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Slideshow: Shortlisted photos from the 2020 Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest

20 Jul

2020 Astronomy Photographer of the Year Shortlist

The Royal Observatory (Greenwich) has announced the shortlisted photos for its Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2020 competition. This year marks the 12th year of the competition, which is sponsored by Insight Investment and is held in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

A record-breaking 5,200 photographs were submitted from nearly 70 countries across the world. The competition will ultimately result in one overall winner and winners within nine categories (Skyscapes; Aurorae; People and Space; Our Sun; Our Moon; Planets Comets and Asteroids; Stars and Nebulae; Galaxies; and Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year), as well as two special prizes (The Sir Patrick Moor Prize for Best Newcomer Award and The Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation Award). The winning images will be announced on September 10, 2020.

We’ve rounded up a few of the shortlisted images and presented them in the accompanying gallery. You can find out more about the Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition on the Royal Museums Greenwich website.

Geysir Aurora © Phil Halper (UK)

About the image: Close to the Spring and Autumn Equinox, the Earth’s magnetic field aligns with the incoming solar wind to create a better chance for aurora activity. The photographer had been waiting for signs of solar storm near the equinox date hoping that the ‘Russell-McPherron effect’ would kick in. During the last weekend in September it seemed there would be favourable terrestrial and space weather conditions, so the photographer travelled with a friend to Iceland. They were not disappointed. The northern lights danced all weekend, with clear skies every night. This shot shows the famous Geysir of Iceland preparing to blow with the aurora behind it.

Gear: Sony ILCE-7S camera, 24 mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 2000, 2-second exposure

Northern Dragon’s Eye © Elena Pakhalyuk (Ukraine)

About the image: The photographer loves to travel, especially exploring the north and chasing the Northern Lights. Trying to capture how ordinary things can take magical forms under the lights, the photographer selected and lit this rocky outcrop and waited for the aurora to work its magic.

Gear: Canon EOS 6D camera, 14 mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 30-second exposure

Hamnøy Lights © Andreas Ettl (Germany)

About the image: After two weeks of storm, clouds and snow in the Lofoten Islands, the sky finally cleared up, providing perfect conditions for hunting the northern lights. The photographer waited patiently in their car for the light show to begin and on the first sign of the aurora borealis in the sky, he set up his camera at this famous overlook of the idyllic fishing village Hamnøy. The image is a manual exposure blend consisting of one base image for the sky and foreground plus a total of seven bracketed images to balance the highlights and shadows in the fishing village and water.

Gear: Nikon Z7 camera, Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD 17 mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 800, 10-second exposure

NGC 253 – Starbust Galaxy in Sculptor © Terry Robison (Canada)

About the image: This image depicts an object that many will recognise in the southern hemisphere skies – NGC 253, The Sculptor Galaxy. It is an intermediate galaxy located within the constellation Sculptor and is one of the brightest spiral galaxies visible to us. It is also one of the dustiest and currently undergoing a period of intense star formation. The photographer’s goals were to present this large and bright galaxy in a way that retains its subtle colouring and intricate textures throughout its disk.

Gear: RCOS 10″ telescope at f/9.1, AstroPhysics AP-900 mount, SBIG STL-11000 camera, L-RGB-Ha composite, 34 hours total exposure

M16 © Alexios Theodorov (Russia)

About the image: This entry tries to catch the feel of stargazing through basic optical instrument – a kind of Galileo’s telescope. Special processing of the image includes converting to Lab, channel mixing, increasing contrast, and applying filters, with the aim of illustrating that images with limited colour range may be as stunning as full colour ones.

Some Moons are Close, and Some are Small and Far Away © Andy Casely (Australia)

About the image: On 12th August, our moon occulted Saturn and its moons. The shadowed limb of the waxing gibbous Moon gradually hid the planet over several minutes. Shadowed mountains are visible against the bright planet and rings as an irregular edge where the planet is hidden. To Saturn’s left are two of its own icy moons, Tethys (lower) and Dione (upper), tiny specks in the darkness.

This is an image the photographer has long wanted to catch; the contrast of a big far away planet against the sharp details of the nearby Moon.

Gear: Celestron C14 Schmidt Cassegrain telescope at f/11, Celestron GCX-L mount, ZWO ASI290MM camera, Saturn: 2 x 30-seconds, Tethys and Dione: 4 x 30-seconds, Moon 1 x 60-seconds exposures

39% Crescent Moon © Richard Addis (UK)

About the image: This image of the Moon at 39% illumination was captured through eleven videos of different areas, which were stacked and then stitched together. The saturation process revealed the mineral compositions in the Lunar Basalts on the surface. These vivid browns and blues are due to high concentrations of titanium and iron. The photographer loves the contrast along the terminator and the close-up detail and clarity of this image.

Gear: Celestron Nexstar 6SE telescope, Celestron Advanced GT mount, ZWO ASI120MC camera, 4,400 x 0.08-second exposures.

Eruption…. © Elena Pakhalyuk (Ukraine)

About the image: The photographer was inspired to imagine what the Crimean peninsula would look like in the distant past, when thousands of volcanoes erupted on Earth. She used lighting and long exposure to illustrate this. The resulting image sees everything combined into one large panorama image and processed in a photo editor.

Gear: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera, Sky: Canon 24 mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 3200, 22 x 20-second exposures. Foreground: Samyang 14 mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 23 x 20-second exposures

Stargazing Giant © Dai Jianfeng (China)

About the image: This image is the view of the Milky Way rising above the Moai at Ahu Akivi. Ahu Akivi is a particularly sacred place in Easter Island in the Valparaíso Region of Chile, looking out towards the South Pacific Ocean. The site has seven moai, all of equal shape and size, and is also known as a celestial observatory that was set up around the 16th century. The shot highlights the central bulge of the Milky Way, the constellation Scorpio, as well as the planets Jupiter and Saturn.

Gear: Canon EOS 6D Mark camera, Sigma art 14 mm f/1.8 lens, ISO 12800, 10 x 15-second exposures

Meeting © Nicolai Brügger (Germany)

About the image: After a long hike and a little bit of climbing to the top of the mountain, the photographer was able to see the Milky Way. He only had five minutes time to take the panorama shot before the clouds moved. The photographer and his friend are pictured standing on the edge, looking out at the sky and over the city of Füssen in Germany.

Gear: Nikon D810 camera, Sigma 14 mm f/1.8 lens, ISO 4000, 33 x 20-second exposures

The Red Lake of Stars © Bryony Richards (USA)

About the image: Years ago, before over-fishing, Little Redfish Lake was called as such due to the vast numbers of salmon turning the lake a red colour. The red colouration is no longer seen because of salmon, but the colour of sunsets and airglow during the night still turn the waters a vibrant red. It is these beautiful warm echoes of red, combined with the mirror-like reflections of the Sawtooth Mountains in the distance and the alignment of the Milky Way with the mountains that make Little Redfish Lake one of the most spectacular places the photographer has ever shot at night. The photographer recalls that ‘we were fortunate enough that night to have the lakeshore to ourselves, just three of us, and a rather excited dog who tried his best not to run into our tripods! We spent the sunset here, waiting for the stars to come out and the Milky Way core to rise, marvelling at the red colour of the water.’

Gear: Sony A7riii camera, Sky: 50 mm f/2 lens, ISO 1600, 121-second exposure, Foreground: 50 mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 1600, 111-second exposure, Reflection: 50 mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 6400, 30-second exposure

The Cave of the Wild Horses © Bryony Richards (USA)

About the image: Located in the heart of the desert in Southern Utah, the Cave of the Wild Horses, with its copious wildlife, petroglyphs, rock varnish, and framed view of the summer Milky Way in its entrance, makes for a fairy-tale place to take astrophotographs. This photograph is one of the most complicated that the photographer has taken to date due to the location of the cave and the number of foreground images taken. Getting to the cave involves a long hike through the desert, over sandstone plateaus, through brush and desert sand. Upon reaching the cave, the photographer decided that she wanted to take a large panorama in order to preserve the feeling of looking out of the cave to the sky beyond.

Gear: Sony A7riii camera, Sky: 50mm f/2.2 lens, ISO 1250, 90-second exposure, Foreground: 50 mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 1600, 120-second exposure

Galactic Portal © Marcin Zajac (USA)

About the image: On the photographer’s trip to Australia, he travelled to the coastal town of Kiama, where he captured his first Milky Way image of the year – his first Milky Way image taken from the Southern Hemisphere. Once the sun set, the photographer made his way into the cave and waited for a few hours for the core of the Milky Way to appear. Being unfamiliar with the southern sky, the photographer was surprised to also see Jupiter appear soon after.

Nikon D600 camera, Sky: 24mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 6400, 15-second exposure, Foreground: 24mm f/8 lens, ISO 200, 30-second exposure

Thor’s Helmet © Ignacio Diaz Bobillo (Argentina)

About the image: One of the attractive things about astrophotography is that one can always improve on a previous image of an object, by going deeper with a longer integration, by trying new processing techniques, by changing the scale and framing, by using a better gear. This gives endless possibilities. In this particular case, the photographer went back to an image he did last year, and added 19 hours of data to complete a 25-hour integration. It is a bicolor narrowband image of a well-known nebula, which is sculpted by a central Wolf-Rayet star. With the added data, the structures are revealed in more detail and depth, and the surrounding nebulosity expands well towards the borders of the frame. The result, a ghostly helmet that seems to float in outer space.

Gear: Astro-Physics 167 FLZ telescope at f/7.2, Astrodon 3 nm filters, Astro-Physics 1100 mount, Apogee Alta U8300 camera, Ha-OIII composite, 75 x 20-minute exposures

Statue of Liberty Nebula © Martin Pugh (Australia)

About the image: Photographed using narrowband filters to accentuate the energy levels occurring in each emission line, sulphur was mapped to red, hydrogen to green and oxygen to blue. An additional 4 hours per RGB channel were acquired and substituted into the image, particularly for the stars. While aptly titled the Statue of Liberty Nebula (NGC 3576), the irony is that this is a southern hemisphere object.At lower left in the image is NGC 3603 containing the Starburst Cluster.NGC 3576 is located in the Carina arm of the Milky Way at approximately 20,000 light years distant.

Gear: Planewave CDK 17″ telescope at f/6.8, Bisque Paramount ME mount, SBIG STXL11002 camera, RGB-Ha-SII-OIII composite, Total exposure 35.5 hours

The Magnificent: Rho Ophiuchi Complex © Mario Cogo (Italy)

About the image: This image captures the photographer’s favourite astrophotography field and one of the most vibrant, colourful nebulas in space. It shows many interesting deep-sky objects as Rho Ophiuchi the triple star surrounded by the blue reflection nebula IC 4604 on top-left, the red supergiant star Antares and one of closest globular cluster to the Solar System M4 to the right. This two panel mosaic was taken under the dark Namibian sky over two nights in August 2019.

Gear: Takahashi FSQ106 ED APO refractor telescope at f/5, Astro-Physics Mach1 GTO mount, Canon EOS 6D Cooling CDS Mod camera, ISO 1600, 13 hours total exposure

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Slideshow: The prize-winning photographs of the 2020 Audubon Photography Awards

11 Jul

2020 Audubon Photography Awards

The National Audubon Society (NAS) has announced the winning images for its 2020 Audubon Photography Awards competition, including the mesmerizing grand prize-winning photograph titled ‘Double-crested Cormorant’ by photographer Joanna Lentini.

