The 2020 Photosub AGM was very different due to the current COVID19 lockdown. Using video technology a virtual AGM was held from club members various houses. 20 club members attended the meeting held on Wed 15th April. This meeting had already been delayed from earlier in the year due to winter storms. 

Key points from the AGM were:

Chairmans Report

There were 4 social events during the year, all well attended and also the usual 3 competitions which once again were very well supported with some excellent quality images.

Club members met on Saturday 16th November for the annual Open Competition. This final competition of the year pits blue water against green water, macro against wide angle. The evening was hosted at Pat Deeley’s home and was attended by 33 club members.

After the usual socialising and excellent food, 44 images from 15 members were projected. The winners had been pre-judged by Paul Statham and Pat Williams who were able to attend the meeting. Our thanks go to Pat and Paul for taking time to judge the competition and providing comments on all images, and to Pat for hosting the evening.

The winning images are as follows with judges comments in italics:

As joint judges, we each considered all entries and formed a shortlist.   We then combined our shortlists before discussing what had attracted us to them and deciding on results.  It was a very difficult choice as the original shortlist had 17 photographs and inevitably personal preferences come into play.

1^st Place:  Nick Blake

A stunning image, with interesting features all over the frame combining into a coherent whole.  The positioning of the diver relative to the reflection and light rays draws the eye and gives the impression of effortless flight.

2^nd Place:  Rob White

The viewer is drawn into this image by the eye contact with the fish and the models perfect positioning and focus.  Models’ eyes can sometimes look unnatural and posed in photographs but here it is as if the photographer is not there and the model is enjoying the peaceful interaction with the bumphead.

It is interesting that the photograph may not be technically perfect, with only one fish eye fully visible and the diver’s bubbles rising, but the composition, colour and exposure overcome any minor issues.

3^rd Place: Nick Blake

While this kind of shot of a stingray is fairly common, what distinguished it for us was the angle from which the shot was taken. It almost looks as though the photographer dug a hole in the sand to get below the subject!  The curve of the ray’s wing is pleasing as is the reflection on the surface and the dappled light on the sand. 

Highly Commended

Peter Tatton

We loved the “graininess” of the photograph as well as the amazing subject.  We loved the way the baby is nuzzling against its mother.  Technically very accomplished as the dolphins must have been moving at speed.

Pash Baker

Appears technically perfect in terms of focus and depth of field shooting such a tiny subject with super-macro.

Rob White

Would have been placed by one of the judges despite being a relatively simple subject.  The colour and lighting are perfect.

Pash Baker

Impressive shot with good exposure.  Brightness in top right corner slightly distracting.   Again, technically very good as the subject must have been moving quickly.

Commended

Martyn Guess

Beautiful shot of photogenic subject with good colour, surface interest and feeling of motion.  Difficult given the angle but having two eyes in view would have made this even better.

Nick Blake

We loved the composition of this shot with the seal leading the eye backwards and a good sense of the environment.

Random thoughts

Jo Horrocks

This is personal preference but we found the (apparently) distorted pier leg on the left hand side very distracting.  If this had been cropped out, this photograph would probably have been placed as it shows great interaction between the fish and the photographer with great colour and surface interest.

Sue Guess

Wendy Eve

We assume these are of the same subject as boxer crabs carrying eggs are pretty rare.  Photo 10 (snooted) is obviously impressive to capture what is usually a small, skittish subject in this way but is almost hoisted by its own petard in that the snooted light is not consistent across the anemones!  Photo 31 on the other hand provides interest between the background and the markings on the crab but raises the slight concern that the subject has been moved by a helpful dive guide.  We have all been in this situation but nonetheless it left us feeling uncomfortable.

28 club members attended the 2019 Photosub Club BBQ hosted by Keith & Jo at their home in Cranleigh, Surrey. In addition to the BBQ and socialising, the evening also included the results of the 2019 Photosub Splash-in. 

Images are eligible any time in July and could be taken anywhere in the UK or Ireland. This allowed for more members to participate and help get around the usual issue of the British weather preventing diving. There was a good turn out with 30 images submitted by 10 members.

