Joshua's photo wins first prize in global photography contest

When BA (Hons) Television Production student, Joshua Masters, entered a travel photo into an international competition, he hoped he would be in with a chance of winning. It's no surprise, then, that he was ecstatic when he found out he'd won global travel agency Smaller Earth's 2018 photography contest! We caught up with Josh to find out more about his winning composition, and his hopes for the future.

Tell us what made you enter the competition, and the piece you submitted

I signed up to do a summer camp in summer 2017 with Camp Leaders USA as a videographer. This role entailed making promotional videos for the camp, as well as take some lessons - it was a lot of fun! When I returned home I saw Smaller Earth were holding a photography competition for ‘summer photos’. This was right up my street as I had taken thousands of photos and videos from my summer camp and while travelling post camp. In all, there were over 13,000 entries.

The photo that won me the competition was one I snapped in Monument Valley. It was sunrise and we'd climbed up on top of the RV we had hired for three weeks. I launched my drone and snapped a picture of us staring out into the distance of the valley. Little did I know at the time this would win me a free trip to New York over Christmas!

Has winning this award inspired you to do more photography?

Definitely. I was a keen photographer prior to taking this photo. Now I’ve got some publicity and recognition for a photo I’ve taken it’s inspired me to keep pushing and create more content through my camera.

What are your favourite bits of your degree?

The freedom. It’s all handed to you; you just have to get out there and do it. The University has an incredible amount of resources in terms of kit and knowledge from the lecturers and TIs. You just have to be proactive. This course is so broad you can create anything you want in terms of content. 

What do you hope to go on to do after graduation?

I’ve always said this, office jobs don’t appeal to me. I always like to be on the move, travelling, getting away. It’s early days but when I finish university I would like to be a full-time videographer. Something I’ve always wanted to do, which is exciting, is tour countries with artists such as Steve Aoki and the Chain Smokers, documenting and capturing content from their concerts and shows.

See more of Joshua’s work on Instagram: @joshuamasters_