Hugh scoops top award

Hugh scoops top award

11 March 2015

AN elderly woman’s careworn face has helped a Ballynahinch photographer scoop a major prize.

Hugh Wilkinson achieved the top print award at this year’s Irish Photographic Federation Print and Projected Image competition with the striking image, which was captured during a recent trip to Krakow in Poland.

Entitled ’Hard Times’, it is the culmination of a busy retirement for Hugh, during which time his photography has earned success on the national and international stage.

With her wizened face, shrewd blue eyes and a love of jewellery, the unnamed woman who caught the attention of Hugh was spotted sitting in a market square. 

“I just happened to be on a four day day break to Krakow,” said Hugh (62). “She was a stranger to me. She was very photogenic — you are not always looking for the glamorous somebody.

“I just beckoned towards her and asked could I have a photograph, then she started to talk and my wife Marian took over the conversation.

“She was happy to oblige with a photo. She spoke some English and explained that her life hadn’t been easy and that times were hard.

“It was my wife Marion who suggested I call it ‘Hard Times’.”

Hugh’s obsession with photography began when he joined Ballynahinch Camera Club 12 years ago and in 2012 he became a member of the Catchlight Camera Club, rated the top club in Northern Ireland over the past two years.

The former civil servant, who retired two years ago, now has licentiateship of a number of bodies such as the Irish Photographic Federation and the Royal Photographic Society -  and he has no intention of slowing down.

“I have Philip Kelly from your paper to thank,” he said. “I had only moved to Ballynahinch maybe about 12 years ago and saw an advertisement in one of the local papers for Ballynahinch Camera Club. I rang and later discovered it was Philip. I showed him one or two of my pieces and he said there was potential there and to certainly join the club.

“I am currently putting a piece of 15 photos together to be assessed in the summer for a distinction PAGB (Photographic Alliance of Great Britain).

“You have to give yourself targets otherwise you stagnate. It is not an ego thing. Whenever you stop working it is quite easy to sit there and read yesterday’s papers.

“I love wildlife photography, for instance, and would like to take that further with a trip Scotland.”

As the overall winner at the Irish Photographic Federation, Hugh will receive a Canon EOS 70D DSLR and PIXMA PRO-1 printer.

“l really do love printing my own photographs and to me, after all the hard work of taking the photograph, processing it, the icing on the cake is printing it,” said Hugh. “Then it really becomes your work.”