In keeping with tradition we were joined by a non diving judge, Emma Stokes. Emma is a professional photographer specialising in landscape photography, wedding photography and running photography 121 courses (Emma Stokes Photography). Emma judged the images in advance and provided her picks prior to the meeting so that a final results presentation could be prepared.

Emma provided an overview of the images and her approach to judging:

Firstly, I would just like to say how impressed I was with the variety and quality of photographs taken.  I for one had never imagined such colourful species were living around our coast.  It’s a great insight into our local underwater world and I feel honoured to have been asked to judge the competition, so thank you.  I have thoroughly enjoyed looking through them.

As a landscape and nature photographer I find I am drawn to close up detail as much as the bigger picture.  I was particularly drawn to the story telling elements of the images, especially where it seemed that the subject seems to be engaging with the viewer.  Equally though I was drawn to those in which the creatures were photographed in their natural surroundings encouraging the viewer to look over the whole image. Composition, tones and light are to me the finishing touches and can make a photo really stand out when everything else is equal.

With this in mind I have carefully selected the first, second and third place and some extremely close highly commended and commended images.  I could have chosen many more!  It should be noted that it was extremely difficult to separate some of these placements and all entrants should be extremely proud of their work. What a very talented bunch of photographers!

Following a welcome from Chairperson Martyn Guess, the images were projected. After last years success, we again projected the images outdoors. The projection was followed by results announced in reverse order, including a number of Highly Commended and Commended images. 

So to the results:

• 1st place Leeches Spider Crab by Cat Briggs
• 2nd place Crab hiding in Jewell Anemones by Peter Ladell
• 3rd place Seal by Nick Blake

Congratulations to the winners and thanks all that participated. 

Thanks go to:

• Keith and Jo for hosting the event.
• Emma Stokes for judging the competition (and helping with the washing and food layout).
• All participants in the competition.
• Sue, Carole, Pash, Martha, Pat, Jeanette and Wendy for providing desserts.
• Rob and Pash for the washing up/drying, and helping with cooking the food.
• Photosub committee members for their various roles in organising the evening

The winning images are as follows, with Emma’s comments:

1st Place – Cat Briggs

The winning image for me was this eye-catching photo of this little creature (crab?) looking straight into the camera.  There is something quite mesmerising about its inquisitive gaze and it really draws you into the photo.  This is added to by the bold centrally placed composition which really does make you take notice.  The vibrancy of the colours adds to the overall impact of the image and the floating anemone adds a graceful contrast to the scaly nature of the little crustacean.  I love the intimacy of its positioning within the anemone, a fine example of this creature in its environment.  Altogether it is a wonderful example of the beauty found within the UK waters. Congratulations on such a striking photo.

2nd Place – Peter Ladell

This photograph is such a visual treat and I love the fact that it is filled from corner to corner with colours and texture.   The well-positioned crab hiding among the anenomes gives the viewer a true feel for life under the sea and for me it was a treat to see such a colourful scene from UK waters.  It really is an excellent example of this sea creature in its environment and the photographer should be proud.

3rd Place – Nick Blake

Third place goes to this wonderful photograph of this inquisitive and playful seal.  It really is a great capture of this lovely native mammal.  It’s not very often we have the pleasure of seeing this amazing creature up close, so it is a treat to look at.  The dappled light upon the seal’s fur seems to mirror its mottled tones and it looks as though it has stopped mid-swim to look at the camera. The photographer has really captured the intelligence and the fun character of this friendly mammal. 

Highly Commended

Jo Horrocks

It took me a while to notice the crab in this picture as if the crab has become part of the camouflage of this amazing creature.  The subtle tones and close up detail of this unusual animal made it stand out and I love how It looks strangely peaceful despite being mid-feast. The photographer has really captured the striking colours of this beautiful creature which contrast with the harsh reality of nature under the sea.

