THE talent of members of Winchester Photographic Society are on show in the Culture on Call web space.

Faced with cancelling their annual print exhibition for the first time since the Second World War, the society turned to the online exhibition, while maintaining their traditional high standards.

Originally due to open later this month at City Space in Winchester Discovery Centre, the exhibition will now feature on Culture on Call, Hampshire Cultural Trust's new digital publication recently launched.

A panel of three judges viewed over 650 entries remotely, selecting winners in ten genres and awarding 44 Certificates of Merit.

The 87th Annual Exhibition will display the 235 selected images created by 54 photographers.

It will showcase the highest standards of skill and creativity in the photographic art across ten genres: Beginners, Free Subject, Hampshire, Human Portrait, Nature, Street, Action, Monochrome, Creative and Landscape.

Visitors to Culture on Call will be able to purchase prints of these images and vote for their favourite in the People’s Choice, which will be collated at the end of the exhibition, and show whether visitors agree with the judges’ selection.

Gavin Bowyer, society president, said: “The annual exhibition is one of the highlights of our society’s year. It is an opportunity for members to show the art of photography in a wonderful gallery setting, for over a month. Well, that’s usually the situation! This year Covid-19 has impacted on the activities of all areas of the society. In March, with the loss of our exhibition space and major restrictions on physically meeting, we were faced with the prospect of cancelling the exhibition for the first time since the period of World War II. Winchester Photographic Society has, however, been able to call on the considerable IT expertise of some of its members who have worked so hard to provide us with a means of collating digital image submissions, judging those remotely and producing a wonderful gallery of images.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for members of WPS to demonstrate their talent to a public audience and so the trust is delighted it can host the exhibition digitally. Regular visitors to the exhibition have come to expect the highest of standards and we are sure that this year’s selection will not disappoint”, commented Kirsty Rodda, Visual Arts Exhibition Manager at HCT.

To see the exhibition, visit https://www.cultureoncall.com/. WPS members will be available to answer questions about the photographs via e-mail to exhibitioninfo@winphotosoc.co.uk. For more details of the society visit, https://www.winphotosoc.co.uk/.

Beginners Jon Hawkins Paternoster Square

Free Subject Helen Otton High Flyer

Hampshire Mike Roe Winchester College Student

Human Portrait Sarah Townley Young Girl

Nature Dan Cowen Into the Light

Street/Urban Tony Cowburn Socially Distanced Waiting

Action Gordon Brown Making the Tackle

Monochrome Roger Dixey A Wet Winter Walk

Creative Roger Dixey Life in Lockdown

Scapes Helen Otton Beginning of Winter at Glencoe