The American Photography Open competition is back for 2023.

The contest, open to photographers at any level using any device, from DSLRs and mirrorless cameras to smartphones, got underway in March, and the first month of the competition saw entries coming in from around the world. Today we’re featuring several images that caught then attention of our judges, including a photo of a stylishly retro train station in Brussels, a snow-filled landscape in Minnesota, and a joyous New Year’s parade in New York City’s Chinatown.

Now’s the time for you to start getting your entries ready. All Open winners will receive prizes including selected products and services from our partners Tamron Americas, SanDisk, PhotoShelter, The Photo Closer and  Vital Impacts, whose mission is supporting organizations who are protecting people, wildlife and habitats. (Go here to see more).

The Open Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000, a Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2 (model A063) for Sony mirrorless cameras ($899 value), a SanDisk 1 TB Extreme Pro Portable SSD, the choice of an 8x10 open edition print with a certificate from Vital Impacts, a 2-year Pro account from our sponsor PhotoShelter, and a 2-hour business consultation with The Photo Closer.

In addition, Tamron Americas is once again sponsoring our Landscape and Travel category Grand Prize and runners-up winners. (Please note this is open to residents of USA and Canada only.) The Tamron Grand Prize winner will receive a Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD (model A058) for Sony mirrorless cameras ($1,899 value). All Tamron entries will also be eligible for the Open prizes, so there is no need to enter twice. You can enter both competitions as many times as you wish.

The deadline in August 31, but why wait? We could feature your entry in a future story here.  Go here for more information on the prizes, judges, and information on how to enter. Meanwhile, check out the highlighted entries from March:
______________________________

Stephane Navailles: “Back to the ’70s”

Stephane Navailles is a self-taught amateur photographer living in Paris. “I have been practicing photography for several years but more diligently since 2018,” says Navailles, who in recent years has focused primarily on urban and street photography.

In 2022 he was traveling to Brussels, Belgium, when “out of the blue” he found this scene at a stylishly retro train station and captured it with the gear he had at hand—a Samsung S21+ smartphone. “Concerning my material, except for my smartphone, I also use a Sony a7R II,” he says.

“The most important thing in this photo: the balance the depth the colors the atmosphere,” Navailles says. You can find more of his work at Instagram.
—

Tom Fisk: “Frozen Radiance”

A healthcare IT consultant, Tom Fisk is an avid amateur photographer living in Plainview, Minnesota. This is his entry in the Tamron Americas Landscape and Travel category. “I have been involved in photography since I was 12 years old, when I became intrigued by the process of capturing images on film.  I developed and printed many of my own photos, and photography has been a part of my life ever since,” he says. Most weekend mornings—and some evenings—find Fisk at a “particular location” at which he prefers shooting. He then takes "less traveled" roads back home.

It was on one of those return trips in February, in Winona County, Minnesota, that  he made the photo above. “For this shot I had to walk through the snow on a particularly cold day (I believe it was -10F) in tennis shoes.  Yeah, I wasn't prepared,” he says. “I did manage to take several shots over a 15 minute period as the sun went in and out of the clouds and as the fog coming off the pond was highlighted. My feet were bricks when I got back to my car.” Fish shot with a Sony RX10 IV.

Find more of Fisk’s work at Pexels.
-

Sue Barr: “Joy”

Based in Red Bank, New Jersey, pro photographer Sue Barr shoots all over the country but mostly in the New Jersey-NewYork-Connecticut tri-state area and Southern Florida. “I was an art director, fashion editor and stylist, and then one day someone put a camera in my hand and suggested I take the photos, and I never looked back,” she says of her career.

In February, Barr made her way to New York City’s Chinatown to photograph the Chinese New Year parade there. “Since this was not an assignment, I took my Pentax K 1000 film camera,” she says. During the festivities, Barr saw an 81-year-old  immigrant from the Philippines enjoying herself.

 “She asked if I would take her picture with her phone, and I said I would,” Barr recalls. “She was a willing subject and enjoyed my direction. The light was relatively even and I was loving the chaos of the people and the colors.”

See more of Barr’s film photography at this Instagram page.  See her other work at this Instagram page.