The winning photographs, which include six prize-winning photographs and four honorable mentions selected from a panel of six judges, were whittled down from more than 6,000 photographs captured across North America. In addition to the grand prize winner and the three main divisions (Professional, Amateur and Youth), The NAS also selected two winners for its Plants for Birds Prize and Fisher Prize, both of which are explained in the NAS press release:

‘The Plants for Birds Prize highlights the essential role of native plants and the natural habitat and food sources they provide for birds. The Fisher Prize, named after former creative director of Audubon Kevin Fisher, is awarded to the photo that exemplifies a blend of originality and technical expertise.’

Below is a breakdown of the prizes each winning photographer will receive for their respective works:

  • Grand Prize: $ 5,000
  • Professional Prize: $ 2,500
  • Amateur Prize: $ 2,500
  • Plants for Birds Prize: $ 2,500
  • Fisher Prize: $ 1,000
  • Youth Prize: Six days at the Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine to become a better birder or bird photographer during the 2021 season (transportation included)

Below are the judges that pored over the photographs, who selected the winning images based on technical quality, originality and artistic merit:

  • Steve Freligh, publisher, Nature’s Best Photography
  • Melissa Groo, wildlife photographer and winner of the 2015 contest’s Grand Prize
  • Sabine Meyer, photography director, National Audubon Society
  • Allen Murabayashi, chairman and co-founder, PhotoShelter
  • John Rowden, senior director of bird-friendly communities, National Audubon Society
  • Jason Ward, bird expert and host of “Birds of North America”

You can find out more about the National Audubon Society and its photo contests by visiting the Audubon.org website.

Grand Prize Winner: Joanna Lentini

Double-crested Cormorant by Joanna Lentini/Audubon Photography Awards/2020 Grand Prize Winner

Category: Professional
Species: Double-crested Cormorant
Location: Los Islotes, Mexico
Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II with Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 AT-X 107 DX AF Fisheye lens; 1/640 second at f/6.3; ISO 320

Story Behind the Shot: I’ve spent many hours underwater at this California sea lion rookery in the Bay of La Paz, but I had never before encountered diving cormorants there. Shifting my focus from the playful sea lions, I watched in awe as the cormorants plunged beak-first into the sea to snap at the sardines swimming by. Although I spent a long time admiring these birds, I didn’t see a single one catch a fish. Adding insult to injury, curious sea lion pups would zip by the hunting birds and nip at them from behind.

Bird Lore: Cormorants are superb divers, well adapted to rapid pursuit of fish underwater. Their bodies are heavy but streamlined, with dense plumage. When they dive, they hold their wings tightly to their sides, propelling themselves with their powerful legs and webbed feet, steering through the water with their tails. Some cormorants may be capable of diving more than 300 feet below the surface, but most of their hunting is done at shallower depths.

Fisher Prize Winner: Marlee Fuller-Morris

American Dipper by Marlee Fuller-Morris/Audubon Photography Awards/2020 Fisher Prize Winner

Category: Amateur
Species: American Dipper
Location: Yosemite National Park, California
Camera: Canon EOS 70D with Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens; 1/2000 second at f/5.6; ISO 800

Story Behind the Shot: I followed a little-known trail in Yosemite to the top of a small waterfall and sat at the edge of the pool. A moment later, a dipper flew in. The river was ­moving quickly, but it wasn’t too deep. So instead of diving, the bird stuck its head underwater in search of prey. I thought the spectacular splash would make an awesome photo. The bird kept getting closer and closer as I sat snapping ­hundreds of shots of that splash. I will treasure that afternoon as one of my favorite moments in Yosemite!

Bird Lore: The American Dipper lives on the edge—on the boundary between air and water, on the border between streams and their banks, and even on that vague margin between songbirds (it is one, technically) and water birds. Above the surface or below, it can either walk or fly, demonstrating a mastery of all its elements, and attracting the admiration of the most creative photographers.

Professional Winner: Sue Dougherty

Magnificent Frigatebird by Sue Dougherty/Audubon Photography Awards/2020 Professional Winner

Species: Magnificent Frigatebird
Location: Genovesa Island, Ecuador
Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II with Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens; 1/1250 second at f/8.0; ISO 1250

Story Behind the Shot: The sun was setting behind a frigatebird breeding colony in the Galápagos. The birds were very active and stunningly close, and the experience was all the more special because I was with great friends who were equally mesmerized by the scene. We got on the sand, lying on our bellies and handholding our cameras, composing silhouettes and starbursts on birds’ wingtips. I noticed this male, with his throat pouch lit up by the sun, and zoomed in to capture his portrait.

Bird Lore: Frigatebirds are among the most aerial of all birds, by necessity: Seabirds that don’t swim, they are almost incapable of taking off from the water’s surface, so they soar on long, angular wings over tropical seas, sometimes for weeks. Males in courtship displays inflate huge, balloon-like red throat pouches, vibrate their wings, and make rattling noises to attract females.

Professional Honorable Mention: Gene Putney

Greater Sage-Grouse by Gene Putney/Audubon Photography Awards/2020 Professional Honorable Mention

Species: Greater Sage-Grouse
Location: Jackson County, Colorado
Camera: Nikon D500 with AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED lens; 1/400 second at f/5.6; ISO 1600

Story Behind the Shot: In spring 2019 I made my first venture to watch the Greater Sage-Grouse perform its courtship ritual. Late one afternoon
I set up my camera at the edge of a rural road and used my car as a blind. This male was the first bird I saw, and he proved to be a great model. As he faced away from me, he provided a nice profile pose, and I thought it was a neat perspective to get his photo from behind.

Bird Lore: After their spectacular springtime courtship dances, Greater Sage-Grouse seem to disappear into the vast sagebrush steppes of the West. Studies have shown that they may move many miles with the seasons, often shifting to higher elevations in summer, lower elevations in winter, so they need large, continuous tracts of habitat to survive.

Amateur Winner: Gail Bisson

Bare-throated Tiger-Heron by Gail Bisson/Audubon Photography Awards/2020 Amateur Winner

Species: Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
Location: Tárcoles River, Costa Rica
Camera: Canon EOS-1D X with Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens; 1/800 second at f/4.0; ISO 1600

Story Behind the Shot: After a torrential rainstorm, I went out on a late-afternoon boat trip on the Tárcoles River. It was still raining when we left the boat ramp, but once the sky finally cleared, we spotted this Bare-throated Tiger-Heron walking along the river. As the boat drifted by, the bird leaned over the bank to watch us. I raised my camera and quickly switched to a portrait orientation to capture the beautiful post-storm sky behind it.

Bird Lore: Stocky and chunky, suggesting bitterns in shape, the three species of tiger-herons lurk in mangrove swamps and along rivers in the American tropics. The Bare-throated Tiger-Heron is the northern­most of these species, found mainly from Mexico to Panama. It is often most active at dawn and dusk, but fortunate observers sometimes spot one hunting fish and frogs in bright daylight.

Amateur Honorable Mention: Bibek Ghosh

Anna’s Hummingbird by Bibek Ghosh/Audubon Photography Awards/2020 Amateur Honorable Mention

Species: Anna’s Hummingbird
Location: Ardenwood Historic Farm, California
Camera: Fujifilm X-T3 with Canon 600mm f/4L II lens and Fringer EF-FX Pro II Lens Mount Adapter; 1/4000 second at f/4.0; ISO 3200

Story Behind the Shot: Near my home in Fremont is a historic farm with a water fountain that’s a magnet for birds. I was by the fountain looking for warblers and other migrants when I saw this hummingbird, a year-round ­resident, exhibiting some very interesting behavior. It swooped in for a drink and then stuck around to play in the water, as if trying to catch a droplet. After several frames, I finally captured the bird succeeding at its game.

Bird Lore: Human activities aren’t always beneficial for birds, but Anna’s Hummingbird has taken full advantage of changes we’ve made to the landscape. Formerly a resident of Southern California and Baja, it has expanded its breeding range east, to Arizona, and north, to British Columbia. Planting of year-round gardens has allowed it to thrive across this vast new territory.

Youth Winner: Vayun Tiwari

Northern Jacana by Vayun Tiwari/Audubon Photography Awards/2020 Youth Winner

Species: Northern Jacana
Location: New River, Orange Walk District, Belize
Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II with Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens; 1/320 second at f/5.0; ISO 1250

Story Behind the Shot: On a boat ride on the New River, I noticed a few Northern Jacanas on a patch of water lilies and asked the captain to stop. I hoped our vessel wouldn’t scare away the birds. I couldn’t believe my luck when one walked closer and closer to us. The boat was rocking, but when the bird stopped for a ­moment to peer into a water lily, I was able to set up and get this special shot.

Bird Lore: Distinctive marsh birds of the tropics, jacanas have very long toes, enabling them to walk across floating vegetation as they seek insects and seeds. The Northern Jacana is common from Mexico to Panama and the Caribbean, and sometimes wanders to Texas.

Youth Honorable Mention: Christopher Smith

Greater Roadrunner by Christopher Smith/Audubon Photography Awards/2020 Youth Honorable Mention

Species: Greater Roadrunner
Location: San Joaquin River Parkway, California
Camera: Panasonic Lumix FZ80 4K with 60X Zoom DC VARIO 20-1200mm f/2.8-5.9 lens; 1/500 second at f/5.6; ISO 200

Story Behind the Shot: While on a walk through a nature preserve in Fresno, I heard a roadrunner cooing to its mate. I followed the sound to find the bird clutching a gift for its partner: a really big fence lizard! The roadrunner perched on a post above me for nearly 10 minutes. The lighting was harsh and it was difficult to get the proper camera setting, but I managed to take this shot. I like how the photograph shows a small predator with its prey.

Bird Lore: Ritualized feeding is a part of courtship for many birds, from cardinals to gulls to hawks. For the Greater Roadrunner, it’s no challenge for the male to catch a lizard to give to the female. At times, though, he will present to her a large insect or a piece of nest material, or go through the motions of bestowing a gift with nothing at all. Apparently, it’s the thought that counts.

Plants for Birds Winner: Travis Bonovsky

American Goldfinch on a cup plant by Travis Bonovsky/Audubon Photography Awards/2020 Plants For Birds Winner

Species: American Goldfinch
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Camera: Nikon D7100 with Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD Model A011 lens; 1/160 second at f/10.0; ISO 320

Story Behind the Shot: Through frequent visits to North Mississippi Regional Park, an area restored with native plants, I became familiar with the cup plant and learned that its leaves can hold rainwater, as the name suggests. I read that birds and other wildlife like to drink from these plants, so I always keep an eye out for bird activity when I pass by them. Finally one late July day I was lucky enough to witness a female American Goldfinch plunge her head into a plant.

Bird Lore: Few birds are total vegetarians, but American Goldfinches come close. While other seed eaters feed their young on insects, goldfinches serve mashed-up seeds to their nestlings. The flowers on this cup plant will go to seed later, but in the meantime the plant acts as a watering hole for the birds: Its large, opposite leaves, joined at their bases, surround the stem and create the rain-trapping cup.

