A SWINDON photographer has reached the final of the fiercely contested Guild of Photographers Image of the Year Competition in two different categories.

Clive Hall, who usually specialises in portraiture, is amongst the final ten contenders for the categories “Floral and Insects” and “Rural and Landscapes”.

For him, capturing images outside of his specialism is a way of retaining his interest in photography by trying something different.

Clive said: “I absolutely love portraiture and taking pictures of people. Recently, I’ve really enjoyed sports portraiture, because you can really capture peoples’ passion. But with these two images, it’s something different, and helps me to re-spark my interest.

“I want to keep everything fresh and have new ideas. When I’m out, I’m looking for new ideas and things to shoot all the time.

“It’s really nice for me to be nominated, because although I usually specialise in portraiture, these are two subjects I really enjoy taking photographs of, so it’s great to be recognised.”

Despite winning two gold awards for the same photographs last year, Clive was surprised to learn that he had been nominated for the Image of the Year.

Clive regularly enters photography competitions and uses them as learning tools to gauge the standard of his photography.

He said: “I entered the photos to make sure I keep up my level of competence. Entering competitions lets me know if I’m working hard enough, and makes sure I’m where I should be. I use it as a learning tool.”

He came across the opportunity for his rural and landscape image during a stormy day in Boa Vista.

“My entry for the rural and landscapes category is a photo of a five metre wave in Boa Vista. We were banned from the beaches because of storms. But like any photographer, when you see an opportunity, you have to take a picture,” said Clive.

The winner of the awards will be announced at a lavish awards night in Cheshire on the 6th February, and will be selected by a panel of some of the top photographers in the country.

They will critique the photographs based on criteria including lighting control, colour balance, composition and depth of field.

Clive said: “It’s something very special to reach the final of two categories.”

“I’m chuffed to pieces to be nominated, and I have no doubt that on the awards night, I will be nervous. I’m very excited. I don’t know what any of the other photos are. I have no idea what the competition looks like.

“I’m delighted to know that my work is being recognised. To actually be awarded and to be told I have the top image in one of these categories would be a massive accolade.”