Photographic record of festival is just brilliant (From Worcester News)

Winners of competition are named as the best 25 images go on show to public

2:54pm Wednesday 29th September 2010 in News By Flora Drury, @floradruryWN #worcsnews

THESE striking images capturing the essence of the Worcester Music Festival have gone on show.

The event took place in August and more than 1,400 pictures were entered for the official photographic competition. The 25 best, including the top three published in your Worcester News today, are now on show.

The exhibition opened at the Art House Cafe in CrownGate, Worcester, last night and the Mayor of Worcester, Councillor Mike Layland, congratulated the overall winner Joe Singh – who took a beautiful photograph of Droitwich musician Howard James Kenny performing at the Firefly in Lowesmoor.

Mr Singh, aged 34, of Saltwood Avenue, Warndon Villages, Worcester, has played drums in bands for many years but now works part-time as a freelance photographer. He said: “I managed to bag third prize last year, which was great, but the subsequent months have allowed me to fully realise and explore all the creativity and potential in music photography, so being awarded first prize is extremely enc-ouraging and couldn’t have come at a better time.

“I am very critical of my work and understand that this is a competitive industry with some great photographers. This competition was no exception with some fantastic entries.”

The two runners-up also took their photographs during sessions at the Firefly – Mark Hoy with a study of November and the Criminal and Siani Driver with a picture of Flo Rowland.

Festival chairman Brian Hoggard said: “The competition gives the music festival a brilliant photographic rec-ord and gets the bands some great portraits. Best of all it showcases the incredible skills of our local photographers. If we get the same three-fold increase in entries next year as we did this year, the judges will need extra sandwiches.”

Your Worcester News rep-orter Lauren Rogers helped to judge the entries. She said: “I saw plenty of people taking photographs during the festival and I couldn’t wait to see the results.

“The sheer quality of the entries was outstanding. Some of them are breathtakingly beautiful, some are completely chaotic but they all capture the essence and spirit of live music and this is what the Worcester Music Festival is all about.”

Snap to it: The WMF Post-Festival Party will take place tomorrow at Velvet Lounge, Worcester, from 9pm. It will feature some of the bands which performed at the event, including the Modern and the Ria Parfit Band.

All of the top 25 photographs from the festival can be seen on the Worcester News website worcesternews.co.uk.

Go to snaprockandpop.co.uk and you can see more of competition winner Joe Singh’s photographs.

• See all of the entries here