Mad-cap band photo wins music festival challenge – Worcester Music Festival

The mad-cap stage presence of four-piece bubblegum rock band HEY YOU GUYS! has been perfectly captured in this year’s winning image in Worcester Music Festival’s annual photography competition.

First Prize - Brendan Stephens - Hey You Guys @ The Marrs Bar

Winning photo by Brendan Stephens – Hey You Guys @ The Marrs Bar

The black and white photograph by Brendan Stephens features guitarist Dave Draper and bassist Oliver Edkins surveying the crowd at a ram-packed Marr’s Bar during the three-day, free celebration of live and original music across a host of diverse city centre venues in September.

Second prize went to Chris Bowley for his emotion-fuelled photograph of guitarist and vocalist Jake Crawford from progressive rock band Acoda at Worcester Arts Workshop, while third prize went to Roy Jenks for capturing tuba player Phil Wilkins from swing and ragtime big band Collective 43 about to blow at The Chestnut.

: Left to right: Winners Chris Bowley (2nd) and Brendan Stephens (1st)

: Third Prize – Roy Jenks – The Collective 43 @ The Chestnut

: Second Prize – Chris Bowley – ACODA @ Worcester Arts Workshop

Brendan was presented with a £100 camera store voucher courtesy of festival sponsor Child Care Bureau, which provides high quality foster care placements throughout Worcestershire and beyond, at a prize giving ceremony at Worcester Arts Workshop in Sansome Street last night, with a £50 and £25 voucher for the runners up.

Judge Steve Johnston, who was joined on the panel by accomplished music photographers Joe Singh and James Watkins, said: “HEY YOU GUYS! describe their genre as Gasp! Shock! Horror! and I think that comes across perfectly in Brendan’s winning image, the only photo to be chosen by all three judges in the first round of shortlisting.

“Overall, Brendan submitted a really strong set of images, but this one stood out for the moment he caught the two guys surveying rather than playing. Just a great frame.

“Chris’ image was a great, emotional shot of the Acoda guitarist with shallow depth of field and precise focus on his face, which makes it a really strong image. If the crop had been tighter, this might have won. Roy’s image is a lovely, well framed character portrait. Something different, but right up there with the best.”

Entry to the competition was open to all amateur photographers, who could submit up to 25 photos. They just had to have been taken during the festival that took place in scores of diverse venues, on outdoor stages and in the streets, with around 250 of the best, new and emerging artists from across the UK taking part.