Thank you to all our members, students and supporters who entered their photographs for the WEA photography competition, 'Learning for Life'- the WEA's strapline.
WEA trustees selected the winning images based on their connection with the theme of 'Learning for Life', as well as their visual appeal. The first winner received a £100 voucher to spend at Jessop's photo store and there were a number of runners-up prizes such as the Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0 software.
Below is a selection of the photographs and their individual stories, entered by our members on email.
 |
1st Winner, Diane Hutchinson, Prize: £100 Voucher for Jessop's photo stores  |
|
"The photo I have sent is a lady called Kathy who I have passed many times at York on my way to various courses, I noticed one day she was reading and thought this was a great inspiration for people to read as if she can read to escape her difficulties in life anyone can. I think that's what reading does not does it only inform but takes you to place you can only dream of .When I took the photo Kathy said to me she did not want any one to think she was illiterate ( I definitely don't think that) quite the opposite in fact." Diane Hutchinson, Yorkshire. |
|
|
2nd Winner, Louise Baudet, Birmingham, Prize: Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0 Software  |
|
"Pottery photography: the hands of young and old sharing a recreational hobby and learning a new skill, demonstrates that lifelong learning is for all generations, whatever the age." Louise Baudet, Birmingham. |
|
 |
|
"Mother and son: my friend and her son both learnt karate together up to black belt. I love this photo of them practising together in the garden - shows learning a recreational family skill in a family environment." Louise Baudet, Birmingham. |
|
 |
|
"Music photo: Learning music at any early age, or any recreational skill such as singing, dancing, acting, not only has educational benefits but also develops someone as a person - and gives an opportunity to learn skills that they will enjoy throughout their life." Louise Baudet, Birmingham |
|
|
3rd Winner, Tessa Eley, Prize: PhotoBox Giftbox from the web's leading photo store. |
|
 |
"MAPLE AWAKENING is a record of the seasonal development of a tree outside my work room. I was particularly interested to record the brief but beautiful stage when the tree is in flower. I chose to send it because I feel it demonstrates the subtle changes in the growth of living things, which can be so easily overlooked without careful observation." Tessa Eley. |
|
 |
"MEMENTO MORI is a photogram made by exposing items placed on light sensitive paper, to a variety of light sources. I chose to send it because it is the result of my study of early photographic methods and the observation of the life cycle of the tortoiseshell butterfly." Tessa Eley. |
|
 |
|
"DARWIN AT DOWN is a compilation of images taken in the greenhouses at Down House where Charles Darwin lived, observed and experimented. Down House had just reopened to the public and I chose send the composition because it represents to me, his characteristic spirit of enquiry and rigour in research." Tessa Eley. |
|
|
4th Winner, Susan Buckley, Swindon, Prize: The Genius of Photography by Gerry Badger  |
|
"This is a photograph of the inner roof of the Ridgeway Round House. It was used as a subject to draw and colour using pencil, for the Art Class held at WEA, Milton Road, Swindon." Susan Buckley, Swindon. |
|
|
5th Winner, Rosemary Warburg, Herts, Prize: Image Makers, Image Takers: The Essential Guide to Photography by Those in the Know by Anne-Celine Jaeger. |
|
 |
Caption for the photo is 'A Learning Journey - from Russia to Chorleywood'. Our tutor, Lena from Russia, carrying a copy of Anna Karenina and her symbolic red bag, arrives in Chorleywood to enhance our literary learning journey here in our WEA class. (In the novel, Anna Karenina, Anna throws herself under a train and has to make a second attempt since her red bag gets entangled on the first truck and she has to wait for the second one.) Rosemary Warburg, Herts. |
|
|
6th Winner, Wendy Simons, Middlesex, Prize: 12 Month subscription to Photography Monthly
 |
|
"This is my group outside Pinner Library on the WEA Digital Photography course in May/June 2009. It was my turn to be the subject for the others to photograph, but I grabbed my camera and took them too. I'm sending the image because the course has made a big difference to the way I take photos." Wendy Simons, Middlesex. |
|
|
