In Pursuit

This competition has now closed.

Winners

1st
Grandfather s Love
Mahfuzul Hasan Bhuiyan
2nd
Life & Water
Debashis Mukherjee
3rd
In pursuit of nothing
Shridhar Sudhir

Commended

Humans, by our very nature, are always in pursuit of something, whether that be happiness, adventure, love, knowledge, the truth, peace, freedom, wealth, or passion. We always need something to strive for in order to give our lives purpose and direction.

With this theme we were asking for entries that depicted the act of being in pursuit. Perhaps capturing the pursuit of a perfect moment, chasing down a competitor, animals in pursuit of prey, children playing a simple game of chase, or perhaps photographs that illustrated your pursuit of the perfect lighting conditions, angle or composition.

Competition Judge

Richard Mills

Growing up in the beautiful county of Hampshire, Richard first became interested in photography at the age of 11 when he was given his first camera – a little Kodak 110 pocket camera – which accompanied him everywhere.

Richard's interest and passion for photography grew as he progressed from 110 pocket cameras to 35mm compact cameras and then bought his first SLR at about the age of 14. His passion was further encouraged whilst at college, where he had access to dark rooms, enabling him to experiment with developing and printing his work.

Photography went hand in hand with an appreciation of art and, more importantly for Richard, architecture. For several years, whilst at University, architectural photography featured heavily in his portfolio – both in its own right and as the basis for illustrations and architectural renderings.

After University, family life beckoned, and photography took a back seat, relegated to family holidays and special occasions.

It wasn’t until Richard started dabbling with digital photography as a minor part of his job that his love affair with cameras and photography was finally rekindled. His first DSLR saw his photography rocket from around 4 rolls of film a year to over 4000 photographs during his first year with his DSLR and almost 70,000 photographs last year.

His infectious love of photography led to a number of private commissions followed by his first commercial commissions (with international retailer Marks & Spencer).

Since then he has continued to seek commercial and private commissions and is lucky enough to be able to count Marks & Spencer Plc & The Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity among his corporate clients. In addition to taking on commissions, he is an active member of local camera club, having been a committee member for the past 4 or 5 years. As a result of this, he has been heavily involved in competitions within the club – both organising and judging.

Richard is never happier than when he has a camera in his hands and sees photography as a constant learning experience. He particularly enjoys food photography and architectural photography, but is open to new photographic experiences.

View Archive

Grandfather s Love

Mahfuzul Hasan Bhuiyan

First Prize

An image full of emotion. The warm colours help to emphasize the warmth of feeling between these two subjects; the love and adoration that they evidently share for each other; the laughter and smiles in the eyes of the child and the sense of pride in the adult. The background doesn't detract from the image either, with the darkness helping to focus attention on the two subjects in the foreground. Overall a beautiful image.

Life & Water

Debashis Mukherjee

Second Prize

The stark contrast of the parched white earth against the dark skin of the children helps to make this a powerful image. The monochrome presentation further enforces this contrast. The motion of the running children adds a sense of life and urgency to the image, emphasizing the scarcity of water and its importance to all life. A fantastic shot.

In pursuit of nothing

Shridhar Sudhir

Third Prize

Wonderfully captured and so aptly titled! A sharp, well composed image full of character. The sleeping otter appears to be the epitome of laziness - the dangling paw adds to this overall impression, as does the seemingly content expression on the face of the otter. The empty space to the right of the image aids the overall effect of the composition, adding to the feeling of unworried relaxation.

Challenge

Gabor Dvornik

Commended

Great image - dark, gritty, atmospheric and well exposed. It beautifully captures the moment - the sense of brooding power and aggression being shared between the opponents is palpable.

In pursuit of hope

Jophel Ybiosa

Commended

An image that really tells a story. Great detail in the foreground, where the tools and components are clearly visible, combined with the sense of decay and disrepair in the background, create atmosphere and impact. The framing and composition draw the eye to the dextrous feet of the subject.

In pursuit of enlightenment

Shridhar Sudhir

Commended

Sharp and well composed image with an air of serenity. The composure and simplicity of the subject contrasts well with the cluttered background, although the careful control of the depth of field prevents the background from being too distracting. Great to see so much detail captured in the subject.

Dreams

Dorijan Ipu

Commended

A little dark overall, but a great image illustrating the pain that sometimes accompanies the pursuit of our dreams. The subtle colouring of the background contrasts starkly with the blood on the dancer's foot bindings, and the positioning of both the dancer and her shoe work well with the overhead viewpoint, which helps to emphasize her vulnerability.