The 15th Annual Popular Photography Photo Contest gives photographers the opportunity to have their work recognized in the January 2009 issue of Popular Photography, the largest photo magazine in the world, as well as on PopPhoto.com. The winning photographers will also win prizes from Panasonic, Tourism Ireland, Circuit City, SmugMug and fotocommunity.com.
DEADLINE: September 12th, 2008 ENTRY FEE: $10 per image
Categories include:
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
The Grand Prize winner will receive a 50" Panasonic HDTV, HD Camcorder, Blu-Ray DVD Player, Lumix Digital Camera, and an all expense paid trip to Ireland for two. The Panasonic Prize package will be set up or installed by firedog, Circuit City's highly trained professionals. The winner will also receive a SmugMug Lifetime Pro account with full customization, $500 of free prints/gifts from the SmugMug website, entry to exclusive 2009 SmugMug Workshop, a 3 year world membership from fotocommunity.com, as well as a X-Rite ColorMunki Photo.
CATEGORY WINNER
The winners of each category will receive a new Panasonic Lumix Digital Camera, a SmugMug Liftetime free Pro Account, as well as a 2 year world membership from fotocommunity.com.
Photographers take pictures of people, places, or things. They want us to get a special feeling when we see their pictures. They take pictures to sell products, entertain people, report the news, or bring back memories.
Photographers know how to choose the right tools to give them the best picture. They use different things such as lights, lenses, and film to create a picture. Digital technology is being used more and more by photographers. A lot of them use computers to finish their work.
Have you ever had a photographer at your school? Most photographers take pictures of certain things. Some photographers take pictures only at schools or weddings. Others take pictures of only cars, clothes, buildings, or animals. Other photographers take pictures for your textbooks.
Some photographers work 40 hours a week. Others work longer hours and at different times during the day or night. News photographers must be ready to work when they get a call from their offices.
Photographers who work for themselves have a lot of freedom. They can choose the type of pictures that they want to take. They can make their own schedules. However, they may not always have a job to do. They must find people who want pictures. This can be stressful.
Some photographers work in their own studios and sometimes they travel to places near and far. Those who travel far away sometimes have to stay for a long time. They might work in harsh or dangerous areas. Sometimes, photographers and camera operators wait a long time to take a picture. They wait in all kinds of weather for an event to take place. They have to stand or walk for a long time. They also have to carry heavy equipment.
Photographers often have to get their work done quickly. They have to meet deadlines and please their clients.
How do you get ready?
Most employers seek people who really understand photography. They need workers who can dream up new ideas. They look for workers who are creative. Some employers need people who have a college degree in photography. Other courses such as those relating to science are helpful.
People interested in photography should read newsletters and magazines that have information about photography. They should join camera clubs. They should try to work in camera stores or photo studios. Also, they should decide what they like to photograph.
Do they like to take pictures of people or events? Do they like to take pictures or videos? Summer or part-time work with a photographer is a good way to learn about this field.
How much does this job pay?
The middle half of all photographers made between $18,680 and $38,730 in 2006. The lowest-paid 10 percent made less than $15,540. The highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $56,640.
How many jobs are there?
Photographers held about 122,000 jobs in 2006. Most of them worked in and around large cities. More than 1 out of 2 were self-employed, a much higher proportion than the average for all occupations.
Most photographers who work for someone else worked in a photography studio. Others worked for newspapers and magazines. Some worked for the government, for advertising agencies, or for television broadcasters.
Photography is a highly competitive field. This is because there are more people who want to be photographers than there is employment to support them. Only the most skilled, those with the best business ability, and those who have the best reputations are able to find jobs or attract enough work to support themselves.
Employment of photographers is expected to increase about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2016. More portrait photographers will be needed as the population grows. And, as the number of electronic versions of magazines, journals, and newspapers grows on the Internet, photographers will be needed to provide digital images.
There are a lot of ‘rules’ going around when it comes to photography. Read the books (read this blog) and you’ll find them. Some of them have formal names like ‘rule of thirds’ and ‘the golden ratio’ while others are often just called ‘the right way to…’.
