BSoUP's Open Portfolio Competition 1989
Winner - Mike Wong
by Brian Pitkin
Reproduced from in focus 35 (January 1990)
At the December meeting of the Society we held our
annual Open Portfolio Competition. This competiton is open to any
underwater photographer, irrespective of whether he or she has won a
place in a major competition. Entries had to comprise six 35 mm
slides taken anywhere in the world underwater, except in a tank or
aquarium. Images which had previously won a place in a major
competition were ineligible. The idea of this competition is to see
new and exciting images, not the same award winning shots.
All slides had to be mounted in Gepe glass mounts
and spotted in the bottom left hand corner when the slide is the
right way up and the right way round. All six slides in each of the
six portfolios received were projected simultaneously with slide 1 -
top left, slide 2 - top centre, slide 3 - top right, slide 4 - bottom
left, slide 5 - bottom centre, slide 6 - bottom right.
All six portfolios received were projected three
times and the audience present invited to vote for their favourite
three. Third place with 45 points went to BENNY SUTTON. Second place
with 57 points went to LES KEMP. The winner with 79 points was MIKE
WONG. Mike was awarded a £50 prize.
The first three portfolios included double
compositions, whereas the rest did not! Mike Wong confessed that he
personally did not like double compositions and only used them to win
competitions. He appealed to the Society to run competitions in which
double compositions were ineligible.
My own view on this is that it would be difficult
to ensure that images were not double compositions. However, if
entrants were obliged to submit original slides rather than
duplicates, this would preclude the possibility of entering double
compositions produced in the dark room, although not in the camera.
Alternatively the Society could exclude double compositions from
competitions and trust entrants not to submit them, but surely the
image is important, not how it is produced- But you may disagree.
Let's have your views please. Editor
BSoUP Open Portfolio
Competition
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