At long last, and thanks everybody for your patience, here are the results of the 2009 photo competition!

We spent ages working through them all, the standard was very high this year, so high that it necessitated adding an extra prize category for the most commented photograph, and in truth I think everybody deserves recognition - we just can't afford enough prizes!

So thank you everybody who entered, I hope the results are well received and look forward to running the competition again next year :thumbsup:

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1st Prize

StenLight S7 (Rebel 70 / Battery / Charger)

JonK- Box stone mine, a fine crane

A technically fantastic underground photograph, perfectly composed and wonderfully lit, with just the right amount of shadow and no burnout (difficult to achieve in a Bath stone mine)

🔗Box-Bath-Stone-Mine-User-Album-Image-44302[linkphoto]Box-Bath-Stone-Mine-User-Album-Image-44302[/linkphoto][/link]

2nd Prize

Fenix TK11 / Charger / Batteries (ABC Powermarine)

Roy Fellows - Cwmorthin, miners steps

It's not often you see big Welsh slate mine chambers lit as well as this, or with the depth of field, but this photo pulls it off

🔗Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-44281[linkphoto]Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-44281[/linkphoto][/link]

3rd Prize

Mining Books (Moore Books)

Sparty_Lea - stope in Brownley Hill mine

A really atmospheric shot in this stope, nice lighting and an explorer for scale, really captures the feel of the mine

🔗Brownley-Hill-Mine-Lead-Mine-User-Album-Image-157[linkphoto]Brownley-Hill-Mine-Lead-Mine-User-Album-Image-157[/linkphoto][/link]

Special "do you do that too?" Prize

ES Goody Bag (Fenix PD30 / Charger / Batteries / Meander bolting bag)

Mr Mike - Caplecleugh Low Horse Level

This is the photo that everybody when shown says something along the lines of "do you do that?" or "wouldn't get me in there", the explorers are enjoying themselves in an environment most people would rather avoid, and it really sums up mine exploration

🔗Capelcleugh-Lead-Mine-User-Album-Image-35698[linkphoto]Capelcleugh-Lead-Mine-User-Album-Image-35698[/linkphoto][/link]

Runners Up

Some really excellent photos from all around the country, the margin between these and the prize winners was so tiny, well done everybody.

MartyMarty - Hendre Spar

🔗Hendre-Fluorite-Mine-2-User-Album-Image-41172[linkphoto]Hendre-Fluorite-Mine-2-User-Album-Image-41172[/linkphoto][/link]

Edd - Long Rake Spar Mine

🔗Long-Rake-Fluorite-Mine-2-User-Album-Image-39815[linkphoto]Long-Rake-Fluorite-Mine-2-User-Album-Image-39815[/linkphoto][/link]

ttxela - Bedlams Bank

🔗Chaldon-Firestone-Quarries-Sandstone-Quarry-User-Album-Image-42050[linkphoto]Chaldon-Firestone-Quarries-Sandstone-Quarry-User-Album-Image-42050[/linkphoto][/link]

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They are all very good photos. Were any of the mentioned photos taken using affordable compact cameras? It would be interesting to know as it might encourage me to try again.

Well done everyone! Class shots there. That Box crane looks amazing on the full screen size. That one of Mike's always blows me away too, not obly because it looks great but because I imagine it was a difficult one taking such an ace pic in water that deep. Dont know how he managed to do that without drowning the camera.

Congratulations to all you guys, its all good stuff :thumbsup: 😉

My lordy!! well the best of the best won cant believe i even got runner up the standard was so high im well made up i got in there with runner up i was expecting to be slated. thanks guys and well done to the others.. outstanding photos from all heres to next year :thumbsup:

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My lordy!! well the best of the best won cant believe i even got runner up the standard was so high im well made up i got in there with runner up i was expecting to be slated. thanks guys and well done to the others.. outstanding photos from all heres to next year :thumbsup:

And I still have your memory stick! :lol:

Can you pm me your address so I can send it back!

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Just to say that the standard this year was *very* high and that we had a lot of difficulty separating the entries - as may have been guessed!

Thank you to all who entered! :thumbsup:

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Well done to everyone who entered, excellent photos all round. :thumbsup: A very difficult call to seperate them really.

Yes those shots in the water are rather hard to get, especially without drowning your camera or being too steamed up I find.

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Excellent photos, all thoroughly deserving of their prizes.
I wonder though whether Roy will be able to resist modding his TK11...

Superb to be given the extra prise! Always thought I was special 😉

All of my photos are taken with a compact (Canon IXUS 960), no longer made, but far better than the models that superceeded it, so give it a go Peter, just add a tripod and light source.

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Did you use a tripod for that pic, Mike?

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Yes, and around a 2 sec exposure. In deep water I will press the tripod against the walls, as I use a telescopic one, that has a height of only around 1.2m. Very light and very compact, I use these 2 models:

http://www.velbon.co.uk/newvelbon/pages/VTP815.html 

http://www.velbon.co.uk/newvelbon/pages/vpod.html 

I am beginning to favour the second one, as it is really light! Only down side is that they are much more fragile, but you can get used to being a bit more careful.

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Having now come out of shock, I would like to make some comment.

I am a little uneasy, and somewhat embarrassed in as much as I asked people to vote on my 3 submissions, as I said, not to get brownie points but to gain opinion on the different lighting configurations. After all, its not ones own opinion, it’s the opinions of others that count. For some daft reason, I never considered myself in the running as a prize winner. Anyway, the Fenix torch is something that I will appreciate very much and treasure for the rest of my life, and certainly will NOT be modding.

