Happy Snappers into final

Two students are hoping that their photographs will win prizes!

By Thomas Jivanda

Two students are hoping that their photographs of Leeds landmarks will develop into prize-winning shots.
    Leeds University students Oliver Jenkins and Emma Robinson are in the final 10 of a local photography competition.

    The competition brief was to capture a ‘landmark’ of Leeds. This could be anything from a building to a person or even an object, as long as it told a story about the city. Over 150 students entered their interpretations to the contest, which was launched last month by student accommodation provider UNITE.
    The entries were judged by UNITE with the aid of the Director of the Northern Art Prize, Pippa Hale and the Faversham PR and Events Co-ordinator, Fran Levy. Choosing the winner is now open to the public vote through the UNITE website.
    Oliver Jenkins, a second year Cinema and Photography student entered a photo of Hyde Park Picture House as his offering.
    He said “I chose Hyde Park Picture House, as it’s not just a geographical landmark, but also an historical landmark - both in Leeds as well as nationally, being the only remaining gas lit cinema still in use in the UK today”.
    The traditional style streetlight was included in the composition in order to help signify the age of the building. A slow shutter speed was used in order to cause the blurring of the people outside the picture house.
    According to Oliver he did this to show that, despite there being numerous multiplex cinemas nearby, the Hyde Park picture house is still an extremely popular place.
    Emma Robinson, a third year Fine Art student, who found out about the competition through a friend, chose to photograph somewhere outside of the city.
    She explained: “This image is not a landmark in the historical, aesthetic or cultural sense. It is my first discovery of somewhere so removed from the usual hustle and bustle of Leeds that I experience most days. It is a personal landmark, a haven and an escape.”
    Voting is open until 5pm on the March 19 and the winner will be announced through the UNITE website on the March 22.
    The final five finalists will have their photographs exhibited in the Faversham in April, with the winner receiving £500 prize money and four runners up collecting £250 each.

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