Competition « 360Photography

RSS

Posts Tagged ‘Competition’

Autel unveils the EVO drone, serious competition for the DJI Mavic Pro

12 Jan

Autel Robotics released something pretty exciting at CES this week, although it’s stayed (ironically enough) somewhat under the radar so far. Meet the EVO: a folding, portable drone that looks like it could be the first serious competitor for DJI’s extremely popular Mavic Pro.

When DJI first introduced the Mavic Pro—and later bumped up the battery live with the Mavic Pro Platinum—the company liked to say it had “revolutionized personal flight.” The thing is, DJI kind of had a point: the Mavic Pro was both extremely portable and extremely capable, opening up the joys of droning to a whole new range of potential consumers.

But with the debut of the Autel EVO, DJI might want to watch its back.

At first, the EVO seems like an almost shot-for-shot remake of the DJI Mavic Pro Platinum. The folding drone looks very similar, both sport a 3-axis gimbal, both boast intelligent flight modes and obstacle avoidance, they both offer 30 minutes of flight time, and both feature a max operating distance of 4.2 miles (7 km).

Where the EVO manages to rise above (see what I did there…) the Mavic Pro Platinum is exactly where it counts: in the camera and remote control department.

The stabilized camera can shoot at 4K/60p (DJI maxes out at 4K/30p) and the remote comes with a built-in 3.3 inch OLED screen that gives you a live feed at up to 720p—no need to plug your phone into your drone’s remote controller. Finally, the EVO also maxes out at a speed of 20 meters per second (44 miles per hour), which is just a hair faster than the Mavic Pro can handle.

Unfortunately, Autel isn’t quite ready to commit to a specific release date for the EVO, but they did say it will arrive “very soon” and will cost $ 1,000 USD—that’s $ 100 cheaper than the DJI Mavic Pro Platinum, or the same price as the standard Mavic Pro, which can’t quite keep up on battery life.

With DJI suffering from some PR problems of late, Autel has a real opportunity to steal some Mavic market share here. For our part, we’re going to try and get an EVO in the office for testing as soon as possible.

To learn more about the Evo, check out the full release below or head over to the Autel Robotics website.

Press Release

Autel Robotics Announces New Aircraft EVO at CES 2018

At CES 2018, Autel Robotics USA announced its new flagship aircraft line, the EVO.

EVO is a portable camera drone with foldable arms and a sleek, compact form factor. We’re incredibly excited about this product, and after showing it off at CES, are eager to get it out into the wild for our customers to enjoy.

EVO:

4K UHD 60FPS camera equipped on a 3-axis gimbal
Front & Downward (Computer Vision) and Rear (IR Sensor) Obstacle Avoidance Systems
3.3 Inch built-in OLED screen remote controller with 720p live video
30-minute flight time
Speeds up to 20 meters per second
4300 mAh Li-Po Battery, 1.3 hour recharge time
7km (4.2 mi) Range
Autel Explorer app allowing for intelligent flight features & more

We’ve been both humbled and honored by the overwhelmingly positive response to our announcement of the EVO. The EVO’s expected price point at launch is $ 999.00 USD. The launch date for the EVO will be announced as we close in further on our release timeline.

While we are close to launching, we want to ensure that we deliver products that provide the utmost quality and reliability for our customers.

Last year at CES we set some expectations that we did not achieve. We were not able to deliver a high quality, reliable offering with the Thermal and 1” Sensor for our X?Star series. There are many reasons that these units did not come to fruition.

We realize that a big part of meeting our delivery goals for our customers is refining our messaging to ensure that we can always do what we say we will do.

Moving forward with EVO we will focus on that goal of communicating clearly and never overpromising. As such, all we can say for now as to EVO’s release date is “very soon”. We’ll publish details on our website and social media as soon as they are available.

Thank you for all of your support and feedback!