Peter Tatton

This anemone stood out for me due to its vibrant colours, textures and the outstanding exposure and sharpness of the image.  The anemone looks like it is illuminated from within, but what really makes the image is the carpet of small starfish covering the floor as far as the eye can see.    What an unusual sight, again a wonderful display of stark contrasts and textures within one small area in UK waters.  It is a fantastic example of the amazing underwater world we have close to home, congratulations.

Commended

Keith Lyall

This flash of colour is quite something against the dark background.  It is quite a surreal photograph which instantly appealed to the abstract photographer in me.  There is nothing subtle about it and I love the angle of the fish and the way it is peering into the camera.

Cat Briggs

There was a lot about this photo I liked.  At a glance, the overall composition works well even without taking into account the beautiful foreground detail and provides compositional balance to the photo.  The sea urchins and anenomes provide some excellent foreground detail and colour and the last thing my eye rested on was the blue and green fish at the bottom of the photo swimming towards the camera.  All in all a wonderful photo!

Daniel Taylor

This is a superb portrait of a Blenny.  It seems a popular subject to photograph and quite rightly so. The lighting, composition and understated capture of this little fish caught my eye.  It is very well exposed with the fish lit against the dark background and the way it is resting on the sea floor as if staying out of harm’s way added to the overall essence of the photo.  

The 2019 Photosub Annual Meal was held at the Farnham House Hotel and was attended by 33 club members and partners. As always it was a very social affair, one of the key goals of the club.

Following a fine meal and drinks the annual competition was projected. This competition comprises 5 categories:

• Green Water Macro/Close Up
• Green Water Wide
• Blue Water Macro/Close Up
• Blue Water Wide
• Prints

There was a good turnout with 134 images from 17 club members, a record for the number of different members participating. The 134 images were distributed across the 4 projected categories (GW-Macro 21, GW-Wide 30, BW-Macro 36 and BW-Wide 47) with a total of 20 prints.

Kirsty Andrews of the Bristol Underwater Photography Group attended as the guest judge. Club Chair Martyn Guess welcomed Kirsty to the event…

After discovering diving in Thailand followed by several years with Leeds University Dive Club, Kirsty used a compact camera when working as a dive guide in Croatia in 2006. However the passion really took hold when she  joined the Bristol Underwater Photography Group about 6 years ago upgrading to a DSLR. On average Kirsty does about 100 dives a year, roughly half of which are in the UK. 

Being Bristol-based her local stomping grounds are Devon, Dorset and Cornwall, but she particularly loves various sites around Scotland and does a couple of pilgrimages North each year.  Further afield she has recently discovered the delights of the Lembeh Strait and is planning trips to the Red Sea, South Africa and Canada soon.

Kirsty likes characterful portraits of marine wildlife to show off the beauty of UK seas and she appreciates shots that do that too.

An accomplished underwater photographer, Kirsty has received numerous awards including UPY British Macro winner in 2017, images recognised in UPY in 2018 and 2019, and a BIUPC winner in Wide Angle (2017) and Mankind in the Sea (2018) categories.  She has had 3 Highly Commended images in the BWPA in 2018 and won the BSoUP Best of British portfolio twice, in 2018 and 2016.

The competition results are as follows:

