Monochrome – (based on the Greek monokhrōmatos of a single colour)

1: of, relating to, or made with a single colour or hue

2: involving or producing visual images in a single colour or in varying tones of a single colour (such as grey)

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Competition two – in case you had not worked it out was a mono theme, 17 prints from 7 participants and 56 PDI's from 19 participants. We were joined by judge – Paul Dunmall along with his lovely wife Sonia. We were most grateful to them for traveling over two hours in terrible weather. Over twenty members awaited anxiously in the room, not only to see the fate of there much crafted art but to see if the techno trio aka Paul, Ian and Ray could get us set up on time. Perhaps the gremlins that engineer the hick ups were hiding in the dark of the mono prints as tonight the three Musketeers were successful and we were all good to go by 19.50, “A first in some time! to quote Mr Hill.

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It was interesting to talk to other members before the judging began, most I talked to said the same, that they were not confident in the prints they had entered, mono is a funny beast and even more subjective to each persons taste than colour, or so I feel. A point reflected in the feedback from Paul after his judging, he had felt our colour work last week, during the Tri battle was much stronger, maybe we all need a little more self-belief with our mono shots. Personally, it was not the most successful night I have had, but the more of these competitions I see, the more I am resigned to the subjectiveness of judging. Seeing a shot go before different judges and get different responses cements this and goes a long way to healing any wounds inflicted by criticism of your work by a judge. An example of this was highlighted last night when Paul and Sonia talked about how they think mono shots should be backed on white. In competition one the judge said he thought they should be backed on black. My advice would be, you are never going to please everyone so please yourself. Do what you love and own it!

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Once again Paul’s judging was fair and informative, with Ray H at his side doing is best Dolly Dealers impression, Paul went through the prints, holding 9 back. A hard job as in monochrome under the light they all looked pretty impressive. The top five were…

 

5 Indian Holy Man

4 Whitby Abby

3 Wonders of Nature

2 Spike

1 The Riad Hallway

 

Congratulations to Sheila Regan on coming first, Paul was not only impressed with the shot but the choice of paper Sheila had printed it on. He advised us to think about our paper choices and what would show the prints off best.

On to the PDI’s and again the choice must have been a tough one. Lots of tips were given by Paul during the feedback. The main point he made was to not be scared to push the tonal range and have deep black and include those whites. He also pointed out that when looking at the images it was not always important that every print had a jet black or a noticeable white as long as there was a good tonal range. Seventeen images were held back. The top five were…

 

5 Coffee Beans and Petals

4 Dark Times

3 Dirty Dancing

2 Windmill

1 Quiet Time Before the Dance

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Congratulations to Ray Girling on snagging the top two spots, very well deserved.

Again, it was a most enjoyable night with three people coming to try the club out for the first time. We had some lovely feedback from one of them who said they would be back as they had tried another club but that he felt there was a lovely atmosphere at our club, and he had felt very welcome.

If you would like to join us, we are a friendly bunch and welcome new members. You can “Try before you buy!” and come for up to three sessions before you must join. A session costs £2.50 and membership is £30. We meet on a Wednesday 7.45pm and St Andrews Church, Winsford.

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Karen Swift

Press & Publicity Officer

MCCC