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WSRA Annual Photographic Competition 2007


• Annual Photographic Competition 2007

The Taunton Group of the West Somerset Railway Association held their Annual Photographic Competition at the GWRSA in Taunton on Monday 8th January. During a lively evening 91 prints and 75 slides were judged by Mr Don Bishop, ARPS, a professional photographer from Highbridge.

Overall winning entry was judged to be a striking view of Peter Waterman’s locomotive 5553 by the sea near Blue Anchor by Tom Adams. This was also awarded the best entry of a scene on the West Somerset Railway.

Tom Adams won First and Second Prizes in the Heritage Railway section of the prints, with steam scenes from South Devon and Scottish Highlands; Peter Darke won the Modern Railway section, with a Swiss mountain railway scene, with Tom Adams again second with a ‘Blue Pullman’ mainline British scene; and in the Non-Railway section, Peter Darke won First and Second Prizes with a Swiss alpine scene and a contre-jour scene from a gateway at Curdon Mill, West Somerset.

In 35mm slides, Alan Randle won First and Second Prizes in the Heritage Railway section, with views of steam trains on the West Somerset Railway, taken at Kingswood and at Nethercott; Quentin Hawkes won the Modern Railway section with a view of freight train action in California, and Alan Randle took second place with a night view of activity at Penzance; and in the Non-Railway section, Mike Pollard took First Prize with a view of the PS Waverly at Minehead Harbour, while Alan Randle won Second Prize with a striking night view at Westonbirt Arboretum. The best scene from the West Somerset Railway was voted a view of 850 Lord Nelson, which was on loan from the National Railway Museum, at Castle Hill, near Williton, taken by Alan Randle.

The audience were also invited to judge the entries independently, and their opinion was generally well in line with that of the professional photographer. However, they judged the best Heritage print to be a view of 73129 at Nethercott, on the West Somerset Railway, by Claire Rickson, with Malcolm Anderson’s view of Somerset and Dorset Railway No 88 at Bishops Lydeard second; in the Modern Railway and the Non-Railway sections, their judgement concurred with the official judge. The audience’s choice in 35mm slides followed the judge’s opinion in all sections.

WSRA 9 January 2007


• Overall Winner and Winning Prints

Overall winner

Heritage First		Modern First

Heritage Second		Modern Second
Audience favourite		Non-rail First


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