Green Water Macro/Closeup

1st Place – Gill Marsh

2nd Place – Joss Woolf

3rd Place – Cat Briggs

Highly Commended – Pash Baker

Highly Commended – Rob White

Commended – Gill Marsh

Commended – Keith Lyall

Green Water Wide Angle

1st Place – Rob White

2nd Place – Martyn Guess

3rd Place – Nick Blake

Highly Commended – Mario Vitalini

Highly Commended – Nick Blake

Commended – Cat Briggs

Commended – Gill Marsh

Commended – Rob White

Blue Water Macro/Closeup

1st Place – Keith Lyall

2nd Place – Martyn Guess

3rd Place – Rob White

Highly Commend – Anthony Holley

Highly Commended – Mario Vitalini

Commended – Mario Vitalini

Commended – Rob White

Blue Water Wide Angle

1st Place – Rob White

2nd Place – Mario Vitalini

3rd Place – Martyn Guess

Highly Commended – Nick Blake

Highly Commended – Mario Vitalini

Commended – Georgette Douwma

Commended – Pash Baker

Print Competition

1st Place – Martyn Guess

2nd Place – Martyn Guess

3rd Place – Peter Tatton

Commended – Gill Marsh

The Len Deeley Trophy

Following the death of club founder and driving force Len Deeley, a new trophy was created by Pash Baker and Jo Horrocks in memory of Len. This trophy will be presented on an annual basis at the annual dinner. It will be classed as a “floating trophy” and while on some occasions it will be presented based on a competitive basis defined by the committee, on others it will be presented to a club member who has supported the club and promoted its aims and goals.

Club Chair Martyn Guess introduced this years recipient …

When we discussed who to award the Len Deeley Trophy to this year it was a very quick and unanimous decision by the Photosub Committee and Pat.The recipient is one of the founding members of Photosub, a committee member and former treasurer and a stalwart supporter of the club. He was recognised by many as Len’s right hand man and behind the scenes has helped to organise many meetings and trips over the years without many of the members even being aware.

I asked a few of the members for quotes and stories and the one that stood out for me was Ken’s comment “He just gets on with the job!”. Another anonymous member said “If it is going to happen to anyone – it is normally him.

He was recognised as one of the few who would take both a full stills rig and a video rig on the same dive until he was stopped by Len!  – This was on the basis that he needed to learn how to use at least one of them!

Our award this year for his service and dedication to Photosub is none other than our unsung hero Bert Lee.

Bert has had many success’s over the years in annual competitions, winning many and even coming first and second at the annual splash in 1994. He is custodian of the prints display stands which were hand made by him. You don’t even have to ask they just appear at these events.

Famed for once leaving his rug sack with camera on the Plymouth Ferry after a splash in, blaming everyone else for taking it, only to have it returned by the skipper the following day! He also half destroyed a plant and display stand at a check in counter in Manado when he turned around sharply still wearing his large rug sack and had to be picked up to his feet from the adjoining coffee shop by some of the members here tonight. Bert still dives having travelled with Ken in the recent past to Socorro and Nabucco Island and as Ken told me Bert is still very much part of his diving family.

Everyone I have spoken to about you Bert have memorable stories of trips with you over the years but above all else they share a common gratitude for your friendship. So, with our thanks for all of your help with the club over the years Bert, please come up and accept the Len Deeley Trophy.

Pat presents the Len Deeley Trophy to Bert Lee

Photosub Award Winners

Photosub Winners (L-R): Rob White, Keith Lyall, Martyn Guess, Mario Vitalini, Cat Briggs, Pater Tatton, Joss Woolf, Gill Marsh, Kirsty Andrews (Judge), Bert Lee

Thanks

Our thanks to Kirsty Andrews for judging the competition, and for attending the meal and competition evening. 

These events do not run successfully without the help of a number of club members. Thanks to Martyn Guess for managing the organisation of the evening, liaising with the hotel, and acting as master of ceremonies, Keith Lyall for running the competition, Sue Guess for providing the balloons, Pat Deeley for creating the table place tags and presenting the Len Deeley trophy, Roger Eve for event admin and corresponding with members, Bert Lee for providing the display stands (and Bob and Chris for helping with the setup), Sue Guess and Jo Horrocks for setting up the trophy table, and to Martha for handling general logistics and finances.

Thanks to all who who entered and congratulations to all winners.

Club members met on Saturday 17th November for the annual Open Competition. This final competition of the year pits blue water against green water, macro against wide angle. The evening was hosted at Martyn & Sue Guess’s home and was attended by 20 club members and a couple of guests.

After the usual socialising and excellent food, 33 images from 11 members were projected. The winners had been pre-judged by Jason Gregory. Jason is a keen UK diver and underwater photographer. Unfortunately Jason could not attend but provided a set of notes which were read out at the meeting. Our thanks go to Jason for taking time to judge the competition and providing comments on all images, and to Sue and Martyn Guess for hosting the evening.

