The first round of our photo competition, designed to provide an image repository available for media and promotions, Bells and Installations, closed on 15th August. With over 150 entries of pictures ranging from bells, bell parts, installations, inscriptions, and the inner workings of towers, the judges faced a challenge to narrow down the field. As well as a wealth of entries, it was satisfying to see that entrants extended beyond the UK to include bells in distant countries.
The judges for this round were Aveline Perez de Vera, who shortlisted, then ably assisted by Alison Hodge and Robin Shipp. Aveline is a Ringing Remembers recruit who has now spent around half her ringing life online! Ringing in North & East London, her home tower is Christ Church Hampstead. Aveline provides project support to the CCCBR Stewardship and Management Workgroup. Alison is the Leader of the Stewardship & Management Workgroup. She is based in Worcestershire and rings tower bells and handbells. Her particular interest is in helping to make bells a pleasure to ring, while retaining the unique character of each installation. Robin is Secretary of the Stewardship & Management Workgroup. He is based in South Gloucestershire and is Tower Captain at Thornbury. His interest is in developing the systems to help make the Workgroup responsive to the needs of ringers, especially the younger generation.
The overall standard was high, with 25 photos making it onto the “short” list. The judges would like to acknowledge how difficult it is to photograph bells in the cramped and poorly lit spaces that towers often present. While they admired attempts to capture bells in motion, artistic shots of bells, and close-ups of inscriptions and bell parts, they favoured uncluttered shots where the details of the bells and their installations would be easily discerned by a novice ringer.
Our winning photo, “The bells of Up Holland” by Phil Hope combined good lighting and composition with an interesting perspective of the bells against the tower background. It easily stood out amongst the many photos of bells in their frames that were submitted.
Our runner up photos present two different subjects: “The 2nd at Derby Cathedral” by Roger Lawson is superbly lit and simply framed, spotlighting the beautiful details on the bell, along with its 1687 date.
“Tenor bell at Arlecdon lowered into a cradle” by Ronald East was the best of the action shots, capturing the complexity and care required when moving and installing bells.
If you haven’t yet browsed through the selection of photos submitted, we highly recommend an armchair tour of the many towers and their bells – at least your clothes will be spared the dust and grease!
Congratulations to the winner and runners up and a huge thank you to Aveline, Alison and Robin for judging this first round. Vouchers are on their way.
The next round of the competition is now open and is all about Bells in Art. This could be anything from stained glass windows, kneelers, flower displays, anything that portrays a bell, but isn’t actually a bell. Please do make sure you have read the instructions fully before submitting an image. As before, images will be moderated before being published. The closing date for this category is 8th October 2021. The winner of each category receives a £50 Amazon voucher with two runners up receiving a £25 voucher each.
To see the instructions and upload your images go to https://cccbr.org.uk/competition/
Vicki Chapman
CCCBR Public Relations Officer