I was both thrilled and honoured to win the Autumn Open Print competition (mono section) at my camera club recently. Thrilled because however much it is about taking part, it is also nice to win in my book. Honoured because we have some awesome and incredibly skilled photographers in our club and it’s a real boost to see my work up there with the best.
I took ‘Angles in the Sky’ at More London, a modern business development south of the river Thames with some unique architecture. Standing between three buildings I looked directly upwards seeing shapes, light, lines and textures. Reviewing my images from the day it was an easy decision to process this one using a mono conversion. To be honest, I had no idea whether the judge would love it or hate it; modern architecture is not everyone’s cup of tea and as a genre it hasn’t always done well in club competitions. However ‘Angles’ seemed to tick all the boxes with this particular judge who considered it a strikingly powerful image. I am proud that it was subsequently chosen as one of the images to represent our club in an external intra-club competition.
Whilst I enjoy my wedding and event photography immensely, this image has confirmed the direction that I want my personal, more artistic work to take. It has reminded me where my photographic heart really lies, reaffirming my vision of creating elegant images, ’pictures with soul’.
Working in the City of London enables me to take advantage of the wealth of both historical and modern buildings. It is a photographer’s blessing that most are designed to look good on the outside as well as inside. I spend many lunchtimes wandering the streets with camera in hand really appreciating how the old and new meld together. It is this intense tapestry, with history standing tall and proud alongside the future, that makes the City such a special place for me.
Image © Carol Street
