Many congratulations to Steve Watson who created the image that won the public vote (Light Fantastic) and to Stuart Rees who was awarded the judges choice (All eyes on you) in the 2027 Countryfile children in need calendar.
While I was in the running, I didn’t win either accolade but I’m not disappointed. My image “Hare I am!” was an attempt to do something different and it now graces the March page of the calendar. It will be hung on the walls of over half a million households throughout the UK.
This is incredible given that I only picked up my camera just over two years ago and it was my first attempt at entering the calendar competition. In fact any competition with my digital camera.
My image got a fair bit of criticism on social media, with various disgruntled entrants posting their own images saying that their images were superior. Photography is subjective, and while many of the images put forward were/are technically brilliant, similar ones have been done, seen, and included in the past.
Perhaps the lesson to be learned is, it is not always the technically brilliant image that the judges seek. Rather an image that invokes an emotional response (Both positive and negative). This is what I set out to achieve and I’m happy and a little proud that the judges were on the same wave length.
So, rather than criticise an image, actually consider what is behind its creation and set out to produce your own work that stands out from the crowd of fluffy, technically perfect photos.