The Irish Times Amateur Photographer of the Year
As with any committee deliberation there was give and take and there were winners and losers. By the time we nailed the winner of the colour section there was a constructive dynamic in the room. We moved on through the other categories with a better idea of what we were looking for: something visually striking, fresh and done very well.
After we picked the winners and the runners-up in each category we turned to the Photograph of the Year and overall Irish Times Amateur Photographer of the Year awards. We chose Shadow Man, by Aideen McFadden, as Photograph of the Year mainly because it intrigued us. It has a wonderful mysterious, almost end-of-time quality, and strange and beautiful lighting. We chose Amaia Arenzana as Irish Times Amateur Photographer of the Year quite easily: her work jumped out as having a consistent vision and style. There was a sense of continuity that was quite different from some otherwise good work in which common themes were being repeated.
Given the quantity and quality of the entries, we inevitably had to leave some great images on the cutting-room floor. And any one of us judges might have picked different images. But I believe that our final selection is fair and shows the depth and scale of talent among Ireland’s amateur photographers.
Full list of winners
Photographer of the Year:Amaia Arenzana
Best Picture of the Year:Shadow Man by Aideen McFadden
Colour:
1st God In The Lane by Mike Finn
2nd Boora Bog Parklands #1 by Bob Morrison
3rd China: Bus Park by Michael O Grady
Monochrome:
1st Shadow Man by Aideen McFadden
2nd Nude by Joby Hickey
3rd Dissolve by Mads Bruun
Open:
1st Ad Infinitum by Amaia Arenzana
2nd Into The Mist by Philip Sliney
3rd Dreaming In Colour On AW by Amaia Arenzana
Nature:
1st Synchronised Snacking by Des Cannon
2nd Sparring Egrets by Kieran Phelan
3rd Food For A Long Journey by Norma Gleeson
Travel:
1st The Train To Rosslare by Aoife Hester
2nd Desert-truck-stop-Yemen by Bronwen Casson
3rd Dubai Skyline by Declan Kilcourse
Portrait
1st Daria by Ferdinand Von Korff Schmising
2nd Harry by Derek Byrne
3rd Face by Ann Francis
Source Category
1st Empty Spaces by Claire Duggan
2nd Folk Souls by Cristiano Del Mar
3rd In God We Trust by Alistair Waddelld