The Autel Robotics Team

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

These are the winners of the 2017 EyeEm Awards, the world’s largest photo competition

17 Sep

Photo © Sasha Dudkina, EyeEm 2017 Photographer of the Year

A month and a half after revealing the finalists of the 2017 EyeEm Awards, the photo sharing community and licensing marketplace has finally revealed the winners.

The 2017 EyeEm Awards have a few distinguishing factors. First, if you go by number of submissions, they are the world’s largest photo competition—over 590,000 photos were submitted by over 88,000 photographers. Second, for the first time in the awards’ short history, all of the winning images come from a full series. And finally, this year EyeEm added a Community Vote category.

Scroll down to see all of the winning series, along with a short description of the photographer and what they were trying to capture.

2017 EyeEm Photographer of the Year

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_9468219370″,”galleryId”:”9468219370″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

Sasha Dudkina is a 19-year-old photographer from Moscow, Russia. She shoots with a Canon 650D and occasionally her iPhone.

Sasha’s photographic style is characterized by glances and holding on to fleeting moments. She considers herself an observer, always taking in the people and events around her, often times snapping candid photos of her friends and strangers. Her photography is inspired by her home country of Russia, its literature, music, diversity of nature and especially the people.

“Sasha has been a super engaged community member since joining EyeEm in 2014,” said Brada Vivi Barassi, Head of Photography at EyeEm. “She regularly participates in Missions and shares life through her lens in a really consistent, intimate way. Sasha is brimming with potential. We’re so excited to work with her, help unleash her creativity to the full and provide support throughout her photography journey.”

The Great Outdoors Category Winner

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_7272267952″,”galleryId”:”7272267952″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

Guiga Pira was asked to join the crew of an anti-poaching ship as the drone pilot for a campaign to protect the most endangered marine mammal in the world from illegal fisherman. Drones were used to locate, identify and document illegal fishing activities in a protected area.

Pira said as the drone pilot in this campaign “I saw too much of the dark side of humanity in such a beautiful place. I decided to make the best of my time while flying, so every time the drones were launched I tried to capture the beautiful side of the area I was patrolling.”

The Street Photographer Category Winner

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_8091918277″,”galleryId”:”8091918277″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

The lead photo was taken as part of Julie Hrudova’s series, ‘LEISURE,’ which is an ongoing series Hrudova says is “core to what my work is about.” It’s a play with photography being a trustworthy and truthful medium by creating some confusion about what is actually happening in the image, or why. Hrudova says her subjects are focused on their leisure activities and often isolated.

The photos from the series are taken in Moscow, Tokyo and Amsterdam.

The Architect Category Winner

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_6795496586″,”galleryId”:”6795496586″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

Denise Kwong went to a popular spot in Hong Kong to shoot the markets below, when she looked to the left and saw this block of units. Kwong said: “With its lighting scheme, it was giving off a cinematic vibe and I also love how how each lit balcony made the building facade look like a sheet of negatives – each telling its own story.”

The Portraitist Category Winner

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_8941769226″,”galleryId”:”8941769226″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

The winning image was taken as part of Adeolu Osibodu’s series, ‘Losing Amos.’ Osibodu says: “My Grandfather Amos died in 2014. It was then that I realized how casual my idea of him was. I constantly asked myself why I couldn’t see beyond his heavy grins, why I couldn’t define him as more than the man who was never unhappy… these were unsettling thoughts that meddled with my conscience.” Osibodu decided to take a series of self-portraits wearing different clothes his grandfather owned at various times in his life.

“Maybe this is inspired by an urge to find consolation or my intimate affection for a time before, or me just being Adeolu. Regardless, I’m forever glad I happened to find myself in this state.”

The Photojournalist Category Winner

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_4474089389″,”galleryId”:”4474089389″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

The winning image is from Ramin Mazur’s series, “The Process,” documenting a production of Hamlet put on in a prison in Moldova.

