Photographer of the Year 2008

The Theme:

People. The first Photographer of the Year competition of 2008 is all about capturing the human condition. Whether it's an environmental portrait of a person at work, a fashion shoot, a detailed close-up of your loved one or an innovative image of your local footie team, getting the best from a human face (or faces) is extremely difficult.

We ask that you submit a portfolio of up to five images. They can be multiple images of the same person, or a range of photographs designed to show your understanding of portraiture in general. Be warned though, portraiture is a deceptively hard topic, spanning everything from classical art to the snapshot aesthetic, from sophisticated lighting arrangements seen in 1930s Hollywood film star portraits to the naturally-lit documentary portraits of Mary Ellen Mark or the deceptive simplicity of Bailey or Richard Avedon. You could draw on anyone from Julia-Margaret Cameron to Karsh of Ottawa; Horst P Horst to Alec Soth; August Sander to Nan Goldin. You could even look to the Dutch Masters, to Rembrandt and Vermeer and how their work still resonates to this day.

You have until the end of the March, so get thinking and get submitting - you may want to use the caption box when submitting an image to explain your ways of thinking and/or your technical process to achieve results.

The Prize:

There can be only one winner, so there's only one prize. But it's a real corker...

First place: The winning picture by members' votes will earn its photographer a brand new Nikon D300 DSLR camera body, from London's premier camera supplier Kingsley Photographic, the top choice for photography on the camera-filled Tottenham Court Road. With its stunning 12.3 megapixel CMOS sensor (capable or producing high-quality images at ISO 3200 and beyond), three inch VGA resolution LCD screen and built-in sensor cleaning, this is Nikon's ultimate DX camera and the dream of many pros and advanced amateurs. It's perfect for any portrait photographer, and retails for more than �1,100 - but you can win one for free! So, get snapping!

more : thinkcamera