Capture Your Journey: Enter the Travel Round of the Amateur Photographer of the Year Competition

by Jessica Miller

Date due card
Shelf	Cameras & Lenses
Date in	Nov 05, 2024
Readers	340

The Travel Round of the Amateur Photographer of the Year competition is open for entries. Discover expert tips and inspiration to elevate your submissions.

Capture Your Journey: Enter the Travel Round of the Amateur Photographer of the Year Competition

The penultimate round of the Amateur Photographer of the Year (APOY) competition is now open for entries! This time, the theme is Travel, inviting photographers to showcase their most evocative travel images from around the globe and their local surroundings alike.

Travel photography is an enthralling way to capture diverse cultures and breathtaking landscapes, but it comes with its challenges. Photographers must create a narrative through a single shot, often needing to strip down their compositions to the essentials. This includes considering the subjects in the frame, showing genuine respect for local traditions, and, importantly, being mindful of the comfort levels of individuals featured in your shots. If someone isn't at ease with having their photo taken, it's best to respect that and move on.

Judging the Travel Round: Bella Falk

This round's guest judge, Bella Falk, is a London-based, multi-award-winning travel blogger, writer, and documentary director. With accolades including the Trade Feature of the Year award from the Inspire Global Media Awards in 2024 and Blogger of the Year at the British Guild of Travel Writers’ Awards in 2023, Falk brings a wealth of experience to her role. Her extensive travels across more than 70 countries have earned her placements in publications like BBC Travel and National Geographic Traveller. You can view her compelling work at www.passportandpixels.com.

Guidance for Your APOY 2024 Travel Entries

For those entering the Travel category, consider utilizing various resources to refine your submissions:

A Glimpse into Previous Winning Techniques

To inspire your entries, here are insights from four finalists from the previous rounds, showcasing various techniques and approaches.

Trevor Cole, Donegal

Camera Specs: Nikon D850, 24-70mm at 24mm, 1/25sec at f/3.5, ISO 6400

Quiescence in the south Sudan cattle camp, APOY 2023 Round Two travel winners — Image: Trevor Cole

This tranquil scene by Trevor landed him ninth place last year. The judges praised its evocative humanity, stating it prompts viewers to anthropomorphize the cattle resting by the fire. Trevor used a handheld approach to maintain composition integrity, ensuring no distractions compromised his framing.

Kirsty Simpson, Essex

Camera Specs: Nikon D750, Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 at 26mm, 1/15sec, at f/9, ISO 3200

Baobab Alley at Sunrise, APOY 2023 Round Two travel winner — Image: Kirsty Simpson

Winning with a beautifully atmospheric capture, Kirsty emphasized the soft, peachy hues of dawn illuminating the silhouettes of baobab trees. She tactfully directed local women to pause on their way to the market, carefully balancing light settings to achieve deep focus without losing detail.

Graeme Youngson, Aberdeenshire

Camera Specs: Canon EOS 70D, EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II at 29mm, 1/2000sec at f/7.1, ISO 320

Bo-Kaap scene in Cape Town — Image: Graeme Youngson

Graeme’s image from Cape Town exemplified bold compositional choices with a focus on color and placement. Utilizing the dominant red tones to streamline distraction, he crafted an engaging narrative by placing elements at the frame’s edges, challenging conventional methods to enhance viewer engagement.

Tommaso Carrara, France

Camera Specs: Leica Q2, Summilux 1:1.7/28 Asph, 1/320sec at f/11, ISO 100

arriving in Essaouira to a plethora of luggage carts through the pedestrian streets — Image: Tommaso Carrara

Tommaso's fourth-place image captured a poignant moment with porters navigating the medina. He leveraged natural elements like shadows to accentuate the minimalist composition, creating a strong sense of place while showcasing the character of Essaouira.

Camera Club and Young Photographer Awards

Club members can also gain recognition through their participation in the APOY. The club amassing the most points will win a premium ViewSonic X1-4K projector worth £1,500. Simultaneously, the member contributing the highest points will receive a ViewSonic ColorPro VP2786-4K monitor valued at £1,000. For younger photographers, those under 21 can enter the Young Photographer of the Year competition free of charge, with winners in each category receiving an Adobe Photography Plan subscription worth £120, and an overall winner taking home a £500 voucher for Camera Centre UK.

Prizes Summary

APOY Prizes: Each round winner receives a £500 voucher for Camera Centre UK and a one-year subscription to Adobe’s All Apps plan worth £660. Runners-up earn a one-year subscription to Adobe’s Photography plan valued at £120. The overall winner across ten rounds will claim a £1,000 voucher for Camera Centre UK.

Young APOY Prizes: Similar categories apply, with winners earning Adobe’s Photography plan subscription and overall winner securing a £500 voucher.

Camera Club Prizes: Clubs can aspire for a top-tier ViewSonic projector and monitor through accumulated points.