The Republic of Moldova has one of the highest numbers of inmates per capita in Europe, including the highest rate of the long term convicted. To shed a light on the issues of penitentiary system, art centre “Coliseum” directed a play in the most secure prison in Moldova. For several months inmates were studying the craft of acting to perform on the same level as professionals from the National Theatre. Some of the inmates had already been in prison for more than half their lives. Through this play, directors Mihai Fusu and Luminita Ticu aimed to draw attention to conditions of lifers in Moldova, the penitentiary system as whole and most importantly, stereotypes.

Inmates and their right to be changed is a taboo topic among people and, paired with poor economical conditions and corrupted institutions, leaves little chance for those who want to be changed or forgiven.

The Community Vote Category Winner

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_1205950056″,”galleryId”:”1205950056″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

Robert Torrontegui‘s portrait series captured in Manila, Philippines was selected by the EyeEm community from all of the finalists.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Lensrentals on the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 Art: a lot for less than the competition

29 Jul

Following some initial lab testing results, Lensrentals has published a full review of the highly-anticipated Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 Art. While lab testing suggests that it doesn’t quite keep up with the established, much more expensive options from Canon and Nikon, a competitive price tag is one of the lens’ major selling points. Depending on your budget and needs, that price difference might tip the scale. Reviewer Zach Sutton sums it up:

“However, here is where the Sigma shines once again, offering itself at a $ 1,300 price tag, whereas the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II sits at $ 1,750, and the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E at $ 2,400. The Sigma provides a lot for significantly less than the competition.”

Check out the full review and let us know what you think of the 24-70 in the comments.

Read Lensrentals’ full
Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 Art review

See our Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 Art sample gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Pricing for Sigma 14mm F1.8 DG HSM and 24-70 F2.8 DG OS HSM Art lenses announced, undercuts the competition

24 Jun

Announced in February, two highly anticipated full-frame lenses from Sigma are finally on their way to consumers. Sigma has also announced pricing – the 14mm F1.8 DG HSM will cost $ 1600; the 24-70mm F2.8 Art will cost $ 1300. In both cases, that’s well below the current asking prices for Canon and Nikon versions of similar lenses.

Sigma says the 14mm in Canon and Sigma mount will ship this month, and the Nikon version will be available in July. The 24-70mm will ship for all three mounts this month. Considering there’s not much time left in June, that’s basically now.

Press release

Sigma Begins Shipping Its 14mm F1.8 DG HSM and 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM Art Lenses

The world’s first and only F1.8 ultra wide-angle full-frame lens for DSLR cameras is available now for $ 1,599.00 USD; the new Sigma Global Vision workhorse zoom lens is available now for $ 1,299.00 USD

Ronkonkoma, NY – June 22, 2017 – Sigma Corporation of America, a leading still photo and cinema lens, camera, flash and accessory manufacturer, announced today the pricing and availability for its new Sigma 14mm F1.8 DG HSM and Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM Art lenses from its lauded Global Vision line. The ultra-wide angle full-frame 14mm F1.8 Art lens begins shipping in June 2017 for Canon and Sigma camera systems and in July 2017 for Nikon camera systems, for a retail price of $ 1,599.00 USD. The standard zoom full-frame 24-70mm F2.8 Art lens begins shipping in June 2017 for a retail price of $ 1,299 USD.

The Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art, which is the first and only F1.8 ultra wide-angle lens among interchangeable lenses for digital SLRs*, incorporates the same aspherical element as Sigma’s critically acclaimed 12-24mm F4 Art, allowing the lens to deliver a new dimension of visual experience. Boasting outstanding image quality from center to edge, the 14mm F1.8 Art features an 80mm front lens — the world’s largest glass aspherical lens in the industry, offering photographers an ultra-wide prime with virtually no distortion, flare or ghosting. Equipped with a superfast and efficient autofocus system, three FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) elements, and four SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements to reduce chromatic aberration and coma flare, the 14mm F1.8 Art is suitable for a wide range of photographic needs including astrophotography, architecture and landscape photography.

