Welcome to the firs t of the 2023 ICM challenge publications. After last year’s massive success, I have decided to organise once again, an annual ICM challenge for my creative group.
I created this ICM challenge, to offer a friendly competition within the creative group I run for all previous course attendees and mentee students. It is to encourage interaction in the group and to offer a reason to share or make photos in reaction to a prompt. Each month in 2023, a new challenge subject will be set in the group. It may be interpreted however an individual wishes, but the ICM technique must be the overriding element in the image. I have chosen an outside judge for each challenge to offer a wide variety of feedback and varying outlooks on ICM photography.
This is a cumulative competition:
• Points 1- 10 are awarded for the top 10 placings each challenge. (1st place gaining 10 and 10th place 1)
• A point is awarded to every entrant to say thank you for submitting. In December there will be an online awards evening, with some small prizes, and to celebrate everyone’s achievements.
The Woodland and Trees challenge
The ‘woodland and trees challenge is complete, and for the 1st challenge of the year, a super turnout with over 30 entries. Congratulations and a massive thank you to all who submitted and got involved. This challenge the entries were judged by the Annemarie Hoogwoud. I met Annemarie a number of years ago when I came across her exhibition of ‘The Quest’ as I was picking some framed images up in Amsterdam. From that moment on, I have been a massive fan of her work. ‘The Quest’ was a project born out of determination, commitment and love and a desire to try and put feelings and emotions into a set of images, which Annemarie achieved is a wonderful body of work.
Her work is varied, but all her ICM work has a wonderful feel to it, encourages contemplation and spending time with her images to fully appreciate their complexity and emotions. I was delighted when she agreed to judge this challenge for me. She has kindly offered a copy of her photography book ‘The Quest’ as a prize for the winners evening in December as well which I know the recipient will absolutely love, as I love my own copy.
Her comment after judging the images was:
I did the judging. It was a pleasure! Maybe you can let them know:
What an impressively high level. It was therefore not easy to make a choice from so many wonderful entries. But I still made it to a top 10. A top 10 that is very close to each other. Very well done everyone, congratulations!
As a thankyou for her time, please check out the following links to Annemarie’s work , and support her.
And about my information, if you would like to show the following, thank you: Website www.annemariehoogwoud.nl
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/annemariehoogwoud/ Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemariehoogwoud/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/annemariehoogwoudphotoart/
If you are interested in online or in person courses, please check out my website for more info www.charlottebellamy.com
I also have a You tube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CharlotteBellamycreativephotography/videos
Please email with any questions or comments Charlotte@charlottebellamy.com
Copyright remains with each of the photographers, please do not save in anyway the images from this document.
Without further ado – I would like to introduce you to your winners. Congratulations to the top 10.
Judge’s comments
This is a very strong magical and scenic image. It evokes poetry in me It’s a beautiful colour palette which gives the image a feeling of wonder and mystery. The strong red colour of the trees and the dark foreground works very well For me the image is an impressive artistic view on this month theme. The lines in the image it makes that you would like to walk into the image. A beautiful painterly image!
Ania added this information when she submitted her image. From my new mini series ‘I’m seeing red’ and yes, it’s inspired by an exploration of anger as a potentially constructive emotion. The red of the trees comes from the stop lights of passing cars. Standing in a dark field and waiting for the cars to come and illuminate the trees has been a good exercise in patience.
Winner – Ania Rolinska
Runner up – Barbara Kato Mckenzie
Judges comment
I like the look and feel of this image. As if this is an analogue printed image: the black/brown colours gives the image a sepia look, nice brown edges. The feeling of an image made with old techniques; it makes me melancholic Together with the large tree with the light background makes this my nr2. Well done!
Cronholm
Judges comment
Nr 3 This is really an outside the box and thoughtful image, especially because of the colours. I like the feeling of playfulness the image gives me, especially by the red leaves that swirl through the image. The basic colours of the trees makes that you are drawn to the leaves. The verticals of the trees and the feeling of horizontal falling leaves works very well here.
Tommy added this info about his image when he submitted it ICM + ME. From the woodlands in the royal park in Stockholm. Linden trees. Some leaves added in a second exposure.
8th Place
9th Place
Birgitta Larsson
Margaret Stapper
The other entries
Michelle Jackson
Mirriam Manners
Lorraine Grey
Camilla Rutayisire Gore
Gunilla Steen
Malcolm Brown
Colin Smith
Federica Morgan
Steve Knight
Scottee Cantrell
Angie Robertson
Christine Griffiths
Nicky Wearmouth
Dawn Westwood
Kim Stevens
Anne Kleff
Carol Hudson
Mandy Fraser
Janne Ostby
Marion Woodman
John Cuddihy
Debbie Christie
Valerie Huggins
Joy Tracey
Mary Seddon
Steve Knight
Scottee Cantrell
Dawn Westwood
