PSA – Story of an Image
“Watch out below… coming in hot!” – Skomer Island July 2024 by Gary Shinner.
Skomer is the largest of Pembrokeshire’s islands at around 730 acres. It is owned by NRW (Natural Resources Wales), and managed by The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales.
Click below to read the full story…..
PAGB Online Advisory Workshop
Would you like to participate in an Online Workshop with your PDI and Prints being assessed and discussed by a group of PAGB Adjudicators?
We already have lots of interest and hope to run this through September. You will need to upload your image files to our Central Management System (CMS) and post prints to us, probably by the end of August. Watch for a more detailed timetable soon.
Although we haven’t yet fixed dates but you would like us to look at your work, please provide your name, e-mail and answers to the following questions. Please e-mail to awards@thepagb.org.uk as soon as you can so that we can properly plan the events.
If you are registered with us, you will be contacted by e-mail with the details as soon as they are fixed and you will be given priority if there are more applications than we can handle immediately.
- What level are you interested in? (BPAGB CPAGB DPAGB EPAGB or MPAGB).
- Do you hope to apply for Adjudication in 2025 or 2026?
- If you are intending to apply soon, do you want a full potential entry reviewed or do you want to submit just a few images to determine which level you might be capable of?
- Will you wish to be advised on a potential PDI or a Print entry?
- Are you prepared to pay £10 to be advised or £5 to observe?
Please note that this does not affect our Online Mentoring Service and the PAGB Awards team will continue to support Federation Workshops when they are invited.
Recent PSA Salon Successes
Here is the list of people whom have had continued successes in PSA Salons from April 2025 to the end of June 2025.
- Paul James – Gold Medal x2 / Bronze medal x1 / Merit x2 / Judges Choice x4 Diploma x2 HM’s x7 Plus an impressive silver medal for the Architecture theme competition 2025 season.
- Kev Robertson – Jury Choice x3 / Merit x1 / Ribbon x1
- Rhodri Phillips – Silver medal x1 / Bronze Medal x1 / Diploma x1 / Jury choice x1
- Sian Davies – Ribbon x1 / Jury Choice x1 / HM’s x2
- Ian Ledgard – Gold Medal x2 / Circuit Gold x1 / Medal x1 / Diploma x1 / Merits x4 / HM’s x4
- Gary Shinner – Judges Choice x1 / Merit x1
- Tony Grubb – HM x1. But also PSA Monochrome Print of the year from 2024, judged in the last few weeks (July 2025) * A special article about Tony’s successful image appears below and will be in Newsflash very soon.
Congratulations to all members listed above, who reported back to me with their recent awards, medals and other successes in the PSA affiliated salons. If there are any other members of the PSA have some successes please e-mail me directly at gary_shinnerlrps@sky.com (note the underscore).
Anyone out there wants to find out any more about the PSA, please again contact me, I’ll do my best to help you. However you can go to their website.
Good luck to everyone with their photographic journeys.
Gary Shinner MPSA2 BPSA
PSA CMD for Wales
PSA Story of an Image – ‘The Tree’
The Tree, Llyn Padarn 11/01/2022 09:45 – Tony Grubb CPAGB BPE2* AFIAP PPSA GPU CR1*
I have been a photographer (sort of) since the late 1960s but they were really only happy snaps taken with a point and shoot. I got my first Proper camera in the late 1970s, a Zenit something and because it was manual I actually started to learn something. I bought my first Canon in the early 1980s and have never used another make since. My first Canon was an AE1 and my last film camera was an A1, in my honest opinion, the best amateur film camera ever made (still got a couple).
See the rest of Tony’s story and the image itself by clicking the ‘continue reading’ link below…
Judging Advice from the PAGB
PAGB E-News are hoping to produce an e-news special, drawing on the advice and training that Federations offer their judges so that the best ideas can be shared by everyone.
As an example, they have provided this small extract from material from the comprehensive documentation used at judging workshops in the Northern Counties. We decided to share it and we hope you find it interesting.
General Advice
Don’t focus on what’s wrong with a picture.
Analyse – don’t criticise, suggest changes but never dictate.
Don’t merely describe to the audience what the picture contains. They can already see that it’s a tree with a sky and mountains or whatever. It is much better to evaluate on the basis of –
1. Communication of an idea/feeling 50 – 60% of the value.
2. Content 30 – 35% of the value.
3. Construction (technical) 10 – 15% of the value.
1. Communiation
Statement/story, interpretation. Appreciation of all art should not, primarily, be an intellectual exercise but rather an emotional one. It is the buzz or tingle we experience on seeing a good photograph which should be at the heart of judging.
A good photographer brings out the best of what he/she photographs, as a musician interprets a composer’s work. Even the ambiguity of a picture can be its greatest asset in that it provides a canvas on which the observer can place their own imagination and feelings.
2. Content
Lighting, background, sharpness, colour, timing, movement. composition, pattern/texture, format – portrait, landscape, letter box, square etc.
3. Construction (technical)
Handling of tonal range and colour rendition. Exposure, sharpness, printing quality, choice of paper, appropriateness of colour or monochrome, use of a technique to improve the picture rather than to purely demonstrate knowledge of it. Finally does the presentation add to or detract from the quality of the picture.
We look forward to seeing the E-News Special that covers the subject in more detail. If you wish to subscribe to PAGB E-News you can do so here.
The Inter-Club Print Championships
A Date for your Diary – The 2025 Inter-Club Print Championships take place on Saturday 18th October 2025 at Croston Theatre, Westholme School, Blackburn, BB2 6QU.
Warwick PDI Championship 2025
Why not go along and see the best of amateur club photography judged live. All Camera Club members are welcome. Go along to cheer on your club, or just for a great day of photography.
Sunday 6 July 2025 – 10am to 5pm at Warwick Hall, Warwick School, Myton Road, Warwick, CV34 6PP. Free onsite parking available. Entry Tickets £15 available from https://pagbhost.co.uk (CMS login required – tickets are under the Services tab, then Event Tickets).
Masters of Print visits Wales in August
The 2025 Masters of Print Exhibition once again visits Wales. It is at Bedwellty House, Tredegar, NP22 3XN from 2nd August to 30th August.
Extended until 9th September.
Story of an Image – Do Not Tell Mummy
Below is the story of Susan Rees’ Photo ‘Do Not Tell Mummy’ and its path to a PSA Gold Medal.
Susan tells us “don’t work with Children and animals especially trying to get award winning pictures” this is the general advice given to, and by most photographers. That is unless the child is a wonderful young girl who loves posing and dressing up then you have a photographer’s dream, a delight to photograph.
Some of you will know that I have developed my photographic skills with a great deal of assistance from Paul James. I love taking portraits, and have my own studio lights but owe most of my knowledge and skill to Paul.
This session was however conducted without Paul’s assistance and so between myself, Meg Bhular and this little’s girl’s Mum, we set up the session and took many many photos of this young girl and her equally delightful sister. I used my Canon R6 with 24-105 lens
This photo has received 4 acceptances including the gold, a second photo with 3 acceptances and a third with 5 acceptances- Not bad for 1 morning session!
A massive thank you to both children and their Mum for the help.
Now I only wish I could get my grandsons to pose as willingly as these two did but I have a feeling that that is a pipedream!
Susan Rees
Info provided by Gary Shinner MPSA2 BPSA (PSA CMD for Wales).
PSA Website: https://psa-photo.org/