The 24-70mm F2.8 Art lens, Sigma’s new workhorse standard zoom lens, touts a brand new Optical Stabilizer (OS), Hypersonic Motor (HSM) for highly efficient and fast autofocus, as well as a dust- and splash-proof mount with rubber sealing. The 24-70mm F2.8 Art lens embodies all the technical qualities and finesse that define the high-performance Sigma Global Vision Art series. A popular industry focal range covering a wide array of shooting scenarios, the 24-70mm’s optical design also includes three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements and four aspherical elements to ensure image accuracy and sharpness. The 24-70mm F2.8 Art aspherical elements use Sigma’s thicker center glass design and highly precise polishing process, delivering stunning images and bokeh effects. The lens’ purpose-built structure boasts a new metal barrel for optimal durability with TSC composite internal moving components designed to resist thermal contraction and expansion.

Both the 14mm F1.8 DG HSM and the 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM Art lenses are available in Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts. The Sigma and Canon mount lenses work with Sigma’s MC-11 Sony E-mount converter. The Nikon mounts feature the brand new electromagnetic diaphragm.

Sigma 14mm F1.8 DG HSM Art Lens Features and Benefits:

> Sharp, rich image quality

Minimized chromatic aberrations: Three FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) glass elements and four SLD (Super Low Dispersion) glass elements help reduce transverse chromatic aberration, which tends to be noticeable in shots taken with ultra wide-angle lenses. The result is outstanding image quality from the center of the image to the edges.
Distinctive bokeh effect: Even at the 14mm ultra wide-angle of view, F1.8 brightness makes possible a very shallow depth of field with the subject standing out dramatically against a pleasingly softened background. It’s the unique mode of expression that only a large-diameter lens can deliver.
Minimized distortion: Serving as the front lens element, the large 80mm precision-molded glass aspherical lens effectively minimizes distortion. Offering excellent peripheral brightness, this lens delivers outstanding image quality from the center to the edges.

> Offers full-frame coverage

Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG HSM OS Art Lens Features and Benefits:

> Superior optical performance

Optimal image quality for ultra-high-megapixel DSLRs: This lens offers top performance from the center to the edges of the image thanks to the optical system minimizing coma, which causes points of light to streak, and transverse chromatic aberration, which cannot be corrected via aperture control. The optical system also minimizes distortion, which can be particularly evident in wide-angle shots, resulting in excellent optical performance throughout the zoom range.
Expressive bokeh effect every time: At wide-open aperture, this lens offers outstanding photographic expression. The area in focus is extremely sharp, while the background exhibits a beautiful, creamy bokeh effect with only slight spherical aberration. Since large-diameter zoom lenses are often used at wide-open aperture, Sigma has paid close attention to the shape of the bokeh, aiming for artistic circularity.
Aspherical Lens Processing Technology: The Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM Art incorporates an aspherical lens element that helps achieve extremely high resolution. This element is much thicker at the center than the edges, and forming its unusual shape is a feat of manufacturing technology. Moreover, Sigma processes the surface of this aspherical lens element with ultra-precise tolerances that are measured in hundredths of a micrometer. This extremely fine surface allows the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM Art to deliver a very natural and smooth bokeh effect, without the visible concentric rings that afflict typical aspherical lens elements.

> Fast and nimble autofocus photography

Designed for advanced utility in a wide variety of situations, the optical stabilizer (OS) offers a powerful stabilization effect. The newly designed large hypersonic motor (HSM) offers 1.3 times the torque of its predecessor for exceptionally stable performance.

Sigma Global Vision Line Features & Benefits:

Each lens is eligible for user customizable micro-focus and in-home firmware updates with the optional USB Dock and Sigma Optimization Pro software.
Each unit is crafted in Aizu, Japan and individually tested for QC and optical performance with the exclusive A1 MTF device.
Sigma’s Exclusive Mount Conversion Service allows lenses to be switched between any released mounts (fee-based).
Compatible with Sigma Mount Converter MC-11, allowing use of Sigma lenses in Sigma and Canon mounts with the Sony E-mount camera systems.

