APOY Inspiration

If you're planning to enter our Movement round, which launches next week, take these tips from four of last year's top ten photographers

- Stephanie Chadwick, Bristol

Stephanie Chadwick, Bristol

OM System OM-1, 300mm, 1/160sec at f/5.6, ISO 800

Stephanie came fifth a year ago with her action shot of a starling murmuration. The judges said: 'The almost monochromatic tones are stunning, and overall the viewer feels completely submerged in the sheer drama of this natural phenomenon.'

Stephanie says: 'I was mesmerised by the starling murmuration on a cold afternoon in January. At RSPB Minsmere in Somerset, birds began to roost very near to where I was standing by the reed beds. The noise of their chatter was deafening, along with the incredible thrum of thousands of wings. As the light faded, it seemed impossible for the reeds to bear their collective weight. As more and more descended, I took this shot with a slowish shutter speed. I hoped to give the sense of the murmuration madness that I was witnessing. One bird appears more clearly than the surrounding masses, seeking a berth for the night. What seemed like total chaos was in fact completed with extreme precision. Gradually, the birds fell quiet and all was calm.

'I had only recently changed to the OM System OM-1 and wasn't sure how the images would turn out in the very low light, inspite of some illumination from the setting sun behind. I'm pleased with the sense of movement in this amazing spectacle.'

Joe Beet, Nottinghamshire

Canon EOS R5, 100-500mm at 363mm, 1/1000sec at f/9, ISO 100