Winter Dip Chris Palmer

Paul Mitchell FRPS

Every once in a while I see an image that makes me stop. I want to study it in more detail and I want to know more about it. My first reaction to Winter Dip was that it felt contemporary, documentary in style but also had a very visual narrative. I enjoy the muted sea/concrete colour palette, which becomes a most suitable backdrop for the brightly attired swimmers. One also has to admire the photographer’s timing, each swimmer perfectly separated, and the subtle line created by the waiting and submerged members of the group. The lady in the foreground, adjusting her swimwear, adds a focal point and aids to break up the expanse of the promenade. The selectors do not know until the end who has made an image, so I was pleasantly surprised when the name of the Gold Medal winner was revealed. Someone I know more for his wonderful landscape photography, than this particular style of work. A lesson and encouragement for us all to look beyond the obvious and to step out of our comfort zone every once in a while.

Marcus Scott-Taggart

The photograph is enlivened by the saturated colours of swimmers’ hats and costumes. However, the evenness of illumination and the subdued colour palette of the environment support the “Winter” of the title, yet only one of the swimmers looks as if she is struggling with the cold. All the others are relaxed, coping with the conditions and seeming not to notice the cold. Immediately, and probably without conscious thought, we take the message from the scene that these are hardy people, if perhaps a little eccentric. We are given few clues about the location of the water but the inclusion of the vertical reflections top left and the concrete on which the swimmers are standing hint at it being a harbour.

But the crowning joy of this photograph is the masterful composition: the winding trail starting with the lady central in the foreground, preparing herself for what’s to come, moving to the right at the end of the queue then down through the steps, following the three in the water to finish on the orange swimming cap. Without effort we have been carefully led through the photograph pausing on individual swimmers on the way to enjoy how each is coping with their winter dip. The complete image cleverly contains all the stages of the exercise in the same way that individual pictures in a flip book would take you through preparation; anticipation; semiimmersion; complete immersion; ending with striking out towards an unknown destination.

Caroline

Colegate ARPS

Chris has obtained a simple uncluttered composition from a situation that could have been chaotic. That takes skill and patience. Compositionally, there is a lovely “s” shape formed by the swimmers and this leads me gently through the image. This gentle composition is therefore consistent with what appears to be a calm day on the ocean. The bathers are starting out with the breast stroke and therefore this adds to the overall feeling of calm. The bright colours of the bathing costumes stand out well from the muted colours of the water and pavement. These people appear to be serious swimmers because even in gloomy weather they are venturing out. The inclusion of just one pair of flip flops is the icing on the cake!