Colour is what you notice in the winning landscape photograph in a recent Bermuda Society of Arts (BSoA) photography competition — which is ironic considering the photographer is colour blind.

Amateur photographer Mike Chilvers won the landscape division for his photograph 'Blue Hole Mangroves' in the BSoA Members' Photography Show 2010.

This is a juried show of photographs by BSoA members. Subject matter ranged from landscape to portraiture and abstract to realism.

"I am colour blind," said Mr. Chilvers, "so I don't adjust the colours on the shots I take.

"I can see most colours, but I get confused with reds and greens. It is just certain shades."

His colour blindness was discovered when he was a child.

"I would paint a picture, bring it home, and find out I'd painted the grass brown instead of green," he said.

Mr. Chilvers said for the winning shot of mangroves in St. George's, he was just out playing with his camera, a Nikkon D5000.

"I was trying to get different angles. I used to do photography when I was between 12 and 20 years old. Since then, I hadn't picked up a camera in about 30 years.

"Then last year I went to New Zealand. I bought a camera for that. But I was a bit disappointed because I couldn't control the shots. So I bought this camera, and just started shooting.

"Everyone keeps telling me I am doing good shots."

It was actually Cathy Stovell, The Royal Gazette's health contributor, who encouraged him to enter the BSoA show.

"I joined the BSoA because of Cathy," said Mr. Chilvers.

He normally likes to photograph landscapes and wildlife. He also entered photographs of a snail and a tree frog in the competition.

He has never taken any photography classes. He is completely self-taught.

"I have always been technical, so I have always been good at figuring out the technical side of things," he said. "So I don't have any desire to take any courses on photography."

Mr. Chilvers said he doesn't normally spend a long time composing a shot.

"I will look at my subject, and get an idea of what I want to take," he said. "I take a few shots fairly quickly."

'Blue Hole Mangroves' normally hangs in the Chilvers' living room.

"I have six pieces in the show, so my walls are quite empty right now," he said. "I just enjoy doing photography. It gets me out of the house. I have always had a creative side."

Full-time he is operations appliance director for an insurance broker.

"No, I don't get to use photography very much in my job other than to prove we have a piece of equipment sitting in the office," he said with a laugh.

He particularly enjoys photography when he travels.

"In San Francisco I nearly got arrested trying to take a photograph of the Golden Gate Bridge," he said. "There was a closed road and I went down there to take a photograph.

"It was the best angle for the shot. It was a park ranger that came and saw me up off the road. The road had a lot of excavation equipment and the guard rail had been taken down."

He is now considering entering an open BSoA art competition in September.

Kevin Simmons won first place in the portrait/figure category of the photography competition for his piece 'I Amsterdam'.

Second place in this category was Ondrej Hindl's 'Still…in motion…Dancers'.

Third place was Althea Overbey's 'Frankie'.

Terence M. Maxwell won second place in the landscape / nature category for 'Black Isle Dreams'.

Third place went to Kelvin Hastings-Smith for 'Hands up, who's for Fishing'.

Jackie Stephenson, Kevin Simmons and Dany Pen received honourable mentions.

The BSoA Members' Photography Show is on exhibit through July 20.