Each year Paul Robinson, the founder of Caulfield Photographic Society sets members a challenge to compete for the perpetual trophy on offer. This year was a challenging subject - Vanitas Still Life. This is a symbolic work showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. It often has contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death. It was a common genre during the 16th and 17th centuries that has also been created at other times and in other media and styles. Common vanitas symbols include skulls, which are a reminder of the certainty of death; rotten fruit (decay); bubbles (the brevity of life and suddenness of death); smoke, watches, and hourglasses (the brevity of life); and musical instruments (also symbolizing the brevity and ephemeral nature of life). Fruit, flowers and butterflies can be interpreted in the same way, and a peeled lemon was, like life, attractive to look at but bitter to taste. These can be classical or a more modern interpretation. Members rose to the task with some very creative images.
May 2022 Competition Winners
Take a look at our May 22 winners with a Nautical theme. We looked for inspiration in life at sea, trade, ships, sailing, sailors, navigation equipment and ports.
IMAGE OF THE MONTH
OPEN
SET SUBJECT - NAUTICAL
March 2022 Competition Winners
This month our Set Subject is “High Key” . This is a style of photography having mainly bright or pale tones. Shadows can exist, but are minimal should not dominate in any way. We had a mix of both colour and monochrome images across a number of genres
IMAGE OF THE MONTH
OPEN
SET SUBJECT - HIGH KEY
February 2022 Competition Winners
In our first club competition for 2022, our Set Subject was Contrast. We encouraged to explore this in the concept of “difference”. eg light versus dark, big versus small, old versus new or young – you get the idea.
Image of the Month
Open
Set Subject - Contrast
December 2021 End of Year Competition
2021 was a tough year for photography. With all the lockdowns, photo opportunities were often limited to our own back yard. This theme runs through many of the winners, either in the subject, location or inspired creativity. Field trips too were mostly cancelled, replaced with “virtual” field trips where we took photographs on nominated subjects locally according to the restrictions at the time. One of these had a subject of “Eggs”. where creativity came to the fore with two of those images amongst the 2021 winners. Take a look for yourself.
Monochrome Print 2021
Portrait Print 2021
Nature Projected 2021
Open Print 2021
Field Trip Projected Image 2021
Open Projected 2021
John Commin Memorial Landscape Trophy 2021
This is a print competition only, with a winner only
November 2021 Competition Winners
November was our last competition for the year except for the upcoming End of Year event. It was notable because 2 inexperienced judges sat alongside one experienced judge from the club.. It’s a chance to put your skills and confidence to the test, scoring and commenting on the entries. Along with the Open subject competition, the set subject of Unusual Viewpoint tested the judges mettle.
Image of the Month
Open
Set Subject - Unusual Viewpoint
October 2021 Competition Winners
In October the Set Subject was Motion Blur. There can optionally be ,sharp and distinct elements as long as there is significant blur somewhere. Techniques could have included panning, intentional camera movement, unintentional camera movement, subject movement and zooming during exposure.. Take a look, including winning images from our Open competition.
Image of the Month
Open
Set Subject - Motion Blur
September 2021 Competition Winners
In September we tackled the Set Subject competition “Give me the Night”. Not twilight, not blue hour, night. Take a look at the winning entries along with those from our Open Competition.
Image of the Month
Open
Set Subject - Give me the Night
August 2021 Club Competition Winners
This month our set subject is Bokeh / Selective focus. This aims to present a high degree of selective focus to isolate the subject, or where the quality of the out of focus areas of the image (the bokeh) are an important part of the image presented.
Image of the Month
A Grade Open
Set Subject - Bokeh / Selective Focus
July 2021 Paul Robinson Competition Winners
Each year Paul Robinson, the founder of Caulfield Photographic Society sets members a challenge to compete for the perpetual trophy on offer. This year, as we are spending a lot more time at home, Paul chose Still Life, with the important elements to focus on being the arrangement of the objects, lighting and the symbolism.
Image of the Month
Print Competition
Projected Competition
June 2021 Club Competition Winners
After a year when isolation has taken on new meaning, we tackle this as our June 2021 set subject. Images interpret the theme of isolation, but do not have to relate to pandemic isolation. For example, it can explore isolation such as minimalism and use of negative space.
Image of the Month
A Grade Open
Set Subject - Isolation
May 2021 Club Competition Winners
Blue can be a colour, feeling or even a musical style. Mmebers interpret “Feeling Blue” for out Set Subject competition.
Image of the Month
A Grade Open
Set Subject - Feeling Blue
April 2021 Club Competition Winners
Where there is smoke there is fire right .. maybe not, at least for our April 2021 Club Completion. We took a relaxed approach; If it looks like smoke, it is smoke! It can be the main subject or an important element of the story. Take a look at how our members interpreted the Set Subject “Smoke”, along with our Open subject winners.
Image of the Month
A Grade Open
Set Subject - Smoke
March 2021 Club Competition Winners
This month, as well as our Open section, the Set Subject was Complementary Colours. These are that colours that are are opposite each other on a colour wheel. The goal was to prominently feature one pair of complementary colours, whilst remembering composition and story. Here are the winning entries
IMAGE OF THE MONTH
A GRADE OPEN
SET SUBJECT - COMPLEMENTARY COLOURS
Club Successes in 2019
Caulfield Photographic Society enjoyed considerable success in 2019. We are a small club with less that 50 members but we have some excellent photographers. Many have been involved with the club for a long time whilst others joined as beginners, enthusiasts or completed our Introduction to Photography Course. Take a look at some of the successes.