The results of the fourth round of our prestigious Amateur Photographer of the Year competition are in! Lorenzo Passalacqua wins the top place in this round with the impressive drone image ‘Avalanche’, with Antisha Thakur coming first in the Young APOY competition. Here are the top ten images uploaded to Photocrowd from APOY Round Four, Action, with comments by the AP team and our guest judge.
Action is one of the trickier rounds in APOY to judge, perhaps because it has the potential to encompass so many different subjects. In many ways it’s almost an open round in terms of genre, where anything goes – within reason. Everything from sports to wildlife to street photography can make a great action shot, but imbuing the image with imagination and creativity is where the challenge lies. We want to see more than just great panning technique coupled with an ultra-fast shutter speed. As with every round in APOY, we want something memorable that fuses technical skill and originality – be that shooting from an unusual angle, a treatment of a subject that we may not have seen very often, or glorious light that lifts a shot out of the ordinary. Narrowing down the images to create this top ten was no mean feat, but we hope that you enjoy the images as much as we enjoyed judging them.
APOY Round Four Action results
Winner APOY Action – Lorenzo Passalacqua, Australia 100pts
DJI Mini 3 Pro, 6.7mm (equivalent to 24mm), 1/4000sec at f/1.7, ISO 150
Guest judge Amy Shore says: ‘This image, called “Avalanche” is a deserving winner of the action category! The photographer describes their image so perfectly, “Allowing the audience to feel the rush and respect the might of nature” – this image is bound to make sure any viewer feels a spike in their own adrenaline. From a visual point of view, the overwhelming blues and whites of the raging sea pinpricked with the bright yellow of the surfboard really stood out to me. The crashing waves curling into the top left corner of the image balanced beautifully with the lower half of the image, being much calmer and smoother in texture. Drone imagery can often be overused and easily complemented from its alternative perspective to what we are used to, but this image is incredibly strong in its own right and a true worthy winner from colour, composition, the thought process behind the title and description from the photographer.’
2. Tim Burgess, UK 90pts
Sony A7R Mark IV, 24-105mm at 24mm, 1/250sec at f/8, ISO 400
Without the flying pup, this would have been a pleasing intentional camera movement (ICM) image, with soft light and delightful complementary colours. With the silhouetted hound, however, the shot is elevated to something special. The timing is great, capturing all four paws in the air and the perfect reflection below. The letterbox crop suits the subject, and even having the dog so small in the frame is the ideal approach.
3. Sara Jazbar, Italy 80pts
Nikon Z 8, 24-70mm at 24mm, 1/25sec at f/22, ISO 64
It can be a challenge to get an original take on a sports image, but Sara has managed it. The top-down angle gives us a sense of drama and dynamism, and converting to B&W removes all the potential distractions from the scene. Her panning technique is spot on, too.
4. Kevin Leah, UK 70pts
Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 100-400mm at 400mm, 1/6400sec at f/5.6, ISO 1000
We get a lot of motorsports images in this round, and this one by Kevin stood out for all the right reasons. First and foremost, his timing is spot on. We get a full picture of the rider controlling his vehicle while also tackling the corner as fast as possible. If his leg hadn’t been sticking out to balance him, we would never have had the same impression. The flying mud adds to the drama and the processing is excellent.
5. Stephanie Chadwick, UK 60pts
OM Digital Solutions OM-1, 300mm, 1/160sec at f/5.6, ISO 800
A starling murmuration image with a difference. It’s great to see an image of this spellbinding behaviour in a context other than over the sea. It’s a semi-abstract image that is quite compelling, with the late-evening light highlighting the birds’ outlines and feathers in flecks of gold. The static birds in the background almost look like the outline of a mountain range, and the out-of-focus trees in the background provide enough context for the overall scene. The almost monochromatic tones are stunning, and overall the viewer feels completely submerged in the sheer drama of this natural phenomenon.
6. Ian Groves, UK 50pts
Sony A7 Mark III, 200-600mm at 400mm, 1/2500sec at f/6.3, ISO 1250
Another hugely dynamic action image that sums up this category beautifully. To get a feeling of movement, the viewer needs to feel part of the moment, and Ian has given us that experience by capturing the rider leaning over at such an acute angle, the line of his body filling much of the frame from bottom left to top right. The gravel spraying up from the bike’s rear tyre again is an excellent reflection of the sheer power of the moment, and the dust it creates provides an excellent backdrop that adds to the scene without being distracting. A great moment captured.
7. John Mihopulos, Germany 45pts
Canon EOS R3, 600mm, 1/2000sec at f/4, ISO 6400
A bird photograph with a difference, capturing a tern on the turn! The judges appreciated the skill required to capture such a moment – especially once you realise just how twisted the bird’s body is. The spray of water, each droplet pin-sharp, adds to the overall success of this memorable shot.