I suppose that if I had been given a Stenlight, I could easily have taken it the wrong way!

Anyway, once I have completed the development of my MagnumStar caplamp, (currently awaiting Cree MCEs from China, ETA 2017) I want to go on to developing photo lamps based on the SSC D BIN P7 emitters. The mission will be to produce low cost lamps that can be deployed by photographers in number placed exactly where they want the light. I myself am dumping electronic flash for good, and moving to this system. The big advantage is that the lighting can be deployed and then the photographer can see exactly the effect produced. I have also started using a higher sensitivity camera setting which was not possible using conventional flash.
EDIT: LOWER sensitivity, ASA 100
Heb advised me on this about 2 years ago!
I have to say that I have learned from what I have done here, as I am sure have others.

The lamps will have 2 X SSC P7 emitters in series producing up to 1800 lumens through the cheap but effective driver system I developed that is 84% efficient and allows each of the 3 separate boards to be addressed by a simple DIP switch allowing 3 power settings. Each lamp will have its own self contained 2 X 18650 Li Ion power pack. The target is to produce a simple, light waterproof lamp for about £60 to £75 being cheap enough for anyone to purchase several of these. I shall incorporate a simple fixing system like a miniature piton for fixing to a wall; the flat base of the lamp will make this easy. I have worked attempting to ‘place’ torches and it’s not easy, additionally torches produce more of a beam than a flood which makes them less than best choice for static placement.

Finally, I am sure that everyone will join me in thanking the administrators of aditnow, the sponsors and the judges for the expense, and time and effort that they put into this annual competition.

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Sometimes you are too much of a gentleman for your own good Roy. Your prize is very well deserved.
I am awaiting an operation that should see me able to actively explore for the first time in a while. When I do I hope to bump into you one day.

Edit, and congratulations to all winners and a thank you to all entrants.

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My lordy!! well the best of the best won cant believe i even got runner up the standard was so high im well made up i got in there with runner up i was expecting to be slated. thanks guys and well done to the others.. outstanding photos from all heres to next year :thumbsup:

And I still have your memory stick! :lol:

Can you pm me your address so I can send it back!

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Just to say that the standard this year was *very* high and that we had a lot of difficulty separating the entries - as may have been guessed!

Thank you to all who entered! :thumbsup:

pm sent sir 😉

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Wow, didn't expect to come anywhere 😞

A fantastic competition and prizes though, many thanks for organising it.

I think you've seen my camera Peter, it's not really a compact but it was cheap (less than £100) as I bought it as a factory re-conditioned return. I thought the lighting in your Mouldridge pictures was very good.

Oh dear. Don’t any one listen to me?

No 1 No scale
No 2 Already mentioned. Do want to see Roy’s bottom
No 3 Definitely should have been first. Could do with a little colour.
No 4 OK
No 5 No scale
No 6 Do not like silhouettes, would like to see people’s faces.
No 7 ditto

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Oh dear. Don’t any one listen to me?

No 1 No scale
No 2 Already mentioned. Do want to see Roy’s bottom
No 3 Definitely should have been first. Could do with a little colour.
No 4 OK
No 5 No scale
No 6 Do not like silhouettes, would like to see people’s faces.
No 7 ditto

well im sure everyone that took part has enjoyed the competition and its a good job you wernt judging ehh

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Oh dear. Don’t any one listen to me?

No 1 No scale
No 2 Already mentioned. Do want to see Roy’s bottom
No 3 Definitely should have been first. Could do with a little colour.
No 4 OK
No 5 No scale
No 6 Do not like silhouettes, would like to see people’s faces.
No 7 ditto

well im sure everyone that took part has enjoyed the competition and its a good job you wernt judging ehh

Agreed 🙂

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wish id put someone in it now 😉

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I am slowy coming to terms with the fact that I won and my surprise that of my three photos it was the one I would have rated third! I must extend special thanks to Ashby for his help with the lighting of this photograph (and numerous others) which was lit from two locations. I will no doubt now have to spend a considerable amount of money on Ale for him.

Peter was asking about Cameras but I genuinely belive this is irrelevent, underground photography is all in the lighting with a little help from the lens. OK I have a good camera but lets be clear its 90% lighting. Any camera with a bulb setting will do. My best ever underground shot was taken with an Olympus OM10 with a light I bought in Halfords and in those days you didn't see the results for a week. Technology has made bright lights smaller and I don't miss the lead acid battery, but it gave good results. Based on this a couple of tips for light painting might help:-

1. Paint the scene with the light source away from the camera. This will accentuate the shadows on one side of the shot but it does tend to reduce them on the other. For this reason careful lighting from two positions can give better results.

2. Backlighting i.e. lighting from a hidden source in front of the camera will add depth to the shot.

3. Always keep the light moving to keep the lighting even. What we term the "wanky" approach to moving the light helps. Note however that too large a movement will blurr edges.

4. Remember the inverse square law i.e. the light required varies according to the square of the distance, so something twice as far from the camera needs four times as much light and for three times the distance 9 times the amount of light is needed.

5. Keep practicing and don't give up. At least with digital you don't have to mave another trip into the mine to try again.

Good luck.

Thanks to all who entered and special thanks to the generous sponsors.

Jon

Oh dear. Don’t any one listen to me?

:lol: Er.. I guess not!


S'funny... I dont recall actually seeing your entry to this competition...

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