AMATEUR photographers in Bradford have been getting in on the action to enter the Telegraph & Argus Camera Club’s latest monthly prize competition.

The judges – Telegraph & Argus editor Nigel Burton and T&A photographer Mike Simmonds – had the difficult task of narrowing down hundreds of entries submitted via the club’s Facebook group on the August competition theme of ‘action’.

A selection of their favourite entries, including the winner and runners up can be seen in the gallery above.

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Announcing the winner, Mike said: “Rais Hassan’s frozen Total Warrior mud jump shot is fantastic! It has detail upon detail. The more you look, the more you see.”

“With action photography, the phrase ‘peak of the action’ is often used. In the case of this picture, a moment earlier and there would be more girl and less splash. A moment later, too much splash and not enough face. This is the peak of that moment and thanks to the very fast shutter speed used by Rais, we can enjoy the detail of each and every droplet.”

Winner Rais Hassan, who is the president of Bradford Photographic Society, won £50 and a large canvas print of his winning picture.

Ian Bale’s action-packed shot of dancers at Leeds West Indian Carnival was a strong contender on the shortlist. Mike said: “The carnival is about movement, colour and faces, and this image captures all of them. It’s almost texture it’s so deep with detail.”

Of Alex Daniel’s shot of a trials bike rider, Mike said: “I loved the eyes in this image. The windows on the soul are so important – being able to not only see the mechanical action, but imagine the mental action combine to make a powerful image.”

Mike chose Deborah Clarke’s image of a girl on a swing because “it captures not just a simple action, but combines so many moments”.

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Gemma Fox’s colourful image of a ball in a fountain also captured Mike’s imagination. “The chaos of the water spraying off this ball happens just for a moment, and Gemma’s image stops the water just enough to capture the movement,” said Mike.

Water was a popular theme among the hundreds of entries in the competition. Ian Bale’s second shortlisted entry – a canoeist grappling with rushing water – epitomised the theme of the competition.

Of Mark Bagshaw’s elegant image of a swan taking off, Mike said: “At some point the swan goes from a frantic paddling creature to a mighty, silent queen of the air, and Mark has captured that transition perfectly.”

Paul Mayes’ dramatic shot with its muted colour palette was a favourite with the judges. Mike said: “Carefully backlighting the dust and freezing the hair creates a beautiful image.”

On Shakeel Amini's in-car shot, Mike said: "This image has two sides. The inside is a calm world bathed in gentle red and blue lights, outside is a sharp clean white intense light with movement and speed. I enjoyed the combination in this image by Shakeel Amini."

The T&A Camera Club has more than 550 members in its Facebook group.

September’s competition theme is ‘Abstract’.

FIND OUT HOW TO JOIN THE TELEGRAPH & ARGUS CAMERA CLUB HERE.