Local photographer weighs in on EY competition

Locally based photographer Stephen Ball is no stranger to competitions and is the winner of two Royal Meteorological Society photo competitions and the 'Barclays Earth' global photo competition.

He is also the chief photographer for MeteoGib and has shared his thoughts on the new EY photo competition.

The competition invites participants to capture initiatives, large and small, that can make a difference to Gibraltar’s carbon footprint.

Run in partnership with this newspaper it will take place between October 18 and 30.

“It sounds like an interesting competition, with a very ‘in vogue’ subject matter given the global focus on climate change etc and the move to carbon neutral,” said Mr Ball.

“The topic should give photographers a very broad scope and it will be interesting to see the entries and how the photographers have applied the carbon neutral vision to Gibraltar.”

He believes that the fact that photographers have two weeks to take the photos will add an extra element to the competition.

“Photographers will have to really think about the topic and how they can specifically apply it to Gibraltar, rather than just trawling through their back catalogue of images looking for something suitable,” he said.

If he has the time, he hopes to enter the competition himself, in the meantime he has some advice for those who are hoping to catch the judge's eye.

“My advice would be to really think about the topic and find a subject that encompasses it fully, however photographers will need to include an additional element, twist or angle that ensures the photo really tells the story of carbon neutrality and catches the judge’s eye,” he said.

“This could be through the use of colour, light, lines, foreground/background etc, however photographers should try to be as innovative as possible.”

The title of the competition is Gibraltar’s Carbon Snapshot.

Participants are asked to take, and submit, a maximum of two electronic photographs over a two week period in Gibraltar. With a focus on carbon neutrality subjects they can feature large projects undertaken by government or organisations, smaller initiatives from businesses and also individual actions that anyone might be doing at home, with their sports or recreational club.

There are no categories, and the competition is open to everyone living in Gibraltar with a winning prize of £500 and the top five images being displayed in the EY offices for a year. There is also an opportunity for the images to be used widely in EY advertising focused on carbon neutrality.

To be part of a unique project, visit EY Gibraltar’s Facebook or Instagram for the terms and conditions and also how to submit photographs.