Louder joined forces this year with with image editing software Affinity Photo to find the best new rock photographers of 2020.
The competition ran throughout the year with a series of challenges: Challenge 1 was on live photography and won by a shot of prog singer Damian Wilson crowd-surfing. Challenge 2 was all about Crowd & Venue Scenes and won by a great shot of a Machine Head crowd. The Shot On Mobile heat was won by this live shot of Manchester band Larkins. Challenge #4 on Album Photography was won by a brain-scrambling shot that could have been the cover of a new prog album, and Challenge #5's winner was a live shot of Iggy Pop that captured the joy of live performance and the love between performer and audience.
The final challenge was around local band portraits. With lockdown regulations in place over the last few months we extended the time period on this one – it's never been harder to get together and shoot local bands. But today we can reveal the winner…
And the winner is...
Taken by UK photographer Marvey Mills, and shot in June in London's Canary Wharf, the picture is of UK band Viscula. A relatively straight portrait of the band, the fish eye, location and that cloud-speckled blue sky add drama and modernity.
Congratulations to Marvey.
So we now have our six winners and all that is left is to choose the overall winner. We'd like you to vote for for the overall winner. Here is the shortlist:
Affinity Photo picture-editing software is about speed, power and precision - and so is the best rock music. This photo competition is about finding new photographers who capture the spirit of rock’n’roll and helping them to get the best from their photographs.
At the end, the overall winner will receive:
- iPad Pro 11” + Apple Pencil + Affinity Photo for iPad
- The opportunity to go on assignment with Louder/Classic Rock/Metal Hammer/Prog photographer Kevin Nixon (OR - if geography makes that impossible - doing a Skype/online workshop with Kevin).
- The winning pictures will be published online on Louder and in our sister magazines (Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog).
Additionally, all entrants will be able to buy the award-winning photo editing software Affinity Photo, on PC or Mac, for less than half price - £23.99 instead of the usual £48.99.
Affinity’s John Atkin says: “Even the best photographers adjust their images before publication, and Affinity Photo is perfect whether you want to make quick corrections or complex, multi-layered edits.
“The low one-off price and no monthly subscription means it’s ideal for photographers on a budget, or who might not be using it all the time, while still delivering all of the editing capabilities the top pros require. And it’s all backed up with a whole load of free, easy-to-follow video tutorials that can help make you a better photographer.”
