This week proved exceptional for the IOM Photographic Society with our regular weekly meeting being well-attended for two super presentations, whilst on the day following, the island’s three photographic clubs met for their annual "digital battle".

The Wednesday meeting opened with a presentation by the president of the Western Photographic Society, Dorothy Flint ARPS AFIAP BPE4* - one of the most talented and highly qualified photographers on the island - and a lady who quite definitely "goes the extra mile" to get her images.

Her presentation of some 60 prints showcased some of her favourite work over the past decade or so - and included work which covered her technical transition from film based images to digital. Our audience were spell-bound with the wide range of subject matter on display - natural history, landscapes, portraits and some highly imaginative and very artistic "water portraits". My own favourites included her winter snowscapes from Iceland and Greenland - evocative images with lovely compositions and great detail.

The second part of the evening was a digital presentation by two of the club’s rising stars, Barry Murphy and Sue Leeming, and covered a holiday trip to Menorca.

The presentation was very well put together and included a brief explanation of the geography and history of the island, followed by a myriad of images showing the landscape, wildlife, flowers, beaches and towns - the photography was delightful. A very well deserved vote of thanks to all three presenters was given by club president Chris Blyth.

On the following evening, all three of the island’s photographic societies met in Peel for the Annual 3-Way Digital Battle - the one occasion in the year when all three clubs meet in competition. The Western have been holders of the title for the past two years, so had responsibility for organising this year’s event. All three clubs were required to enter 30 images each, a total of 90 images giving our judge Adrian Cowin the mammoth task of commenting on each and marking each out of a maximum of 20 points - and the club with the highest total at the end of the evening claiming the prize. Each club provided excellent images and it made for an exciting evening as running scores were being kept around the room. At the end, the IOM Photographic Society came out on top, with the Western Club in second place and the Southern close behind.

The society meets at the Art Society Building (Thie Ellyn) in Withington Road, Douglas, with all meetings starting at 7.30pm. Our next meeting on Wednesday, November 15, will include an Open Print competition. Meetings are open to the public. Full details of our programme can be found on our website at www.iomps.com.