Entering a Competition

AOP Student Awards 2015 - Submission

I decided to become a member of the AOP as through my university i was able to have a years member ship as a student, for free. I knew when searching for a competition to enter, i preferably wanted to enter a student competition, as i felt as this stage in my career, i am only really experienced enough in my skills to compete against other students. Most student competitions tend to come at a reduced entry fee, or at least don't cost as much to enter as those that are open to all photographers. As being a member of the AOP i was able to enter this particular competition for just £5. 

Here is the information provided by the site when entering the competition. It was important to read all of the criteria of what the image size and format must be before uploading. I was quite surprised to see the competition required JPEG's as entries, as i personally thought the competition would ask for something of higher quality.

The section i chose to enter my photograph under was that of the section which asked for an image of a sitter, that could go on the front of a sunday magazine or paper. Rather than capturing an image of a portrait of someone particularly for this, i chose to use a street photography image to make my entry be slightly unique. Documentary photography and street photography are this genres which i excel most in, so with my entry to this competition i wanted to stick to that theme.  

The image is unusual in comparison to other entries or in terms of what may be expected to be entered for this particular section, however the image creates an interesting connection between the sitter and the reader due to the eye contact the sitter gives. This is more of an unusual trait in street photography imagers however i feel this is what makes the unusual images suitable to enter for this section. You can image the readers of the magazine or newspaper taking time to look at the engaging image of the front page. Because its captured in a real life situation, of what we in Britain may class as a typical old lady, in the street, it can be seen as relatable to the reader also.