Wandsworth Park Image Captures First Prize

As winners of council-run photoWANDSWORTH ‘Story Stills’ announced

The council-run photoWANDSWORTH ‘Story Stills’ contest saw hopefuls submit photographs to act as illustrations for a new story that writer Sarah Butler created using the images as inspiration.

A judging panel consisting of photography expert Brett Jefferson Stott and Ms Butler then selected unique and imaginative entries that captured images of scenes from around Wandsworth.

After weeks of deliberation, 12 finalists – including three overall winners – were unveiled at a special prize giving ceremony on April 23 at Wandsworth Library.

Justin Ward was named the overall winner for his photograph, taken in Wandsworth Park.

From magical shots of everyday scenes to experimental images, entrants were encouraged to submit all kinds of photographs – studio-shots, computer-generated images or montages.

The key categories/scenes, which were issued to guide entrants and which formed the basis of Ms Butler’s story, were:

• Arrival of a stranger
• A secret is revealed
• Demanding an answer
• Looking for a way out
  

Lucy Courtnall scooped the Young Person award for her snapshot of a girl in Wimbledon Park	Alison Cousin picked up the runner up prize for her photo of Chelsea Bridge

Praising the final 12 shortlisted photographers who inspired her story, Ms Butler said:
“I was struck, looking through the twelve selected images, how many of them were of people with their faces turned away from the camera, or partially obscured. There was someone running in the fog, frost on a playground, the blurred edges of a scene from Wandsworth Common, a hand reaching into a bag, lost objects by the river - all of which gave me an overriding feeling of loss and mystery, of things being just out of reach and not quite knowable.

“So I started to plan a story that would explore these emotions in its plot, and in the atmosphere of the story itself. Having made this decision, I then used the individual photographs in different ways - to suggest emotion, character, plot, and location.”

Anyone wanting to see the final 12 images and discover the story Ms Butler produced can do so at Southside Shopping Centre for the duration of the Wandsworth Arts Festival – May 11 to 27 May.

Alternatively, the complete story is available to download at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/photocomp.

The competition winners were rewarded with a selection of prizes including canvas, chromolux and photo panel reproductions of their images courtesy of Snappy Snaps and Lomography products goodie bags.

The contest was sponsored by Southside Shopping Centre, The Mango Lab, Snappy Snaps and Lomography.

photoWANDSWORTH is an annual competition run by Wandsworth Council's arts and film teams. It is open to anyone - individuals or groups - interested in photography but submitted images must be taken in the borough.

April 26, 2012