Our first competition of the 2026 internal season took place on Tuesday 3rd March 2026, with many members making it to the Hall and a few on Zoom. This round had a 'Wildlife' theme and the judge was Matthew Williams-Ellis, who made a welcome return too the Society, having spoken on this theme at the Society on 20th January to a packed hall.
Our Chairman, Nick Bowman, welcomed Matthew back to the Society and the competitions began.
Print Competition
Entries were high, with 'wildlife' proving a popular and varied theme. Twenty members presented prints in the first half of the evening.
Matthew gave careful and considered critique. He expressed the difficulties of waiting for a perfect moment of composition or when the light is just right. Perhaps more than any other genre of photography, patience is key. Matthew suggested the occasional judicious crop, particularly at the top or base of the frame to focus the viewer's attention on the animal. He expressed some pleasure where a photographer had opted for a bold choice.
Five images were held back. The maximum 20 points were awarded to 'Jumbo Scratch' (20) - Mike Wylie; 'Wild Animals Gathering' (20) - Gerard Ryan; and 'Wild geese across the moon' (20) - Colin Page :
'Jumbo Scratch' (20) - Mike Wylie
'Wild Animals Gathering' (20) - Gerard Ryan
'Wild geese across the moon' (20) - Colin Page
DPI Competition
Thirty-one members entered the DPI competition in the second half of the evening.
Matthew questioned the focal length choices in some DPIs, feeling that blurring the background might help the subject stand out. He also pointed out that when an image was too bright it can make the animals appear 'stuck on'. He appreciated the energy in action shots and praised attempts at capturing multiple creatures, which he said he often found more interesting.Occasionally a crop was questioned, particularly where an animal's gaze required more space.
Four images were held back. Three images were awarded the maximum 20 points: 'Lemur's Gaze' (20) - Elisabeth Kendall; 'It's a bit nippy out there' (20) - Theresa Clemitson; 'Disney Elephant and friend' (20) - Jelena Djordjevic.
'Lemur's Gaze' (20) - Elisabeth Kendall
'It's a bit nippy out there' (20) - Theresa Clemitson
'Disney Elephant and friend' (20) - Jelena Djordjevic
Finally
You can see all the entries for this first round of our internal competition in the Galleries section of this website.
The Results of the Session and the results/cumulative totals for this 2026 Season are accessible from the Internal Competitions Page of the Society Website (and the Documents Section).
Thanks to Debbie Smyth for managing the IT/image projection, & to Colin Page for handling the Prints.
Dan Waller
Competitions’ Secretary