APOY 2016 Round 1: Abstract

APOY 2016 Round 4: Scary Monsters – Wildlife and Pets

It’s another strong month for APOY 2016 as we present the top 30 images from round four of the competition

The wildlife round of our APOY competition is always a tricky one to judge. Wildlife and pets are a constant source of fascination for photographers, with good reason. The myriad behaviours, textures and colours of the animal kingdom are extremely attractive to those looking to create engaging and dynamic images. These subjects also allow the photographer to capture their often interesting environmental contexts, as we’ll see over the following pages.

But, as always, there can only be one winner. The champion of the Wildlife and Pets round of APOY 2016, is Csilla Szucs, from Bath. Csilla will receive a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C lens worth £1,199.99.

The Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C delivers the optical and action-capture performance professional photographers require. It is lightweight, with a compact construction for higher usability.

Its optical performance has been enhanced by the incorporation of one FLD and three SLD glass elements, optimisation of the lens power distribution and minimised chromatic aberration of magnification.

In addition, distortion throughout the entire focal range is well compensated. In order to make it a hyper-telephoto zoom lens portable enough for handheld shooting in the field, it is dust and splash-proof, and incorporates a detachable tripod socket for higher usability.

Sigma Wildlife at home and abroad

Sigma-150-600mm-f5-6.3-DG-OS-HSM

The new zoom-lock switch enables the zoom ring to be locked at any focal length. For example, it can be fixed at the photographer’s desirable focal length, permitting stable shooting whether the lens is positioned upwards or downwards. It also helps during long-exposure photography.

In addition, the lens incorporates a water and oil-repellent coating that allows water to be wiped away easily, and prevents oil and fat from sticking to the surface, even in challenging shooting conditions. At the same time, the maintenance of the lens surface becomes easier.

APOY 2016 Round 4: Scary Monsters – Wildlife and Pets

1st Csilla Szucs, Bath 50pts

APOY 2016 Round 4: Scary Monsters - Wildlife

1st Csilla Szucs, Bath 50pts

Samsung NX30, 60mm, 1/125sec at f/32, ISO 400

‘Sweet Trap’ is a great image from Csilla Szucs, who lives in Bath. ‘I put a mirror on a table and then some syrup on the glass in order to lure the wasps,’ she says. ‘I then prepared myself with my macro lens, getting as close as possible to the table. It was a sunny day, so the blue sky was reflecting on the mirror, which gave a nice background for the wasps eating the syrup.’


2nd David Travis, Staffordshire 49pts

APOY 2016 Round 4: Scary Monsters - Wildlife

2nd David Travis, Staffordshire 49pts

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 50mm, 1/5,000sec at f/2, ISO 2,000

It was difficult choosing a winner of this round, but we knew right away that this image would be near the top. ‘I spotted some birds flying in and out of a shaft of light,’ says David of this rather excellent image. ‘I prefocused my camera and then waited for one of the birds to enter the light.’

3rd Petr Ritschel, Czech Republic 48pts

APOY 2016 Round 4: Scary Monsters - Wildlife

3rd Petr Ritschel, Czech Republic 48pts

Nikon D70, 70-300mm, 1/250sec at f/5.6, ISO 200

This was another shot that really captured the eyes of the judges. There’s a lot of character and narrative present in what is, on the surface, a simple shot. Everything about it has come together – the seating position and the hanging head of the monkey, the drenched fur, the background thrown perfectly out of focus and the streaks of rain that provide us with a lovely context.

Here are the top 50 entries for this APOY 2016 Round 4: Scary Monsters – Wildlife

1 Csilla Szucs 50pts
2 David Travis 49pts
3 Petr Ritschel 48pts
4 Adam Zoltan Nagy 47pts
5 Grant Hyatt 46pts
6 George Digalakis 45pts
7 Steve Thomas 44pts
8 Dominic Beaven 43pts
9 Russ Barnes 42pts
10 Molly Hollman 41pts
11 David Kitson 40pts
12 Adrian Clarke 39pts
13 Anthony Hammond 38pts
14 Ian Webb 37pts
15 Adrian Mills 36pts
16 Alan Warriner 35pts
17 Fearghal Breathnach 34pts
18 Martin Tosh 33pts
19 Adam Stephenson 32pts
20 Bruce Jones 31pts
21 Richard Eyers 30pts
22 Michael Marsh 29pts
23 Sigita Playdon 28pts
24 Lol Cain 27pts
25 Sandy Scott 26pts
26 Iain McConnell 25pts
27 Mike Morley 24pts
28 Ova Hamer 23pts
29 Penny Halsall 22pts
30 Svetlana Volkova 21pts
31 Mick Davis 20pts
32 Andrew Kelsick 19pts
33 Steve Minshull 18pts
34 David Fletcher 17pts
35 Jevgenijs Scolokovs 16pts
36 Sam Potter 15pts
37 Adele Spencer 14pts
38 Anita Nicholson 13pts
39 Herbert Freedom 12pts
40 Alan Novelli 11pts
41 Richard Moore 10pts
42 Steve Ingham 9pts
43 Andrew Small 8pts
44 Craig Goldie 7pts
45 Dylan Nardini 6pts
46 Tom White 5pts
47 Caroline de Kock 4pts
48 Chris Jenkins 3pts
49 Paul Rose 2pts
50 Vlad Georgescu 1pt

The 2016 Leaderboard

In first place we have  Penny Halsall with 106 points, and in second place, with 100 points, is George Digalakis. In third place, with 95 points, is Russ Barnes and in joint fourth sits Bertrand Chombart and David Fletcher, each with 94 points.

Position Name Points
    1  Penny Halsall   106pts
    2  George Diagalakis   100pts
    3  Russ Barns    95pts
    4  Bertrand Chombart    94pts
    4  David Fletcher    94pts
    6  Adam Zoltan Nagy    90pts
    7  Dominic Beaven    87pts
    8  Adrian Mills    86pts
    9  Tomer Eliash    84pts
  10  Fearghaal Breathnach    78pts

This is only the fourth round of this year’s APOY there are five more to enter and win prizes from Sigma.

APOY 2016