A stormy August evening may have forced Ballito Photo Club members online, but it did little to dampen the quality of their monthly competition.

For the first time since Covid-19, the club held its monthly meeting virtually after heavy rain and worsening weather led several members to send their apologies. With just hours to go before the meeting, organisers decided to abandon the planned in-person gathering and move online.

A scheduled talk on how and why photographers should critique their own images was postponed until the September meeting.

Despite the disruption, the August competition attracted an impressive 84 entries across a range of categories. Photographer Andre de Koker, from Napier in the Western Cape, judged the competition.

Carol Marneweck won the Mono Open category with Droomsindroom, which De Koker praised for its strong monochrome conversion, focus, lighting and contrast.

Rung Button took top honours in Colour Open with Apple Blossom Bee. De Koker highlighted the sharp focus on the bee’s eyes and the soft pink and yellow tones.

Button also won the Set Subject category, which focused on bokeh – a photographic effect which creates a soft blur in the background – with Anthurium in the Garden.

Brian Williams won Nature – No Birds with Ant Nectar, while Avril Eshmade took the Nature – Birds Only category with Water Thick-knee Drinking.

Denita Lawrence’s Fly Away with Me was the winning Scapes image, while Marneweck added a second category win with her surfing action shot, In the Blink of an Eye, in Photojournalism and Sport.

Nicolette Forbes won the Visual Art category with Viva Las Vegas, created using multiple exposure and a slow shutter speed.

John Roux’s West Coast Emptiness won the KZN Interclub Competition category for Minimalism and Negative Space. The image particularly impressed De Koker, who praised its colours, textures and composition, as well as its ability to convey a sense of emptiness through the use of negative space. It also earned Roux the title of overall senior winner for August.

Colleen Willis was named overall junior winner for her photograph Female Surfer.

Ballito Photo Club normally meets once a month at Simbithi Country Club. Interested photographers can contact Rung Button on 083 289 6806.