We are very pleased to be able to announce the judges for this year’s ‘Church at the Heart of the Island’ competition. Two of the judges Jennifer and Chris have judged the IWPOY in previous years and they are well aware of the difficult task ahead. We would also like to welcome Rodney onboard as the representative of the ‘Friends of the Minster’ and one of the main supporters of this competition. Read more
A welcome addition to the IWPOY this year and for a limited period only, 15th April – 27th May 2009, is the Newport Minster Photo Competition entitled “Church at The Heart of The Island“. As part of the Minster Renewal Campaign photographers both young and old are being invited to get their cameras out to capture the essence of the Minster formerly (St Thomas’ Newport).
The Island, a popular tourist destination, will host a fabulous exhibition within the Minster throughout the summer months displaying 50 of the best shortlisted images for both vistors and Islanders alike.
Those photographers lucky enough to be selected will, as always, retain copyright to their images and be visibly credited. The overall winning photographer will be featured in the Minster Campaign promotional materials and receive a framed print of their winning image. The under 16 winner will also go on assignment with an IW County Press Photographer.
Don’t delay on uploading your images as this is only a short six week competition. For full details please check-out the competition category rules and criteria HERE.
We look forward to seeing your photographs and Good luck!
We are deeply saddened to report that Kevin Mitchell passed away this afternoon 13th February 2009 at the Earl Mountbatten Hospice. Kevin was inspirational to all who knew him through his involvement with theatre, photography, fund raising and his smile. He was an active member of the IWDIG and crowned the first ever Isle of Wight Photographer of the Year in 2006 and runner-up in 2007.
Although Kevin will be missed by very many people he will never be forgotten. Our thoughts are with John and Kevin’s family at this difficult time. A tribute to Kevin has already been presented on Island Pulse HERE
The 50 shortlisted entries for the IWPOY 2007 are now being exhibited at Freshwater Library until the end of January 2009. The organisers were very pleased that after seeing the quality of the images, at the Dimbola exhibition, Freshwater Library asked if they could exhibit the IWPOY 2007 entries themselves.
The IWPOY shortlisted entries for 2007 have now been exhibited in three locations across the Island and these images will have been viewable in total for well over three months. This proves that popularity and interest in the IWPOY is growing from strength to strength. Thanks to everyone involved with the IWPOY and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2009.
In reply to inaccurate and unchecked reports published into the public domain through social networking photography websites. The IWPOY organisers provide the following statement regarding the IWPOY Awards 2008. Read more
Due to circumstances beyond the IWPOY organiser’s control including illness on both our part and that of the Isle of Wight County Press it been necessary to delay the judging of this category. The 12 selected images from this category will now be included in the IWCP 2010 calendar.
Thank you for your patience and we will update you as soon as the judging has taken place.
The IWPOY
It is with great pleasure that we are now able to announce the judges for the IWPOY 2008 and to thank them in advance for the difficult task that they have already started. With such diversity and quality of images this year their task is not an enviable one however, their photographic skills and backgrounds have equipped them well for this challenge.
Steve Gascoigne
Steve was born in Coventry in 1973. After achieving ‘A’ Levels in Art and Photography, Steve started his career as a photojournalist, before gaining the opportunity to become a photographic hand printer for a leading company in the field. Here he spent 10 years learning the skills and artistry involved in crafting photographic prints for some of the country’s top photographers.
Steve started Available Light Photography after moving to the Isle of Wight in October 2000. Struck by the allure and variety of the Island’s landscape, Steve decided to use his years of photographic experience to capture this beauty. His grounding in traditional photographic techniques helped immensely when Steve took the plunge and ‘went digital’ in 2003. No longer constrained to the darkroom, Steve now has more time to concentrate on taking the unique images he sells, and printing them using the latest archival inks and papers that outlast traditional photographic media.
As Ansel Adams famously said – “The negative can be seen as the score sheet, the print is the performance” and this holds true for digital as well as film. Each image has been crafted to be as close to the scene that was originally perceived, using the traditional darkroom techniques of dodging, burning and masking. This ensures that the beauty of the landscape is uncompromised, and the print can try and do justice to the scene it depicts. All of Steve’s work can be viewed online on his website, www.availablelight.cc
Chris Barton
Chris was born on the Island way back in the sixties and showed an early interest in photography, setting up a school darkroom and becoming the official unofficial photographer of 1024 squadron air cadets (of which he was a member).
After a school career, in which Chris mostly stayed out of trouble, he spent some time on the mainland learning about photography at college.
Returning to the Island he worked for a photographer and then moved into colour and black & white processing before going into retail. Chris has spent some time as a member of several camera clubs over the years and carried out photographic judging work in the 80′s and 90′s.
Chris has worked for the Island Photo Centre for 18 years, seeing the company evolve to provide different services such as photo restoration, image recall, in-store large format printing, in-house teaching and product photography.
Ben Wood
Based at his studio in Bembridge on The Isle of Wight, where he runs his company Island Images, Ben is best known for his signature black and white marine photography and his highly successful landscape images from his book The Island. However, since re-locating to the island from London ten years ago Ben has diversified into motor-racing, equine and shooting photography.
His most recent exhibition Equus showed in London and Paris and featured 40 prints from the polo fields of Apremont and the race tracks of Chantilly and Longchamps. The shell series started as a private commission and has since developed into Ben’s most current project. The shells and coral are sourced from all over the world and then photographed using very soft light in his studio. In the printing stage the giclee paper is given extra texture by applying a glaze over the image.
Ben also takes on commercial commissions for a wide range of advertising, architectural and design clients and is represented in London by Getty Images and Corbis.
You can view Ben’s work at www.islandimages.org.uk
Please take a little time to view the competition judge’s websites – there are some great images in their galleries and as photographers we can all gain some benefit from their skills and professionalism.
