Interview there’s always a certain level of risk. Failure can feel personal, but we hoped that people would recognise our desire to create a platform for their work. We wanted to be of real service, and the feedback seems to suggest this is the case. The competition is growing remarkably fast. Entry numbers for CUPOTY 02 more than doubled the number of first-year entrants. Honestly, the standard blows me away every time. Beginning the judging process, it’s a privilege to be shown the world in such new and exciting ways. We often have to stop while I google: ‘why do some beetles glow in the dark?’ or ‘what does slime mould grow on?’ These pictures awaken that sense of wonder and childlike curiosity. PN: Do you see more categories being added in the future? Tracy: There are nine categories this year. From last year’s competition, we’ve kept Animals, Insects, Plants & Fungi, Intimate Landscape, Manmade World, Micro and Young CUPOTY. However, there’s also two new categories: Butterflies & Dragonflies and Underwater. We’re excited to see how photographers respond to these additions. If anyone feels that an area of close-up is still absent, please let us know! We’re also running various spin-off challenges. The first was the One Colour Challenge, concluding last November. The results can be viewed on our website. BELOW Mark James Ford won the Intimate Landscape category of CUPOTY 02, with this picture of lava cooling beneath his feet of face-to-face meetings, we want to plan an exhibition for when the Covid-19 crisis has abated. The best PN: Is anything else in the pipeline – perhaps books, touring exhibitions or a big results event? Tracy: We’re really excited to be launching the CUPOTY blog soon. I’m planning to use my photography magazine experience to make it a fun, one-stop shop for lovers of close- up, macro and micro photography. But a book is our top target this year. As I’m a strong believer in the value
way to keep up to date with all of the latest CUPOTY developments is to sign up for our newsletter. PN: Where do you see CUPOTY five years from now? Tracy: Our guiding principle is to spread wonder and encourage people to see the world in a new light. This is getting stronger as the years go by. Five years from now, it would be great to have a touring exhibition and series of books. Nonetheless, like everything we’ve done so far, we intend to do things a bit differently. A personal approach is at the heart of our work, and that often leads us down unexpected paths. WC
BELOW Amazingly, Andrei Savitsky used a phone and a microscope to capture this remarkable image of a glassworm, delivering him victory in the Micro category
Entry tips fromDan andTracy Calder
BELOW This fleeting moment of a butterfly against a peeling wall won Mike Curry first place in the competition’s Insects category
› Don’t try and assume what the judges want to see. If you love something, and that sense of wonder and excitement is communicated through your work, the judges will probably love it, too. › You don’t have to travel far to find suitable subject matter. If you empty out your kitchen drawers, examining each object curiously, you can undoubtedly find enough to keep you occupied for days. › Make sure everything you intend to appear sharp is technically challenging, with depth-of-field limited to just a few millimetres. Nonetheless, the viewer’s eye needs to know where to go first, and in what order to view the elements in the frame. Make the process easy for them. absolutely pin-sharp. Close-up and macro photography can be CUPOTY 03, in association with Affinity Photo, closes on 23 May 2021. The overall winner is set to receive a cash prize of £2500, while each category winner takes home £300. The Young CUPOTY receives a Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art lens, worth £700, and a USB dock. The judging panel has been expanded this year, meaning entrants will have their images seen – and assessed – by an impressive Enternow
line-up of editors, photographers and
conservationists. View the full judging panel on the website. cupoty.com
14 Photography News | Issue 87
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