Change

This competition has now closed.

Winners

1st
Tomasz Szklany
Destruction
2nd
Marcin Gwizdon
Untitled
3rd
Roberto Baroni
The Last Travel

Commended

The environment is certainly undergoing change as proven by recent images from NASA portraying the melting of the Greenland ice shelf and the massive building projects taking place in China.
In many ways we are changing how we interact with our environment; the speed, direction and magnitude of the change has become a concern of many.
This theme is a creative challenge to all photographers, can you capture environmental change in one photograph?
Send us your photographs which capture the idea of ‘change’.

Competition Judge

Ann Miles

Ann Miles has spent several years teaching photography, with a particular focus on nature photography, and we felt that her wealth of experience in this field made her the perfect judge for this environmentally-themed competition. In her own work, she often depicts the interaction of people, architecture, nature and landscape. Ann also sits on the Royal Photographic Society Visual Arts Distinction Panel where she serves as Deputy Chair.
Visit Ann’s website for more  http://www.pin-sharp.co.uk/
 

Tomasz Szklany

Destruction

First Prize

This is a compelling image and it is technically excellent with an interesting composition. Monochrome suits this image very well adding to the starkness of the scene. Change here is on a huge scale with the demolition occurring through the entire image. I felt that it fitted the remit in that I took this to be the aftermath of an earthquake - these are may become more frequent as the environmental changes and the earth warms. Technically it is excellent with a full range of tones from white to black but with plenty of details in the middle grey tones. The snow in the foreground shows lots of details - it would have been easy to overexpose this. Focus is maintained throughout the frame with a recession in tones giving depth to the image. Compositionally the lead in from the left along the buildings draws us into the scene; the angled debris in the foreground on the right acts in the same way leading us towards the centre activity. The low angle of taking the photo accentuates the complete devastation in the foreground. Two elements, the pile of snow on the left and the barbed wire across the sky, stop our progress into the image - normally something to avoid in a composition. But here to me it is all part of the story telling us that we are not welcome here and maybe the change for whatever reason is not welcome with the people.

Marcin Gwizdon

Untitled

Second Prize

Another excellent black and white image; although colour might have added to story of the pollution by debris on this beach, the monochrome helps to simplify an already busy image. Again we do not know the reason for this change but I am reading it as the result of a natural disaster such as severe flooding, which will become more common as the weather systems become more unstable. We have the story of a great change from what was obviously a beautiful beach to an eyesore. The presence of the figure searching the piles of debris gives great impact to the image. Technically a good monochrome image with good tonal range achieved in the monochrome processing. The camera technique is good with differential focus used to start our journey on the left at the in focus bin. We are led through levels of focus to the figure which cuts the horizon tying the whole image together.

Roberto Baroni

The Last Travel

Third Prize

My third choice represents the effects of environmental change on the planet's wildlife. Here a whale beached may be the result of early melting of the ice pack, changing water levels and ocean currents and the consequent absence of their natural krill food. A very pleasing and cohesive image drawing on a very limited palette going from the warmer front colours of the whale which stand out well against the bluer background hues, giving colour depth to the image. A very attractive sky completes the image.

Einat Shteckler

Untitled

Commended

Disappearing Mountain – Michelle Cudiamat

Commended

Reconstruction – Tomer Rottenberg

Commended

Energy Transition – Debbie Whitfield

Commended

Milko Marchetti

Untitled

Commended

Gold & Black – Susanta Mukherjee

Commended

Modern agriculture – Roberto Baroni

Commended