Photography News 09

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Competitions

blizzard, as well as those who apply a narrower and more classical definition. However, when you ask someone to picture a landscape in their mind, most think of a sweeping iconic view and it’s the Classic View section that is generally the most popular. The winner of 2012’s competitionwas disqualified for entering a composite image. Is your stance still the same on digital manipulation? For three of our categories, we now request the Raw files or original JPEGs of images that are shortlisted. The fourth category, Your View, aims to encourage a slightly more conceptual viewpoint and higher levels of manipulation are allowed. However, from my point of view, your eye and your brain work together to tell you immediately if something is believable; if it ‘works’ – and this applies just as much to Your View as to the other categories. Howare the judges selected? There is always a lot of discussion and debate about the judging panel for a competition such as ours. We believe that balance is the key. We like to have some continuity, together with fresh faces and we like a mix of photographers, editors, researchers and others experienced in the photographic industry. Can you give an insight into the judging process? The judging process is a lengthy one. Each of our pre-judges looks at all of the images, so no image is removed at an early stage on the decision of one person. Our first two judging stages are done online, with our interim judges meeting up to make their decisions. When we reach the final judging stage, our judging panel all get together and view the final shortlist in print form to determine the winners. What do you thinkmakes awinning image? The judging panel is different every year and each judge has their own view, so it is impossible to generalise. For me, it does come down to emotion. Technique is obviously very important but a technically perfect image can still be cold and lacking in soul. When an image ‘works’, it becomes the medium through which you can converse with its creator. In the past you have called thewinners personally to tell them that they’ve won, what’s the best reaction you’ve had fromawinner? I was leading a photography tour in Italy when I called a winner. He really didn’t believe that it was me on the phone and thought one of his friends

was winding him up. All my tour guests gave him a cheer.

ABOVE LEFT Hunting the Pow, Glencoe, Scotland by Nadir Khan, Commended, 2013 ABOVE RIGHT Grazing Cattle, Marleycombe Hill, Wiltshire by Ken Leslie, Highly Commended, 2012

Fancyentering?

Are you seeing any imaging trends in particular? We have all seen photographic trends that have become very popular at particular times; the use of the Big Stopper and the use of HDR being but two. Judicious use is critical. I have seen some images where the use of HDR just sends the image beyond the believable; when the inside of a shadowed arch is brighter than the view through it. Any advice for future entrants? I think the most important thing to do is to seek opinions from people who have no vested interest in pleasing you. You can become too close to your own imagery. Youmay sometimes have experienced emotional or even physical pain in reaching the result. You may have had six abortive round trips to the Highlands, you may have been up to your knees in an icy lake – but that doesn’t mean that the result is necessarily good. Ask your viewer what emotions they perceive in the picture – do they have parity with yours? Tell us about the prize, exhibition and book. Each year, the competition has a prize fund worth £20,000, of which £10,000 goes to our overall adult winner. There are cash prizes for category winners and runners-up plus a number of special awards. But I believe the publicity that our winners get is also a really positive thing. Most of the national newspapers have online galleries to supplement their print coverage and this means that many of our commended entrants have their work widely seen, as well as the main winners. The Awards book, Landscape Photographer of the Year – Collection 8 by AA Publishing will be available from 3 November 2014. Winning entries will be exhibited in London at the end of the year. Are there any plans to expand the competition? We are always looking at ideas. We started off having a separate category for phone images but, as phone cameras have improved in quality so much, they can now hold their own within the main competition. There is something to be said about familiarity; many enter the competition more than once and spend time considering and creating their entry over the intervening year and so it can be helpful for them to have some continuity. That said, changes in technology and social media mean that the competition will definitely evolve as time passes.

The 2014 awards are held in association with VisitBritain and Countryside is GREAT. The closing date for entries is 11 July 2014. Entrants can submit up to 25 images across the four categories: Classic View, Living the View, Urban View and Your View.

Final judging panel

n  Eddie Ephraums, photographer and fine art photographic book publisher n  Rupert Grey, photographer and practising copyright lawyer n  Jasmine Teer, photographic manager at VisitBritain n  David Watchus, Head of AA Media n  Nigel Atherton, group editor, IPC Photo n  Steve Watkins, editor of Outdoor Photography n  Charlie Waite (head judge), landscape photographer and founder of the Take a View awards n  A representative of The Sunday Times Magazine n  £30 for up to 15 images n  £35 for up to 25 images Entrants are permitted to pay for a number of images and can then log in to their profile to upload images at any time up until the closing date. Prizes n  Landscape Photographer of the Year 2014 and £10,000 n  Best in category and £1000 Entry fees n  £10 for a single image n  £25 for up to seven images

When an image ‘works’, it becomes themedium through whichyou can conversewith its creator

π To find out more about Landscape Photographer of the Year, go to www.take-a-view.co.uk

Photography News | Issue 9

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