Plants for Birds Honorable Mention: Natalie Robertson

Tennessee Warbler on an eastern prickly gooseberry by Natalie Robertson/Audubon Photography Awards/2020 Plants For Birds Honorable Mention

Species: Tennessee Warbler
Location: Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, Canada
Camera: Canon 7D Mark II with Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens; 1/1000 second at f 6.3; ISO 500

Story Behind the Shot: This warbler was difficult to photograph as it frantically hopped from branch to branch while foraging on a native gooseberry—one of the plants that flower in early spring in this part of Canada. Gooseberries are an important source of food for exhausted songbirds migrating north over the Great Lakes, and I was thrilled to get a clear image of this warbler drinking nectar from the tiny flowers.

Bird Lore: Warblers are mainly insect eaters, but some also have a taste for nectar. On their main wintering grounds in Central America, Tennessee Warblers often show splashes of bright color on their faces, the result of probing in red or orange flowers. Their attraction to nectar continues as they migrate north. In the open woods of southeastern Canada and northern states, the inconspicuous blooms of eastern prickly gooseberry appear in late spring, just in time for migrating warblers to seek them out.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Slideshow: Overall winners of Sony World Photography Awards 2020

18 Jun

Winners of Sony World Photography Awards 2020

We’ve covered quite a few Sony World Photography competitions in the past 5 months. From the Open Competition, to National Award Winners, and recent Finalist and Shortlisted photographs, creators from all over the world have been recognized for their takes on pertinent issues. The World Photography Organisation concluded these competitions with their announcement of the Overall Professional, Open, Student, and Youth winners for 2020.

‘This year’s winner comes from the Creative category and is a brilliant set of images which offers a powerful visual record of how deforestation goes hand in hand with the destruction of communities and peoples…Pablo is from Uruguay and this project is deeply personal to him as a photographer. The effort required to envisage, produce and shoot this series is laudable in every way,’ says Mike Trow, Chair of the Professional competition.

The Photographer of the Year title, and $ 25,000 cash prize, was awarded to Pablo Albarenga for his series titled Seeds of Resistance. It explores the bond between defenders and their land, along with the consequences of protecting it. Tod Oldham’s Open Photographer of the Year image of musician Black Francis was previously covered by DPReview. Ioanna Sakellaraki won Student Photographer of the Year for her series on environmental sustainability while Hsein-Pang Hseih was recognized as Youth Photographer of the Year for his capture of a harried street performer.

We’ve featured the winning images from each category in this slideshow. All of this year’s winning and shortlisted images can be viewed here. Professional, Open, Student, and Youth competitions for 2021 will be open for submissions on July 1st and are free to enter.

Photographer of the Year and Latin America Professional Award Winner: ‘Seeds of Resistance 3’ by Pablo Albarenga (Uruguay)

About this Photo: Nantu is an indigenous young man from the Achuar Nation of Ecuador who leads a project of solar-powered river boats for collective transport. By installing solar panels on a specially designed boat’s roof, he is working to end Achuar’s dependence on petrol. Left: On his land, Nantu lies dressed in traditional Achuar clothing. Right: the pristine rainforest from the Achuar territory. Sharamentsa, Pastaza, Ecuador.

About this Series: Seeds of Resistance is a body of work that pairs photographs of landscapes and territories in danger from mining and agribusinesses with portraits of the activists fighting to conserve them. Pablo explores the bond between the defenders and their lands – a sacred area in which hundreds of generations of their ancestors rest. In the photographs, the main characters in the stories are seen from above, as though they are laying down their lives for their territory. View the full series here.

Student Photographer of the Year: ‘Aeiforia’ by Ioanna Sakellaraki (Greece)

About this Series: Aeiforia presents night-time photographs of solar panels, wind turbines and battery farms used across the small island of Tilos in Greece which is the first in the Mediterranean to run almost entirely on renewable energy. View it, in its entirety, here.

In an era of climate change and challenges around sustainability, islands are particularly vulnerable. Insular by their very nature, these land masses usually depend on fossil fuels and imports for energy (despite the high transportation costs). Until a few years ago, the idea of an island being fully reliant on clean energy was almost unthinkable, and yet it is about to become a reality on Tilos in Greece.

This tiny island in the Dodecanese archipelago is the first in the Mediterranean to run almost entirely on renewable energy. Over the years it has received energy from a diesel power plant on the neighboring island of Kos, via an undersea cable, but during the tourist season this has proven unreliable, leading to frequent power cuts. Since 2015, however, the supply on Tilos has been reinforced with a hybrid system exclusively powered by renewable sources including solar and wind power.

These images were taken in the island’s capital, Megálo Chorió, which is home to just 70 people during the winter. At night the passageways, rooftops and yards are illuminated by moonlight, presenting plenty of opportunities for photography. The islanders use various solar panels and energy devices including some handmade versions. The aim is to keep these running for as long as possible to help sustain households throughout the winter.

My series looks at how these strangely-shaped devices and wires become an organic part of the scenery at night. As darkness falls, a harmonic symbiosis exists between this technology and the dry and mountainous landscape of Tilos. Aeiforia is a Greek word for defining progress based on the use of natural ecosystems and energy sources to ensure future resources.

Youth Photographer of the Year: ‘Hurry’ by Hsien-Pang Hsieh (Taiwan)

About this Photo: Hurry, features a street performer who is seemingly walking in a hurry but is in fact standing still. Inspired by his experience as a newly arrived student in Germany, Hsien-Pang sees the image as his comment on the intensive pace of life and a reminder others to slow down.

This image was taken shortly after I came to Germany to study. It was the first time I had travelled abroad alone, and I felt under enormous pressure. There were so many things to learn at school, and I was also trying to fit in with everyone else.

Although this man looks as though he’s in a rush to get to work, he’s actually standing still – and it’s this dichotomy that appealed to me. These days, with life moving at such a frantic pace, it’s important for people to slow down. When I’m facing challenges I look at this picture and it reminds me to take a moment and just breathe.

Category Winner, Professional, Architecture: ‘Ice Fishing Hut XV’ by Sandra Herber (Canada)

About this Photo/Series: Winters in Manitoba, Canada, are long and often bitterly cold. When the temperature drops, and thick ice forms, lakes and rivers in the province play host to some amazing folk architecture in the form of ice fishing huts.

These huts, shacks or permies (as they are called in Manitoba) must be transportable, protect their occupants from the elements and allow access to the ice below for fishing. Once these requirements have been met, the owners are free to express their personalities in the shape, structure and decoration of their huts – they are large or small, decorated or plain, luxurious or utilitarian and everything in between.

I captured these images on Lake Winnipeg in December 2019. My hope for this series, which is a continuation of work I started in 2018, is to showcase the quirky charm of these huts by presenting a select few in a typology. The typology – showing the huts framed in the same, minimalist style and in the same lighting – allows the viewer to notice similarities in function and uniqueness in form, as well as to display these utilitarian structures as beautiful works of art.

Category Winner, Professional, Discovery: ‘Motherhood’ by Maria Kokunova (Russian Federation)

About this Photo/Series: It has been four years since I voluntarily isolated myself in a cosy cave of maternity, living in a country house in Leningrad Oblast. I deliberately restrict social contact and limit media consumption – my whole life is bound up in my home, children and art practice.

Against all expectations, however, my life is far from calm and quiet. The notion of the cave has become, for me, the quintessence of what a personal experience is made up of. It has been linked to the Anima and the cult of the earth mother, the symbol of fertile soil that both gives life and takes it away. Francis Bacon, developing the idea of Plato, stated that the “Idols of the Cave” arise from education and custom – in short, the past of each individual determines how they perceive things.

For me, isolation in my own cave triggered a childhood trauma that had not been resolved emotionally – a stress disorder triggered by a series of four deaths and a suicide in the family over a very short period of time. In this project, I am constructing my own personal cave by combining photographs I have made in my parent’s house with pictures of the place I am living in now.

I pair these images with the experience of a physical presence in Sablinskiye Caves, near my home. In a cave your senses are deprived, encouraging hallucinations. Under similar conditions, my memory produces its own illusions. My work explores the idea that motherhood, and the awakening of primitive instincts such as unconditional love, aggression and fear of death, make life extremely meaningful.

Despite its challenges, ‘in-cave’ living boosts creativity: it becomes a personal myth, provides a plot for the project and initiates reflective processes.

Category Winner, Professional, Documentary: ‘Wounds of Hong Kong 7’ by Chung Ming Ko (Hong Kong)

About this Photo: Chu, a 17-year-old Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE) student, was hit by a police baton while taking part in a human chain at Tai Po Station, Hong Kong, on 7 September 2019. He was seen lying in his own blood on cable TV. Chu’s head needed stitches and the phalanx of the little finger on his right hand was broken, requiring six bone screws. He has decided to postpone his DSE for a year in order to tackle his PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

About the Series: Protests in Hong Kong show no signs of abating after months of unrest. What began as an objection to the extradition bill has evolved into a wider protest regarding the future of the city.

Reports suggest that since the demonstrations began cases of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have risen among the population. Author Milan Kundera said: ‘The struggle of men against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.’ Scars and bruises may fade, but we must remember what caused them.

Category Winner, Professional, Environment: ’85 Trader, a Local Policeman in Ughelli, Niger Delta, Nigeria’ by Robin Hinsch (Germany)

About this Photo/Series: Covering 70,000 sq km (27,000 sq miles) of wetlands, the Niger Delta was formed primarily by sediment deposition. The region is home to more than 30 million people and 40 different ethnic groups, making up 7.5% of Nigeria’s total land mass. It used to boast an incredibly rich ecosystem, containing one of the highest concentrations of biodiversity on the planet, before the oil industry moved in.

The Nigerian department of petroleum resources estimates that 1.89 million barrels were spilled in to the Niger Delta between 1976 and 1996. What’s more, a report from the United Nations suggests there have been a total of 6,817 spills between 1976 and 2001, amounting to some three million barrels of oil.

So far, the authorities and oil companies have done little to clean up and neutralize the Delta, and oil spills are still very common. Half of the spills are caused by pipeline and tanker accidents, while others are the result of sabotage (28%), oil production operations (21%), and inadequate production equipment (1%). Another issue in the Niger Delta is gas flaring, a byproduct of oil extraction.

As the gas burns it destroys crops, pollutes water and has a negative impact on human health. Wahala was shot in Nigeria in 2019 and draws attention to untamed economic growth and its negative impact on ecology.

Category Winner, Professional, Landscape: ‘Torii Einootsurugi’ by Ronny Behnert (Germany)

About this Photo: Einootsurugi was one of the torii which was totally hidden. It was difficult to find that amazing spot but after a few hours of searching and exploring I found the torii. The special feature here was the symmetrical arrangement through the two lamps in the foreground. I spent more than three hours at this spot because of the spiritual atmosphere at this place!

About this Series: Evidence of Shintoism and Buddhism – the most common religions in Japan – can be found in every corner of the country. Shrines and torii (traditional Japanese gates commonly found at the entrance to Shinto shrines, marking the transition from mundane to sacred spaces) can be seen in the remotest of locations, from the middle of the Pacific Ocean to the highest mountains and the deepest forests.

Most of the time I use neutral density filters to force long exposures and keep my work minimalist in style. Some of my exposures last five minutes or more, which makes any distracting elements in the water or sky disappear – the longer the exposure, the clearer the photograph.