*As of February 2017

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

National Geographic highlights early ‘People’ entries to Travel Photographer of the Year 2017 competition

12 May

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

National Geographic’s Travel Photographer of the Year competition is open once again for entries, and its editors have shared a few of their favorite early contenders in the ‘People’ category. Submissions are being accepted until June 30th, and a Grand Prize win will get you a ten-day trip for two to the Galápagos Archipelago with National Geographic Expeditions.

Photo and caption by Brandon Kusher / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Slam Dunk. A basketball player flies high through the air attempting a slam dunk in which he puts the ball between his legs first!

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Photo and caption by Akiomi Kuroda / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

M. Portrait of Miho

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Photo and caption by Jobit George / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Bridging Generation. A beautiful photo of a father and son sitting in white traditional attire with beautiful blue sky on the day of Eid al-Fitr in a mosque in New Delhi, India. The photo shows the beautiful bond which these two generation have been building up in a very simple and lovable manner.

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Photo and caption by Lorraine Yip / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Retro Ride. Traveling through Cuba in a vintage 1950 Chevrolet with a speedometer which no longer works. We were passing by the city of Camagey known for its winding streets. The modern American Hawaiian hula figure and yellow taxi cab sign on the dashboard adds to the time travel-esque element of the classic Chevrolet, set against the backdrop of an old and perhaps dilapidated , but not forgotten, Cuba.

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Photo and caption by Hua Zhu / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Old and Young. This photo was taken in a small village in Wuyuan, China. It estimates that there are about 250 million countryside people living in the big cities. Many young people are making money in the cities, leaving their parents and kids at their hometown.

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Photo and caption by Pradeep Raja / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Ramadan Prayers. This is a shot of women praying inside Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta which is the biggest mosque in Southeast Asia during the month of Ramadan.

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Photo and caption by Lauren Breedlove / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Lady Havana. During a recent visit to Cuba, I encountered this bold woman on the street while strolling around Old Havana. Something about her just struck me, like her eyes held a million stories. Not having any cash on me, I borrowed some change from a friend and approached the woman with it, asking to take her photograph. She nodded and posed like a boss, stogie and all.

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Photo and caption by Mattia Passarini / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Tibetan’s soul smile. This monk was running back to his room after the afternoon prayer. I was chasing him trying to get a nice shot, but he kept covering his face. In Chinese i called after him: (pai yi zhang ba) “just one shot!” He looked back and started to laugh..
Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, Tibet

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

National Geographic kicks off 2017 Travel Photographer of the Year competition

07 May

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

National Geographic has kicked off its 2017 Travel Photographer of the Year competition, with the grand prize being a 10-day trip to the photogenic Galapagos Islands. The categories are nature, cities and people, and entries are already starting to come in. Take a look at some early Editors’ picks in the nature category.

Above: ‘A drive to remember’ by Manish Mamtani

Aerial view of the Scenic drive and the beautiful Fall colors of New Hampshire. I used a drone to capture the fall colors that cannot be seen from the road.

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

‘In Your Face’ by Shane Gross / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Caribbean reef sharks are usually shy so I placed my camera on a rock where I know they frequent and used a remote trigger to click away as they came in and bumped my camera around.

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

‘The Mirror’ by Takahiro Bessho / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Lake Yogo, called “The lake of Mirror”, sometimes reflects everything in front of you.

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

‘Lost in white’ by Adam Cunningham-White / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

This photo captures the moment that I, along with 3 other Sami reindeer herders become a little lost while migrating with 350 reindeer. They were rounded up from a section of forest around 30kms south of this point. Our goal was to take them, via rivers, northwards to pastures new using the network of rivers and lakes that flow through Sweden.

