PHOTOGRAPHERS from across Oxfordshire have been sending us some of their best snaps of what “home” means to them.

Some 38 entries have been received for our photography competition, which the Oxford Mail is running with Oxford Brookes University.

It is part of Photography Oxford – the city’s first international photography festival, due to take place from September 14 to October 5.

Our sister paper, The Oxford Times, is the official media partner for the event.

Bicester Advertiser:

  • For helping defeat the Danes, King Alfred granted the freemen of Oxford the ungrazed Port Meadow as home for their cattle and horses – over 1,000 years later, the tradition goes on. Because of this history, the meadow attracts me time and again with my camera, and I hope it imparts a timeless quality to this photo                          – entrant Brian Taylor

The festival will see photographers come to Oxford from around the world, to exhibit work in 20 venues across the city. And to mark the run-up to the event, we will continue to publish the best entries to our competition every week.

One competition entry from Beatrix Forbes, of York Avenue in Headington, entitled Please Let Me In, depicts a neighbour’s cat which followed her home. (See the main picture.)

The 72-year-old, who has been taking photographs since she was 20, said: “It reminds me of coming home when I’m putting the key in my door.

“A neighbour’s cat also followed me home and it made me think about cats, who give quite a homely feel to places. When I took the picture it was only a kitten, now it’s fully grown. I don’t know its name, but that was one of the only times it has followed me home.”

Mrs Forbes, with her husband Peter, is a member of Oxford Photographic Society.

Competition boss Gerard Hanson, of Oxford Brookes, said: “We have some interesting entries reflecting different parts of the community, exploring the subject of ‘home’ from various perspectives.

Bicester Advertiser:

  • I always think of home when I see the Dreaming Spires from

Christ Church Meadow. It’s within touching distance. As to why I took this photograph? It had just stopped raining, you can see whisps of the dark clouds that minutes before had been spewing rain out at sharp pace. Nothing says home to me like Oxford just after it has rained with the Dreaming Spires sparkling in the distance      – entrant Kevin Taphouse

“There are personal, historical and some on a more serious note.

“I am looking forward to seeing them all exhibited at Oxford Brookes during the festival.”

As well as having their pictures exhibited at the festival, the winner of our competition, chosen by a panel of judges including our Picture Editor Leah McLaren, gets a trophy and will be taken out by one of our professional team for a day of news shooting.

  • Entries should be sent to homeproject14@yahoo.co.uk and submissions can be viewed at flickr.com/people/125288124@N06 or on the Twitter account @Homeproject14. The deadline for submissions is September 7. Entrants must supply their name, age, address, postcode and contact number, with a brief description of their photo – including why they took it. There is no age limit, but a maximum of two images may be submitted by one person. For more details, visit photographyoxford.co.uk
  • TERMS & CONDITIONS: Newsquest Oxfordshire, Photography Oxford Festival and Oxford Brookes University may use any photograph/image for publicity.
  • By entering, winners must be a resident of Oxfordshire and agree to publicity involving an interview and a picture of themselves with their work. A selection of submitted images will be displayed in a public exhibition at Oxford Brookes between September 14 and October 5, as part of the Home exhibition for Photography Oxford.

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