Category Winner, Professional, Natural World & Wildlife: ‘Pangolins in Crisis 1’ by Brent Stirton (South Africa)

About this Photo: A Temminck’s Pangolin learns to forage again after being rescued from traffickers on the Zimbabwe/South Africa border. Pangolin caregivers at this anonymous farm care for rescued, illegally trafficked pangolins, helping them to find ants and termites to eat and keeping them safe from predators and poachers.

This is one of only three true Pangolin rescue and rehabilitation sites in the world. Pangolins are the world’s most illegally trafficked mammals, with an estimated one million being trafficked to Asia in the last ten year. Their scales are used in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine and their meat is sold as a high-priced delicacy. As a result, pangolins are listed as critically endangered and all trade or consumption is illegal.

The Tiki Hywood trust undertakes public awareness campaigns on Pangolins, trains law enforcement and judiciary personnel, conducts research, and rehabilitates pangolins that have been confiscated from the illegal trade. They are based in Zimbabwe but operate with partners across Africa and Asia.

About this Series: Pangolins are the world’s most illegally trafficked mammals, with an estimated one million trafficked to Asia in the last ten years. Their scales are used in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine, and their meat is sold as a high-priced delicacy. As a result, pangolins are listed as critically endangered and anyone who trades or consumes them is breaking the law.

This body of work exposes the trade, while exploring aspects of illegality and celebrating the people who are trying to save these animals. There are only three true Pangolin rescue and rehabilitation sites in the world, they are extremely fragile animals and the vast majority die quickly in captivity.

Category Winner, Professional, Portraiture: ‘Malick. Gambia. (1998)’ by Cesar Dezfuli (Spain)

About this Photo: LEFT: Malick portrayed on 1st August 2016 on board of a rescue vessel in the Mediterranean sea. RIGHT: Malick portrayed on 26th June 2019 in Italy, where he currently lives.

About this Series: On 1st August 2016, 118 people were rescued from a rubber boat drifting in the Mediterranean Sea. The boat had departed some hours prior from Libya. In an attempt to give a human face to this event, I photographed the passengers minutes after their rescue. Their faces, their looks, the marks on their bodies all reflected the mood and physical state they were in after a journey that had already marked their lives forever.

It was the beginning of a project that has been evolving ever since. It soon became clear that the people I photographed on that August day were not themselves. Their identities had become diluted somewhere along the way – hidden as a result of fear, or stolen through past abuses and humiliations.

Over the last three years I have worked to locate the 118 passengers of the boat, now scattered across Europe, in a bid to understand and document their true identities. I wanted to show that each individual had a latent identity that just needed a peaceful context in order to flourish again.

Category Winner, Professional, Sport: ‘Senegalese Wrestlers 3’ by Ángel López Soto (Spain)

About this Photo/Series: Wrestling has become the number one national sport in Senegal and parts of The Gambia. It belongs to a larger West African form of traditional wrestling (known as Lutte Traditionnelle) and is more popular than football. Senegalese wrestlers practice two forms of the sport: Lutte Traditionnelle avec frappe and Lutte Traditionnelle sans frappe (international version).

The sport has become a means of social ascendance, making some athletes millionaires. Fights have been known to attract audiences of around 50 thousand in a stadium. For many, it’s a slice of African life, tradition and culture, in which there is a mix of animist and Muslim beliefs. These pictures show wrestlers training on a beach in Dakar.

Category Winner, Professional, Still Life: ‘Immortality 10’ by Alessandro Gandolfi (Italy)

About this Photo: Tokyo (Japan), Miraikan, The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation: a close-up of Alter, a robot on display at the museum. Some believe that the in the future, it will be possible to completely ‘download’ our minds into humanoids similar to this one, and therefore, by overcoming the physical limits imposed by the human body, it will be possible to live forever.

About this Series: ‘In the 21st century,’ writes Yuval Noah Harari in Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, ‘humans are likely to make a serious bid for immortality […] A small but growing number of scientists and intellectuals have posited that the most important challenge facing modern science is to overcome death and achieve the promise of eternal youth.’

Can man really become immortal? Few truly believe it, and so research has focused on cryo-conservation, man-machine hybridization and mind downloads instead. The majority of scientists agree, however, that average life spans will extend up to 120 years of age and that our health will improve considerably, thanks in particular to the enormous progress being made in the sectors of bioengineering, nanomedicine, genetics and artificial intelligence. Research into longevity has already become a billion-dollar business.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Slideshow: Winning images from the inaugural World Landscape Photographer competition

17 Jun

Winning images from the inaugural World Landscape Photographer competition

The winning photographs and commended shots of the inaugural World Landscape Photographer competition have been announced, showcasing incredible scenery captured around the world.

The World Landscape Photographer competition is the brainchild of professional landscape photographer Nigel Danson. Determined to help those affected by people affected by COVID-19 and inspired by browsing through his own photo catalog, Danson conceptualized the competition and eventually brought it to life.

The premise was simple — share five of your best landscape photos captured from before March 1, 2020 for an entry fee of just £10. ‘At least 90%’ of the entry fees would go to a COVID-19 charity, with the remaining 10% going towards ‘CC fees and costs associated with sending the prizes to the winners.’ According to Danson, he ‘never thought over 1000 people would enter,’ but sure enough, he and six other judges pored over 4,838 images from more than 1,000 entrants to whittle it down to one 1st place winner, seven prize winners and 50 commended images.

The 1st place prize in the inaugural World Landscape Photography competition went to Neil Burnell from England with his ‘stunning mystical image of Wistman’s Wood in Devon entitled Wise.’ For winning the coveted 1st place prize, Burnell is receiving a Nikon Z50 camera and two lenses, which were donated by Nikon. Other items from Benro, Fotospeed, Kase and Tenba were given out to the remaining six winners.

In total, more than £10K went to a Unicef coronavirus appeal that is ‘raising money to help children affected by the outbreak by working to provide handwashing campaigns as well as providing essential health worker supplies, such as surgical gloves, soap and clean water facilities.’

In this gallery, we’re presenting the 1st place winner and the remaining six prize-winning photos. You can view all 50 of the commended images and words from each of the judges on the World Landscape Photographer website.

1st Place — Wise by Neil Burnell

Gear & Settings:

  • Nikon Z7
  • 24–70mm F4 Z Lens
  • 28mm F8 1/3s ISO 64

www.neilburnell.com

About the photo: I’ve been shooting Wistmans now for four years and have had the composition of this shot in mind for a little while. The shot required extremely thick fog to give the centre trees a touch of separation in what is a very condensed and complex area of the woodland. After several unsuccessful shots of this scene, I finally got lucky with a full day of fog in January this year, I have to say this is probably my favourite image I’ve taken from this wonderful woodland.

2nd Place — The Copse by Jason Hudson

Gear & Settings:

  • Fujifilm XT1 (Infra Red converted)
  • XF10–24mm F4 lens
  • 24mm F8 1/125s ISO 200

Instagram

About the photo: Living in the Eden Valley, all I have to do normally to see if its misty is look out of the window. Thus was the case this particular morning. Thick mist sat across the Eden Valley. With my Sony A7 in for repair I was left with a small Sony Compact and my Fujifilm XT1 which had been converted to Infra Red.

I waited for the sun to rise over the Pennines for the magic to happen. For a glorious 20 minutes I scurried about in my local woodland at Edenhall. I captured some lovely images but then as I came along the road I saw this copse of trees emerging from the mist. It looked majestic. With some blue sky above.

I knew Infra Red would work well. As soon as I looked through the eyepiece I saw the potential for this image. I short the image handheld. The capture needed very little processing, other than an infra red preset in Silver Efex that I use and a touch of Gaussian blur to soften it.

3rd Place — Special by Andrew Baruffi

Gear & Settings:

  • Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  • 24–70mm F2.8 II Lens
  • 50mm F8 1/8s ISO 100

www.andrewbaruffiphoto.com

About the photo: I’ve only been practicing photography for a couple years. In that time I’ve always assumed that subjects, composition, and conditions outweighed the importance of light. In some cases that can still be true for me, but even the littlest amount of light can make a scene truly special. This image spans across two days. In areas of Zion’s east side, patches of ice can be found tucked between the boulders of the washes in the winter months. Those patches tend to fade as more of the water and ice seeps into the sand or simply melts and evaporates on a hotter day. I arrived to a section of the main wash on a chilly day that has the more rare attribute of a pool at a certain bend. The pool was fairly iced over, and the intricacies in the ice patterns were supported by delicate fallen leaves here and there. One leaf in particular caught my eye, a golden oak that bent upwards from the center as the tip and stem were fused into the ice. I sat at that pool for a few hours trying to find the best composition, and eventually found exactly what I wanted. It was such a beautiful scene, I knew that I had to make sure that I got it right before it all vanished.

The next day I arrived to an even colder east side. I returned to the same exact composition to see how it transformed over night. The ice took on a more singular pattern with less variation thanks to the freeze, and the oak leaf still sat frozen in place. Even more special was the morning light creeping into the scene. Golden reflected light from the sandstone opposite me kissed the surface of the oak leaf, and made me realize what I was missing. It wasn’t the composition, conditions, patterns, or subjects that defined the moment; just the simplicity of a tiny bit of light.

4th Place — Fleeting Daydream by Tod Colbert

Gear & Settings:

  • Nikon Z7
  • 70–200mm VRII F2.8
  • 200mm F5 1/100s ISO 200

www.todcolbert.com

About the photo: I took this at Lower Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park this February. It was shot early in the morning and the sun’s position created the rainbow for no more than a minute or so. There were many shots taken before this one as I waited for the sunlight to stream through the falls. Magical it was.

5th Place — Rolling Fog at Buttermere by Adrian Harrison

Gear & Settings:

  • Nikon D610
  • 20mm F1.8 Lens
  • 20mm F13 69s ISO 50

About the photo: Living only half an hours drive from buttermere in the lake district you could say that i am quite familiar with this location. I cant count how many mornings have been spent here trying to capture something that looked a little different from the images you usually see from here. luckily for me, on this occasion the conditions were simply amazing. fog filtering through the scene, perfectly calm waters and not a breath of wind. all i could hear was the sound of the gravel underfoot. i took several frames here but decided to go with a long exposure so the viewer could see just how the fog was gently moving over the fells behind the infamous pines of buttermere. A morning to remember.

6th Place — Kunkovice´s Green by Radoslav Cernicky

Gear & Settings:

  • Nikon 7200
  • 70–300mm Lens
  • 260mm F11 1/160s ISO 100

www.radoslavcernicky.com

About the photo: The photo was taken in the spring during the golden hour using a telephoto lens. It is South Moravia in the Czech Republic near the village Kunkovice. This is an area also known as Moravian Tuscany.

7th Place — Fall Impressions by Jason Flenniken

Gear & Settings:

  • Sony A7R IV
  • 70–200mm F4 Lens
  • 84mm F11 1/20s ISO 200

www.jasonflenniken.com

About the photo: This was an image taken on my first trip to Acadia National Park in October 2019. It was my first time seeing fall color in the northeast, and I was completely blown away. This location is a Tarn right on the side of the road. It was taken mid-morning. For about 30 minutes you get perfect reflections of the hillside colors in the water.