8. Henrik Spranz, Austria 40pts
Canon EOS R6 Mark II, 200mm, 1/2000sec at f/4, ISO 1600
Who doesn’t love a dog-in-full-flight shot? This is a superb example of the genre. Henrik has got down to ground level to capture the enthusiastic hound, and the intent and focus in its eyes has been wonderfully captured. By framing with a patch of out-of-focus grass in the foreground, Henrik has created an effective natural frame that ensures our attention is firmly focused on the dog, so our eye doesn’t stray anywhere else in the frame. And choosing to shoot in such warm, pleasing light means he’s captured that all-important catchlight in the dog’s eye. And, of course, focusing is flawless, too.
9. Paul Nash, UK 35pts
Nikon 1 J1, 10-30mm at 12mm, 1/200sec at f/3.8, ISO 100
An excellent example of zoom-burst technique from Paul, with the right-hand train appearing to explode out of the central highlight. The crucial element of the image is the red front of the train, which is pin- sharp and placed on the thirds. It gives our eye somewhere to rest and means that the bright central point isn’t overwhelming. There’s an overall dystopian feel to the image that the judges liked very much.
10. Joseph Beet, UK 30pts
Canon EOS R5, 100-500mm at 363mm, 1/1000sec at f/9, ISO 100
If a photograph can convey sound as well as sight, then it’s succeeded – and that’s where this image by Joseph grabs the attention. As well as capturing such dynamic shapes, with the trails creating depth in the scene, we can also almost hear the roar of the aeroplanes as the pilots carry out their astounding tricks. Joseph has done well to capture the speed and drama of the Red Arrows’ display in a split second.
Young APOY Action Winner
Antisha Thakur, India 100pts
Camera details unknown
Millions of photographs of the Taj Mahal must be taken every year, so for one of them to stand out in the way Antisha’s does is a huge achievement that should be applauded. The framing is clean and precise, the light is excellent, and there’s just enough detail in the hazy Taj itself. Then, of course, we have the capture of the silhouetted leaping figure, which has been managed superbly well. A very memorable shot to be proud of.
Camera Club competition
Neil Grieve, UK 10pts
Sony A7 Mark III, 12-24mm at 12mm, 1/125sec at f/2.8, ISO 640
Neil has earned ten points for himself and for Truro Camera Club with his excellent shot of Cornwall band The Sum Of. He got himself in exactly the right spot, has timed his shot extremely well, resulting in an image that explodes with energy. Converting to black & white is a brave move, but allows us to focus not only on the singer’s facial expression but also the textures and shapes. To earn points for your camera club, simply select it from the drop-down menu when you upload your images.
APOY 2024 leaderboard after Round Four, Action
Round four, and we have the fourth different entrant at the top of the leaderboard, showing just how fluid and changeable it can be. Sara Jazbar, who was in joint eighth place last round, has now jumped to first. Tim Burgess, in joint second, is the highest-scoring camera club member, and earns 90 points for Plymouth Camera Club, which is ahead of second-placed Truro by an impressive 165 points. Will they keep up this successful run? Only time will tell. Young APOY regular Yousef Naser is in first at the moment, but with some excellent photographers close behind.
Winning kit from Camera Centre UK
What gear did our top ten photographers use?
In second place, Tim Burgess shot his atmospheric canine shot using the Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS lens. With its impressive resistance to flare and consistently sharp performance at all focal lengths, the FE 24-105 F4 G OSS, with its very useful focal range, is ideal for a variety of subjects from landscapes to portraiture. It features built-in optical stabilisation and weighs 663g. AP’s review said, ‘It’s the best-judged general-purpose zoom Sony has yet made.’ Find it at Camera Centre UK for £929.
Taking fifth place, Stephanie Chadwick shot using the Olympus 300mm f4 M.Zuiko IS PRO Digital ED lens. Equivalent to 600mm, this Micro Four Thirds lens is compact enough to be used handheld and features up to 6 stops of image stabilisation. It’s also compatible with the 1.4x teleconverter, for even more reach. This lens can be bought at Camera Centre UK for £2,395.
In eighth, Henrik Spranz’s Canon EOS R6 Mark II features rapid continuous shooting, highly effective subject detection AF, impressive image quality in JPEG and raw and an excellent viewfinder and fully articulated screen. The AP review stated, ‘A superb all-rounder that handles well, and its updates and modern features perform incredibly well to make for a very powerful camera indeed.’ It can be found at Camera Centre UK for £1,999.
To see the full range, visit www.cameracentreuk.com
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