Master Photographer of the Year Awards

Last weekend Janet and I were in our best bib and tucker at the MPA Awards at the Hilton Hotel in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. We had a great time meeting up with old friends and I can now officially claim to be a finalist in the awards and an Award of Excellence winner in the Under 5s! Winner of the Under 5s category though (and also the Portrait category), was last year's Master Photographer of the Year Lisa Visser from West Sussex, with two beautiful images from her successful 2009 fellowship panel.

Well done to Lisa and to all of the other category winners. You can view the winning images at http://www.thempa.com/

Hopefully we'll be there again next year....

Misty morning in the Forest of Dean

I was pleased to find out today that I've picked up a Gold Award in the May judging of the SWPP monthly on-line print competition. I captured this shot early one autumn morning in the Wye Valley, between Monmouth and Symond's Yat (one of our favourite areas for short breaks).

Travelling light, I shot this on my Canon G9 compact, an ideal camera for slipping in my pocket on an early morning dog walk. Misty effects like this don't last long - between the sun peeping over the edge of the valley and the mist vanishing was literally a matter of minutes. Proof, as if it was needed, that it's worth getting up early if you want to capture landscape photographs with a difference. Just don't forget the camera!

A Successful Night

Janet and I had a great night at the North West Professional Photography Awards dinner last night. As well as catching up with lots of our photography friends I was thrillled to pick up awards in three different catogories, including a Gold......

No apologies for posting this image of Keirin racing at the Manchester Velodrome again - it gained me the Gold Award and the title North West Professional Press and Events Photographer of the Year (try saying that after a celebratory glass of champagne!) :

Pipped at the post - the Silver Award in the Environmental Portrait Category for this shot entitled 'Lost In Thought'. I captured this moment during a family photoshoot on a blustery Formby beach : And finally, a merit award in the Under 5s Portrait category :

Highlight of the evening was a moving presentation by our good friend David Williams from Melbourne, Down Under, on the importance of family photographs and why we often don't appreciate the significance of them until many years later. More on this subject and my own thoughts at a later date.