Judith Stenneken is a London-based photographer, who only started studying photography in 2006. Last year, she won Blurb's Photography Book Now competition, which is now calling for entries for its 2011 edition. The contest comes with a $25,000 cash prize, among many other rewards, and has become a leading event for self-publishing photographers and artists.

Stenneken tells BJP about her experience with self-publishing:

BJP: What is the background on your winning story the Last Call about?
Judith Stenneken: The closure of Tempelhof Central Airport in Berlin had been discussed for over a decade, before its air traffic was finally shut down in October 2008. I took my images half a year before its closure. I was fascinated by the atmosphere, which had been created by the fact that this monumental space had slowly been deserted over years. I was interested in the in-between spaces of change and farewell whilst it was still operating.

BJP: Why did you decide to self-publish these images?
Judith Stenneken: "Last Call | Zentralflughafen Tempelhof" was my first bigger body of work. I wanted to experience the possibilities of working with the images in different ways. I felt making a book would add to the exhibition prints and vice versa. It was an intense experience to create my first book. I often lost myself in the process of editing and sequencing the images, until I got to the final version.

BJP: Do you prefer to exhibit or publish your work?
Judith Stenneken: Exhibiting and publishing are two very different ways, both in producing and experiencing the body of work. I enjoy them equally. It can give your work an extra layer to combine them, e.g. to look at images as large-size prints on a wall in some neutral designed space will definitely make a different statement and will leave another impression to the observer as opposed to looking at the same images in a book at home on the sofa. I like that kind of visual enhancement.
 
BJP: What has winning the Blurb Photography Book Now 2010 award meant to you and your career?
Judith Stenneken: I felt thrilled to get this kind of acknowledgement for my work by such an esteemed panel. Due to its publicity, the prize has definitely opened doors and possibilities for me. It also supported my decision to do a Masters Degree in Photography.

BJP: How did you use Blurb to create what you wanted from the Last Call?
Judith Stenneken: I used Blurb as a tool for bookmaking and added in extras, where I wanted to make something special e.g. a fold-out page, a gold-plating of an airplane on the cover and some coloured endpapers.
 
BJP: What advice would you give up and coming photographers looking to enter Blurb Photography Book Now 2011?
Judith Stenneken: Read and study the Photography Book Now Website and the work of previous winners. You will find good advice from the content including the videos, which explain in detail the judging criteria.

The deadline for entries for this year's Photography Book Now competition is 14 July. For more details, visit www.photographybooknow.com.