Amateur Photographer is a British photography magazine, published weekly by Time Inc (UK) Ltd. The magazine provides articles on equipment reviews, photographic technique, and profiles of professional photographers.
Amateur Photographer was first published on 10 October 1884, making it over 130 years old. It has established itself as the world's number one weekly photography magazine. Some of the most renowned photographers such as Alfred Stieglitz, Frank Meadow Sutcliffe, David Bailey and Bob Carlos Clarke have written for the magazine over the years.
AP (as it is referred to) is usually based around the following items:
AP News - information on the world of film and digital photography; including details of product launches, external competitions and upcoming events (festivals, events, galleries and camera clubs).
AP Review - A weekly round-up of books, exhibitions and websites.
Letters - Readers letters concerning recent events, views on photography and feedback on AP articles. Sponsored by Fujifilm UK, film or digital media is provided for all letters published. Also contains "Back Chat", an article introduced by then Editor Garry Coward-Williams, where an essay on a photography related subject from a reader is published.
Photo Insight - Each week one of four photographers explains the ideas and techniques behind a particular photograph.
Reader Spotlight - Readers photographs. Readers can submit up to 10 photographs (not needing to be themed) on film or digital media. A selection of these is published each week. The 'Editor's Choice' each week is paid £50.
AP's Icons of Photography - A camera, photograph, photographer or other notable figure from photographic history.
Insider Knowledge - An AP reader provides a guide to their favourite location.
AP Test Bench - AP's tests of the latest photography equipment.
Ask AP - Technical help in response to readers letters and emails. Includes a sub section taken from the AP Website Forum.
AP Appraisal - Reader photo critique. Readers can submit up to six images as prints, slides or on CD (with original files).
Vendor Adverts/Classifieds - A wide selection of UK and international equipment vendors (some offering preferential rates to AP readers); and AP's own classified ads for readers to submit.
The Final Frame - Weekly essay from a figure from the world of photography with regular contributions from Roger Hicks.
APOY is an annual competition run by Amateur Photographer, and is open to anyone that earns less than 10% of their yearly salary from photography.
Each year's competition is run on a monthly basis, with each month having a dedicated "theme" for the images to adhere to. The APOY judges than narrow the entries down to a short list of 50. From there, the final 'Top 30' are awarded points and published in the magazine; with the top three places being awarded prize donated by Canon UK. All 30 point scoring photographers are entered into the league table; which is edited after each round. After all ten rounds, the photographer with the highest score in the league table is crowned the Amateur Photographer Of the Year and wins £5,000 worth of vouchers.
Editor: Nigel Atherton
Group Art Editor: Mark Jacobs
Technical Editor: Andy Westlake
News Editor: Chris Cheesman The first port of call for relaying photography related news. Before joining AP in 1999 Chris worked as a news reporter and feature writer on business magazines and has journalistic experience both inside and outside photography. He always carries a camera.
Production Editor: Lesley Upton
Deputy Editor: Richard Sibley Joined AP as a Technical Writer in July 2007
Designer: Antony Green
Sub Editor: Oliver Cotton
AP Internet Forum Administrator: TheFatController (AKA: Myk Ripley)
Roger Hicks - Born in Cornwall, Roger stumbled into photography in 1966. After various job (law, teaching, accounting) he turned to professional photography in 1975 at a London advertising studio. His first book was published in 1980, and then turned full-time to freelance photography, writing and journalism in 1981.
George Hughes - Features Editor from 1968 to 1979. Created interview features with many legendary photographers, such as Brassai, Ansel Adams, Cartier-Bresson, Karsh, André Kertész. Returned to the magazine as Publishing Editor for a short period at the end of the 1980s. Served on Arts Council of Great Britain Photography Panel.
Geoffrey Crawley - A renowned expert on the science of photography, as well as the inventor of the Paterson range of developers, Geoffrey was previously the Editor of the "British Journal of Photography" for 21 years. He is also known for exposing the Cottingley Fairies hoax and advising investigators into the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Geoffrey died in 2010.
Garry Coward-Williams - Editor (from November 1998 up to and including issue dated 3 March 2007). Garry first moved into journalism in 1985 after a career as a professional photographer. Before joining Amateur Photographer, he was the editor of Cage and Aviary Birds and, prior to that, the deputy editor of Shooting Times & Country Magazine.
Bob Carlos Clarke - Irish enfant terrible erotic photographer column in the early 1990s.
David Bailey