This area was full of small scene compositions, and I was lucky in that some cloud cover created patchy light. It required little editing as does most shots from that time of year in Acada, the colors are almost too vibrant straight from the camera. Shot with a 70–200 f/4 and Sony A7R4, which let me crop in to really narrow down the shapes in the image.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Slideshow: Winners of IPA’s One-Shot ‘MOVEMENT’ competition

13 Jun

Slideshow: Winners of IPA’s One-Shot ‘MOVEMENT’ competition

The International Photography Awards (IPA) recently announced the winners of their One-Shot “MOVEMENT” competition. Thousands of photos were submitted from around the world for the theme, movement, around 5 categories: Street Photography, Nature, Fine Art, People, and Technology/Machine. The jury selected the following entries for top prizes:

Grand Prize Winner: ‘Wild Carrots’ by Anne Mason-Hoerter

Category Winners:

Fine Art: ‘Wild Carrots’ by Anne Mason-Hoerter
Street Photography: ‘School Run, Rwanda’ by Benjamin Buckland
Nature: ‘Wallace Flying Frog’ by Shin Leong Teo
People: ‘Rice Growers’ by Jacopo Maria Della Valle
Technology—Machine: ‘The Urban Semiconductor’ by Youngkeun Sur

‘The idea that everything moves, changes, and evolves, is such a great concept to explore through photography. It’s been inspiring to see how photographers of all levels of expertise have captured this concept in its many forms—universal, abstract, human, and machine. Even though it seems the whole planet has almost come to a standstill, through these images we see that life goes on and moves forward,’ says Hossein Farmani, Founder and President of IPA.

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, IPA has matched all cash prizes awarded to winning and finalist photographers in the form of a donation to the charity of their choice. All winning and honorable mention photos can be viewed here. IPA is now accepting submissions for its Annual Photography Competition.

Grand Prize Winner + 1st Place – OneShot: Movement, Fine Art: ‘Wild Carrots’ by Anne Mason-Hoerter (Germany)

Date of Photograph: 2013

Technical Info: Nikon D70s, LeicaD-Lux, Canon scanner.

Artist Statement: Multiple scan data combined with digital camera data of a Wild Carrot, scientific name being Daucus carota. My photographic process involves first taking the plant apart and then scanning each piece. I then combine those images with images I have taken with my cameras. I wanted to reproduce the unseen movement of plants at night. There are over 50 single images and took over a month to complete.?

2nd Place – OneShot: Movement, Fine Art: ‘Almost Free’ by Patrizia Burra (Italy)

Date of Photograph: December 12, 2019

Technical Info: 1/125 sec, f/8, ISO 50.

Artist Statement: An artistic vision of movement.

3rd Place – OneShot: Movement, Fine Art: ‘Giant’s Causeway and Figure, Northern Ireland’ by Ugo Ricciardi (Italy)

Date of Photograph: 2018

Technical Info: 18 sec, f/11, 100 ISO. Pentax 645z camera. Long exposure with led light on a long pole.

Artist Statement: This picture, that is part of the ‘Nightscapes’ series, was taken in Northern Ireland. The Giant’s Causeway is an ancient part of the coast. Is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea.

This place, so still and immovable, is illuminated by the moving light, that is fluid and changing. Two elements in contrast, and between them there is the figure of a man, on the top of the rock.

1st Place – OneShot: Movement, Nature: ‘Wallace Flying Frog’ by Chin Leong Tao (Singapore)

Date of Photograph: November, 2018

Technical Info: 1/1250 sec, ISO 1250, f/13, Sony Alpha a6500 camera.

Artist Statement: Wallace’s Flying Frog is a moss frog found in Malaysia and western Indonesia. It is generally quite photogenic given its large size, brilliant colors and calm temperament. This is a shot taken of a specimen swimming in water, with full extension of its beautiful long legs.

2nd Place – OneShot: Movement, Nature: ‘Flying over the Sea’ by Claudio Piccoli (Italy)

Date of Photograph: September 6, 2019

Technical Info: 1/4000s, ISO 100, f/2.8, full frame.

Artist Statement: I love to represent the dog as a super hero in my action shots. This dog and its owner were practicing disc dog in the water. It’s very difficult to do such amazing performances in these conditions, since the water brakes every movement. It was sunrise and I love the colors.

The position of the girl is really focused on her dog and the launch of the disc was perfect. It’s a shot you can repeat more than one or two times since after that the dog needs to rest. The dog remain the main subject and his position in the air is perfect and extended with the maximum tension of muscles.

3rd Place – OneShot: Movement, Nature: ‘Surfacing’ by Jean-Christophe Girard Lemay (Canada)

Date of Photograph: March 2, 2020

Technical Info: 1/2000 sec, f/2.8 , ISO 400 , 125mm lens.

Artist Statement: Such a memorable day navigating the St. Lawrence (Quebec, Canada) on the CCGS Amundsen. A was assigned as official photographer for the scientific mission that took place on the ship, for two weeks and a half.

On the fifth day, a beluga came to visit us very closely when we were stopped at the last sampling station. I knew I saw one earlier, but very far offshore. This time, it couldn’t have been closer than; it dived right in front of our eyes, and then came out often on the other side of the boat about fifteen minutes later, each time blowing air just before it hit the surface.

2nd Place – OneShot: Movement, People: ‘Night Journey’ by Ken Browar and Deborah Ory (United States)

Artist Statement: ‘Night Journey’ is a photograph of the Martha Graham Company taken for our book ‘The Style of Movement’ The image is of 6 dancers performing the piece ‘Night Journey’ choreographed by Graham. The dance is based on the Greek myth of Oedipus and Jocasta with six women portraying the Greek chorus.

Martha Graham designed the dramatic costumes, which accompanied the text in our book discussing Graham’s influence on fashion design. We felt this piece worked well for the theme of ‘movement’ as the women are moving together in perfect harmony, both in their movement, and in their dynamic expression.

3rd Place – OneShot: Movement, People: ‘Good Sheepherd’ by F. Dilek Uyar (Turkey)

Artist Statement: The dusty and arduous journey of sheep herds in Bitlis. Sheep herds do this dusty path to reach the highlands where they graze until the middle of July after milking.

1st Place – OneShot: Movement, Street Photography: ‘School Run, Rwanda’ by Benjamin Buckland (Switzerland)

Date of Photograph: October 20, 2019

Technical Info: 1/15 sec, ISO 160, f/22, cropped sensor.

Artist Statement: I drove down here in a wild storm. South towards Lake Rweru and the deepest source of the Nile. Pools of water on the road. Hard enough that my creaking windscreen wipers couldn’t keep pace and I stopped for a while. Peering downhill at Burundi through the mist. Rain intense enough that even the usually indomitable Rwandese cyclists disappeared from the road. But like all rain here at this time of year, it was quickly over. And the cyclists were back before I knew it. Rwanda. October 2019.

2nd Place – OneShot: Movement, Street Photography: ‘Flying Boys’ by Dimpy Bhalotia (India)

Artist Statement: This was shot in Varanasi, India.

3rd Place – OneShot: Movement, Street Photography: ‘Momentum’ by George Stastny (Canada)

Date of Photograph: June 11, 2018

Technical Info: 1/1000 , ISO 100, f/1.8, Micro Four Thirds crop sensor.

Artist Statement: We all have a driving force that keeps us moving at a forward momentum.

1st Place – OneShot: Movement, Technology/Machine: ‘The Urban Semiconductor’ by Sur Young Ken (Republic of Korea)

Date of Photograph: January 24, 2020

Technical Info: 15 sec, f/11, ISO 64, Nikon D850 camera.

Artist Statement: We live in an age of massive and fast transmission.

2nd Place – OneShot: Movement, Technology/Machine: ‘Porsche Type 64 Ice Race’ by Richard Seymour (United Kingdom)

Date of Photograph: February 1, 2020

Artist Statement: Tracking shot of a replica Porsche Type 64 at the 2020 GP Ice Race at Zell am See, Austria.

3rd Place – OneShot: Movement, Technology/Machine: ‘Moonlight over the Atlantic’ by Christiaan van Heijst (Netherlands)

Date of Photograph: January 12, 2020

Technical Info: 4.0 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1250, Nikon D850, 10.5mm.

Artist Statement: Full moon. About to cross 30 West, halfway a stormy Atlantic Ocean when the radiant moon ascents above the horizon. Blinding out most stars, the bright lunar spell adds a touch of magic to the world around me. Silver-painted clouds drift by while the capsule of the 747 cockpit allows me to breathe, live and appreciate this alien-like landscape. Far beyond, the gently glowing horizon marks the delicate edge of space. Almost home.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Slideshow: These are the shortlisted images for the Palm* Photo Prize 2020 contest

20 May

Shortlisted images for the Palm* Photo Prize 2020 contest

Palm* Studios recently announced the shortlisted images for its 3rd annual Palm* Photo Prize competition. Over 7,000 images were submitted from all over the world. 108 were selected for the shortlist and are now in the running for the annual prize. All of these photos are for sale as prints with 100% of the profits going directly to the artists.

The judging panel consists of Alastair McKimm, editor-in-chief of i-D, Karen McQuaid, senior curator at The Photographers’ Gallery, Sarah Allen, assistant curator at Tate Modern, David Campany, Jessica Lopez, photo editor at Polaroid Originals, and Lola Paprocka, founder of Palm* Studios.

Brooklyn, New York-based photographer Dino Kuznik is in the running for the annual prize.

20 overall award winners for the Judge’s Panel prizes, Peoples Choice Award, and Peoples Choice Instagram Award will be announced on May 30th. DPReview reached out to a handful of these shortlisted photographers and got the story behind their nominated images plus the information on the gear they used. Don’t forget to check out all the nominees and support their work.

Shortlist, 2020: Dimitri Djuric (London, United Kingdom)

Artist Statement: The image is a type of pylon for a high tension overhead power line. It’s part of an ongoing series of buildings and structures photographed at night.

Gear: Fujifilm XH1 camera and a big flash.

Shortlist, 2020: Ashley Bourne (Bristol, United Kingdom)

Artist Statement: My work centers around storytelling within society, drawing on ideas from personal experience to form the basis of my projects.

Gear and Film: Pentax 67 medium format camera, a 90mm lens, and Kodak Portra 400 film.

Shortlist, 2020: Mark Mahaney (San Francisco, California, United States)

Artist Statement: This is an image from my first book, Polar Night. The project is a passage through a rapidly changing landscape in Alaska’s northernmost town of Utqiagvik. It’s an exploration of prolonged darkness, told through the strange beauty of a snowscape cast in a two month shadow.

The unnatural lights that flare in the sun’s absence and the shapes that emerge from the landscape are unexpectedly beautiful in their softness and harshness. It’s hard to see past the heavy gaze of climate change in an arctic town, though Polar Night is a visual poem about endurance, isolation and survival.

Gear: Pentax 645z camera with manual focus 75mm lens.

Shortlist, 2020: Joseph Balestra (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States)

Artist Statement: At the end of 2019, I spent a month out west in California as a way to wrap up the year and reflect. During this time I created a few portraits of local artist and personalities. This portrait was created on Venice beach of Artist Floyd Zion, a musician and model based out of LA. The shoot was approached in what is still to this day one of my favorite ways to work with a subject. No planning, just chasing light and enjoying a day of collaboration.

