{"id":8474,"date":"2026-02-19T13:48:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T13:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/?p=8474"},"modified":"2026-02-19T17:57:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T17:57:25","slug":"merit-competition-round-3-wheels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/2026\/02\/19\/merit-competition-round-3-wheels\/","title":{"rendered":"Merit Competition Round 3 &#8211; &#8220;Wheels&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"8474\" class=\"elementor elementor-8474\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e02d4af e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e02d4af\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d23290d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d23290d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_8484\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8484\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8484 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Balance-wheel-by-Ian-Flint_Ian-Flint_20__9261Website_upload2745820-600x450.jpg\" alt=\"Balance Wheel by Ian Flint\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Balance-wheel-by-Ian-Flint_Ian-Flint_20__9261Website_upload2745820-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Balance-wheel-by-Ian-Flint_Ian-Flint_20__9261Website_upload2745820-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Balance-wheel-by-Ian-Flint_Ian-Flint_20__9261Website_upload2745820-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Balance-wheel-by-Ian-Flint_Ian-Flint_20__9261Website_upload2745820-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Balance-wheel-by-Ian-Flint_Ian-Flint_20__9261Website_upload2745820-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Balance-wheel-by-Ian-Flint_Ian-Flint_20__9261Website_upload2745820-747x560.jpg 747w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Balance-wheel-by-Ian-Flint_Ian-Flint_20__9261Website_upload2745820.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8484\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Balance Wheel by Ian Flint &#8211; 20 Points<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2>Merit Competition Round 3 \u2013 \u201cWheels\u201d\u00a0<\/h2><p>Last night saw the third and final round of this season\u2019s Merit Competition at Dunchurch Photographic Society, and what a fitting finale it was. The theme, <strong>\u201cWheels,\u201d<\/strong> proved to be wonderfully open to interpretation \u2014 and our members certainly rose to the challenge.<\/p><figure id=\"attachment_8485\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8485\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8485 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Just-Resting_George-Taylor_19__4543Website_upload2739711-600x432.webp\" alt=\"Just Resting by George Taylor\" width=\"600\" height=\"432\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Just-Resting_George-Taylor_19__4543Website_upload2739711-600x432.webp 600w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Just-Resting_George-Taylor_19__4543Website_upload2739711-300x216.webp 300w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Just-Resting_George-Taylor_19__4543Website_upload2739711-768x553.webp 768w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Just-Resting_George-Taylor_19__4543Website_upload2739711-1536x1106.webp 1536w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Just-Resting_George-Taylor_19__4543Website_upload2739711-1000x720.webp 1000w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Just-Resting_George-Taylor_19__4543Website_upload2739711-778x560.webp 778w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Just-Resting_George-Taylor_19__4543Website_upload2739711.webp 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8485\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Just Resting by George Taylor &#8211; 20 Points<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>As always, the breadth of creativity on display was impressive. From the rugged textures of cast iron wheels to dynamic images capturing the intensity of wheelchair boxing, members explored both the mechanical and the human stories behind the theme. There were beautifully detailed studies of potters\u2019 wheels in motion, atmospheric scenes featuring traditional water wheels, and even striking architectural perspectives of the iconic London Eye.<\/p><figure id=\"attachment_8486\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8486\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8486 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Londons-Eye_Barry-Prentice_20__8177Website_upload2752580-600x400.webp\" alt=\"London&#039;s Eye by Barry Prentice\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Londons-Eye_Barry-Prentice_20__8177Website_upload2752580-600x400.webp 600w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Londons-Eye_Barry-Prentice_20__8177Website_upload2752580-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Londons-Eye_Barry-Prentice_20__8177Website_upload2752580-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Londons-Eye_Barry-Prentice_20__8177Website_upload2752580-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Londons-Eye_Barry-Prentice_20__8177Website_upload2752580-1000x667.webp 1000w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Londons-Eye_Barry-Prentice_20__8177Website_upload2752580-840x560.webp 840w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Londons-Eye_Barry-Prentice_20__8177Website_upload2752580-1200x800.webp 1200w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Londons-Eye_Barry-Prentice_20__8177Website_upload2752580.webp 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8486\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">London&#8217;s Eye by Barry Prentice &#8211; 20 Points<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>What made the evening particularly special was the sheer variety of approaches. Some photographers focused on form and texture \u2014 spokes, curves, symmetry and shadow \u2014 while others captured movement and energy. A number of images highlighted determination, craftsmanship, engineering and sport, reminding us that wheels are not just functional objects, but symbols of progress, creativity, and resilience.<\/p><figure id=\"attachment_8487\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8487\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8487\" src=\"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Night-the-Wheel-Glowed_Mark-Ellis_20__0612Website_upload2743918-400x600.webp\" alt=\"The Night Wheel Glowed by Mark Ellis\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Night-the-Wheel-Glowed_Mark-Ellis_20__0612Website_upload2743918-400x600.webp 400w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Night-the-Wheel-Glowed_Mark-Ellis_20__0612Website_upload2743918-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Night-the-Wheel-Glowed_Mark-Ellis_20__0612Website_upload2743918-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Night-the-Wheel-Glowed_Mark-Ellis_20__0612Website_upload2743918-373x560.webp 373w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Night-the-Wheel-Glowed_Mark-Ellis_20__0612Website_upload2743918-600x900.webp 600w, https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Night-the-Wheel-Glowed_Mark-Ellis_20__0612Website_upload2743918.webp 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8487\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Night Wheel Glowed by Mark Ellis &#8211; 20 Points<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>It was fantastic to see the final round so well supported. A strong entry always makes for a vibrant and engaging competition, and last night was no exception. The discussion around the images was lively and thoughtful, reflecting both the high standard of work and the supportive spirit that defines our Society.<\/p><h3>Our Thanks to the Judge<\/h3><p>A special thank you must go to our judge for the evening, Liz Peate, who did a truly Stirling job. Her thoughtful critiques, constructive feedback and warm delivery made for an engaging and educational evening. Liz took great care to highlight both the strengths of each image and areas for development, offering valuable insights that will undoubtedly help our members continue to grow and refine their craft.<\/p><p>As we close this season\u2019s Merit competition, we can look back with pride at the creativity, technical skill, and imagination shown across all three rounds. If \u201cWheels\u201d has shown us anything, it\u2019s that even the most everyday objects can become compelling photographic subjects in the right hands.<\/p><p>Well done to everyone who entered \u2014 and we look forward to seeing what next season brings!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-af4b228 e-grid e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"af4b228\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5dde30a elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"5dde30a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/youtu.be\\\/9-g834c_K9w&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2983b9b elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"2983b9b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/youtu.be\\\/6yrnnOPAtfE&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Merit Competition Round 3 \u2013 \u201cWheels\u201d\u00a0 Last night saw the third and final round of this season\u2019s Merit Competition at Dunchurch Photographic Society, and what a fitting finale it was. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,26,20],"tags":[129,165,219,220,218],"class_list":["post-8474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-competition-results","category-latest","tag-competition","tag-dunchurch-photographic-society","tag-print-competition","tag-projected-image-competition","tag-wheels"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8474"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8500,"href":"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8474\/revisions\/8500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dunchurchps.com\/dps-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}