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
![black & white portrait of steve gosling](https://other.kelsey.host/amateurphotographer/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Steve-Gosling-©Murray-McMillan.jpg)
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.
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.
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.
![apoy calendar](https://other.kelsey.host/amateurphotographer/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/apoy-calendar-final.jpg)
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.
![apoy logo](https://other.kelsey.host/amateurphotographer/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/in-assoc.jpg)
More information about Amateur Photographer of the Year can be found here: Amateur Photographer of the Year 2022
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