Competitions

The theme for the August photography competition was ‘Scapes’:  a representation of land, sea, seashore or urban environments that captures the aesthetic appeal of these outdoor settings.  We had 19 entries this month. 

1st place:  Fiery Sunrise by Brenton Elsey, Newcastle. 

Clare says:  The exceptional sky provides strong visual impact, with the reflected colour creating a cohesive palette.  The sweeping shoreline gives excellent depth and leads the eye naturally into the scene. 

2^nd place:  An Idyllic Escape by Dianne Williams, Newcastle 

Clare says:  Excellent coastal landscape with the sweeping tree branches creating a strong natural frame and the sandy path leading the eye directly towards the beach and ocean. The vibrant colours, layered foreground and turquoise sea create a strong sense of place and invitation, although the large dark branches dominate slightly and compete with the seascape. 

3rd place:  Magical Lord Howe by Judy Wallace, Newcastle 

Clare says: Excellent use of the Norfolk Island pines as a natural frame around the spectacular landscape. Strong sense of place, depth and layering; the turquoise water provides a compelling focal area. 

Unplaced: Fjordscape Norway by Cynthia Langley, AUSOM 

Clare says: Lovely golden-hour light on the foreground rocks contrasts beautifully with the cool water and distant landscape. Strong foreground texture, although the enormous cloud mass dominates slightly too much. 

Unplaced:  Mists of Protesters Falls by Gerry Eastwood, Newcastle 

Clare says: Beautiful atmospheric quality, with mist and filtered light creating depth through the forest. The waterfall gives the image a clear visual destination, although the foreground is slightly busy. 

Unplaced:  Fairy Chimneys of Turkey by Deirdre Eastwood, Newcastle 

Clare says:  Outstanding sense of scale and an inherently fascinating landscape, with excellent repetition of the rock formations. Strong detail throughout, although the composition could benefit from a slightly stronger foreground focal point. 

Unplaced:  At the going down of the sun by Lindsay Threadgate, Newcastle 

Clare says:  The silhouettes of people create a strong human element and give the sunset a story rather than being simply another sunset photograph. Beautiful golden light, although some foreground figures merge together and become slightly confusing. 

Unplaced: Sunset Brilliance by Marjorie Stanton, Newcastle 

Clare says: The sunset is beautifully captured, with the warm golden light reflected across the water and the silhouetted trees creating a natural frame around the scene. The small boat is particularly effective as a focal point and provides scale, while the layered trees, water, distant land and sky create a genuine sense of depth. 

Unplaced: Stormy Beachscape by Carmel Smith, Newcastle 

Clare says: Excellent mood, with the dramatic cloud cover and subdued sea creating a convincing storm atmosphere. The beach/sea curve gives good depth, although the large dark foreground occupies considerable space. 

Unplaced:  Tranquil Sunset by Harold Franks, Newcastle 

Clare says: A beautiful and atmospheric seascape, with the dramatic pink and orange sky reflected across the ocean and the silhouetted vegetation creating an effective natural frame.  The composition has good depth and a strong sense of place, although the heavy foreground vegetation competes somewhat with the spectacular sky and the colour treatment is quite saturated. 

Unplaced:  Serenity at Shoal Bay by Maree King, Newcastle 

Clare says: Strong seascape with the sun, reflective path across the water and silhouetted headlands creating a simple, balanced composition and clear sense of place. The warm light and textured sand add atmosphere and foreground interest, although the large expanse of relatively empty sky slightly reduces the visual impact 

Unplaced: Waterscape by Pam Doughty, AUSOM 

Clare says: Interesting capture of a dramatic urban water event, with the fountain and approaching bus creating a sense of action. The image tells a story, but the numerous competing elements make the composition less refined. 

Unplaced:  Streetscape Montreal 2026 by Annette Walker, Newcastle 

Clare says: Excellent combination of street life, architecture, vegetation and the striking mural. Lots of visual interest and a strong sense of place; however, there are so many elements that the eye struggles to settle on one dominant subject. 

Unplaced:  Just before the thunderstorm by Jan Dods, AUSOM 

Clare says: Dramatic sky and atmospheric light create a strong sense of impending weather. The architectural landscape gives context, but the foreground railing and buildings compete with the dramatic sky. 

Unplaced:  A cold morning by Sally Morton, Manly 

Clare says: The mist creates a lovely atmospheric, distinctly Australian landscape. Strong silhouettes and tonal range, but the composition lacks a really compelling focal point to elevate it above the other entries. 

Unplaced:  The Break of Dawn by Beryl Elsey, Newcastle 

Clare says:  The dramatic sun/cloud combination provides good atmosphere and the ships add scale. The horizon is quite central and the dark sea occupies a lot of the frame, reducing compositional tension. 

Unplaced:  Beach Cricket by Heather Close, AUSOM 

Clare says: The human activity gives this image something different from the many scenic landscapes, and the raised arm provides a small focal point. However, the subjects are too small and dispersed, so the image lacks visual impact.

Unplaced:  Picasso Screen-scape by Barry Keen, Newcastle 

Clare says: An interesting and imaginative interpretation of “Scapes”, with the projected artwork and people creating a distinctive scene. However, it feels more like an event/documentary photograph than a strong competition landscape or “scape” image. 

Unplaced: Scapes by Bill Oldham, AUSOM 

Clare says:  The close-up reveals fascinating textures and an unusual structure, with the red and cream tones creating a strong visual contrast. However, not closely aligned to the theme of ‘Scapes’ 

Photography Challenge for September 

The theme for the September photography competition is ‘Patterns in Nature’.  Ideas might include tidal sand flats, sand dunes, spiralling fern fronds, cracked dry earth, eucalyptus bark, light refracting through ocean waves.  We’re looking for intentional composition and the use of natural light to achieve visual rhythm, balance and finding pattern and structure in chaotic environments.  The deadline is 25 September. 

Club Scoreboard 

We started this competition in September 2025, so it’s time to sum up the 2025-2026 Club Scoreboard and congratulate the winners. 

Computer Pals for Seniors Newcastle placed first with 135 points.  Their members entered enthusiastically and successfully in both creative writing and photography competitions. 

AUSOM placed second with 68 points. 

Manly Computer Pals placed third with 24 points. 

We also had a few entries from Northern Beaches and Computer Pals for Seniors The Hills. 

We hope you’ve enjoyed this year’s competition.  As Newcastle has demonstrated, ‘you have to be in it to win it’.