The photos are part of the project we were given by our tutor Mike in a WEA Art of Photography course in York in 2004. I took them as part of my "Learning for Life", rather than photos illustrating the learning process. Noel Stamp, York. |
|
Runners-up , Noel Stamp, York, Prize: Fair trade photo album  |
|
1. "Cup and saucer - The assignment was to photograph of a Cup & Saucer. I was intrigued to see whether I could turn a "straight" photograph into something more unusual, using computer image manipulation." Noel Stamp, York. |
|
 |
|
2. "Swimming Pool - Taken on holiday in Spain,to illustrate "symmetry", "trees", and "reflections". What attracted me were the reflection of the trees and lifebelt in the perfectly still pool, and the shading of the blue sky and its reflection in the pool." Noel Stamp, York. |
|
 |
|
3. " Hay Rake - Taken for a project to record "York2009". On the face of it, the relevance is not obvious, but the rake is anexhibit in the Yorkshire Museum of Farming, a tourist attraction on theoutskirts of the city, and Yorknow derives much of its income from tourism. The stark lighting from a lowspring sun seemed to accentuate the acidic primary colours." Noel Stamp, York. |
|
|
Runners-up, Stephanie Bellil, Prize: WEA Ceramic Mug
 |
|
"Reflection of people on my course with Marcel Hone." Stephanie Bellil. |
|
|
Runners-up, Irene Smith, Derbyshire, Prize: WEA Ceramic Mug
 |
|
"The photograph was taken in the butterfly house at Conway in Wales. I chose this image because I thought it represented something new that I had learned. Did you know that butterflies enjoy an orange juice?" Irene Smith, Derbyshire. |
|
 |
|
"My photograph is one of my Grandchildren taken on the beach in New Zealand. I chose this image because the best way to learn is through play (or doing something we enjoy)." Irene Smith, Derbyshire. |
|
|
Runners-up, Robert Norfolk, Yorkshire. Prize: WEA Ceramic Mug |
|
"I have attended an art class for 10 years since retiring and I find it very therapeutic." Robert Norfolk, Yorkshire. |
|
 |
|
"The first is a painting of a lion cub using soft pastels. This was an exercise in painting of a furry animal of own choice." Robert Norfolk, Yorkshire. |
|
 |
"The second is a painting of Bridgewater House in Leeds, (locally known as The Dalek Building due to its shape) using enamel and acrylic paints. This was part of an exercise in urban landscape painting." Robert Norfolk, Yorkshire. |
|
 |
|
"The third is a still life painting of Clarice Cliffe pottery painted on black card using gouache. This was an exercise in still life painting of pottery." Robert Norfolk, Yorkshire |
|
|
Runners-up, Mark Jaffé, Leeds, Prize: WEA Ceramic Mug
 |
|
"'Edna' is an image of our local WEA organiser, a lady who seems to work non-stop for the benefit of her membership and who is a keen participant in other courses and a clear afficionado of ours."
Mark Jaffé, Leeds. |
|
 |
|
"'John Projects' features John, a keen amatuer photographer and member of the WEA Art in Photography group in York. Here he is seen setting up an OHP display of a recent photography trip abroad held on a connected laptop." Mark Jaffé, Leeds. |
|
 |
" 'Conversations' - was taken at the end of our most recent camera-group meeting in York and shows two very keen and active male members of the group together with one of the female members in a learning environment, with expressions that sum-up the ethos not only of the group, but the WEA too, I like to think." Mark Jaffé, Leeds. |
|
|
Runners-up, Sharon Mans, Coleg Harlech WEA Gwynedd, Prize: WEA Ceramic Mug. |
|
 |
"Happy learner: I like this photo I took of a friend and fellow student. You can see the joy on her face- she had just successfully passed her first term examinations, it was a perfect day on the beach. All the stress of leaving her family , speaking and studying a foreign language(hers is french) and the fact that, once she has finished this year , her future is much more certain and she will be a credit to her community!" Sharon Mans, Coleg Harlech WEA Gwynedd. |
|
 |
"Garden: This a little bit of heaven, quite close to the Art Studio, which provides a much-needed bit of tranquility and inspiration on occasion." Sharon Mans, Coleg Harlech WEA Gwynedd. |
|
 |
|
"Identity: For our first term assignment in Core, the theme was 'identity' and felt my photo imbodied a certain ambiguity with regard to our personal identity- one of the reasons I am studying at Coleg Harlech is to help me define my path for the future." Sharon Mans, Coleg Harlech WEA Gwynedd. |
|
|
Runners-up, Tim Mickleburgh, Grimsby, Prize: WEA Ceramic Mug
 |
|
