SHORTLISTED

Dr. Leo Ruickbie

Focusing in recent years on photography for editorial, I decided to try my chances with several competitions this year.

The successful pictures present an interesting development when seen together: from innocent, pre-pandemic times in Vietnam in December 2019 just as COVID-19 was spreading in China ('Ha Long Hot Pot') to the final days before the first lockdown in 2020, represented by two gloomy photographs taken in Hamburg ('Ausgang' and 'Zukunft').

Although taken for different reasons and submitted to different competitions, the three photographs capture the moment before the pandemic.

THE MOMENT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC

Title: Ha Long Hot Pot Caption: Chopsticks pluck freshly cooked seafood from a bubbling pot as diners share a meal at a pavement restaurant in Ha Long, Vietnam. Shortlisted for the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2021.

Title: Ausgang Caption: At the Staatsoper Hamburg, a prophetic moment before the world went into lockdown: a dark crowd of shadowy reflections moves towards the exit (the ‘Ausgang’ of the title), going against the flow a solitary figure seems to represent hope – hope that our exit will not be final. Selected by LoosenArt for their 'Language' Competition and exhibited at the Millepiani Gallery, Rome, Italy, in May 2021.

Title: Zukunft Caption: At a construction site in Hamburg, Germany, the distorted reflections of windows in windows challenge the bold slogan about the future ('Zukunft' in German), as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, a struggle between intention and reality also reflected in the tonal contrasts. Selected for the RPS 'Windows on the World' International Members Competition, August 2021.

BIOGRAPHY

Currently a Visiting Fellow in Psychology at the University of Northampton, Dr Leo Ruickbie specialises in controversial areas of human belief and experience. He is the author of several books, the most recent being Angels in the Trenches: Superstition, Spiritualism and the Supernatural During the First World War. Actively involved in the field of parapsychology, he is a Professional Member of the Parapsychological Association and a Council Member of the Society for Psychical Research. As the Editor of the Magazine of the Society for Psychical Research, he has also developed and encouraged greater use of photography, including running a photography competition in 2017 with a judging panel including Dr Michael Pritchard, FRPS, then Chief Executive of the Royal Photographic Society, and sponsorship from Olympus. He has had a diverse range of clients for his photographic work, including estate agents, tourist boards and charities, and recent highlights include being shortlisted for the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2021. He can be found online at https://ruickbie.com.