Rules are a great thing to know (and use) - however the curious photographer often takes great shots because they not only know the rules but because they set out to break them.
Take the Rule of thirds - sometimes the most powerful shots are those with a centered subject staring down the barrel of the lens.
2. Ask Questions
Curious photographers are always asking questions. Questions of other photographers, questions about their own work, questions about their cameras, questions of their subjects etc
As a result they often learn things about their art (and themselves) that the rest of us don’t and their work improves because of it.
Find someone with the same camera as you and ask them how they use it. Find a photographer from a different genre to you and ask them about their techniques. Look back over your last month’s photos and ask yourself what you did well (and not so well).
3. Ask ‘What if…’
One of the key questions you should get in the habit of asking is ‘what if’? Curious people don’t just ask questions - they also come up with solutions.
Many of the solutions will end up being thrown away but if you ask ‘what if’ enough times you’re bound to make progress eventually.
What if I held the camera on this angle…. What if I got my subject to stand like this…. What if I lay on the ground to take this shot…. What if I lengthened my shutter speed…..
4. ‘Turn Questions into Quests’
An old teacher once used this phrase with me and it’s stuck in my mind ever since - ‘turn your Questions into Quests’.
Asking ‘what if…’ (and other questions) is not enough. Keep a record of the questions that you ask yourself and keep coming back to them from time to time to attempt to find a solution to the problems behind the questions. Taking your questions to the next level like this may not always be fruitful but at times it’ll lead you on journeys of discovery to unexpected places.
Set yourself quests and challenges for your photography. I occasionally set myself a list of photos that I want to capture in an afternoon or will have a week where I explore a theme
5. Learn from Others
While sometimes the best way to learn is by trying, making mistakes and then trying again - sometimes it’s more effective to find someone else who has already tried, made mistakes and tried again to help you avoid the pitfalls of photography.
Find another photographer to buddy up with when you go out on shoots. Swap ideas, give each other tips and share the lessons that you learn. This is actually whey I started this blog and more recently our forums - I want to learn more about digital photography and I know together we’ll discover so much more.
6. Put disconnected ideas together
Edward De Bono has a lot of different exercises that help people develop lateral thinking skills. In a number of his books he talks about how one way to think outside the box is when you put random ideas together to find new solutions to problems. Get in the frame of mind where you regularly do this and you’ll be surprised at how your mind comes up with wonderfully creative things.
The shot above of the guy under the umbrella with capsules dropping down on him is a prime example of this. Who would have ever thought to put drugs raining down on someone under a bright umbrella?
7. Play
Perhaps the most curious of people are children who do a lot of what we’re writing about here (especially asking questions).
Another thing that children do is ‘play’. With no other agenda than having fun and seeing what happens next children will play with the things around them and experiment and push the boundaries of their environment. In doing so they learn about life, themselves and their world. I find that it’s often when I take this ‘playful’ approach to life that I’m at my most creative and make all kinds of discoveries.
Some of my best photos have come out of periods of ‘play’ when I just fooled around with my camera with no agenda at all. Play with new angles, with different shooting distances, with shooting from different perspectives etc
8. Go with the Flow
One of the biggest blockages to creativeness and curiosity are statements like:
We’ve never done it this way before
This is Stupid
It will never work
It is often directly after such statements that ideas stop being explored, projects end and people return to the humdrum of life.
Learn to ignore such statements and follow your intuition and hunches and you might just find yourself doing something that ‘has never been done before’ that people wish HAD been done before. I’m sure many of the images in the Flickr interestingness page are the result of this evolution of ideas by people who didn’t know when to stop.
9. Get Proactive
One of the main things that I notice about curious people are that they rarely sit still and are always pushing forward and taking the initiative. Curious photographers don’t expect great photographic opportunities to come to them - but instead they actively search for them. They have a mindset where it almost becomes natural to ask, seek and find the things that the rest of us hope that will one day fall in our laps.