I received 33 very high-quality images – my goodness you have given me a tough task! Great to see lots of ‘green water’ images among the classic tropical subjects. As we all know very well, there really is no accounting for taste – ‘in the eye of the beholder’ and all that. I have a bias towards how difficult I think the image was to take, and, as a diver most interested in UK locations, I also favour images that are, or appear to be from the UK or other temperate seas.

All of the images are very good quality which gave me a very difficult task choosing ‘winners’. In my final choosing I selected on the basis of the overall visual impact of the images. I have chosen ‘best 5’ and provided comments on all images.

Many thanks for asking me to judge this competition. I thoroughly enjoyed viewing the images and offering comments. Unfortunately, its unlikely I will be able to deliver my thoughts personally. Please give my apologies.

The winning images are as follows with judges comments in italics:

1st Place: Frogfish in wide-angle landscape by Cat Briggs

Amazing lighting, the whole complicated scene is perfectly illuminated with the ambient light from the surface also perfectly captured. The shape of the sponges seems to form a shape that ties in with the structure above, and in turn provides a stage for the frogfish. Amazing content, colour, textures and forms, even small fishes arcing around the top of the frame get in to the scene. A treasure trove of a subject and photographed to the level of expertise it deserves.

2nd Place: Shrimp and Nudibranch by Martyn Guess

Snooting out (or by other means) the background may not be to everyone’s taste, but the result here is a stage spotlight on to a pair of creatures in almost theatrical garb, and both facing the crowd. It’s a stunning tropical two-for-one.

3rd Place: Scorpionfish by Jo Horrocks

Apart from a clear diagonal, this serendipitous encounter obeys no compositional rules. But, the confident hang-out of the golden scorpion fish results in a treat of colour and expression. We see natural colours and pin-sharp focus on the eye. Even the decaying weed supports dots of tiny mollusc interest. A moment well spotted and preserved.

Highly Commended

Hydroid and Amphipod by Rob White

A fascinating look into the hidden world of marine life at the super-macro level. What I assume to be a solitary hydroid, that has tiny, almost hidden, amphipod passengers. Photographic skill and marine life knowledge coming together to create a beautiful image that contains and reveals unexpected secrets.

Tube Worm by Georgette Douwma

Dainty dandelion fluffy swirls, pink forms with cyan & mint ambiance and an eye-catching vortex centre. Those familiar with these animals know how easily disturbed and lost from view. Delightful abstract prettiness.

25 club members attended the 2018 Photosub Club BBQ hosted by Keith & Jo at their home in Cranleigh, Surrey. In addition to the BBQ and socialising, the evening also included the results of the 2018 Photosub Splash-in. 

Images are eligible any time in July and could be taken anywhere in the UK or Ireland. This allowed for more members to participate and help get around the usual issue of the British weather preventing diving. There was a good turn out with 31 images submitted by 11 members.

In keeping with tradition we were joined by Penny & Spike Piddock. Penny Piddock (DPAGB EFIAP) is the Chair of Dorchester Camera Club and a non-diving member of BSOUP, as well as a Western Counties Photographic Federation approved Judge. Penny lives in Weymouth within sight of the sea and has always been interested in the marine environment from rock pools to the deep ocean. Her photographic interest covers most genres but Penny a particular interest in Nature and People. Penny judged the images in advance and provided her picks prior to the meeting so that a final results presentation could be prepared.

Penny’s provided a view as how she judges images …

As with any competition for art subjects as much as the judge tries to be objective there is always going to be an element of subjectivity & a reluctance to give all the awards to equally good very similar images. This is always a problem where a group of people take photos in similar conditions of the same subjects. I have looked for pictures with good technical content but most important is the sense of originality & pictorialism. The photographer should put something of themselves into the image & present it well.

If they can show me something different & make me want to look at it several times I think it probably works as an image for others. We all think our own are good, otherwise we wouldn’t bother to submit them but we are seeing them from our own experience of the occasion & the memories that go with them.

