Andrew Gregory, a recently retired police sergeant from Solihull, has been named the winner of a UK-wide photography competition for his shot entitled, "Homeward Bound" (reprinted above). The image will now be used to advertise Calumet Photographic’s forthcoming Open Days, which will be taking place at its stores nationwide. As a result of winning the competition, Andrew has also been given £250 worth of Calumet Gift Cards to spend on equipment. Interestingly, the winning image was taken on a second-hand Canon EOS10D. “This year our theme was all about finding a shot which encapsulated a unique moment in time,” says Jon Warner, Managing Director of Calumet Photographic. “Andrew’s Homeward Bound image was completely unique and captivating. Elephants are wonderfully majestic and it was magnificent that Andrew managed to get so close to these beautiful animals.” Click through / scroll down for the dates and locations of the next Calumet Open Days.

Calumet Press Release

Retired Solihull policeman wins photography competition for ‘unique and captivating’ shot

A recently retired police sergeant from Solihull has been named the winner of a national photography competition for a shot taken during the “best week of his life”.

Andrew Gregory’s image entitled Homeward Bound captured two elephants at a safari park near Cape Town, which he took the week he got engaged.

The winning shot will now be used to advertise Calumet Photographic’s forthcoming Open Days, which means it will be seen by hundreds of thousands of people. As a result of winning the competition, Andrew has also been given £250 worth of Calumet Gift Cards to spend on equipment.

The 51-year-old said: “When I took the picture, I was on a huge high because I was getting ready to ask my partner to marry me. She, luckily, said yes making that week the best seven days of my life.

“I was over the moon to hear that I’d won the competition. It’s lovely that I’ll see it on all of Calumet Photographic’s promotional material for the Open Days because it brings back such beautiful memories from the trip of a lifetime.”

The winning image was taken on a second-hand Canon EOS10D and due to the lack of storage that Andrew had left, he had changed his camera settings so he was able to take more shots, but at a lower resolution.

He said: “Sadly the image is not particularly high-resolution, but it just shows what can be achieved with quite basic equipment.

“The images of the elephants are quite striking. These two beautiful beasts have been together for many years and follow each other everywhere, never leaving each other’s side. I found the sight of the elephants particularly moving. They are such amazing and graceful creatures.”

The trip to Cape Town was planned to celebrate Andrew’s retirement from the West Midlands Police after 30 years’ service. He now wants to embark upon a career in photography and is working hard on his website where he will showcase his work.

The Open Day Competition had a Capture More theme which meant the shot could be of anything which caught the photographer’s eye. Members of the public were asked to vote for the favourite image across Calumet Photographic’s social media channels. 

Jon Warner, Managing Director of Calumet Photographic, which has its head office in Tilbrook, Milton Keynes, as well as an online shop and eight stores across the country, said: “This year our theme was all about finding a shot which encapsulated a unique moment in time. Andrew’s Homeward Bound image was completely unique and captivating. Elephants are wonderfully majestic and it was magnificent that Andrew managed to get so close to these beautiful animals.

“It was only once we had got in touch with him that we found out the wonderful back story of Andrew’s engagement and his recent retirement, which only makes this shot even more special.

“Our Open Days are hugely popular with our customers which is why we launched this competition, so that we could use their work to help promote these highly anticipated events which take place across the country.

The dates for the next Open Days have only just been announced. They are as follows:

Bristol – Thursday, April 20, 2017
Birmingham – Thursday, April 27, 2017l
Manchester – Thursday, May 4, 2017
Glasgow – Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Edinburgh – Thursday, May 11, 2017
Belfast – Thursday, May 18, 2017
London – Friday, May 26 2017
London – Saturday, May 27, 2017

Experts from leading brands will be on hand to answer any questions that professional and amateur photographers may have and there will be a chance to try the latest kit from manufacturers such as Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm and Sony.

Staff will be offering complimentary sensor cleaning for all DSLR cameras in return for a donation to help raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

Free seminars run by brand ambassadors and professional photographers will take place at the Manchester and London Open Days. It is recommended attendees book first to avoid disappointment. The seminar slots are available via the Calumet Photographic Academy website here: http://calumetacademy.co.uk/open-days

For more information visit: https://www.calphoto.co.uk/open-days

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