The haunting image was taken by Derek Stanley near the lifeboat station in Fowey to represent Daphne du Maurier’s famous horror story ‘The Birds’. It now graces the cover of the newly published 2023 calendar, which has a literary landscapes theme. It is also the picture for May.
Derek, who has lived in Fowey for about 10 years, is a keen amateur photographer. He took the photo using a Huawei MediaPad T3 tablet which, he says, has ‘a good camera and decent size screen’.
“I saw the competition advertised on the Fowey community Facebook page and thought I’d give it a go,” he said. “I’ve never entered anything like this before and was very surprised when I won. I really enjoy photography, so getting my photo on the calendar — let alone on the cover — is a real thrill.”
Derek won the £100 first prize and the 11 other contributing photographers won £25 each.
“The 12 wonderful photographs featured were taken around the world,” said Lynn Goold, Festival Trustee and Chair. “The standard of entries was extremely high and choosing winners was a difficult job for the judges.”
2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the festival — an important milestone for the du Maurier Festival Society which presents it and for the event’s many supporters. Taking place from May 12 to 20, its eclectic mix of talks, workshops and fringe activities provides something for everyone.
Lynn added: “Fowey has a strong literary and artistic heritage and we’re proud of the loyal following our festival has accrued over the years.
“We’re busy planning our 2023 line up and will be making a number of exciting announcements in the weeks and months to come.”