Gear and Film: Mamiya AFD II camera, Kodak film, self-scanned.

Shortlist, 2020: Alexander Beer (London, United Kingdom)

Artist Statement: Too many people stigmatize women who wear the hijab. There is nowhere in the the Holy Quran that tells them not to kick ass as human beings. These amazing girls and women are all taekwondo black belts.

Gear and Film: Asahi Pentax 67 6×7 camera, with 120 film.

Shortlist, 2020: Caitlin Chescoe (London, United Kingdom)

Artist Statement: My Father has been a life long KISS fan, we’ve grown up with bands like KISS playing throughout the house and it is very much a part of who we are as a family. On this occasion myself, Mum, Dad and Sister all dressed up as the band to watch a gig in Munich for KISS’ last ever world tour. We had front row seats and my Dad nearly cried he was so happy. This image represents an incredible memory that we all share together.

Gear: Hasselblad 500c/m camera.

Shortlist, 2020: Jan Kühr (Oslo, Norway)

Artist Statement: Ripe fruits and vegetables constitute a wild boar feast in the mountains in Alpilles, South of France.

Gear and Film: Mamiya 7 II camera with an 80mm lens, Kodak Porta 160 ISO film.

Shortlist, 2020: Rinchen Ato (Cambridge, United Kingdom)

Artist Statement: Rinchen Ato’s photographs are an exploration of her heritage and the fast-evolving culture of the Khampa people. Over multiple trips, spanning the past two decades, she has documented family, friends and the struggles and celebrations of the wider community of Tibetan people living in Kham.

It is an incredible place. The region is mountainous, consisting of high altitude grasslands, a remote and rugged land with a society where little had changed for centuries until recently. ‘My father often jokes that he was born in the Bronze Age and even in the 20 years I have been photographing there I have seen how quickly Kham has evolved.’ The inhabitants were mostly nomadic but, with rapid modernization, mass migration to the town of Jyekundo ????????????? and huge earthquake in 2010 which obliterated the area, many villages are now abandoned or only have a few families remaining.

Deeply aware of the visual tropes used by foreign photographers, depicting Tibetans as ‘other,’ Ato’s work employs a sensibility which comes from her connection to the community, a community which is familiar to her.

The project has been described as a mix of nostalgia and realism. ‘To photograph is the act of capturing a moment and this is my attempt to record and hold on to something precious, like a love letter, an homage, to the people I hold most dear and the country that I adore.’

The project started in a naïve way. Twins are an obvious subject for photographers as the very notion suggests the mirror-like rhetoric that photography has with the world. It’s also interesting because when you shoot subjects so similar, under scrutiny, it highlights the differences between them and how we’re all individuals. But as the project now stretches over such a long period it has evolved into something more, an uninterrupted sequence, a body of work in it’s own right marking the passage of time. As they have grown and changed, so too has the environment around them, yet the resemblance between the girls remains constant.

In this image they were 15. We’d finished lunch and were sitting around chatting but this year was different. They dashed off to their room to get ready and were gone about half an hour. They came out wearing these incredible gingham dresses and matching watches. It felt like a real transition, they’d become conscious of their appearance. We stood on the balcony overlooking the town. The rabbits were a birthday gift and they wanted to hold them, and there it was, the shot.

Gear: Hasselblad 503CXI camera with film.

Shortlist, 2020: Lotte Van Raalte (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Artist Statement: This January (2020) I published my very first book, BODY. Over the course of 16 months I photographed 46 women in their most natural form including my mom. This picture was taken on the 16th of October 2018 at the beach in The Hague, the city where I grew up. My mom – who is terminally ill – had just told me some bad news. Minutes after, we were driving to the beach, during which I was still processing what she had just said.

As soon as we started shooting she was running, dancing and playing. One of her oldest friends was at the beach too, so I photographed them together. My mom absolutely loves the beach and although she’s ill, looking at the images afterwards, she looks so full of life and joy. It’s one of my favorite images of the book and I still am fascinated by the fact that her body actually created mine. The title of this image is ‘Judy and Lily.’

Gear: Sony a7RIII camera.

Shortlist, 2020: Jon Ervin (Brooklyn, New York, United States)

Artist Statement: This project aptly titled ‘Boys Will Be,’ which references the common phrase ‘Boys Will Be Boys,’ is an ongoing photographic journey exploring the various ways in which men perform and construct their identity. In this project I use the camera as an active agent to witness these gestures of masculine performance through documentation, portraiture, and staged scenarios.

By turning the camera on these men, I am encouraging them to perform for the ‘other.’ That performance, framed between the lines of the viewfinder, is a subjective choice to display their constructed identity to the camera, myself, and the viewer. The use of staged adolescent experiences creates scenarios where innocent horseplay can become something of consequence and for impalpable power dynamics that are threaded throughout our society to become tangible.

It is in those moments where boys learn their own power and how it can be used to influence others. Despite the relation to “Boys Will Be Boys,” this project does not adhere to the belief of so-called excusable male behavior that is at times aggressive, violent, and toxic; instead it has importantly left off the last word — ‘Boys.’ That distinction allows the men of this project to simply be.

Gear and Film: Pentax 67II camera with a 300mm f/4 lens and 1.4x teleconverter, Portra 400 film.

Shortlist, 2020: Dylan Lewis (Richmond, Virginia, United States)

Artist Statement: This image is from my larger body of work, a photo book titled ‘Dusker.’ The images in Dusker act as physical expressions of interior states. Situated between exhalation and incantation, they construct a space where the ontological unease of ‘documentary’ photography, the aestheticizing eye of fiction, and the emotional texture of dreams within an always-already fractured reality intertwine.

Shortlist, 2020: Pat Martin (Los Angeles, California, United States)

Artist Statement: It was Easter afternoon and we heard Jeff was feeling lonely. She had thought that her whole family had forgotten about her, but to her surprise, we all showed up with a pack of American Spirits, wine, and a pair up bunny ears. Jeff may be 98, but she’s still a party-girl and loves some good company.

Gear and Film: MF Pentax 67II camera, and printed in a color darkroom. All Kodak film, chemicals, and chromogenic darkroom paper.

Shortlist, 2020: Hua Jin (Montreal, Canada)

Artist Statement: This photo is part of my long-term and ongoing project ‘My Big Family.’ A project I document my extended families in China.

I call the woman in the picture ‘Aunt,’ she is a distant relative who lives nearby. When I took this photo she was trying to dig some coppers and wires from the demolition sites where the old farmer houses had been destroyed. She could make a small amount of money in the market by selling these materials.

While local people were trying to make small amounts of money from the ruins that used to be their homes, the government along with big companies were trying to redesign and reuse the land by building residential and commercial high rises, meanwhile, to change the traditional life-styles in the rural area.

Gear: Plaubel Makina W67 camera

Shortlist, 2020: Kamila Lozinska (Bristol, United Kingdom)

Artist Statement: This is a candid shot of my dear friend Jasmine basking in the sun.

Gear: Mamiya RZ67 camera.

Shortlist, 2020: Laura Pannack (London, United Kingdom)

Artist Statement: At the age of 16, Baruch chose to leave his Orthodox Jewish community and to study. The dramatic and challenging decision forced him to question his identity and future. Einstein says: ‘The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.’ The project explores how we choose our paths in life and questions how much control we have to change who we will become. The project was commissioned by 1854 Media and supported by Panasonic.

Gear: Panasonic SR1

Shortlist, 2020: Imogen Forte (London, United Kingdom)

Artist Statement: Last Summer, I moved out of my house, put my stuff into storage, and spent three months traveling the coast of England documenting the people and places I encountered. I wanted to explore more of the country I’d always called home and familiarize myself with new people and new places.

I met this girl in Cornwall, where she was stood in the street with her family. I approached and asked if she wanted a portrait and she agreed. I spotted this amazing backdrop in the cafe beside us and so we popped inside to have a drink and a chat and take some portraits.

Gear: Mamiya RZ67 camera.

Shortlist, 2020: Tais Sirote (London, United Kingdom)

Artist Statement: Tais Sirote, also known as Taisido, is a London-based photographer specializing in still-life and product photography. She has a background in graphic design and loves anything related to self-publishing books. Her style has always shown attention to lighting, showing her strengths on taking bold images, and having an eye for detail. Her pictures are sometimes mistaken for 3D renders and attempt to trick the eye of the viewer to make you wonder how it was taken.

Gear: Canon 5DS

Shortlist, 2020: Valeria Moreno (Richmond, Virginia, United States)

Artist Statement: This image is from a photo series meant to serve as an image as film sequence portraying young womanhood.

Gear: Panasonic Lumix G7 camera.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Slideshow: GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2020 winners

15 May

GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2020 winners

Members of the Society for Nature Photography have selected the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year. The 7th annual competition received 5,046 submissions from 307 GDT (German Society of Nature Photography) members across 11 countries. Peter Lindel was declared the Overall Winner with ‘A Hare’s Dream.’

‘The European hare, once a common inhabitant of open country all over Germany, has become a rare sight. While the large number of hares that I used to spot every morning on my way to work in the fields and meadows North of Dortmund, prompted me twelve years ago to explore this area with my camera, it has now become increasingly time-consuming to find hares and present them in an appealing photograph,’ Lindel explains.

For the first time, voting was conducted online instead of a general meeting on account of the pandemic. 70 winners and finalists were selected by judges and members for the following categories: Birds, Mammals, Other Animals, Plants and Fungi, Landscapes, Nature’s Studio, and the Special Category: Water. All winning and finalist photographs can be viewed here.

While GDT Nature Photographer of the Year is open to the society’s members only, GDT’s European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is open to all photographers residing in Europe.

Overall Winner: ‘A Hare’s Dream’ by Peter Lindel
GNPY 2020, Peter Lindel, GDT

About this photo: ‘A hare’s dream was taken in July of 2019 when months of
searching a suitable location led me to a dirt road, which offered the most
beautiful morning light, lovely vegetation and … three hares. Dreamy,
curious, careful, anxious. These are the adjectives that I find describe the
expression of “my hare” best,’ says Lindel.

Winner, Other Animals: ‘Danger in the Mud’ by Jens Cullmann
GNPY 2020, Jens Cullman, GDT

About this photo: Crocodile in a drying mud pool.

Winner, Nature’s Studio: ‘Flooded with Light’ by Jan Piecha
GNPY 2020, Jan Piecha, GDT

About this photo: A blackbird perches on a branch in North Hesse, Germany.

Winner, Landscapes: ‘Magic Light’ by Benjamin Waldmann
GNPY 2020, Benjamin Waldmann, GDT

About this photo: Tree in the mist at the Albtrauf.

Winner, Birds: ‘Take-off’ by Flurin Leugger
GNPY 2020, Flurin Leugger, GDT

About this photo: Coyote panics geese.

2nd Place, Mammals: ‘Glowing Fox’ by Mohammed Murad
GNPY 2020, Mohammed Murad, GDT

About this photo: Arabian red fox in Kuwait City.

2nd Place, Special Category, Water: ‘Milk and Honey’ by Sandra Bartocha
GNPY 2020, Sandra Bartocha, GDT

About this photo: Reflection of the chalk coast, England.

