You may recall that we recently held a children’s photography competition in collaboration with Tom Sullam, the judge and co-founder of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. The competition encouraged children to ‘frame the farm’ during their visit to Godstone Farm.
You can find out more about the fantastic Wildlife Photography Awards here https://www.comedywildlifephoto.com/
It was a privilege to have such a prestigious photographer judging our competition for us and we are really appreciative of him offering us such a wonderful prize.
Thank you so much to all the children who took photos for our competition. Taking photos is a great way to create memories of special events and days out. It’s usually us adults that are ready with our phones so it’s great that you are encouraging your kids to get involved.
We are delighted that following the judging process, Tom Sullam has provided us with a winner and two runners up! Furthermore he has kindly taken the time to comment with the reasons for his choices – there are some helpful hints for all budding photographers here!
So with no further ado, we are delighted to announce the winners of the Godstone Farm children’s photography competition.
1st Place
Photographer: Daniel Norton
Image: Polish chicken.
Judges Comment: I felt this was the most extraordinary of all the images, and an extremely original and unusual way of photographing a chicken. Most people tend to go straight on, and include the whole animal, but this image really accentuated the marvellous feathering on show, turning the image into a huge splash of colour, and taking the standard animal portrait to a new level. You only see the chickens face once you have studied the image, and that final twist is what makes the whole capture so good. It is well seen, well composed, and glorious!
Congratulations Daniel, what a fantastic shot! You and your family have won an exclusive private photography lesson with Tom Sullam. We will be in contact with you regarding your fantastic prize and we look forward to hearing all about it!
Runner up:
Photographer: Donnacha Proctor
Image: Tamworth pig
Judges Comments: A much more classic animal portrait, that takes the viewer into (quite literally) the pigs world. The muzzle covered in mud, and the thick, gloopy mud that you can literally feel when looking at it work together to make the pig seem completely at ease and comfortable. The angle of the pig however is what is important in this image. It is not straight on, and the animal is seemingly turning, which adds a sense of movement and life to the whole image.
Runner up:
Photographer: Emily King
Image: Piglets
Judges Comments: This image is strong for two reasons. Firstly the very limited palette of colours, which works in favour of the image rather than against it. The hugely contrasting black and white of the pigs stands out against the flat greys and yellows. Secondly the single pig who has dared put his / her head up for the shot, raises the interest of the image beyond what it would have been had all piglets been asleep. Together they form this wonderful circle, always a pleasing shape in any image, and it is this shape that holds the picture together.
Donnacha and Emily have each won a meerkat experience at Godstone Farm, we will be in contact with you regarding your prizes and can’t wait to hear how much you enjoy your experiences!
Massive congratulations to these budding young photographers and thank you to everyone who took the time to enter our competition. A great big thank you to Tom Sullam for judging our competition and providing such an amazing prize!
