INBOX was a title given to the train that ran between Kings Cross and Edinburgh, not the locomotive. As your letter suggests, Flying Scotsman should not have been described as a steam train, and to be technically correct, it’s a steam locomotive – Michael Topham, deputy technical editor A matter of taste I have been a member of a camera club for 63 years, so it is not surprising that John Heywood’s letter (A reminder to judges in Inbox, AP 9 April) grabbed my attention. The next page I always turn to on receiving my AP on a Saturday is Roger Hicks’s column, and on this occasion it was a critique of ‘Abstraction #X, Wall Meets Floor’, 2005, by Pavel Banka. The two contributions triggered a memory of a club competition we had some years ago, when I showed a print of the above image entitled ‘Freedom’. It’s a shot of a gull crossing the tide line, taken from a nearby hill with a Kodak Brownie Twin 20 camera. The judge’s immediate response was: ‘This photograph leaves me cold. I really wonder why it was taken.’ Not a particularly helpful assessment, but © VANDA RALEVSKA accepted as an honest opinion of my work. I entered the same print in the next monthly competition, where the judge was a photographer with numerous international competition and salon entries to his credit: it won fi rst place! What did I learn from the experience? Well, three things: there is ‘your taste’, ‘my taste’ and ‘no taste’. My experience of club judges has been that the vast majority do a good job, giving their time and experience generously. The very few, such as those in John Heywood’s case, should be regarded as light entertainment and do not have to be asked to come again. To paraphrase Roger Hicks’s concluding sentence: for me, looking at others’ work is how we learn to appreciate photography, and is the main purpose and real value of camera clubs. Clifford Brown, Somerset Well said, Clifford. As a judge in several major national photographic competitions, I’m often baffled by the tastes of the other judges, but I’m always interested to hear the reasons for their likes or dislikes. Photography is subjective, and at an amateur level should be more about trying to please ourselves, rather than second guessing the tastes of a random judge. If others happen to like our work then that’s a bonus – Nigel Atherton, Editor In next week’s issue On sale Tuesday 17 May Landscape loversÉ Don’t keep your landscape photos a secret – join a collective One judge wasn’t impressed by this image, while another loved it Canon EOS 80D Michael Topham finds out whether Canon has another game-changing DSLR in the shape of the 24MP EOS 80D Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM Richard Sibley tests Sony’s telephoto prime lens for Alpha 7 cameras Life’s a beach Jon Gibbs explains how to seek out the subtle beauty of sand dunes © CLIFFORD BROWN CONTENT FOR NEXT WEEK’S ISSUE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE Contact Amateur Photographer, Time Inc (UK) Ltd, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF Telephone 01252 555 386 Email amateurphotographer@timeinc.com Picture returns: telephone 01252 555 378 Email appicturedesk@timeinc.com Subscriptions Enquires and orders email help@magazinesdirect.com Alternatively, telephone 0330 333 1113 overseas +44 330 1113 (lines open Mon-Fri GMT 8.30am-5.30pm excluding bank holidays) One year (51 issues) UK £150.55; Europe e259; USA $338.99; Rest of World £221.99 Test Reports Contact OTC for copies of AP test reports. Tel: 01707 273 773 Advertising Email paul.ward@timeinc.com Inserts Call Mona Amarasakera, Canopy Media, on 0203 148 3710 Editorial team Group Editor Nigel Atherton Group Editor’s PA Christine Lay Deputy Editor Richard Sibley Technical Editor Andy Westlake Deputy Technical Editor Michael Topham Features & Technique Editor Phil Hall Senior Features Writer Oliver Atwell News Editor Chris Cheesman Production Editor Lesley Upton Chief Sub Editor Jolene Menezes Art Editor Sarah Foster Studio Manager Andrew Sydenham Picture Researcher Rosie Barratt Online Manager Karen Sheard Digital Production Editor Jacky Porter Video Production John Layton Photo-Science Consultant Professor Robert Newman Senior contributor Roger Hicks Special thanks to The moderators of the AP website Andrew Robertson, lisadb, Nick Roberts, The Fat Controller Advertising Head of Market Paul Ward 0203 148 2521 Head of Market Justeen Jones 01622 861 148 Account Manager Simon Gerard 0203 148 2510 Account Manager Liz Reid 0203 148 2544 Media Advisor Lucy Willans 0203 148 2520 Media Advisor Tommy Sullivan 0203 148 2625 Production Coordinator Dave Smithers 0203 148 2674 Marketing Marketing Manager Samantha Blakey 0203 148 4321 Publishing team Chief Executive Officer Managing Director Publishing Director Group Magazines Editor Marcus Rich Oswin Grady Simon Owen Garry Coward-Williams Printed in the UK by Polestar Group Distributed by Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, London E14. 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