This was taken on Randijaur lake, Jokkmokk, Sweden

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

‘Little Eyewitness’ by Hidetoshi Ogata / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

“Little Eyewitness” was taken in Jigokudani Monkey Park, Nagano, Japan on December, 2016. On a cold winter’s day, monkeys have several ways to keep off the cold. For example, in order to keep them warm, they have a soak in a hot spring, take a bedrock bath or huddle together, etc. While monkeys were huddling together, I approached them with the stealthy footsteps. Then I photographed them from directly above at the moment when a little monkey nestled in mother’s arms looked to the camera.

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

‘Blue pond the stellar sky’ by Nao Akimoto / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Voice from the stars

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

‘Powerful cloud’ by Takashi / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Mt Fuji is a treasure trove of mysterious shaped clouds.

Various forms of clouds appear when a fast air current blows over the Mt Fuji.

I stayed in the car during the night at the Inokashira forest road about 0.8 miles above sea level about 25 miles west of Mt Fuji. The small clouds that appeared before dawn grew bigger and bigger. Just before sunrise they had become a huge cloud covering Mt. Fuji. The shadows of them in the backlight were the most powerful masterpieces.

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

‘SymmetryrtemmyS’ by Hiroshi Tanita / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Cherry blossoms reflected in perfect condition.

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

‘The Salt Miners’ by Tugo Cheng / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

As the most ancient and grueling trade in Ethiopia, the salt miners in the Afar region are still using the most traditional camel caravan to carry loads of salt bricks extracted from the vast salt flats everyday. However, an under-construction railway from Djibouti and new road traversing the old salt route may soon render the camel caravan obsolete.

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

‘Moss forest’ by Tetsuya Hosokawa / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Yakushima is an island full of abundant moss and beautiful water

If you have a photo you’d like to submit for consideration, you can do so here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Fro is fired up about the ShutterFest competition debacle and we’re with him on this one

02 May

You probably know the story by now: Sal Cincotta, owner of the site Behind the Shutter and its associated ShutterFest conference, entered and won his own photography competition. Not surprisingly, many people are upset about this, and have said so on the internet. Cincotta wrote a lengthy post on Facebook defending his actions, stressing that the judging was fair. Still: he entered and won his own photo competition. It just doesn’t look great any way you spin it, does it?

Much has been said about the whole debacle, but nobody rants like our friend Jared Polin aka Fro, so we think it’s worth 8 minutes of your time. And for the record, we think it’s a bad idea to enter your own photography competition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Visionary High-Rises: Winners of the 2017 eVolo Skyscraper Competition

20 Apr

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

The way we design and engage with our built environments will rapidly change as we grapple with climate change and develop new technological innovations, and in some cases, radical new ideas will be required. The annual skyscraper design competition held by eVolo recognizes visionary ideas for high-rise projects that challenge our understanding of vertical architecture and its relationship with both nature and existing cities. Here are this year’s winners along with 7 honorable mentions, including an Antarctic skyscraper attempting to reverse global warming, research facilities housed in the trunks of Sequoia trees, and vertically stacked factories sharing smart waste disposal and recycling techniques.

First Place: Mashambas Skyscraper

Based on the Swahili word for ‘an area of cultivated land’ often including the dwelling of the farmer, ‘Mashambas’ by Polish designers Pawel Lipinksi and Mateusz Frankowski aims to bring the green revolution of expanded harvests to the poorest people so they can produce surplus food for themselves and their neighbors, helping to eradicate poverty and hunger in their communities. The skyscraper itself is a “movable educational center” providing education, training on agricultural techniques, cheap fertilizers, modern tools and a local trading area, and it’s made of simple modular elements that can expand or disassemble as needed.

Second Place: Vertical Factories in Megacities

In decades past, prior to a round of improvements that made them far less noisy and polluting, factories were often relegated to land outside cities, requiring workers to commute long distances or move to suburban areas. But we don’t exactly want them taking up valuable square footage in urban areas, either. This concept by Tianshu Liu and Linshen Xie stacks them on top of each other like a towering sandwich so they can all take advantage of the same modern technologies for waste removal, potentially even transforming those waste products into clean heat, electricity, fertilizer and water.

