3-Way Battle: Ampthill, Bedford and Biggleswade Camera Clubs

Thursday, 27th February 2025 at 8pm

This year the 3 Way Battle was hosted by Biggleswade & District Camera Club at The Weatherley Centre, Biggleswade and was judged by Jim Bennet of Cambridge CC. The competition was well supported by the 3 clubs with A&DCC being represented by David Hallworth, Richard Burn, Jane D’Souza, Angela Dunn and Paul Tapping.

The format is that each club submit 10 PDI and 10 Prints with each image being scored out of 20 and the club with the highest overall score winning the trophy. Some members may remember that the trophy went missing a few years ago and this year a new cup has been provided in memory of B&DCC’s late Chairman, Brian Hunt.   

Here is a summary of the judge’s comments on the A&DCC images:

PDI

  1. Pink Lady by Paul Tapping – score 16 – The plain background works well and helps us concentrate on the main subject who has a thoughtful expression.
  2. Artic Tern by Jane D’Souza – score 19 – The subject is captured nicely in the frame with room for the bird to move into. A lovely high key image where the bird’s head stands out against the rear wing. The exposure is good and the image is nice and sharp.
  3. Flower Head by Paul Tapping – score 16 – A simple picture with a lovely, muted colour palette. All of the detail has been captured where it is needed but the out of focus stem works well.
  4. The Girl in the Stripy Top by Ben Peet – score 17 – The image is very tightly cropped and it is a very intimate image with the model looking directly at the photographer. Likes the angle of the head, the model’s expression and the position of the hands.
  5. The Mover by Richard Burn – score 19 – The blurred character is an interesting way to add dynamism to the image. Lovely blacks on the handrails.
  6. Surrounded by Roses by Ben Peet – score 16 – Like the idea of this and the pose of the model. Enjoys the way the exposure is handled. The greens are very muted and feels the image could be lifted if some red rose buds had been included.
  7. Harvest Mouse on the Up by Jane D’Souza – score 17 – This image tugs the heart strings. It is good and sharp on the face and eyes and the depth of field provides good separation with a nice diffuse background. 
  8. Pudding in the Making by Bob Pledger – score 17  – This image tells a story with one of the characters really not looking happy. Like the positioning in the frame and the complexity of what is on the table.
  9. At The Water’s Edge by Gina Taylor – score 17 – This is a lovely tranquil image with gorgeous colours. The choice of shutter speed has been well selected and love the lines generated by movement.
  10. Fish Eye by Paul Wilson – score 17 -This is an interesting idea with the colour palette and square crop giving extra impact. A carefully thought-out exposure with good whites

At the end of the PDI round the scores were:
Biggleswade 175
Bedford 172
Ampthill 171

Prints

  1. Stairwell by Belinda Wilson – score 19 -This is a beautifully simple image that has been given lots of thought by the photographer. The proportions are nice, exposure has been carefully controlled and it is lovely and sharp. Likes the dark black handrail which contrast well with the wall and loves the control of verticals and the subtle changes in tone.
  2. Children’s Bedroom by Richard Burn – score 20 – This is a lovely high key monochrome conversion that still has areas of nice solid blacks. The choice of paper is ideal and there is an overall feeling of quality. Love the shadow on the wall and the cot on the left-hand side is essential.
  3. Did I Miss Breakfast by Paul Wilson – score 17 -There is a lot of detail and texture conveying the impression of decay. The use of monochrome is absolutely right and likes the open cupboards and door opening to black. Perhaps a little flat in the mid tones.
  4. Brute Force by Paul Wilson – score 17 – This is a brave image to put into a camera club competition but like the idea and the fact that it is different. Likes the way the photographer has built up the image with the textures adding to the grungy stressed feel.
  5. A Room for Dreams by Richard Burn – score 20 – Gorgeous pastel treatment with the browns and blues going well together. Love the simple lay out and the choice of paper works very well.
  6. Department of Justice by Gary Chester – score 17 – An interesting choice of angle with the building forming a dynamic dagger shape. The building suggests harshness and that the forces of law will come down on you. Love the contrast with full blacks and lots of texture.
  7. Harvest Mice by Angela Dunn – score 16 – Well positioned in the frame. The depth of field helps make the characters stand out and the Teasel works well as a support and does not distract or draw the eye away from the character.
  8. Lobster Buoys by David Hallworth – score 17 – This is a simple picture but one that works well and has some life in it because of the feast of colour, shape and texture.
  9. The Wagon Bridge by Belinda Wilson – score 16 – This is an interesting structure which gives us a pattern picture. Enjoys the reflections in the water and the person on the bridge adds to the story.
  10. Independence Day by Gary Chester – score 17 – The photographer has done quite a lot of work on this image and it works well. The lady’s gown stands out so that we concentrate on her. The skin tones of the person on the right are a little too dark.

David was trying to keep track of the overall score during the competition and we knew the final result would be close and so it proved with just 2 points separating the 3 teams.
 
                             Biggleswade     A&DCC              Bedford
PDI                      175                171                      172
Print                    173                176                      174
Total                    348                347                      346
 
So, Biggleswade retained the trophy but a very commendable result for A&DCC.