Year of the Spud - Photo Competition - results announced

The 2009 CTC Photo Competition photos are on public exhibition at the CTC - Wednesday to Saturdays, as per normal opening hours. All are welcome to have a look.

In keeping with 2008 being the International Year of the Potato - the theme was anything to do with potatoes. Although the number of entries was not high (please remember to enter next year's Comp - folks) the standard was very good.

The judge was Mrs Toni Valentine, President of the Southern Highlands Photographic Society. She chose the winning entry to be "Vincent's Potato Eaters and Lale's Potatoes" - a still life photograph by Judy Benjamin. Judy incorporated Vincent van Gogh's "Potato Eaters" painting in her photo, with a silver salver of spectacular fresh potatoes, arranged in the style of an "Old Master's Still Life" painting. Instead of Potatoes, it very well could have has a Pheasant on the silver salver, if that had been in keeping with the theme. But the rich colours of the lighting in Judy's photograph made the composition look spectacular.

Other "highly commended" photographs were:

• Cheryl Hall's - "Hot Potato", an image of a potato peeled in a way to resemble a person in a bikini.
• Ford Kristo's - "The $pud$ which fell to earth - the Wall Street Crash". I asked Ford to explain the technicalities of how he created this spectacular image of a flaming Potato resembling a meteorite. It was also very imaginative and topical.
• Lucy Palmer's - "The Last Season" a portrait of a local potato grower, leaning on his red truck.
• Judy Hollis's - "Just like a Pig in Spud" - a creative shot of a pig figurine surrounded by potatoes which are "shooting" their new sprouts.
• Janet Waterlow provided a clever diptych - two studies of "New Potatoes" - some as eggs in a bird's nest, and some emerging from cracked shells of Chook eggs. I understand Arthur missed out on his dinner as a result of Janet's rush of creativity in preparing these photos.
• Jenny Kena's entry was "Pommes de Terre" with a fine Robbo Spud amongst some red apples.
• Penny Osterhaus's entry was entitled: "Mummy where do Potatoes come from?" - an imaguinative entry of a plastic bag of potatoes (complete with bar code) being dug from a paddock. A comment on consumerism, of course.
• Penny Levett's photo was called "Field of Spuds".
• Anni Heino kindly agreed to include in the exhibition a photo she had previously had on exhibition at the CTC, of children exploring the Potato Pathway at the CTC, which is of course, part of Celeste's installation at the front of the CTC. For topicality alone, this photograph warranted special consideration.

I wish to mention our Sponsor for 2009, which was Harvey Norman Moss Vale - Electrical Goods store. Troy Ettridge, the Manager, was very generous in providing a prize of $250 worth of photographic printing - from his store at Moss Vale. Judy was looking forward to taking lots of photographs which she will get printed by Troy over at Moss Vale - Harvey Norman.

I wish to thank Toni Valentine for judging the competition. Although the numbers were not great, it was good to have a group of very good photographers together at the CTC for a relaxed afternoon.

Thanks to all entrants, the CTC (of course - for hosting this event), our judge and our Sponsor.