Everybody is asking now who won the QQ Photo Competition? 

Now you can vote for  your favourite of the 5 finalists. We will announce the final winner next week!

Click here to vote.

You need a school email address to vote – only students and staff will have access to the voting form.

Voting closes Sunday 18th February. 

Read more about how our judges decided on the Final Five and learn what to think about when we announce our next photo competition.  Thanks to the art teachers  – Ms Turner, Mr Snell and Mr Walker – for their input.

Photo-taking Tips from Art Competition Judge: Ms. Turner

With the results of Stockholm International School’s photography competition having been announced, you may be interested in participating in next year’s competition. Photography competitions are exciting to participate in, however, taking quality photos is not an easy task. Whether you want to elevate your photo taking skills or if you are determined to win, this exclusive interview with a competition judge and visual arts teacher, Ms. Turner, will help you and your photo taking endeavours with several top photo-taking tips.

Focus

Turner: Almost every aspect of a photo will centre around its main focus. My advice to those who are new is not to stick the focus to the middle of the screen. One of the things that can assist you is the third part rule. Shifting the focus to the left or right, top or bottom, or even the corners can allow for a more interesting photograph. That’s why it is usually good to have a photo prompt or checklist if you are new to photography, forcing yourself out of your usual habits. 

Framing

Turner: One of the things I say is: “crop before you crop”; before taking the picture, try and mentally “crop” your own vision to try and explore the different ways you could capture your photo. Many photographers keep the horizontal division between the land and sky in the middle of the photo, but I recommend staying out of that. Once again, a checklist can help you avoid that

Distinctiveness

Turner: As a judge, I try to look for things that stand out. There were many sunsets and beautiful colours but what I tend to look out for are the ones that are unique. For example, one of the photos was much less cluttered than most, although this allowed me to focus on the main elements of the photo. A couple images also had a short focal length, meaning that the background was very blurry and the focus of the photo stood out more. I think the best example of this was a photo of a lego skier.

Image Quality

Turner: Image quality also mattered; the low resolution or blurry images looked much less pleasing when enlarged, making it difficult for them to place highly in the competition. This is something that any photographer must not neglect.

The tips above are just several of the many tips that Ms. Turner has written on a google slides presentation for students new to photography and were interested in participating in the photography competition. Overall, she considers this year’s lineup a strong lineup, saying that “considering there were no guidelines and based on the theme changing seasons, many photographers did excellent with the lighting of the photographs, despite the dark weather”.

Gallery • 5 Photos

The Beauty Of Nature's Sun Dog