Amateur Photographer Article

[Iggy]

The deed is done. Entered a straight shot. So not expecting too much.
Thanks very much.
Iggy

[davidb]

Good luck!

[Mike Farley]

Unfortunately missed four deadlines Jan - April.

Actually, it is only two rounds as the competition did not start until March.

[Iggy]

Thanks David & Mike.
Only missed one as I entered the April shoot yesterday.
Hope that you both entered.
There is some element of luck, I guess, although one does need an image that stands out and grabs the attention of the judge.
What role does Photocrowd play?

PS: with 896 entries, need a lot of luck??

[Iggy]

APOY 2020 Monochrome Magic results announced.
My entry, a regular B&W shot, came 521 out of 896 entries.
Several different Paul H's (not ours ?) did better.
Did anyone else enter?
Regards,
Iggy

https://www.photocrowd.com/photo-competitions/monochrome-magic-blackandwhite-photo-contest-8190/overview/

[Paul Heester]

Sadly whoever Paul H is its not me

I joined Photocrowd after a mention on this forum but does anyone know if you have to pay for the premium service to enter more than 1 competition? Didnt find the instructions for entering contests that clear, especially when its on behalf of other companies and presumably you can enter competitions via them?

Anyway those top shots are stunning. Any photography I see that instantly inspires me to go out and take similar images is always a good sign. I see image #33 is an original image of the Shard, I always admire those that create something stunning of something familiar.

[Mike Farley]

I joined Photocrowd after a mention on this forum but does anyone know if you have to pay for the premium service to enter more than 1 competition? Didnt find the instructions for entering contests that clear, especially when its on behalf of other companies and presumably you can enter competitions via them?

My understanding is that Photocrowd hosts a variety of competition styles and I agree that it is confusing. It does not help that Photocrowd does not have any documentation to explain what is going on.

In essence, there are two types of competition, "Premium contests" and "Photography awards". The former typically allows one free entry with additional submissions available either as one-off purchases or through an annual subscription with the number of further entries available dependent on membership level. However, some of these competitions might not permit a free entry and I believe that they are tagged as being "Subscriber". Photography Awards usually require payment, regardless of whether the entrant has a subscription although there is a discount which is dependent on membership level. Sometimes, though, entry is free in these competitions. Amateur Photographer uses a slightly different approach for its APOY contests which are in the "Photography awards" category. It allows one free entry for anyone who has a code which is published in the magazine, while up to an additional three entries per round can be bought.

In answer to Iggy's earlier question, I have not entered any of the APOY rounds so far this year and probably will not do so for the remainder of the competition. After finishing 9th equal overall in 2018, the first time I had taken the competition seriously, I had high hopes for 2019. In the event I had only one image last year which made it into the top 30 in the first round. AP often seems to go for shots which would not necessarily do well in club competitions and if I am to participate in future years I will need to rethink my approach. In the meantime, it is better to keep my powder dry and hang on to anything which could potentially do well. To be fair, the competition is open to anyone in the world and the standard is high. Maybe the occasional modest success might be the best I can hope for. That is what has happened to date, at least.

[Iggy]

Mike said:
After finishing 9th equal overall in 2018, the first time I had taken the competition seriously,

9th is a great result.

I guess i am the only CCC member entering APOY at the moment.
Lets see how I go, and for how long.

[Mike Farley]

Mike said:
After finishing 9th equal overall in 2018, the first time I had taken the competition seriously,

9th is a great result.

Thanks for the metaphorical pat on the back, Iggy (physical association being out of the question at present ).

I guess i am the only CCC member entering APOY at the moment.
Lets see how I go, and for how long.

Good luck with it. Despite achieving a few top 30 finishes, quite a few of my efforts in the last couple of years failed to get very far. The standard is high but there is also the not inconsiderable matter of catching the eyes of the judges. Which is always half the challenge with competitions.

[Mike Farley]

I have just seen the results from the first round of this year's APOY competition. The magazine threw a curve ball when it referred to landscape shots on the cover, whereas the winning shot clearly falls into the travel genre. Then I saw that the theme was "Points of View" but I am still unconvinced. The brief clearly states that the organisers were looking for landscape, albeit with a loose interpretation. Does a shot of people in a boat stretching cloth over water, however good it might be, really qualify?

In my previous post, I noted that AP often goes for less obvious images and I would say that it has continued that trend. It might be down to the reproduction quality, but to me some of the work looked poorly executed. The impact of a less frequently seen subject appeared to be more important. Where I was familiar with a location or genre, I would have to say that I have seen better examples elsewhere.