Competitions

Lens Culture Guide

Our research task this week was to research different photography competitions. i downloaded Lens culture's guide on how to get the most out of photography competitions and read through this first. The guide was is really helpful as it gets you to think about many different factors of competitions you wouldn't nessisarily consider especially if your a begginer in photography or entreating your first competitions. these factors include; Exposure Opportunites: Online/Exhibitions, Who the competition judges are, and whether the organizations are well-known and well-respected in the international photography world.

The guide also offers tips and advice from industry professionals. 

“First of all, I look for clarity...Show me what you are doing in that first image.”
– W.M. Hunt 

Following reading this guide I've chosen to look at numerous competitions and take into consideration what Lens Cultures guide advices you to, such as, whether the prizes are cash or gifts such as camera equipment, who the judges are and whether they are student or just general competitions open to all. I really like how there are student competitions available as this makes me feel more at ease with entering them. 

Before reading Lens Cultures guide i would probably never bother entering a competition as i wouldn't feel good enough or like id have a chance of winning. However i now understand how much of a great opportunity entering competitions provides as it gets your work out there, seen by others in the industry and seen by the judges. I feel like entreating competitions is a brilliant way of getting yourself and your work known. 

The Competitions i looked at were;

Lens Culture Awards
AOP Student/Open Awards
Fujifilm Student Awards
New York Photo Awards
National Portrait Gallery Photographic Portrait Prize RPS Awards 
Exhibtr Student Photography Competition


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I chose to enter the Exhibtr Student Photography Competition with a photograph I've just taken for me recent project of editorial photography. Its a documentary photograph of a street in Blackhall Colliery. There are most likely inmates I've taken over the past year of studying this degree that i am probably more proud of and show more photographic and technical skill however i wanted to enter something recent and something which has meaning to me. This style of photography, documenting the north east, is something which i am so incredibly instrerested in, so as my first competition entry i wanted to show this. 

I mainly chose this competition because of two factors, 

1. It was free
2. There was no set theme
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