Grab your camera, get out of the house, find some interesting subjects and start shooting. That great shot won’t just come knocking on your door!
10. Slow Down
We live in a fast paced world where we race from one thing to another, rarely sitting still.
Unfortunately it is easy to bring this way of life into our photography. We impatiently wait for ‘the shot’ and when it doesn’t quickly come we snap away and move on. However in most cases photography isn’t a fast paced medium. I learned this talking to a Pro Landscape photographer once who told me that some days he’d sit in a spot for a full day and only take a handful of shots. He had learned to slow down, to see the smaller subtleties of life, to be patient and the results were that his work was truly magnificent.
Set aside a few hours this week to go and sit quietly in a pace in your town or city and watch the world go by. Don’t set yourself an agenda - just watch and when you see something worth photographing take the shot.
HELLO! is delighted to announce the launch of our inaugural Young Photographers Award as part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations this year.
Our award is open to photography students between the ages of 18 to 30 years, and has been devised and developed in conjunction with Nikon and Getty Images Gallery.
Launched on 7th May 1988, HELLO! was the first celebrity magazine in the UK and is often credited with single-handedly creating the celebrity magazine market, and has remained a dominant force in an increasingly competitive and fast-moving sector.
Synonymous with glamour, style and sophistication, HELLO! is passionate about photography, and this is reflected in the quality of our award-winning photo shoots.
In celebrating our milestone anniversary, it seems entirely fitting to offer aspiring young photographers the chance to showcase their work and to win that critical first commission. Demand for quality photographic work has never been greater as our culture becomes increasingly dominated by visual imagery.
Judges
Judging the Award will be a panel of top photographers, comprising Lorenzo Agius, Mike Daines, Dave Hogan, Penny Lancaster Stewart, Terry O’Neill, Christopher Simon Sykes, Aidan Sullivan, John Swannell, Mark Thompson and former HELLO! editor Ronnie Whelan.
The categories for the competition are as follows:
AT HOME/INTERIORS: An at home/location shoot that conveys the subject's personality.
REPORTAGE: An open brief to tell a news/feature story, capturing intimate, enlightening and powerful moments.
WEDDINGS & CELEBRATIONS: A well-lit and original study that captures the essence of a special day, whether a wedding, birthday or other milestone event.
BABIES & PARENTHOOD: An intimate and unique study of babies up to 12 months, highlighting the interaction between baby and parent(s).
FASHION: HELLO! is glamour and style! The challenge here is to produce images that reflect the very essence of individual style.
Closing Dates
Work must be submitted by noon on Friday 27th June 2008.
How to Enter:
Entrants must first register on hellomagazine.com. Once registration has been activated, each applicant will be invited to upload up to three complete digital entries per category. Please submit jpegs of no more than 5MB. Each photograph must be accompanied by an explanation detailing when, where and why the photograph was taken in no more than 50 words.
The Prizes:
There will be a winner and a runner-up in each of the five categories. An overall winner and runner-up will then be decided by the judges. The winner will be the entrant whose photograph in the opinion of the judges demonstrates the greatest flair, technique and originality. The judges may also, at their discretion, nominate highly commended entries.
The winner will receive £5000 and have a commissioned shoot published in HELLO! magazine. The runner-up will receive £2500 and have a two day internship with a leading Getty Images photographer in the area of his/her choice i.e. News, Sport, Entertainment or Creative photography. In addition all the category winners will receive a Nikon D40 kit, and the category runners-up will each receive a Nikon Coolpix P60.
The judges will present the prizes at an exhibition of the winning entries at Getty Images Gallery at the end of September 2008.
How many times have you walked down a street in your neighbourhood and wondered just how so many different people came to live together in this particular place? Everyone has a story. Now that the borders within Europe are fading, people from an even greater mix of cultures and backgrounds are coming together, mingling their voices in an ever growing dialogue of their unique stories and experiences.
The competition
As Europe grows together in its diversity, the European Commission challenges YOU to capture your vision of intercultural dialogue and share it with the world in the competition “Cultures on my street”. All European residents, regardless of age or origins, are invited to participate. It’s as easy as grabbing your camera and stepping outside the front door.
Inspiration for the theme could be found in the fields of education, religion, migration, science, culture, minority groups or youth. And remember, there are no borders to your imagination, so feel free to explore the possibility of retouching and editing your photos, or making photo collages and montages.
Everyone who visits the official competition website has the chance to cast their vote for the photo they feel best captures the idea of Intercultural Dialogue. So after you’ve submitted your photos, tell all of your friends and family to check out your work ... and vote you to the top!
A jury made up of established artists, leaders on intercultural dialogue issues and representatives of the European Commission will also select three photographers, recognising the creativity and technical quality of the photos, as well as the photographers' ability to portray the theme of intercultural dialogue. The jury will review all submissions and select the winning entries at the end of June.
Your photos could be used in materials that will encourage people from different cultures across Europe to breakdown the barriers of communication and start a meaningful conversation. And did we mention that you could also win fabulous prizes?
Let us showcase your work! We invite you to submit your favorite nature images to our 2008 photography competition—our biggest Photo Contest in 38 years. Cash prizes totaling $18,000 plus camera equipment and other gifts will be awarded to the winners in three separate divisions: professional, amateur and youth. The grand prize winner will receive $5,000. Plus, a portfolio of award-winning entries will be published in the 2008 December/January issue of the magazine.
In return for your $15 entry fee, you will receive a one-year membership in the National Wildlife Federation, including a subscription to National Wildlife*, and you can submit as many as 20 images in any combination of the following categories:
The Six Categories
Mammals: Portraits and Behavior
Birds: Portraits and Behavior
Other Wildlife: Portraits and Behavior (includes underwater life, reptiles, amphibians, insects and more)
Backyard Habitats: Wild Creatures, Native Plants and Natural Settings in Your Yard
Connecting People and Nature: People Enjoying the Outdoors
Landscapes and Plant Life: Scenic Views and Native Plants in Wild Settings
The deadline for all submissions: July 1, 2008. For more details about the categories, how to submit your photos and other information, read the official rules below.
Join a National Geographic on-assignment photographer in the Australian Outback!
Applications close: June 30, 2008
World Nomads & National Geographic Channel are giving one exceptional student the chance to go on assignment with renowned wildlife photographer Jason Edwards!
The brief is to photograph the Arid Lands Festival and The Great Hughenden Endurance Camel Race - a 160 km camel endurance race run in the stunningly beautiful area of Porcupine Gorge in Outback Queensland, Australia.
Porcupine Gorge Queensland, image coutesy of Tourism Queensland.
As part of this assignment, you will work alongside and receive mentorship from Jason Edwards, gaining valuable hands-on experience in everything from shot set up, technique and composition through to insights into his many years of diverse experience as an award winning photographer.
The scholarship recipient's top photos will be published on the National Geographic Channel's website where they will be viewed by thousands of travellers world wide and offer you a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get your foot in the door of one of the most revered exploration organisations in the world!
The Scholarship also includes airfares from your nearest international airport, accommodation, travel insurance, visa costs and per diems.
Highly regarded for his wildlife and remote landscape photography, Jason Edwards is represented by National Geographic Image Collection.
What you'll be doing
* We'll fly you in from your country of residence to Longreach, Australia. You'll need to be available to be in Australia between August 19-26, 2008. The festival dates are August 22,23 & 24, 2008.
* In Hughenden, you will work alongside Jason Edwards photographing the camel race, festival events and local landscape. Your assignment will involve observing and assisting Jason as well as undertaking your own photographic work. This involves VERY early mornings, and long days chasing the perfect shot, this is not a pool-side holiday!
* You will keep a daily diary about your time on the trip and upload this to a World Nomads travel journal, including pictures you've taken.
* On your return you will submit your top photographs to National Geographic Channel for publication on www.natgeotv.com.au.
* Most of all, you'll be experiencing what it's like to be a photographer-on-asssignment with National Geographic!
Who can apply
* To be eligible you have to be currently enrolled and actively studying at a recognised educational tertiary institution and speak and write fluent English.
* Minimum age 18.
* You must have a valid drivers licence and be comfortable driving a manual vehicle. This is the Outback!
* You should be an exceptional photographer with a lust for adventure, ambition to grow your photographic skills and desire to travel to Outback Australia.
Apply now
If you want it, you've got to show it. To apply you need to:
1. Shoot a series of photos (maximum of 5) that tell a story about a place you have visited. The judges will be looking for:
* originality * ability to convey a story through photos * excellent technique
2. Upload your photos (maximum of 5) from this theme to Flickr and
a. Use the image captions to tell us about the place you photographed. b. Tag your images with the keywords 'Scholarship 2008' - remember to use the inverted commas. c. Add the images to the World Nomads Group. Only photographs in this group, tagged correctly will be considered.
3. Complete an entry form which includes a 300 word (max) essay on why you should be chosen and copy and paste the links to your photo series.
5. The recipient of the Scholarship, along with the best entries will be published on the World Nomads website on July 14, 2008.
Applications close midnight (Australian Eastern Standard time),June 30, 2008.
Conditions of Entry
1. Information on the scholarship prize and how to enter forms part of these conditions of entry. By applying for this scholarship you agree to be bound by these conditions of entry and all decisions of the scholarship promoter (World Nomads) which are final in all matters relating to the promotion. The scholarship and these conditions of entry are void where prohibited by law. Any changes to these conditions of entry will be published on the World Nomads website at www.worldnomads.com.
2. The promoter is World Nomads Pty Limited of Level 5, 24 York St, Sydney, NSW 2000.
3. Employees of World Nomads, National Geographic Channel, Lenovo, Olympus and their subsidiaries and affiliated companies, and members of their immediate families or households, are ineligible to apply for this scholarship.
4. Entry is free. No purchase necessary. You must be older than 18 to enter and currently enrolled and actively studying at a recognised educational institution. You must also have a valid passport and be available to be in Australia from August 19- 26, 2008. You must also have a valid drivers licence and be comfortable driving a manual car. To enter you must shoot a series of photos which tell a story about a place you have visited, upload your photos (maximum of 5) to www.flickr.com , tag your images with the keywords 'Scholarship 2008' and add them to the World Nomads Group. Only photographs in this group will be considered. You must also complete an entry form which includes a 300 word (or less) essay on why you should be chosen and copy and paste the links to your photo series.
5. The scholarship entries can be submitted from 9.00am AEST on April 1, 2008 and entries close at 11.59m AEST on 30 June 2008. Entries are deemed to be received at the time of receipt by World Nomads and World Nomads records are conclusive as to the time of receipt. All dates are subject to change if necessary in World Nomads discretion.
6. The Scholarship recipient will be selected by a panel of three judges including one independent judge, determining the best overall entry from a review of all eligible entries. The best overall entry is deemed to be the one that demonstrates excellent technique and best depicts a story about "a place you have visited" and articulates why the applicant should be awarded the 2008 World Nomads Travel Photography Scholarship. The selection will be conducted at World Nomads Pty Limited of Level 5, 24 York St, Sydney, NSW 2000 on Tuesday July 1, 2008. The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into, including in the event of a dispute. Chance plays no part in determining the successful scholarship recipient. The successful applicant will receive the following;
* 1 x return economy airfare to Townsville or Longreach, Australia from nearest major international airport organised by World Nomads. * Ground transport to and from the airport to Hughenden. * 4 x nights accomodtion in Hughenden (premises tbc) and overnight accommodation in Brisbane if required. * per diems of AUD$60 per day to cover meals * 1 x E3 Olympus digital camera and with 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 Standard Wide Zoom. * 1 x Lenovo Ideapad Y-510 laptop computer * Travel Insurance * Mentorship from Jason Edwards
7. The scholarship recipient must submit a disk of their top photographs from the assignment to World Nomads and the National Geographic Channel no later than 1 month after returning from the trip. The scholarship recipient must also agree not to promote, sell or offer their assignment photographs to any other National Geographic body other than the National Geographic Channel.