4th Place, Special Category, Water: ‘Poseidons Wrath’ by Christian Wappl
GNPY 2020, Christian Wappl, GDT

About this photo: A top-down view of Waves, La Palma.

5th Place, Nature’s Studio: ‘Refraction’ by Burkhard Hillert
GNPY 2020, Burkhard Hillert, GDT

About this photo: Refraction of light in the cobweb.

10th Place, Atelier Natur: ‘Iceland Going Abstract’ by Uwe Hasubek
GNPY 2020, Uwe Hasubek, GDT

About this photo: Painting of a river, Iceland.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Slideshow: Winners and finalists of the Academy’s annual BigPicture competition

11 May

Winners and finalists of the Academy’s annual BigPicture competition

San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences recently announced the winners and finalists of its 7th annual BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition. Over 6,400 images were submitted by photographers from 65 countries across categories including Terrestrial Wildlife, Winged Life, Landscapes, Waterscapes & Flora, Aquatic Life, Art of Nature, and Human/Nature.

Competition entries were selected by a panel of judges including wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas along with award-winning nature and conservation photographers Shin Arunrugstichai, Roie Galitz, Daisy Gilardini, Margot Raggett, and Tony Wu. The Grand Prize entry was awarded to Andy Parkinson of Crich, United Kingdom, for his image ‘Hare Ball.’ He spent 3 years familiarizing himself with the territory and behavior of his subject before capturing it braving a winter storm.

‘Only a highly-skilled photographer can present a common subject in an extraordinary way,’ says Suzi Eszterhas, BigPicture’s Jury Chair. ‘In this photo we see a hare as we’ve never seen it, curled up in a ball and looking rather like a sculpture as it’s bathed in sub-arctic light. Andy has created an image that has it all: technical perfection, artistic skill, and behavior. To me this is an image of beauty and resilience that speaks to weathering a storm. An image that I believe the world needs now more than ever.’

All 49 winning and finalist images will be featured at the annual BigPicture photography exhibit. It’s set to take place later in the summer at the California Academy of Sciences. BigPicture is currently accepting applications for its Emerging Photographer Grant, which will provide a cash grant and mentorship to 2 aspiring photographers between ages 18-25, through May 31st.

Aquatic Life Finalist: ‘Hold on Tight’ by Mathieu Foulquie?
© Mathieu Foulquie?. All rights reserved. These images originally appeared on bioGraphic, an online magazine about science and sustainability and the official media sponsor for the California Academy of Sciences’ BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

Photo Location: Lez River, France

Artist Statement: Beneath the turbulence of a small waterfall in France’s Lez River, a male common toad (Bufo bufo) holds on for dear life. Not his own life, though—the male is helping to ensure his species’ survival by fertilizing his female companion’s eggs as she lays them. Known as amplexus—Latin for ‘embrace’—this mating behavior is common among amphibians and other animals whose eggs must be fertilized externally.

Males temporarily develop glands on their toes, known as nuptial pads, to help them grip the swollen abdomens of the females. Then, as the female releases thousands of eggs in pearly, gelatinous strands, the male coats them with sperm. ??Scores of toads seeking partners for this ancient dance of procreation are killed each spring by motor vehicles. Fortunately, some European communities have built canals and even enlisted toad-shuttling volunteers to help them cross roads and reach their mates.

Photo Story Winner (one of six images): ‘Guardians of the Giraffes’ by Ami Vitale
© Ami Vitale. All rights reserved. These images originally appeared on bioGraphic, an online magazine about science and sustainability and the official media sponsor for the California Academy of Sciences’ BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

Photo Location: Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, Kenya

Artist Statement: Too often, says Ami Vitale, nature photography excludes the humans whose lives are intertwined with the natural world. Her decade-long project documenting the bonds between Samburu people and wildlife in northern Kenya reverses this oversight, telling the story of how Samburu people became advocates for wild animals and their habitat.

For as long as Samburu people have grazed livestock, their livelihood has been seemingly at odds with the elephants, rhinos, giraffes, and other large mammals with whom they share their homeland. But as poachers decimated elephant (Mammalia proboscidea) populations in recent decades, Samburu herders realized their cattle were also suffering.

Elephants promote grass growth by clearing brush and small trees, so as their numbers shrink, there’s less grass for cows to graze on. In response, the Samburu launched a sanctuary to rehabilitate orphaned elephants, along with other conservation programs that benefit threatened species like the reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata), shown here.

These efforts are changing long-standing Samburu attitudes toward wildlife, and show how the health of human and animal communities are connected. ‘Indigenous communities hold the key to saving Africa’s great animals,’ says Vitale. ‘Where these communities are intact, poaching has dramatically decreased.’

Grand Prize Winner: ‘Shelter in Place’ by Andy Parkinson
© Andy Parkinson. All rights reserved. These images originally appeared on bioGraphic, an online magazine about science and sustainability and the official media sponsor for the California Academy of Sciences’ BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

Photo Location: Tomatin, Scotland

Artist Statement: To get this intimate shot of a mountain hare (Lepus timidus) curled up against a Scottish winter storm, Andy Parkinson endured weeks of ferocious cold and wind that drove shards of ice into his face. Britain’s only native rabbit species, on the other hand, is utterly at home in these inhospitable conditions.

Groups of twenty or more hares gather each winter to nibble heather on leeward slopes, where the snow tends to be shallower. Before resting, they jump away from their tracks to confuse predators. And while some ride out storms in burrows or depressions, this female created her own shelter, tucking herself into a ball to conserve heat and minimize exposure to the elements.

It’s a nifty strategy for surviving the kind of weather that drives most creatures indoors or underground. Despite their fortitude, mountain hares are Britain’s fastest-declining mammal, due to unregulated hunting and habitat loss. Parkinson hopes that calling attention to these remarkable rabbits will convince legislators to protect them.

Landscapes, Waterscapes, & Flora Finalist: ‘Mushroom Magic’ by Agorastos Papatsanis
© Agorastos Papatsanis. All rights reserved. These images originally appeared on bioGraphic, an online magazine about science and sustainability and the official media sponsor for the California Academy of Sciences’ BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

Photo Location: Deskati, Greece

Artist Statement: Despite the ethereal appearance of this photo, these edible mushrooms (Macrolepiota procera) won’t induce any hallucinations. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t magical. Indeed, the more we learn about mushrooms, the more magic they seem to harbor. From helping trees communicate to producing cancer-fighting metabolites, scientists have only begun to uncover the fantastic features of fungi. ??

At the root of many of these capabilities is the unique role that mushrooms play in the environment. As primary decomposers, mushrooms break down the organic matter of dead plants and animals. In return, the fungi become flush with essential nutrients and minerals, a number of which can confer antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer benefits to humans. This same ability also makes mushrooms exceptional environmental remediators, ingesting the toxins and heavy metals that various industrial practices have leached into the soil.

Winged Life Winner: ‘Pond Skim’ by Piotr Naskrecki
© Piotr Naskrecki. All rights reserved. These images originally appeared on bioGraphic, an online magazine about science and sustainability and the official media sponsor for the California Academy of Sciences’ BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

Photo Location: Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Artist Statement: In Gorongosa National Park, at the southern tip of Africa’s Great Rift Valley, water breathes with the seasons. Lakes and rivers that overflow during the winter months are reduced to puddles and trickles come summer. For many species — including the Mozambique long-fingered bat (Miniopterus mossambicus) — the dry season means longer journeys for a much-needed sip of water.

As our planet warms and droughts increase in both frequency and intensity, the seasonal oases that bats depend on are drying up. Without adequate water, healthy bats begin to weaken, making them more susceptible to diseases that are already devastating populations around the world.

Those that survive are sometimes forced to drink from human-made bodies of water — a boon for bats, but a potential risk for people who drink from those same water sources, since bats carry a host of zoonotic diseases. It’s often at these interspecies interfaces that killers like Ebola and the novel coronavirus emerge.

Terrestrial Wildlife Winner: ‘Speed and Strategy’ by Yi Liu
© Yi Liu. All rights reserved. These images originally appeared on bioGraphic, an online magazine about science and sustainability and the official media sponsor for the California Academy of Sciences’ BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

Photo Location: Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Artist Statement: Although they’re the fastest land animals in the world, catching prey is no easy feat for a cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). The mostly treeless terrain of the African savanna gives antelopes, impalas, and other ungulates ample time to spot approaching predators, and even a slight head start can be the difference between life and death. To avoid alerting their prey, cheetahs start out hunting low to the ground, where their spotted coat helps them blend into the terrain.

When they get within 60 meters (200 feet) of their target, cheetahs accelerate at a blistering pace, reaching 95 kilometers (60 miles) per hour in a matter of seconds. But the feline predators still have to account for the speed of their prey — in this case an impala (Aepyceros melampus), which can zig-zag at upwards of 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour. To close the gap, this cheetah tripped its quarry as it attempted to escape, proving that sometimes, strategy is just as important as speed.

Landscapes, Waterscapes, & Flora Winner: ‘A Sticky Situation’ by Edwin Giesbers
© Edwin Giesbers. All rights reserved. These images originally appeared on bioGraphic, an online magazine about science and sustainability and the official media sponsor for the California Academy of Sciences’ BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

Photo Location: Hatertse Vennen Nature Reserve, Netherlands

Artist Statement: Innocently poised on the thin red spines of an oblong-leaved sundew (Drosera intermedia), beads of nectar beckon insects like sweet garnishes on a lethal cocktail. When an insect lands to sip the nectar, the carnivorous sundew slowly curls its leaves around it, releasing digestive enzymes that liquify its unsuspecting prey into a digestible meal. If a sundew ensnares something inedible, it promptly releases the non-nutritious offender from its grasp.

Nitrogen and phosphorus from eating insects allows sundews to thrive in places where most plants can’t survive, like the acidic, nutrient-poor soil of swamps and bogs. These adaptations fascinated Charles Darwin, who wrote in 1860 that he cared ‘more about Drosera than the origin of all the species.’ Nonetheless, Darwin would wait 15 years before publishing his controversial suspicions that, indeed, some plants eat animals.

Terrestrial Wildlife Finalist: ‘Hippo Huddle’ by Talib Almarri
© Talib Almarri. All rights reserved. These images originally appeared on bioGraphic, an online magazine about science and sustainability and the official media sponsor for the California Academy of Sciences’ BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

Photo Location: Okavango Delta, Botswana

Artist Statement: Each winter, as the waters of Botswana’s Okavango River spread across its vast delta, an array of African wildlife congregates to eat, drink, splash, and soak. This seasonal wetland was especially important in 2019, when severe drought left human and animal populations alike desperate for water. Cattle, elephants, crocodiles, and other creatures were left to vie for any water they could find in the delta’s shrinking pools.

??Among those seeking refuge were herds of hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibious). These semi-aquatic herbivores are well-equipped for spending hours each day in the water—their nostrils and eyes located so high on their head that they can breathe and see while mostly submerged.

They’re also graceful swimmers, and can hold their breath for up to five minutes. But even their aquatic abilities and impressive heft were no match for last year’s muddy, drought-stricken delta. At least 200 hippos became trapped in the mud, and managed to survive only because Botswana wildlife officials pumped in water to help them escape. As the climate warms, such droughts may become more frequent across much of Africa.

