By Seb Zabarte

The House Photography Competition got underway for the first time this year. Competitors could enter two entries into two category, edited and unedited. The artists needed to relate their piece to the main theme of contrast and this was interpreted in many ways. The pieces shown here are the junior and senior winners for each category. These artists went above and beyond often using multiple contrasts within their pieces and certainly deserve recognition for their work.

‘The first House Photography Competition was really successful with 43 participants and 109 entries. Boys interpreted the theme of Contrast in many imaginative, thoughtful and creative ways. Well done and thank you to all who participated.’

Mrs Shepherd – Head of Art

Edward Levefer – Junior unedited winner

The red coat

Edward Levefer took to the National Trust Park, Linn of Dee near Balmoral to capture this eerie photo. Edward’s inspiration was the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, and clear parallels can be seen. Here, Edward uses the synthetic brightness of the jacket to contrast the muted, natural tones of the forest. The coat also disrupts the uniform vertical structure of the piece drawing further attention to itself. This perhaps represents the undertone of how the influence of man made objects pervades throughout nature, disrupting the natural order as it does so.

Haris MacNicol – Senior unedited winner

Abstract, mundane, moody

Haris’ photograph, perhaps surprisingly, was taken on a busy district line train. The photo captures how the train lights interact with the iridescent green handrail. Despite being in such an apparently mundane setting, the quality of the image is exceptional. Thus, the photograph epitomises the beauty that can be found in every day life, beauty which we pass by tragically often. The contrast here, therefore, is not only the sharp juxtaposition of the colours, but also these contrasting themes of mundane normality and abstract beauty. A thought provoking piece, indeed.

Samuel Millington – Junior edited winner

Unsettling, cold, eerie

Samuel took his photo in the Jersey War Tunnels, a former German bunker used to protect infantry from air raids. In Sam’s own words, he said that he was instantly drawn to the darkness and silence that can be found, despite its past as a safe haven for soldiers (a contrast in itself). The photo was greatly darkened, shrouding the frame and in doing so emphasising the claustrophobia of the narrow corridor. The fractal-like repetition of dark and light bands seem to stretch the end of the tunnel further into the distance, building on the sense of length created by the central framing. It is also worth pointing out how Samuel plays with the convention of the ’light at the end of the tunnel’, instead he suggests the tunnel continues forever and we cannot know what lies at the end.

Aaron Venter – Senior edited winner

Bold, moody, dramatic

Despite the professionalism of Aaron’s photograph, it was in fact taken in his bedroom, demonstrating his skill at framing and lighting. He cites Marilyn Monroe and her iconic headshot as an inspiration. The bold and colourized lipstick contrasts heavily with the greyscale of the photo, drawing attention to it. The green in the eyes is less obvious but is powerful none the less in drawing the eye up the photo, away from the focal point of the lips. Aaron wants the shot to represent the idea that makeup, no matter your gender, can make you feel more confident when you need it the most – certainly an important message. The piece also therefore, arguably, subverts the observer’s expectations surrounding gender norms, making it all the more thought-provoking.

There were also several excellent entries which were highly commended. They are here, in no particular order: