R E L E N T L E S S
If you don't know about Photocrowd, it's a website where photographers post their work and enter competitions judged by the community (crowd) and/or expert judges. There are no prizes that I'm aware of, just ranking points that place you in a worldwide "league table" (I'm currently 1,791st, my highest rank was 436th).
So far, I've recieved 1,187 awards (which gives you an idea of how long I've been at it... since September 2017 to be exact). But this week, I won my first ever competition, judged by the crowd, with my shot of a storm at Portreath, titled "RELENTLESS." I've gained more ranking points from other contests (maybe due to more total entries), but I'm really pleased to have won one!
The contest, titled "Winter Storms," attracted 1,097 entries from around the world with almost 40,000 photo ratings by the crowd.
The brief, created by user Heidi K was as follows...
"This contest is for your photos showing winter storms. Winter storms can be both beautiful and devastating, with weather conditions such as wild winds and heavy snow. While they can be dangerous and scary, these winter storms can also provide some great photo opportunities."
My description accompanying 'RELENTLESS' was as follows...
"Stormy seas pummelling the "Monkey Hut" on Portreath Pier...
"Last night, with strong winds blowing, I decided to check Magic Seaweed for wave conditions at a few locations around Cornwall. My research suggested that waves of up to fifteen feet would hit Portreath at high tide... so that's where I went!
"When I arrived, I wave-watched for a few minutes to check the sets and gauge where it might be safe to set up. I chose to climb into the "Dead Mans Hut" - a place I'd shot from before which offered a little shelter from the weather and spray.
"The weather is what drew me to shoot the scene, but it was a real challenge to shoot with. I was set on using a slow shutter speed to capture the movement of the sea - but the wind relentlessly shook my camera. From around 500 exposures, only a handful were adequately sharp. I only needed one though!"
If you'd like to check out the platform yourself, head over to www.photocrowd.com
The winning photo, 'RELENTLESS', actually features in my 2023 CORNWALL CALENDAR, of which I have a few remaining. The calendar also features a photo of Godrevy Lighthouse, awarded winner of the Coastal Views category winner of the Shipwrecked Mariners Society's annual photographic competition.
