APOY 2022 Round Two Black & White Now Open!

Round Two of our Amateur Photographer of the Year competition is now open! The theme is Black & White

For this round, anything goes, as long as it’s black & white. But simply desaturating a colour image isn’t enough, because you need to consider tone, form and light. Is the composition enhanced by the monochrome treatment? Did you ‘see’ the image in black & white when you shot it? Take some time to study the experts of the genre – Michael Kenna, Ragnar Axelsson, Sally Mann, Pentti Sammallahti… the potential for inspiration is almost endless.

Your guest judge for Round Two, Black & White

Steve Gosling

Steve Gosling is a professional photographer who specialises in black & white. His photographs have been widely published internationally and his fine-art prints have been exhibited in venues in the UK and overseas. His work has also won many awards – in recent years he has received several Honourable Mentions and nominations in the prestigious international B&W Spider Awards.

He enjoys writing and teaching about photography and has run a successful workshop programme for over 20 years, encouraging and inspiring photographers from across the world. Steve is an ambassador for Gitzo and Permajet inkjet papers as well as being a Lee Filters Master. Visit www.stevegoslingphotography.co.uk

ENTER AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR ROUND TWO, BLACK & WHITE HERE

The closing date for this round is Friday 25th March.

Snowy landscapes lend themselves perfectly to the monochrome treatment © Ron Tear

View some of our top Black & White photography tips here: Tips for black and white photography

Young Amateur Photographer of the Year

For the second time, we have added a Young Photographer of the Year category to APOY, in order to encourage our up-and-coming snappers. Entrants should be 21 years old or younger by the competition’s final closing date of 4 November 2022. All the categories are the same as for the main competition – simply select the Young APOY option on Photocrowd when you upload your images. This category is free to enter; each category winner receives a £250 voucher, and the overall winner receives a voucher for £500 to spend at MPB.

ENTER YOUNG AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR ROUND TWO, BLACK & WHITE HERE

Camera Club award

Do you belong to a camera club? You can accumulate points for your society when you enter APOY, and after all the ten rounds are complete, the one with the most points will win a voucher for £500 to spend at MPB. The club might want to spend it on gear for use by members, or even run its own in-house competition with the prize going to the most successful photographer. It’s entirely up to the winning group to decide.

black & white photo of people with cattle

Muhammad Amdad Hossain, Young APOY 2021, Round one Black & White winner

Plan your APOY 2022 year

Below is a list of all this year’s rounds, including when they open, when they close and the dates the results will be announced in AP.

What you win

Take your pick from MPB’s huge catalogue of used gear

The winner of each round of APOY 2022 receives a £500 voucher to spend on anything at MPB. For this, you could treat yourself to a Nikon D5600. This small-scale, lightweight DSLR is great for unobtrusive shooting, but doesn’t compromise on quality with its 24MP sensor. The vari-angle LCD screen is extremely useful, too. Pick one up at MPB for £449 in mint condition.

If you’re in the market for a Sony lens, the FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS is simply outstanding. The 23 elements in 18 group construction gives beautiful bokeh, and the lens is dust- and moisture-resistant. MPB’s stock ranges in price from £1,439 to £1,669, depending on condition.

Another great all-round APS-C DSLR, the Canon EOS 80D features a 24MP sensor, 45-point hybrid AF system and 7fps continuous shooting. This good-value camera can be purchased at MPB for between £404 and £579. There are second-placed and third-placed voucher prizes of £100 and £50, while the winner of the Youth category wins a voucher for £250.

Check out www.mpb.com to take your pick from thousands of items of second-hand gear.