High Roller Winner Spotlight: Dave Griffiths (December 2025)

By Keiran Wilkinson with contributions from Dave Griffiths

One of the highlights of our COAP Online community calendar is the High Roller, our monthly competition where members share their best images based on a specific, challenging theme. These usually occur exclusively within our member community, but we believe that world-class photography deserves a broader audience. Starting now, we are sharing the winning shots from the community to showcase our members’ skills and creativity.

The December Winner: Dave Griffiths

In our December competition, titled “People In Aviation”, we set a challenge that strikes at the heart of what we do. We didn't just want to see static aircraft; we wanted photos that captured the harmony between human and machine, leaving interpretation entirely to the photographer’s imagination. The entries were impressive, featuring a range of images, from cockpit shots and ground crew operations to air show crowds.

After the community cast their votes in the December competition, one image stood out from the rest. We are delighted to announce that Dave Griffiths is the December High Roller winner! Dave's winning shot takes us back in time, capturing the P-51 Mustang "Jersey Jerk" at Sywell in October. It’s a moody, cinematic scene that fits the brief perfectly.

I asked Dave some questions about how he captured the winning image, here is what he said.

The Story Behind the Shot - Where were you standing, and what gear were you using?

I saw the scene, and also the interesting the clouds behind, so it was a case of aligning the two to get an interesting composition. It was shot with a Canon R5 II, with the RF 24-15mm lens at 28mm. I use this handheld for 90% of these types of shoots, perhaps using a Sigma 20mm F1.4 for wide shots or where there is very little light, or the RF 70-200 f2.8 for close ups. Exposure was 1/40 sec, f4.5, ISO 2500. It was a balance between 1/40 being fast enough and ISO 2500 being not too high. With the ability of modern cameras to give clean results at high ISO’s I find I don’t use the tripod very often. Shooting at longer exposure times is often counter productive, as people are unable to stand very still for multiple seconds, so the end result might be a lower ISO, but all the people are blurred. It’s also easier, quicker and safer to navigate around a busy shoot without the encumbrance of a tripod. I’m sure I’ve got shots that I otherwise wouldn’t have got had I been setting up a tripod for each scene.

Did you know you 'had the shot' the moment you clicked the shutter, or did you only realise it when you got home?

You never know for sure, but I was pleased with the composition at the time, and hoped that there would not be any movement which would lose sharpness at 1/40th.

Top Tips for New Photographers - If a newer photographer wanted to capture a shot like this, what tips would you give them?

Always try to shoot scenes which look life like, as if you were there back in the day. Often the shots with the guys looking at the cameras either look contrived, or where there is more than one of them, they are rarely all looking in the same direction which ruins the shot. Move around and shoot different angles, high and low – you’ll be surprised at what you will see. Look for compositions including everything in the scene – background and foreground as well as the subjects.

Congratulations again to Dave Griffiths for a well-deserved win! If you'd like to see more of his images you can find them at the links below.

Website - www.davegriffithsimages.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/deltagolf62