Attention shutterbugs: Syngenta has launched its 2010 Photo Prize competition, inviting amateur and professional photographers from around the world to submit photos based on the theme of ‘bringing plant potential to life.’

The theme, which may inspire images of plants, landscapes, communities and technologies in the context of global agriculture, is based on the Syngenta company purpose and was chosen to mark the Syngenta 10 year anniversary. The goal of the competition is to create a record of modern agriculture, which will help strengthen the connection between farmers, growers and the consumers they serve.

Prizes of $8000, $5000 and $3000 will be awarded to first, second and third place winners respectively, courtesy of Canon.

Entries can be submitted between January 20 – June 20, 2010. Judging criteria and other contest details, including more of Marcus’ tips, can be found at www.syngentaphoto.com.

Tips & Tricks for Taking Great Photos on the Farm

Marcus Lyon, award-winning photographer and Syngenta Photo Prize jury member, offers these five tips and tricks for taking great photos:

• Reflect the correct perspective
  Skewed horizontal lines, slanted buildings and strange proportions often originate from a camera that is held incorrectly. Rule #1: always hold your camera with both hands. Ensure that you hold it as parallel as possible to the subject and do not point the lens needlessly upwards or downwards.
  


• Know the rules of dynamic image composition
  Most image compositions look more interesting if the main subject is not exactly in the middle of the picture. As a rule of thumb you should split the picture horizontally as well as vertically in three thirds, making nine squares of equal size. Have the main subject in one of the intersecting points of the lines.
  


• Create a well-balanced depth effect
  Interesting details in fore-, middle- and background provide a well-balanced depth effect. To create ‘depth’ in a picture, you should follow the principle ‘large in front, small in back.’ For depth effect you can also work with colours: blue and green are cold colours which naturally blend into the background; while warm colours like red, orange or yellow in the foreground will ‘pull’ the picture optically into length.
  


• Use the right natural light
  Photos in the beaming sunshine (direct light) will not necessarily look the best. A midday sun generates strong contrasts, and details in shadows will hardly be seen. The perfect natural light is shortly after sunrise and just before sunset.
  


• Think about the background
  We normally concentrate on the subject when we compose a picture and ignore the background. Pay special attention to what stands or walks behind your subject while taking a photo. Do not try to accommodate as much as possible in your picture -- less is more! Separate the important from insignificant. If your subject fills the image almost completely, this looks more interesting to the viewer than a general overview of a scene.