The Harpenden heat of the 2024 to 2025 Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland Young Photographer Competition saw some excellent images from the young people of Harpenden. The theme of the competition was “Wonderful Water”.

The unenviable task of separating winners within the intermediate and senior entrants was kindly performed by Ali Asplin of Harpenden photographic Society. He gave us detailed analysis of every entrant’s image, alongside helpful suggestions on how to improve their skills.

Florence Hamilton took first place in the intermediate section with this amazing image.

“Wow! This photograph has real impact. The author has done incredibly well to make sure the image is sharp and the colours are absolutely perfect, with no burnt-out areas, and no reflections from the glass. That is a skilled piece of photography and a really lovely shot to get. To make this image even better, if possible, try not to cut off any of the animal you are photographing. This might mean you have to take a step back to get it all in the frame.”

Alexandra Lovell took first place in the senior section with her excellent image.

The judge’s comments were:

“This is a very accomplished piece of photography. The set up and positioning are perfect and the author has made sure they don’t have a distracting background that would take away from what is taking place. The image is sharp, the author has handled the exposure so there are no burnt out areas. The photograph has been taken at the perfect moment so that you have captured an amazing water pattern. I cannot find any fault with this image. WELL DONE!”

Many thanks go to all the entrants, but in particular to the young people of St Luke’s School for engaging in the competition with such enthusiasm.