2024 - Phil Atkinson Versatility Trophy

Judged by Simon Raynor, 1-Feb-2024

Thanks to everyone who entered into this round. Please see the results here

Congratulations to Keith Millard, the winner of this year’s competition! Below is Keith’s panel of 6 images

Round 1 - The Human Condition

This is about people watching. It could for example be street photography, candid photography or documentary photography. The subject or subjects may be aware or unaware of the photographer but they should not be posed – they should be engaged in some other activity rather than consciously posing for a picture. For example, they could be working, playing, dancing, relaxing or anything else. This theme is all about story-telling – the image should tell us something about the people and what they are doing.

Round 2 - Portraits

In comparison to the previous theme, this is far more controlled – the photographer has a degree of control over the subject, the lighting and the location and the subject is fully aware that they are having their portrait taken and (hopefully) is cooperating with the photographer to create the image. What I am looking for is an image that tells us something about the subject – not just a pretty face but an image that conveys something about the character, life and/or interests of the subject. The subject may be human or animal, and the image could show the whole or part of the subject (e.g., the face or hands). Note: an image of a creature in the wild might not fit the bill here (there is a separate category for nature images).

Round 3 - Nature

By “nature” I mean plants and creatures photographed in their natural environment. So, living things in the wild - not pets, or animals in a zoo, or flowers in a vase. I love pictures that tell a story so if you have a picture that tells me something about the subject or shows a creature doing something, so much the better. As always, technical quality is important, but it’s not the only thing that matters – images showing something new, interesting, or unusual can do well even if they are not technically perfect.

Round 4 - Still Life

Like portraiture, this is another situation where everything is under the control of the photographer: the choice and position of the subject, the background, the lighting, the depth of field and so on. So, you can take your time to compose the image in any way you like. The subject and the style are entirely up to you – you could go for an “Old Master” style arrangement of fruit and vegetables on a tabletop with subtle Rembrandt lighting, or you could go ultra-modern with an interesting arrangement of metal and glass objects and strong lighting. The choice is yours

Round 5 - Action

The opposite of still life, here we want to see movement. You can use a fast shutter speed to freeze fast movement or a slow shutter speed to produce motion blur. It doesn’t have to be fast movement either – with a long exposure you can show motion that isn’t obvious to the eye, like star trails or the movement of clouds. The key is depicting the action so that we can see what is taking place and get a sense of motion.

Round 6 - Landscape

The natural environment – hills, mountains, streams, seascapes, clouds etc. No problem if there are man-made elements in the image, e.g. windmills, trains, boats etc., but it’s the natural landscape that I’m interested in (there is a separate category for architecture, which includes cityscapes). I’m looking for great light, strong composition and breath-taking views.

Round 7 - Architecture

The built environment. Your subject here could be any man-made building or structure. You could focus on a whole building, small architectural details or a whole collection of buildings, as in a cityscape. You can use artificial light or natural light or both, and show exterior or interior views. Again, I’m looking for great light and composition and, if possible, an element of story-telling.

Round 8 - The Photographer’s Eye

This is a special category for things that photographers love to shoot, but most people ignore or dismiss. For example, peeling paint, rust and decay, interesting patterns, complementary colours and amusing juxtapositions. Anything that takes your fancy really!.