I like to look at them all fairly quickly in the first instance then think of the ones that are so memorable I can still see them in my mind’s eye. Having the images in advance makes this possible and also the opportunity to look with a more critical eye after a day or two.

All the submitted pictures have something to commend them but I have to make choices and rate one against another. Only one person ever agrees 100% with the judge and he or she may well disagree with the comments.

I know it is not good form to tinker with another person’s image unless requested to do so but for some of these I think showing you is probably better than words. I hope you don’t mind. It is only my opinion and please feel free to ignore it & go with your own preferences.

There is very little difference between my chosen images in fact it was difficult enough to choose a  short list.  My top three stood out to me from the first viewing. Well done to the awarded images & hard luck to those who have missed out this time. I have followed a practice I use with competitions where I am not limited to 123 & a couple of Highly Commended and given Highly Commended to all my ‘held back’ pictures to give due credit to the photographers.

Following a welcome from Chairperson Martyn Guess, the images were projected. This year we tried projecting the images outdoors which was highly successful rather than members have to cram into a room. The projection was followed by results announced in reverse order, including a number of Highly Commended images. 

So to the results:

• 1st place Lundy seal taken by Keith Lyall
• 2nd place Jellyfish and sunburst taken at Lundy, by Nick Blake
• 3rd place Smoothhound taken by Cat Briggs

Congratulations to the winners and thanks all that participated. Images are below …

Thanks go to:

• Keith and Jo for hosting the event.
• Penny Piddock for judging the competition.
• All participants in the competition.
• Gill, Bert, Sue and Wendy for providing desserts.
• Rob and Pash for a great job washing up and drying.
• Photosub committee members for their various roles in organising the evening

Winning Images

Included are narrative comments from Penny for placed images.

1^st Place – Keith Lyall

Another delightful seal in its environment. Good use of mono & the seal trainer has worked his or her magic again with the apparent farewell wave to the viewer. Very sympathetic processing and excellent camera work. For me among so many excellent shots this one ticked all the boxes with a strong narrative and pictorialism combined with photographic excellence.

2^nd Place – Nick Blake

Graphic shot with a super pictorial quality. I particularly enjoyed the composition and the way it fills the frame with no background distractions with the backlit tendrils. There is a black line around the body that defines it. Can anyone else see the face of Shakespeare peeping through from the back? It was a good choice to use it as to mono shot making thus enhancing the graphic quality.

3^rd Place – Cat Briggs

I’m prepared to be corrected but this looks to me like a smooth-hound and is a very fine example that could be used to illustrate the fish. Perfectly situated in the frame perfectly exposed and composed so we are drawn towards the eye. Good use of wide angle. Colour looks just right. The fore-ground definition to show a bit of scale and fading off in the background is well controlled..
Nothing to distract from the fish in its location.

Highly Commended (in no particular order)

Daniel Taylor

Poser. Does the photographer give them lessons in posing? The framing by the ray sets it off perfectly against the background. The backlit whiskers shows them up well and the colour is good. Camera craft and subject knowledge very evident.

Jelly with a strong pictorial effect. The almost mono image has a translucence about it is very attractive against the dark background with the rays gently setting it off. Good use of light.

Peter Ladell

This Lion’s Mane jelly is a very fine specimen. That small fish is living very dangerously and I think although small it does add to the image particularly as it is against the plain background. The photographer has chosen the exposure well and the use of the white key line shows it has been a considered composition. I like the way the light is coming in from the top left. Excellent detail.

Beautiful colours on the Ballan Wrasse resting on the Dead Mans Fingers show the environment well. I like the position you have chosen so we can also see the holdfasts of the kelp.

Martyn Guess

Another photographer with a good eye for a pictorial image.  Good colour combinations and rays set it off well and composition is perfect.

Another lovely mono showing the effect of having a lighter subject against a dark background. This is a successful image with a strong centre of interest and a good feeling of movement. There is no doubt what we are expected to look at but at the same time we have enough detail in the background to show the environment.

