For the past four years, Manchester Cathedral has organised a photography competition, Capture the Cathedral. Each year the standard gets better and better as entrants seek to impress the judges with images of this beautiful historic building.
The judging panel for 2016 included Mike Shaft (BBC Radio Manchester), Grant Mitchell (Founder and Creative Director of Manchester Design agency, Transmission), Vincent Cole (MEN photographer), Joanne Hooper (Cathedral Communications and Marketing Officer) and Dympna Gould (Cathedral Visitor Services Manager).
Entrants were invited to take photographs in three categories: Architecture and Stained Glass, Cathedral at Night and Something Different. The judges chose a winner in each category and an overall winner.
The winning categories were Architecture and Stained Glass – Complimenting Natures Beauty by Iain Dickinson
Cathedral at Night – Christmas Concert by Kenneth Rowlatt
Something Different – Epic Light Above Us by Gary Duncan with Gary chosen as the overall winner.
On hearing the news Gary said: “The image was taken about two years ago during a tour of the cathedral by a group of American students who were visiting Salford University and the City of Manchester. As a student at Salford studying photography I was asked to document the visit to the Cathedral. I found myself looking at the group who had arranged themselves looking up, with open-mouthed expressions, and the most amazing light cascading into the foreground and on to the group, lighting some faces and leaving others in darkness. Some people have said almost like the rapture. I showed the photograph to a few people who could not believe it was a natural image and had not been staged or set up. But it just all seemed to happen like that and everything worked. I had seen the Capture the Cathedral competition advertised on the website and went to the first exhibition but missed the deadline for the contest for two years. So I’m really pleased I kept my eye on the closing date this year”.
Gary will be Manchester Cathedral’s Official Photographer 2016.
The winning photos and a selection of entries, including entries from a father and his nine year old daughter, will be on display at Manchester Cathedral until Wednesday 24 August. Whilst the exhibition is on display, members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite photo