Third Place: Espiral3500

In ‘La Albufera,’ a coastal area of Spain located within a natural agricultural park, a rapid increase in tourism during the summer has led to speculation-based development, threatening the very characteristics that make it so attractive in the first place. Population increases up to 1000% in some areas during high tourist season, and they empty out in winter. The Espiral3500 concept aims to meet the needs of tourists while protecting the natural resources of the territory via vertical growth, packing private and public spaces into a skyscraper with an ‘inverted street’ system. Visitors can wind their way up to the top, enjoying a wide range of shops, restaurants and hotels while taking in the view.

Honorable Mention: Arch Skyscraper

The basis of the Arch Skyscraper is envisioned as “an arch that undergoes transformations through the changes of light, human behavior, and other factors to form different spaces/units, which overlap one another vertically to form the final design.” Double-layer arches inspired by those found in medieval cathedrals and ancient Chinese pagodas are combined with vertical transportation, creating a series of vaulted spaces that are fun to explore.

Honorable Mention: The Forgotten Memorials

Noting that in the past, older architecture was often demolished to make way for the new in the constant cycle of urbanization, the designers of The Forgotten Memorials skyscraper concept propose requiring every generation to construct new buildings underneath the older ones. This could help preserve the past while accommodating the future on limited land. “They gradually, generation by generation, penetrate the clouds and become memorials beyond the sky.”

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Visionary High Rises Winners Of The 2017 Evolo Skyscraper Competition

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]

WebUrbanist

Comments Off

Posted in Creativity

Taking Competition to New Heights: This Skyscraper Dangles from an Asteroid

30 Mar

[ By SA Rogers in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

dangling skyscraper 1

That tongue-in-cheek ‘world’s longest skyscraper’ design we highlighted last week seems totally reasonable compared to a new proposal taking the competition for the world’s tallest structure to absurd heights: The Analemma Tower literally dangles a skyscraper from an asteroid. An actual asteroid, orbiting the Earth. The design is firmly in sci-fi territory, with the renderings resembling matte paintings made for ‘70s and ‘80s movies set in space, but the architects offer details as to how this could actually work.

dangling skyscraper 2

Clouds architecture Office envisions a space-based supporting foundation, noting that NASA has planned a 2021 mission to capture and redirect an asteroid. Of course, NASA’s budget is up in the air right now, and who knows what’ll happen to the United States’ space-related endeavors by then. The asteroid would be located about 31,000 miles above the Earth’s surface, with the tower using what the firm calls the Universal Orbital Support System (UOSS) to hang the multi-use tower via super-strong cables.

dangling skyscraper 4

The portion of the tower that sticks up above the Earth’s atmosphere will host an extraterrestrial cemetery, with the three sections below it designated for ‘devotional activities.’ The architects say these portions of the tower wouldn’t be attractive to live in due to “extreme conditions,” though they’d benefit from an extra 45 minutes of daylight each day. The residential area is fairly small in comparison, set just above the garden and agricultural section, an area for offices and business activities, and a transfer station with dining, shopping and entertainment options.

dangling skyscraper 5

Analemma would get its power from space-based solar panels, with water filtered and recycled in a semi-closed loop system and replenished with condensation captured from clouds and rain. It could be placed in an orbit allowing it to travel between the northern and southern hemispheres on a daily loop, with its slowest trajectory occurring over New York City so people can get on and off. They go into some detail on these technicalities on their website.

dangling skyscraper 3

“Manipulating asteroids is no longer relegated to science fiction. In 2015 the European Space Agency sparked a new round of investment in asteroid mining concerns by proving with its Rosetta mission that it’s possible to rendezvous and land on a spinning comet. NASA has scheduled an asteroid retrieval mission for 2021 which aims to prove the feasability of capturing and relocating an asteroid…”

“Analemma Tower is a proposal for the world’s tallest building ever. Harnessing the power of planetary design thinking, it taps into the desire for extreme height, seclusion and constant mobility. If the recent boom in residential towers proves that sales price per square foot rises with floor elevation, then Analemma Tower will command record prices, justifying its high cost of construction.”

