Hundreds of photographers converge on Bristol for a marathon photo event to record a day in the life of the city
Hundreds of photographers from all over the UK and beyond descended on Bristol last week to record a day in the life of the city. Amateur and professional photographers from Oxford, Newcastle, London, Yorkshire, Wales and even Hannover in Germany came to stay in Bristol to take part in Art Ventures' exciting new format, 24 hour photography competition.
All around the city, photographers bristling with lenses, tripods and large camera bags could be seen rushing around capturing images of the city at work rest and play over a 24 hour period from midnight on Friday 18th October to midnight Saturday 19th October.
On the Saturday morning, ten hours into the competition, the Lord Mayor of Bristol, Councillor Faruk Choudhury, met some of the photographers who were visiting the competition HQ at The Guildhall, in the heart of the old city, to wish photographers good luck with their marathon photographic challenge before they headed off around the city in search of award-winning photo opportunities.
Photographers entering the 24 Hours in Bristol competition were randomly allocated an hour of the of the day during which they had to take at least one of their entry photographs, which will result in a fascinating hour by hour profile of a day in the life of the city.
Over 1,200 photographs have been registered for the competition and are due to be uploaded onto the 24 Hours in Bristol website by midnight on Wednesday for judging. A huge range of subjects and photographic techniques will be on display, from time-lapse photography to 'painting with light', multiple exposure images, street photography, portraits, landscapes and abstract effects, demonstrating a vast array of talent and a love of their subject matter - Bristol.
The photographs will then be studied by the 24 Hours in Bristol judges, which include the Royal Photographic Society, Amateur Photographer Magazine, international portrait photographer Annabel Williams, the Group Picture Editor of Bristol News & Media and the Head of Destination Bristol, which is offering the front cover of the 2014 Bristol Visitor's Guide brochure for their favourite image.
Wards Solicitors has sponsored the 09:00 - 10:00 and 20:00 - 21:00 hours and the team here has really enjoyed reviewing the entries. Judges will have a week to choose their three favourite images taken in each hour hour of the competition plus three overall winners. There will be a first prize of £3,000, including a top of the range Olympus E-PL5 VF4 camera kit, a second prize of £1,000 including a £500 London Camera Exchange voucher, and a third prize of £500 sponsored by City Sightseeing Bristol.
The winners will be announced at the end of the month, with a prize-giving ceremony in November and all 72 of the winning photographs will be displayed at a free exhibition at The Guildhall Arts Centre in Small Street from Saturday November 16th.
Keep an eye on this blog for a preview of the Wards Solicitors sponsored hours' shortlist.