Nick Blake

The sense of scale is what drew me to this one, The cave/canyon looks huge. The rays lighting the diver are important. The natural framing by the cave walls & the recession of shades through the cave adds interest.

Looks like a back-lit echinoderm bobbing along & in this case very pictorial image with a graphic shape very well observed and produced. Whatever it is what I am judging is the finished product, which I like for its simplicity.

Gill Marsh

It is a super graphic shot very different from the mono earlier but with an equally strong sense of pictorialism. The green & white work well together unnatural but in this instance appropriate for the artistic interpretation.

Jo Horrocks

A striking Mono portrait as a change from the more pictorial images. A pleasing composition and good eye contact. The whiskers are in the perfect place and you get the feeling it is going to reach out & touch you. Lovely shot.

This compass Jelly looks as if it is intent on capturing prey with all the fringing showing. The radial pattern of brown markings and the shape it forms is very attractive. For this image I don’t think it is important to have a straight surface line. The angle is a valuable for the composition.

Approximately 20 club members attended the 2017 Photosub Club BBQ which was hosted by Godfrey and Judith Bevan at their home in Battle, East Sussex. A warm sunny evening allowed members and guests to relax and enjoy the surroundings of the Bevan’s lovely garden. In addition Les Kemp and his wife Diane were invited as they now live in Battle. Some members will remember Les from the early Cranleigh Club days.

Following the success of recent years, images were eligible from any time in July and could be taken anywhere in the UK or Ireland. This allowed for more members to participate and help get around the usual issue of the British weather preventing diving. There were 21 images submitted by 8 members.

In keeping with tradition we were joined by Rick Moye and his girlfriend Jayne. Rick is a local professional photographer specialising in landscape photgraphy. Rick judged the images in advance and provided his picks prior to the meeting so that a final results presentation could be prepared. Rick was very impressed by the overall standard and particularly surprised at the colour in the images; his expectation had been of very dull images, so congratulations to all participants.

Following a welcome from Chairperson Bob Soames, the images were projected followed by results announced in reverse order, including a number of Commended and Highly Commended images. Rick provided narrative comments against his selections.

So to the results:

• 1st place Plane wreck and diver, taken at Vobster by Keith Lyall
• 2nd place Split-shot of seal taken at Lundy, by Gill Marsh
• 3rd place Brittle Star by Peter Ladell

• Highly Commended Tompot Blenny taken at Swanage by Jo Horrocks

• Commended Jellyfish, taken at Lundy by Martyn Guess
• Commended Jellyfish, taken by Peter Tatton
• Commended Seal, taken at Lundy by Gill Marsh

Congratulations to the winners and thanks all that participated. Images are below …

Thanks go to:

• Godfrey and Judith Bevan for opening up their house for the event, and to their daughter Xanthe and partner Gavin for helping with the catering.
• Godfrey for organising the judge.
• Rick Moyes for judging the splash-in competition.
• All who provided desserts.
• All participants in the competition.
• Pat for the loan of the projection screen.
• Photosub committee members for their various roles in organising the evening.

Winning Images

First Place – Keith Lyall

Taken at Vobster in Somerset, the nose section of the plane sits at about 14 metres. 2 off camera strobes were located just behind the windscreens of the cockpit. The shot was taken in essentially natural light with just enough power to trigger the off camera strobes. Channel mixer adjustments we made in Photoshop to remove the typical greenness associated with UK wide angle shots.

2nd Place – Gill Marsh

3rd Place – Peter Ladell

Highly Commended Images

Highly Commended – Jo Horrocks

Commended Images

Commended – Martyn Guess

Commended – Gill Marsh

Commended – Peter Tatton

Approximately 20 members attended the Photosub AGM meeting on 18th Jan 2014. Reports were made by Keith Lyall (Chairman) and Kam Arya (Treasurer), followed by re-election of officers.

The AGM was followed by an excellent selection of food, and projections of video from Jo Horrocks and images from Joss Woolf and Len Deeley. Thanks to Joss for hosting the evening and slaving over the stove to provide excellent food.