[ By SA Rogers in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]

WebUrbanist

Comments Off

Posted in Creativity

£10,000 of Sigma lenses up for grabs in Amateur Photographer of the Year competition

21 Mar

The UK’s Amateur Photographer magazine has launched its 2017 Amateur Photographer of the Year competition and is offering a total of £10,000 worth of Sigma lenses in prizes.

The competition is run over the course of eight rounds with monthly closing dates from the end of April to the end of November. Each month has a different theme and winners are picked by the Amateur Photographer judging panel and through an online voting system run by Photocrowd. At the end of the year, an overall winner will be selected to win the top prize.

Anyone can enter, but AP points out that entrants who live outside the UK would need to pay any applicable import tax on their winnings.

Monthly prizes will amount to approximately £1000 of Sigma lenses, cameras and flash units each, while the final winner will take away £2000 worth of kit in the shape of Sigma’s 85mm F1.4 DG HSM Art and the 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art, along with a Sigma USB Dock. Monthly winners of the Photocrowd vote get a year’s subscription to the magazine.

Weekly magazine Amateur Photographer has been running this competition for 26 years, but this is the first time entry has been allowed via an online system. For more information see the Amateur Photographer website and the competition’s Photocrowd page. Entry is free.

Monthly themes:

MARCH
Magical monochrome – Black & White
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM | Art (£749.99) + Sigma EF-610 Super Flashgun (£259.99)
Total Prize Value: £1,009.98

APRIL
Hit the streets – Street Photography
SIGMA dp2 Quattro (£899.99) + VF-41 Viewfinder (£199.99)
Total Prize Value: £1,099.98

MAY
Small wonders – Macro
105mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM Macro (£649.99) + SIGMA EM-140 DG Macro Flash (£379.99)
Total Prize Value: £1029.98

JUNE
City clickers- Cityscapes / Architecture
SIGMA sd Quattro + 30mm F1.4 DC HSM Art (£1049.99)
Total Prize Value: £1,049.99

JULY
Into the wild – Wildlife
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary (£999.99) + Sigma USB Dock (£39.99)
Total Prize Value: £1,039.98

AUGUST
Creative eye – Abstract Art
SIGMA 24-35mm f/2 DG HSM | Art (£949.99) + SIGMA 82mm WR CERAMIC PROTECTOR (£104.99)
Total Prize Value: £1,054.98

SEPTEMBER
Land lovers – Landscapes
SIGMA dp0 Quattro (£899.99) + VF-51 / Viewfinder (£199.99)
Total Prize Value: £1,099.98

OCTOBER
Face to face – Portraiture
SIGMA 85mm F1.4 DG HSM ART (£1,199.99)
Total Prize Value: £1,199.99

GRAND PRIZE
SIGMA 85mm F1.4 DG HSM Art (£1199.99) + SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art (799.99) + SIGMA USB Dock (£39.99)
Total Prize Value: £2,039.97

Overall Prize Value = £10,624.83

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Posts Tagged ‘Competition’

Autel Robotics Announces New Aircraft EVO at CES 2018

2017 EyeEm Photographer of the Year

The Great Outdoors Category Winner

The Street Photographer Category Winner

The Architect Category Winner

The Portraitist Category Winner

The Photojournalist Category Winner

The Community Vote Category Winner

Sigma Begins Shipping Its 14mm F1.8 DG HSM and 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM Art Lenses

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: People entries

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

First Place: Mashambas Skyscraper

Second Place: Vertical Factories in Megacities

Third Place: Espiral3500

Honorable Mention: Arch Skyscraper

Honorable Mention: The Forgotten Memorials

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Visionary High Rises Winners Of The 2017 Evolo Skyscraper Competition

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Visionary High Rises Winners Of The 2017 Evolo Skyscraper Competition