, where the space between photographer and photography is more than just physical. On the faces of the portraits I submitted was a mix of suspicion and acceptance, my attempt to personify the deeper issue of tourism versus exploitation.

Having read about the Festival the previous year I knew that it was easy for overseas photographers to get everything organised online. I didn’t really expect to sell any of the work, but when I did the communication was very professional.

Of course, a real highlight was being judged 1st Runner Up, a complete surprise and honour. Sharing that accolade on social media has led to further interest and also boosted those who had previously purchased from the original exhibition, knowing that they had chosen award-winning work.

For me it was certainly worthwhile taking the time to enter the Festival and I’ll be back again next year!

Guy Needham

Congratulations to our monthly ‘water’ competition winner #photography #photocontests #londonphotofestival

Taken in Helen, Georgia in the United States in 2014, with a Nikon D90. This was taken during my first exploration of the mountains on the East coast of the United States, which truly developed my love for mountains and waterfalls alike, and drove me to travel and explore much of the Blue Ridge Mountains over the past few years.

We announce the winners in our #abstract #fineart #photography competition! #London @rosie_hardy

When judging this competition I was looking not only for images which were technically well-composed, lit and thought out, but also photography that drew me in and caused me to pause and think more about what was going on behind the scenes of the image, and what the artist was trying to convey.

Amy Bateman’s “Convergence” took my breath away, both aesthetically and technically. I could have let my mind swim in this image for hours, in the blurred lines of space and perspective. The meeting of two opposite waters, strong and soft, calm and powerful, definitely appealed to my emotional tastes!

Richard Maxim’s photograph also caused me to ponder more than just the strong composition and well executed, thought out scene. Playing with the human form in a style which makes one marvel at the female body for the agility and strength, as well as choosing to hide her head in the book lead to more questions than it did answers, which I enjoyed.

Finally, “Review” by Brett Canet-Gibson was incredibly striking and really held my physical and mental gaze. Keeping the subject anonymous (identifiable only by his penetrating stare into the lens) was a fantastically abstract way to play with portraiture. The tones were beautiful, and overall a very worthy winning shot.

These and the other top 17 images will be exhibited at The Bridge Lounge in London for three months.  Congratulations to the finalists and all who entered!

Winner: Amy Bateman – Convergence  (£500)

1st Runner Up: Richard Maxim (head in box) (£300)

2nd Runner Up: Brett Canet-Gibson- Review (£200)

Coco Harris – Pier

Charlie Nowlan – Broken ice

Natalya Trotsevich – Goddess Selene

Simon hadleigh-sparks – Atlantis SG4

Daniela Pasquetti – Silences

Tawanwad Wanavit- Follower

Tawanwad Wanavit – Fishing feet

Enrico La Bianca – Fish market

Brika Weidmaier – Underground II

Dieter Kaufmann – Abstract 1001

Laura Visigalli – Drop a Line

Giovanni Chianese

Francesca Truddaiu – l’essenziale#1

Alessandra Barracchia – my beautiful laundrette

Graziano Panfili

Fernanda Carvalho – Divindade

Lauren Jenkins

We speak to 2nd Runner Up Anja Filippini #London #photography #londonphotofestival

The London Photo Festival is extremely well-conducted and has a welcoming feel, all thanks to the founders who are very kind and accommodating. I especially liked the tasteful presentation of photographers’ work, and the simplicity of the venue itself. The high standard of this Festival is reflected in the quality of printing and framing as well. Being both affordable and well-visited, I believe it provides amateur as well as professional photographers with the perfect opportunity to get great exposure at low cost.