Do you fancy yourself as a bit of a photographer? Could you capture the essence of Oxfordshire in a single shot? Well we're looking for a photograph to do just that. It can be of people, places, flowers - any subject - provided it has a distinctly Oxfordshire look. Just send it to our expert panel and we'll contact you if you're shortlisted for our stunning prize. Other worthy entries will receive subscriptions to Oxfordshire Life magazine and may form part of an exhibition.

Entries can be taken with any camera, and you don't have to live in Oxfordshire to enter. However, the picture must have been taken between January 1, 2007 and September 1, 2008, the closing date of the competition.

We'll be looking for a shot that is creative, evocative, beautiful and thought-provoking. It must also have perspective, balance and focus of statement and be technically excellent.

Send your entries, before September 1, 2008, together with your telephone number, postal and e-mail address to:

Oxfordshire Life/EOS magazine photographic competition

Archant House, Oriel Road, Cheltenham, Gloucs. GL50 1BB

Winners will be notified by September 19, 2008.

Rules, terms and conditions:

1. Entries can be submitted as prints, slides or digital files. Prints must be no larger than A4 (210 x 297mm) and unmounted. Slides must be in glassless mounts. Digital images should be shot at the camera's best resolution and must be supplied in TIFF or JPEG format on CD. Digital files must be accompanied by a print-out of the image (for reference). Do NOT submit a print without its original digital file.

2. Digital manipulation by software such as Photoshop is allowed.

3. Entries must be accompanied by details of the camera the photograph was taken on.

4. Images that have already won an award in another public photographic competition are not eligible.

5. The competition is open to all photographers and any type of camera can be used.

6. All images must have been taken between January 1, 2007 and September 1, 2008.

7. More than one entry per person is permitted.

8. Your name, address, and telephone number must be attached to every item. You should also send details of the location of the photograph.

9. Return postage and packing must be enclosed if you would like your submission returned. Those entries not returned will be destroyed.

10. Please ensure you keep copies of submitted entries. We will take all reasonable steps to ensure the safe storage of entries, but cannot be held responsible for lost or damaged photographs.

11. By entering, you acknowledge you have full copyright to the submitted entry. While copyright remains that of the photographer, entering into this competition authorises the publication of the winning photographs in publicity relating to the competition and within Oxfordshire Life and EOS magazines and their respective websites.

12. Email addresses are required on the entry form along with name address and contact telephone number.

13. The closing date for entries is September 1, 2008.

If you do not wish to receive any additional post-competition correspondence or offers from Archant Life magazines or EOS magazine, please write NO CORRESPONDENCE on your entry.

WINNER

The judging panel will include representatives from both Oxfordshire Life magazine and EOS magazine.

1. The winners will be notified by telephone and e-mail by September 19, 2008.

2. The criteria used to judge the competition will be:

• Photographs taken within Oxfordshire in 2007/08
• Creativity - is it unusual, evocative, beautiful, thought-provoking?
• Originality - is the subject new or treated differently?
• Composition - perspective, balance, clarity of meaning and focus of statement.
• Technical excellence - colour, clarity, focus, lighting and exposure.

3. The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

4. By entering the compeition, entrants are permitting the use of their images in connection with the competition and future publication in either or both magazines and their respective websites and in any future connected exhibition. Any other usage will be negotiated with the copyright holder.

5. Employees and families of people employed by EOS magazine and Oxfordshire Life magazine are not permitted to enter the competition.

PRIZES:

First prize - Canon EOS 450 digital camera

Second and third prizes - a year's subscription to Oxfordshire Life magazine

No cash alternative is offered.

Submission of any entry implies acceptance of these rules.

Winning photo tips

1. Read the rules

The competition is for photographs taken in Oxfordshire, so you need to find a way of identifying your location. This does not mean including road signs or famous buildings (though you can if you wish), but it will be a good idea to include some feature which is characteristic of the county.

For example, if you photograph a group of daffodils, don’t stand above them and shoot down – the resulting picture could have been taken anywhere. Instead, lay on the ground and shoot up at the flowers, at the same time including a landscape or buildings in the background.

2. Fill the frame

Add impact to your images by filling the frame with your subject. But how do you fill the frame and locate the subject? Try using a wide-angle lens, or the wide end of the zoom lens on your camera. This works extremely well if the main subject – a farm animal, for example – is within a few feet of the camera. The animal will dominate the photograph, but you will also be able to see the landscape in the background.

3. Use colour

Your photographs will appear more vibrant if they have a splash of colour. Blues and greens tend to recede into an image, but reds and yellows stand out. That’s why red poppies in a field of green grass create such a strong image. On the other hand, a good black-and-white photograph can be powerful because it relies on tones and shapes, rather than competing colours.

4. Take care

Outstanding photographs can be ruined by faults such as camera shake – movement of the camera during the exposure, which blurs the image. Landscapes and buildings are best photographed with the camera on a tripod, but this is not always possible or convenient. Support the camera on a wall, or against a tree, whenever possible. Good images require accurate focusing and correct exposure.

5. Be creative

Often, all that is needed to transform a snapshot into a winning image is a change of view. Avoid the obvious picture. For example, if you are photographing a building, can you shoot from the top of another building, or the upper level of a nearby car park? Shooting in the early morning, or a night, can also show the subject in a different light.