The Isle of Man Photographic Society is a member of the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union, the federation which provides central management and guidance for all camera clubs around the north-west of England and the Isle of Man.

We receive a regular folio of winning images which have appeared in L&CPU competitions and which are intended to provide ideas for our members and to show the quality standard required for images to be ’competitive’.

As such, it always provides us with an interesting selection of shots for an evening’s entertainment, and the opportunity for members to agree or disagree with the judges as to what makes a successful imageâ?¦â?¦. with the caveat that competition images are not necessarily the same as those we would choose to hang on our walls!

Judging of images in competition at this level usually involves three judges (to ensure any personal subjective preferences are minimised), each of whom can award a mark up to five, and thus a maximum of 15 marks available.

Images in the folio will have gained a mark of at least 11, with the majority having 12 or more.

The latest folio of some 60 images included a large number of natural history shots, but also with a number of street portraits, a variety of sports shots, some quite heavily photoshopped composites, several architectural images of church interiors, and some landscapes - so a wide range of genres represented, with something certain to interest everyone.

The Isle of Man Photographic Society has always included members with a particular interest and skill in natural history - so this folio provided lots to stimulate comment.

The images were almost universally excellent in competition terms - good close-up shots with lots of detail in feathers or fur, and generally against plain or bland backgrounds so giving emphasis to the creature being featured.

But - on a personal and more critical note - perhaps sometimes lacking a context as to their habitat, and a general impression of ’sameness’ as to the poses being shownâ?¦.

What was very clear - whatever the genre of image being shown - was the very high standard required for images to be accepted into the folio, with the general comment that most were of ’very good’ club standard.

Our next meeting is on Wednesday, March 21, includes a three-way digital bBattle with the Oldham Photographic Society and Rochdale Camera Club - one of the highlight competitions in our programme and one of the few opportunities to compete with similar clubs from the other island.

The society meets at the Art Society Building (Thie Ellyn) in Withington Road, Douglas, with all meetings starting at 7.30pm.

Full membership is £30 per year, with a guest fee entry of £2.

Meetings are open to the public, and all will be given a very warm welcome.Full details of our programme can be found on our website at www.iomps.com.