8. The scholarship recipient must also keep a daily travel diary and upload diary entries (no less than 200 words per daily entry) to their World Nomads Journal, no later than 2 weeks after returning from the trip.
8. The Scholarship recipient will be notified by email and the recipient's name will be published on the World Nomads website within 14 days after selection.
9. If the Scholarship recipient is not immediately identifiable or contactable World Nomads will make reasonable efforts to identify and/or contact the Scholarship recipient. If the Scholarship recipient has not accepted the scholarship by 10 July 2008, the next best entry will be selected as scholarship recipient.
10. No responsibility is accepted for late, lost or misdirected mail or any errors or failures in internet or other communications. World Nomads reserves the right to cancel or modify the scholarship promotion if, in its sole discretion, the administration of the scholarship promotion is impaired for technical or other reasons beyond its reasonable control and, in such an event, may select the Scholarship recipient from all valid entries received prior to the impairment.
11. Scholarship prize consists of:
* 1 x return economy airfare to Townsville or Longreach (Approx AUD$2500) * 4 x nights accomodtion in Hughenden (Approx AUD$400) * per diems of AUD$60 per day to cover meals (AUD $300) * 1 x E3 Olympus digital camera and with 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 Standard Wide Zoom.(AU$3599) * 1 x Lenovo Ideapad Y-510 laptop computer (AUD $1499) * Travel Insurance (Approx $300)
Total prize value of scholarship is approximately AUD$8,598
12. The value of the prize is accurate at the date of commencement of the scholarship promotion. World Nomads accepts no responsibility for any variation in the value of the prize after that date. The prize cannot be refunded, transferred, substituted or redeemed for cash. World Nomads reserves the right in its sole discretion to substitute the prize with cash or a prize of comparable value if the prize cannot be awarded as described for any reason.
13. The scholarship recipient will be responsible for all personal expenses and any other expenses, fees and costs connected with the prize that are not included in the prize description. The scholarship recipients are also responsible for all transportation to the point of departure, including accommodation costs prior to and following the travel dates in order to meet flight connections.
14. The scholarship recipient must hold valid passports. Entry visas, if applicable will be organised prior to departure.
15. The scholarship recipient agrees that acceptance of the prize by the scholarship recipient is conditional upon compliance with all relevant laws, rules and regulations and upon the scholarship recipient releasing World Nomads,National Geographic Channel, Lenovo, Olympus, Outback Australia Tourism, Arid Lands Festival and their affiliates, subsidiaries, directors, officers, employees and agents, from any and all liability, claims, demands and causes of action for any personal injury or other loss or damage (including but not limited to indirect or consequential loss) suffered in connection with the acceptance or use of the prize, except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law. World Nomads reserves the right to disqualify the scholarship recipient at its absolute discretion in the event of non-compliance or the failure to provide such releases.
16. As the author of your entry, you warrant that your photographs are original, your own work and have not been digitally manipulated in any way. Any photos deemed by the judges to be digitally manipulated will not be considered for the Scholarship.
17. It will be a condition of entry that both scholarship applicants and the scholarship recipient will grant a non-exclusive copyright license to World Nomads, National Geographic Channel, Lenovo, Olympus and Outback Queensland Tourism to reproduce the work for subsequent promotion of the Scholarship Program.
You can view World Nomads' privacy policy at http://www.worldnomads.com/privacy.aspx.
Our award is open to photography students between the ages of 18 to 30 years, and has been devised and developed in conjunction with Nikon and Getty Images Gallery. 
Inspiration for the theme could be found in the fields of education, religion, migration, science, culture, minority groups or youth. And remember, there are no borders to your imagination, so feel free to explore the possibility of retouching and editing your photos, or making photo collages and montages. 
