Canon D-Photo Amateur Photographer Awards Announced

Four months ago we asked D-Photo readers to get out their cameras and enter our first-ever competition for New Zealand’s talented photographic amateurs, the Canon D-Photo Amateur Photographer of the Year Awards. The response has been overwhelming — as anyone who’s been following the site will know. There have been literally thousands of entries across our four categories, with some interesting images in the mix (the judges were surprised to see how many pictures of boulders, waterfalls, seagulls and seals were entered).

There were some standout entries in in this competition, but the panel of judges unanimously decided Wellington Engineer and photography enthusiast Andy Tan is the first Canon D-Photo Amateur Photographer of they Year. Tan was also named winner of the ‘Open Creative – Emotions’ category with his stunning self-portrait entitled ‘Anger,’ and had a strong presence across all categories.

“Andy’s entries all showed a good understanding of light, composition and technical ability. His ability to capture emotion in his subjects was of a much higher standard than all other entrants and he has a bright future ahead,” commented judge Hannah Johnston, a photographer with Getty.

“Andy Tan’s work showed a clear understanding of the brief but also exhibited a knowledge of the principles of photography; this is especially evident in the highlights of his subject. It is clear the thought process Andy went through to get this shot,” said panelist Rochelle Mora, Brand Manager Imaging at Canon.

For his efforts, Tan wins a Canon EOS 50D dSLR with a 17-85mm IS lens, plus a Canon MP990 Printer.

Tan wasn’t the only victor, with Karen Reid taking out the Landscape category, Richard Burson the People category, and Rebecca Futcher the Monochrome category, all of whom are the proud new owners of a Canon MP990 printer.

Congratulations to all our winners, and thanks to everyone who entered the competition. Given its massive popularity, it won’t be the last time you’ll have the chance to be crowned Amateur Photographer of the Year.

Thousands of Entries in Amateur Photography Comp’s Final Week

Mark Ewington’s entry in the People category

Time’s running out fast for the Canon D-Photo Amateur Photographer of the Year Competition, with entries closing midnight on Sunday! We’ve had literally thousands of entries in the last couple of weeks, with almost 1500 images submitted in the last week alone!

For those of you who’ve already entered be sure to vote for your favourite pictures. We’ve got a panel of pros ready to pick the winners next week.

An enormous kit bag full of gear is up for grabs, with more than $5000 worth of prizes there for the taking, including four Canon MP990 printers for category winners, and the grand prize of a Canon EOS 50D dSLR with a 17-85mm IS lens.

Along with the four category winners, an overall winner selected from all submissions will be awarded the title of D-Photo/Canon Amateur Photographer of the Year.

Besides a host of great prizes, amateur photographers will also get the chance to see their images in an exclusive exhibition, displaying the best entries from the competition.

Click here to view the galleries and find out how to submit your photo.