NDPS penultimate competition of the season is the print panel competition.
Members may enter two panels with three to seven images and the competition is on a knock-out basis rather than scoring.
Last year, my first time entering panels, I got one of mine into the last eight. Despite that, I didn’t necessarily feel that I would be able to better that.
Not to be defeatist but there are some very experienced photographers and panel makers / creative types in the club.
I have learnt that I need to be ahead of the submission time, both in terms of allowing time to form and create the panel but also to try and be more thoughtful.
The difference this year was that I had talked to a fellow photographer about shooting a set of panel images on a shoot.
This is a contrast to my previous panel attempts which has largely been hunting and fishing through my back catalogue and hoping I find three images that might fit.
I had three snowdrop images which I put together early on, but the middle image needed more work to tone down the brown dead leaves, and although it may be panel-compliant, it’s a dull image.
I was also contemplating a return to a panel of squirrel shots, and still have this as a back burner idea.
Panel 1 – Impressions of Spring at Happisburgh
My first panel was a set of three images all shot on a recent Happisburgh sunset shoot.
Each image was of the same scene of the lighthouse with flowers in the foreground. The first shot was a straight image, second shot was a longer shutter speed allowing the flowers right in front of the camera to blur, and the third image was an ICM shot (zoom burst).
This panel took a lot of effort. I made sure I aligned the images where the flowers ended and the lighthouse starts.
I had some problems cutting the three aperture mount board and went through nearly a whole pack before realising my cutting blade was blunt and was overdue to be replaced.
I had to edit and reprint one of the three images as needed to align the exposure and colours better.
Self-critique (pre-judging)
I am concerned about the right hand image as I think the lighthouse is positioned differently and think it unbalances the panel.
I do like the images, their small size and the colour tones.
There is not much of a story to be fair, so I don’t expect much for this one.
Judge’s verdict
The judge’s first comment was about the small size of the images but did say images didn’t have to be large. I wasn’t sure if this was a criticism or not.
They liked the creative image on the right but felt the first two images from the left were too similar.
This was the main critique point, that those two images let the panel down, and therefore there wasn’t a story.
They pondered if the third image was meant to be the lighthouse on fire, and said they haven’t been to Happisburgh for quite a while, and assume the lighthouse is still standing.
The panel did not get shortlisted.
Panel 2 – Neapolitan Beach Hut Shadows
This panel also compromised of three images from a recent casual trip to Hunstanton beach.
Below is the original mock-up.
Kathryn suggested I change the green colour to brown and create a colour sequence to that of a Neapolitan ice-cream.
With help from my daughter Chloe, I changed the colours then made up the panel.
Self-critique (pre-judging)
I’m pleased with how this panel has turned out and like the Neapolitan ice-cream colours.
It’s a quirky image.
My only criticism now printed is that the shadow on the left hand image is darker than the shadows on the other two images.
Judge’s verdict
The judge liked the shadows and the way they connected to each other.
They criticised the shadow at the top-left of the image on the left and said it was distracting, and would’ve been less so if there was a similar shadow on the right-hand image.
They didn’t have much else to say about it really.
The panel did not get shortlisted.
Reflections
With neither image shortlisted, I’ve not matched last year’s final eight achievement.
Unlike other single image competitions, I’m not too fussed about this one.
Putting a panel together is enjoyable, and some of us are going to increasingly try and grab panel images on a single shoot in future, and try to consider capturing a set of images that work together on the shoot.
Onwards and upwards…