Photo Competition - Bangor Science Festival

This is the second year I've been involved as judge for the Bangor Science Festival Photographic Competition, and it's always a delight to look through the entries. One of the main reasons I enjoy it is that the competition is solely aimed at kids, and so instead of seeing clichés and technique orientated images, you tend to get honest observations from a relatively innocent perspective.

L-R: Ellen Thomas; Glyn Davies; Elliot Gibson; Catrin Round;  Naimh Hetherington

With the brief obviously trying to engage kids with observation of science and nature in their every day environment, it's lovely and sometimes funny to see what they see, and can even remind us of the innocence of vision WE used to have!

My comments as a judge are of course my adult perspective on the subject, which will be influenced by all my own experiences and observations, and may reflect little of what the child saw, but equally, with these bright kids, there may well have been much shared awareness. My comments are the reasons why I selected these particular images, as a judge.

This year there were actually slightly fewer entries but the quality overall was possibly stronger across the age groups, and I was quite happy to select the winners I did.

There were two categories, Primary School and Secondary School.

The winners were as follows:

Primary School

First Place

"Knock Knock Who's There" © Niamh Hetherington

Judge's comment:

As Niamh says, there is just wonderful humour in this image, the fact the goat has walked up the steps to the door of the house and turns to look at us as if to say "What, you never seen a goat coming home before ?"

In terms of the competition, science, man, nature, I like the incongruity and the juxtaposition of the 'outdoor' animal and us 'indoor' humans. I enjoy the contrast between the stark white featureless concrete walls, and the soft, living, animated creature on the door step. It also shows how we hide away and defend ourselves from the elements and nature itself, cosy and protected in our electric lit, heated homes (well us lucky ones anyway). Yet outside, most wildlife endures whatever hardships are thrown upon them.

Second Place

"Autumn Day" © Ellen Thomas

Judge's comment:

For many of us, since our earliest memories are triggered, looking UP at the world is something we used to marvel at, but as we get older we spend so much time just looking backwards and forwards. The simple beauty of the rusting leaves against clear skies, free from man made structures of buildings and pylons and clutter, is a wonder that many take for granted. We should learn from our kids once again, and to recognise the simplest and most profound importance in the magic of open sky above us and the beauty of natural things.
 

Secondary School

First Place

"Water in the Mist" © Elliot Gibson

Judge's comment:

A really strong shot with lots of wonderful contrasts between man made and nature, sharp and soft, movement and stillness, light and dark and judging by the low afternoon light, even the shift between night and day. In terms of science, the technological harnessing of natural forces as energy in a beautiful rather than visually and environmentally destructive way, is inspiring and shows man's ingenuity. If only all energy production could be kept so harmonious with landscape we'd be laughing. There is something else within this subject which is why it was the winner, and that is the atmosphere within the shot, the mood, the delicacy, you can almost sense the spirit of the place just from this photo. Those who manage to capture spirit of subject beyond just the visual, will always gain my respect.

Second Place

"It's Cold and I'm Hungry" © Catrin Round

Judge's comment:

This is a VERY striking portrait. It is all too easy to distance ourselves from the food we eat and the lives it comes from. Our neatly shrink-wrapped polystyrene trays of lamb or mutton on the supermarket shelf was once that living, breathing, seeing, feeling creature in the field. For many of us who live in the countryside, perhaps we are more conscious of where our food comes from, but a shot like this really forces that fact home. The sheep has a coat designed to keep her warm, to protect her body, to keep her alive. She huddles alongside others in the winter snow for added warmth, and I'd assume, company - all enduring the hardships because life is potent, the will to live, to breathe, to be part of life on earth - regardless of the fact man has bred them.

So in this powerful shot the bright yellow plastic tag reminds us that this fascinating, warm looking creature is tagged for a purpose, and as she looks at us looking at her, as she sniffs the air to smell us, there is the unavoidable awareness that she is only there because of us and for us, and at our command, she will be no more, which is a sobering thought.

The images are on currently on show at the Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery in Bangor.