May arrives! May, the month of long warm evenings bringing the promise of good conditions for photography in good light. A month with Maypole dancing and Morris Men as we enjoy a Bank Holiday or two!
A month which concludes our season for 2025/2026. An important month for Ashbourne and District Camera Club when we reflect on the whole season and start preparations for the new season to come. May brings perhaps the most important event and most eagerly awaited Image of the Year (IOTY) judging and results. Our own little Oscar ceremony to come, when the best images are celebrated and their photographers receive their trophies for their images.
A chance to get together at the Club Dinner, this year at Rabbit and Stitch in town to congratulate, as a club, all those who were awarded trophies for their images.
The very experienced and successful photographer, Ralph Duckett, judged our IOTY selection this year. He was very respectful and complementary about our images offering some really useful comments and suggestions for improving them in future.
As a result of his deliberations IOTY in both Digital and Prints went to John Riddy with a digital image titled High Contrast and to Frank Hobbs for a print titled Well Dressed Puffins. John’s image was a carefully constructed portrait of a former member and Frank seized a rare opportunity to capture Five Puffins together, Well Dressed Puffins, taken in Northumberland and certainly well dressed!
Congratulations to them both and to all the other members who received trophies and of course to all our members who entered their images into all our club competitions over the season 2025/2026. Congratulations to all of them for their images and work to support the Camera Club and to further the pursuit of photography. Thanks must also go out to Jackie Sellers, who once again arranged the presentation dinner and to our Chair Taryna Herbert who presented the trophies.
Attention now turns to Ashbourne Show on 16th August 2026 at the Polo Ground in Osmaston. This gives us a chance to meet all our readers and to show more of our images. More detail to follow nearer the date. It’s also a chance for you to join us and become part of the club. Ask us any questions you may have, talk about your own photography, perhaps even join us as a member?
All our IOTY images are here or find us on social media.
Next year, “It could be YOU”.
