The Great Cover Photo Hunt is on!

The hunt is on to find the photo for the cover of the second edition of the Adventure Cycle-touring Handbook. Here are the basics, there is an agreement if you submit photos or other written work.

• £250 (or equivalent) paid on publication with a complimentary copy.
• Deadline March 31, 2009. We may not be ready by that date, contact me if you’ve got a great photo any later than this date.
• You retain the copyright but agree you will not sell the image elsewhere for use in a publication during the lifetime of the book. You will be credited alongside the location of the shot in the prelim pages of the book.
• Make sure the image is yours to sell and if necessary you have the permission of any individuals depicted. If you pressed the shutter but on someone else’s camera you’ll have to work out who owns the image and gets the credit.
• High quality, sharp, well exposed and composed images only. Colour slides print more reliably but digital images shot at max quality on an 8 meg+ camera ideally through a large, quality lens may work fine and realistically this is what most people use these days. A big file size is essential but not sufficient if the quality or sharpness are not there.
• Initially please send a web-sized jpeg - not a huge file.

Composition guidelines:

We are looking for an image that sums up the thrill of long-distance cycle touring in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The feeling that comes from people waving to you as you ride by or the satisfaction from finding a perfect camping spot miles from the nearest habitation.

Most of us recognize a killer shot when we see one. Along with the more usual combination of colour, light and background, very often it’s the human element that really sums up the spirit of adventure cycling.

Many adventure cycle tourers will know in an instant that the cover photo for the first edition of the book was taken in Ladakh. It’s a strong, classic image but for the next edition we would like to see submissions from Africa or South America as well as the old favourites from the Silk Road etc.

Anything too obviously posed does not work; spontaneously catching action or a moment does. Bright sunshine is best and smiling is good; looking too cool in shades, helmet and flash gear is too ‘Tour de France’. Interacting with local people or the culture in some way is also good as, no matter how much we love cycling, this is what travel in these places is ultimately about.

Got what you think is a great shot that does not fit into these strict guidelines? Send it in anyway; original and quirky images are often more eye catching.

Compose and shoot the picture in portrait (upright) format; usually it’s not the instinctive way to take a picture. A landscape-format shot can be cropped into a cover if it is a pin-sharp slide or high enough resolution but a minimally cropped portrait shot loses less quality. Allow a clear sky or whatever in the top third for the titles of the book. Do not edit or manipulate the image; leave that to the printers who know how to edit a picture to produce the best results.

A short list will be featured on this website and will all be in the front running for inclusion in the colour section of the book for which payment is also offered. All shortlisted photos whether used or not will receive a complimentary copy of the book.

To submit your picture/s, please use our online form here. To prevent spam, we will first ask you to register with us. This is to prevent you from having to add personal details each time you submit something to us and to help our record keeping.