"The image shows an adult education class in the Macaulay Area Action Group Hall, Grimsby. The tutor is dressed to fit in with the historical period being covered." Tim Mickleburgh, Grimsby. |
|
|
 |
"The Gravel Path - I chose to submit this photo because it represents life, life is a journey, and the farther you go in life you find yourself going down a continuous path and this path contains things such as obstacles which are represented in the rough terrain, gravel. But also this path holds things much greater which we hold dear to us, which we walk this path for, those momentous occasions or successes, and those are the bridges to life." Kimberly Wright. |
|
|
|
|
 |
"A photo of me and my niece when I visited her in Belgium where she lives. We found a common pleasure in painting. It shows that learning crosses generations and countries and can bring people together. Sitting side by side connected to each other and the subject matter, I was amazed at the concentration of my niece so evident on her face. As an ex- teacher it also connected me again to the pleasure of teaching and learning. We were both motivated do more art by this experience." Clarissa Bird, Eastbourne. |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
"3 pictures from rehearsals at my college, i go to a performing arts college called the SPACE (Somerset Performing Arts center for education) the 3 pictures are from the rehearsals of our most recent show "ignition" and were used in the program." Cameron J Smith, Somerset. |
|
|
'Studying Compost Creature' |
|
Taken on a site visit to a permaculture garden during the permaculture design course in Frome during 2008. The group was so fully engaged in everything going on there & this sums up the day beautifully. David Austin from Aranya Gardens, Devon. |
|
'Studying Soil' |
|
Taken during a soil observation activity on the Ourganics permaculture design course this year. The practical activity reinforced the theory we had looked at during the morning, the photo capturing the focus of the group. David Austin from Aranya Gardens, Devon. |
|
'Tree planting' |
|
Taken at the end of a tree planting activity on the Ourganics permaculture design course this year. The group were soaked by the rain, but put so much care into the process of learning this vital skill. The photo captures the fun they all had, despite the inclement weather. David Austin from Aranya Gardens, Devon. |
|
|
"This field trip was the last part of a course, given by WEA tutor Philip Morris. He had presented a different view of history, from understanding the underlying rocks and rivers to humans' early use of the land and later to the Romans' adapting the contemporary occupants' sites. At Silchester they built their city on the town of Calleva Atrebatum with the co-operation of the locals, re-using the ditch-surrounded town to make a Roman city." Christina Koenig, Taplow. |
|
 |
|
Picture 1: "Field trip of the 'Romans in the Thames Valley and Chilterns', Silchester, the impressive South Wall." Christina Koenig, Taplow. |
|
 |
|
Picture 2: "Field trip of the 'Romans in the Thames Valley and Chilterns', Silchester, Philip Morris explaining." Christina Koenig, Taplow. |
|
 |
|
Picture 3: "Field trip of the 'Romans in the Thames Valley and Chilterns', Silchester, waiting for stragglers." Christina Koenig, Taplow. |
|
|
 |
|
"A sign in the buddhist garden on Holy Isle, Arran- A reminder that we can learn by looking inwards as well as out." Carol Warren, York. |
|
 |
|
"All of nature provides opportunities for learning." Carol Warren, York |
|
 |
|
"Theses 2 little girls had been sent into the walled garden at Laurieston Hall in Scotland to pick some flowers for the dinner table. One of them was telling the other the name of a flower and didn't even notice me as they were so engrossed." Carol Warren, York. |
|
|
 |
"At an antiques fair, a buyer learns about the qualities of a violin and whether it is worth buying or not.The study of violins is a life-long process. This potential buyer has been learning for many years." Dudley Charlton, Sussex. |
|
 |
"Life-long learning about casualties of war. Subject at a war memorial in Bexhill, Sussex. Learning the stark truth of sacrifice for the living .Perhaps an unusual interpretation of life-long learning, but there can be no end to learning about mourning." Dudley Charlton, Sussex. |
|
 |
|
"Learning from grandma, who also learns from the innocence of childhood. The child learns about life and for life, ideally.A charming scene with a conventional interpretation of the subject." Dudley Charlton, Sussex. |
|
|
To find out about our latest competition, log on to the members' web area by clicking on 'Membership' along the left side menu. |
