League subject February ' Bailiwick Granite'

Members were given an excellent presentation by founder member Derek Tostevin on “How to evaluate an image”. Perhaps the most important point he made was that the photograph had to be on subject. For example this month’s image had to be of granite and not a view of fields with an outcrop of rocks included, however brilliant the shot.
  Despite the miles of lichen clad granite walls that criss cross our island, not many of this month’s competitors selected this perhaps obvious choice to represent “Guernsey Granite”. Most of us live fairly close to wonderful examples of both worked granite and rough outcrops. Our small and beautiful island boasts a wide range of reds, pinks, golds, greys and blacks which can be seen in buildings, monuments, troughs, slipways and cobbles and indeed as rocks on the beach.
Members had obviously given a lot of thought to finding a subject that was different and eye catching. Jayne Priaulx’s entry “Pebbles” was firstly bang on subject and stunning in every way. Pinpoint focussing and perfect composition made this a worthy winner. There was much discussion about the exposure on Rachel Lee’s second placed “Stone Steps” but everyone agreed that the composition was strong, giving the solid granite a flowing quality. New member Rhian Tooley chose a beautifully worn slipway to photograph. Her fine efforts placed her in equal third position. It is always very pleasing to see new members winning with their early attempts, proving that club photography competitions are not as scary as they seem! As Derek said in his talk, the acclamation or rejection is ultimately in the eyes of the beholder.
Jonathan Bartlett must have spent ages assembling his “Rock on” of three highly attractive pebbles to get him further points on the league table. His attention to detail and professional lighting effects helped to make this a dynamic image.
We had the interesting situation with three further prints sharing fifth place, Doyle Fort by Hellen Glencross vied with 'Granite' by Tessa Le Gallez and another 'Pebbles' by Ross Mansell showing the diversity possible from an apparently narrow subject.