Close Up

This competition has now closed.

Winners

1st
Whites Tree Frog
Ian Cook
2nd
Red Knee Tarantula
Mary Auckland
3rd
After the Rain
Mahfuzul Hasan Bhuiyan

Commended

“In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
Macro photography is an extremely popular form of photography and one of the main reasons for this is the fact that it is a very broad genre that can encompass all manner of subjects. This form of extreme close-up photography, in which the size of the subject in the photograph is greater than life size, is perfect for really examining the smaller details of your subject that cannot be seen with the naked eye. It is very easy to take everyday things for granted, but when we do look at them up close it can reveal some really interesting subject matter. Common subjects for macro photography are plants, flowers, insects, food and water droplets, but the possibilities are endless. Anything, such as an old piece of wood, cutlery, stationary, electronics, children’s toys and even people can provide fantastic inspiration. Zooming in close will allow you to bring the shapes, textures and colours of your subject to life. Better still, photographs can be taken anywhere, whether you are capturing insects in their natural environment outdoors or whether you are shooting a still life scene on your kitchen table.

What we are looking for in this competition is your most creative shots. Try shooting from an unexpected angle to reveal rarely seen and surprising details. Or try using different lighting to enhance colour saturation or highlight texture. We hope that this theme will open up a whole new world of options for you as a photographer as you attempt to show us how macro photography can make every day items seem amazing. Have fun as you get lost in this small world of intimate details.

Competition Judge

JOHN TIMBRELL ARPS

John has been a keen photographer since he acquired his first camera more than 40 years ago. Once introduced to black and white photography he began processing films and producing his own prints. It was his professional background in science that attracted him to developing and printing.
Consequently, he has always had a special fondness for black and white photographs. He believes that they convey different messages and moods to colour photographs as they isolate the textures, key elements and composition of the picture.
John now uses digital cameras but only does minimal post camera alteration such as changing contrast and increasing or decreasing shadows or highlights if appropriate, and sharpening in post-production editing software.
Now retired, John is able to spend much more time exploring photography. He doesn’t specialise in any particular area of photography, but simply photographs the things he sees that interest him, be it a landscape, a small detail, people engaged in an activity or a part of a building. However, he does have a particular liking for textures, shadows, wood and small details. He likes to produce photographs which show an unexpected angle or viewpoint or a part of a whole, so it is not immediately apparent what it is. His ARPS panel was of reflections in water.
Recent projects are self portraits, capturing movement with very slow shutter speeds and street photography.
John is an active member of the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) and of Imagez Camera Club, Weston Turville, Bucks.

View Archive

Whites Tree Frog

Ian Cook

First Prize

This image immediately attracted me. It is not just a close up of a tree frog but it has an artistic and creative element. Even without the reflection the image and composition work well. The reflection adds another element of interest. The background is plain and unobtrusive and the leaf gives context and scale. The frog looks alive, moist and somehow engaged with the photographer and there is loads of detail to absorb so the focus is spot on.

Red Knee Tarantula

Mary Auckland

Second Prize

What particularly appeals to me about to this image is the view point. We often see spiders from above or below fully spread out. This feels close up and personal and the hairs on the legs are really sharp which is essential. The use of a reflective surface has lifted the image and added another element of composition but doesn't distract me from the main picture. You can just see the eyes of the spider but it is the creative aspect of this image which is important rather than a biological one. The black featureless background is also an important element adding to the menacing feel!

After the Rain

Mahfuzul Hasan Bhuiyan

Third Prize

This is a very different image and had immediate impact when I was looking through all the images. It is simple but well observed (water drops on window glass) and the focus is very crisp with the sharp smaller drops adding nice texture. The larger drops have interesting shapes too. The diagonal lines add a sense of movement and interest, the bands are not totally regular and the white areas (clouds perhaps) also add interest. The overall pale blue colouration I think works too.

Her Eyes

Bruno Coelho

Commended

Eyes are always a point of interest in a picture and this eye has interesting detail in the iris and there are reflections in the eye of interest too. The eyelashes are reasonably sharp too. This image has impact and was another which stood out to me from all the images.

Crested Gecko

Ian Cook

Commended

Although close up pictures of geckos are quite common, this one is more than an image of an animal as it has composition. It looks like an live animal and the licking action adds to this and adds interest. The focus is spot on and so there is a lot of detail such as the water drops on the eyeball.

Globe Thistle Colour Explosion

Mary Auckland

Commended

This image really intrigued me. When you enlarge it you can see an amazing amount of detail. So it is visually stimulating because of the colour treatment and a really unusual close up.

Skipper

Partha Pratim Saha

Commended

Butterflies are often the subject of close ups, because they are colourful. What appealed to me about this one is that its colour and pattern is not the object. What I like is the viewpoint concentrating on the head. The background is suitable unobtrusive but the butterfly is standing on coloured flowers which gives the image composition.