Art of Nature Winner: ‘A River Gone Awry’ by Juan Jesús González Ahumada
© Juan Jesús González Ahumada. All rights reserved. These images originally appeared on bioGraphic, an online magazine about science and sustainability and the official media sponsor for the California Academy of Sciences’ BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

Photo Location: Río Tinto, Spain

Artist Statement: Along the Río Tinto in western Spain, layers of multicolored sediment combine with blood red water to produce an otherworldly effect. But the strange coloration—shown here in a photo of cracked mud at the river’s edge—has familiar origins: Runoff from millennia of mining in the surrounding Sierra Morena has caused rampant acidification and toxic levels of dissolved metals.

The pollution is so extreme that NASA has used the river and the resilient microbes that call it home as a proxy for the conditions for life on Mars. ??Unsurprisingly, the water is unusable for the communities that live near it—at least for now.

In 2016, a collaboration between a team of Spanish researchers looking into the mineralogy of the river and a group of French researchers seeking to decontaminate it made an important discovery. When the water was purified, the leftover solids contained a high concentration of microscopic aluminum particles, a valuable commodity which can be sold to offset the cost of decontamination.

Human/Nature Winner: ‘The Cost of Cats’ by Jak Wonderly
© Jak Wonderly. All rights reserved. These images originally appeared on bioGraphic, an online magazine about science and sustainability and the official media sponsor for the California Academy of Sciences’ BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

Photo Location: WildCare Wildlife Hospital, San Rafael, United States

Artist Statement: Every year, the staff at WildCare, a California animal rescue organization, is tasked with rehabilitating hundreds of birds and other wild animals mauled by outdoor house cats. The 200 pictured here did not survive. ‘I wanted to create an image to show some of the impacts our pets have on the wildlife around our homes,’ says Jak Wonderly. ??

One of those impacts is a world with less birdsong. In the United States alone, more than 2 billion birds are killed by cats annually. Other nations, including Australia and New Zealand, have tried to protect native wildlife by imposing restrictions on cat owners, such as ‘cat curfews’ that require cats to be indoors after dark.

But because such measures are unlikely to gain traction in North America, Wonderly took this devastating photo. By illustrating the suffering that free-roaming house cats cause, he hopes to spark discussion about alternative solutions for reducing the death toll caused by our pets.

Human/Nature Finalist: ‘Snack Attack’ by Gunther De Bruyne
© Gunther De Bruyne. All rights reserved. These images originally appeared on bioGraphic, an online magazine about science and sustainability and the official media sponsor for the California Academy of Sciences’ BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

Photo Location: Kasungu National Park, Malawi

Artist Statement: After an unsuccessful attempt at grabbing a snack, this African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) took out its frustrations on the roof of an open-air kitchen in Malawi’s Kasungu National Park. Photographer and biologist Gunther De Bruyne says such destruction was common during his stay at a research station there. But, De Bruyne adds, there’s a reason why Kasungu’s elephants are unusually dangerous: He and other scientists have found that elephants from heavily poached regions tend to be more aggressive.

In 1977, more than 1,000 elephants roamed Kasungu. By 2015, poaching had reduced the population to just 50. While recent ivory bans might be turning the tide—there are now over 80 elephants in the park—recovery takes time, especially among animals as intelligent and long-lived as elephants. Maybe on De Bruyne’s next visit, the kitchen roof will remain standing.

Aquatic Life Winner: ‘Berg Buffet’ by Greg Lecoeur
© Greg Lecoeur. All rights reserved. These images originally appeared on bioGraphic, an online magazine about science and sustainability and the official media sponsor for the California Academy of Sciences’ BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

Photo Location: Antarctic Peninsula

Artist Statement: French photographer Greg Lecouer braved frigid waters to catch this rare glimpse of life below Antarctic ice, where he encountered a crew of crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga). Clumsy and laborious on land, crabeater seals are elegant and agile swimmers that spend their entire lives in the pack ice zone surrounding the frozen continent.

Buoyed by polar currents, icebergs calve off mainland glaciers, carrying minerals and nutrients from land into the ocean. Once sea bound, the icebergs slowly melt, releasing critical nutrients in their wake and providing seals with both food and shelter. The fertilized waters prompt a bloom of phytoplankton that attracts krill—which, despite the crabeaters’ name, is a favorite meal of the seals.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Slideshow: Winners of All About Photo Awards, the Mind’s Eye, 2020

06 May

Winners of All About Photo Awards, the Mind’s Eye, 2020

The 5th Annual Mind’s Eye competition from All About Photo attracted submissions from all over the world. Even though a majority of the entries were color photographs, 4 out of the 5 top category winners are black and white and came from women. The Photographer of the Year 2020 was awarded to Monica Denevan (United States) for her image ‘Across the River, Burma’ from the series ‘Songs of the River: Portraits from Burma.’ She received a $ 5,000 cash prize.

A panel of 7 jurors selected the 40 winning and finalist images. Compared to previous years, they were more inclined to choose calming images compared to those depicting unsettling or violent situations. ‘Perhaps a subconscious need has arisen in each one of us to escape the terrible events that are happening in the world right now,’ reads the official press release.

In a field dominated by men, women received a majority of the top honors in this competition. Elena Paraskeva was recognized in the Particular Merit Mention category for her image ‘The Lost Swimmer.’

Winners will be showcased on the daily fine art photography site Lenscratch, art streaming platform Daylighted, All About Photo’s online gallery, and in the print edition of AAP Magazine. All About Photo hosts a variety of competitions, year round, that can be found on their ‘Photo Contests’ page.

1st Place Photographer of the Year: ‘Across the River, Burma’ by Monica Denevan (United States)

Artist Statement: From the series ‘Songs of the River: Portraits from Burma.’

2nd Place Winner: ‘Florida’ by Gabriele Galimberti (Italy)

Artist Statement: Avery Skipalis (33) – Tampa, Florida / THE AMERIGUNS – In the States there are more guns than people. ‘120.5 registered firearms for every 100 residents’ and the statistic doesn’t count ‘not-registers firearms.’ As a European, I started wondering if owning many weapons by a single person or family is a common habit in the US. I traveled across the US and created a series of 45 portrait of families or single individuals, including all races and beliefs, together with their firearms.

3rd Place Winner: ‘Philomena’ by Rebecca Moseman (United States)

Artist Statement: A little Irish Traveler girl looks out of her family car before going home to her family’s Illegal encampment.

4th Place Winner: ‘Sustenance 4’ by Nadia De Lange (Switzerland)

Artist Statement: Desert: ‘a waterless, desolate area of land with little or no vegetation, typically one covered with sand.’ And yet, there is life in the desert. More than most people realize. In the Namib this is thanks to the wonderful miracle of fog – the clouds that roll in from the Atlantic Ocean bring with them moisture that sustain the fauna and flora living in this beautiful, harsh landscape.

5th Place Winner: ‘Jump of the Wildebeest’ by Nicole Cambre (Belgium)

Artist Statement: Annual migration of the wildebeest at Northern Serengeti, Tanzania. This wildebeest did not wait for its turn and jumped on top of the others.

Particular Merit Mention: ‘Polarbearpet’ by Marcel Van Balken (Netherlands)

Artist Statement: Climate change, and the loss of sea ice habitat, is the greatest threat to polar bears. More and more polar bears are being forced ashore, away from their sea-ice hunting grounds. But it does not make sense to make your home (or bathroom) available as a haven for the polar bear. It’s better to spread awareness about the real and pressing threat of climate change.

Particular Merit Mention: ‘Untitled’ by Kosuke Kitajima (Japan)

Artist Statement: A monkey entering a Japanese hot spring. Had various expressions like a person.

Particular Merit Mention: ‘Break Away’ by Tony Law (Australia)

Artist Statement: A man falling off a bull in a rodeo event held in Taralga, Australia.

Particular Merit Mention: ‘Untitled’ by Yoni Blau (Israel)

Artist Statement: This image was taken while on a trip to the Suri tribe in the Omo Valley in Southern Ethiopia.
The model was not dressed, simply recorded as is. No artificial lighting was used.
The picture was taken within a dark tent with the light coming in from the entrance of the tent.

Particular Merit Mention: ‘Woman Mursi’ by Svetlin Yosifov (Bulgaria)

Artist Statement: The Mursi tribe are an African tribe from the isolated Omo valley in Southern Ethiopia near the border with Sudan.

Particular Merit Mention: ‘Eye Sea’ by Anuar Patjane (Mexico)

Artist Statement: A school of Bigeye trevaly and divers at Cabo Pulmo National Park, Mexico.

Particular Merit Mention: ‘Beyond the Wall’ by Francesco Pace Rizzi (Italy)

Artist Statement: Sometimes a shot cannot contain emotions, memories, moods…you need more … you have to ‘chisel’ the image to make that evolutionary-creative leap necessary to reach the right size.

This photo is intended as a small tribute to a great Master: Henri Cartier Bresson, the one who first knew how to show me the reality of ever with new eyes: more human, artistic, poetic. His photos taken between the 1950s and 1970s in Basilicata (my homeland) and around the world have changed the perspective of things in me, creating a fantastic ‘imprinting’ and becoming a source of great inspiration.

Particular Merit Mention: ‘Untitled’ by Chin Leong Teo (Japan)

Artist Statement: The Wallace’s Flying Frog is a moss frog found in Malaysia and western Indonesia. It is generally quite photogenic given its large size, brilliant colors and calm temperament. This is a shot taken of a specimen swimming in water, with full extension of its beautiful long legs.

Particular Merit Mention: ‘Step by Step’ by Mustafa AbdulHadi (Bahrain)

Artist Statement: Impression Lijiang is a cultural show which demonstrates the traditions and lifestyle of local Naxi, Yi, and Bai ethnics of the area. It is the second outdoor production of famous film director, Zhang Yimou, which debuts an open-air performance at the foot of Yulong Xueshan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) about 3,500 meters above sea level. The performance stage is specially designed to showcase the mountain as the best backdrop of the show. More than 500 local people from ten ethnic groups (participate).

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Slideshow: Winners and finalists of Smithsonian Magazine’s 17th Annual Photo Contest

02 May

Winners and finalists of Smithsonian Magazine’s 17th Annual Photo Contest

Smithsonian Magazine recently announced the winners and finalists of their 17th Annual Photo Contest. Over 36,000 images were submitted by more than 10,000 photographers from 145 countries. A judging panel consisting of the magazine’s photo editors selected 60 images across 6 categories: Natural World, The American Experience, Travel, People, Altered Images, and Mobile.

London-based photographer Jon Enoch’s ‘Hanoi Fish Man,’ captured in Vietnam’s capital city, depicting a biker lugging around massive loads of live fish contained in plastic bags, is the Grand Prize winner. If this image looks familiar, it was shortlisted earlier this year by Sony’s annual World Photography Awards.

All 60 finalist images can be viewed here. Smithsonian Magazine is currently accepting entries for their 18th Annual Photo Contest. For more inspiration, you can follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Reader’s Choice, American Experience: ‘Home Survives Direct Hit From Tornado’ by Matt Gillespie (United States)
© Matt Gillespie. All rights reserved.

Photo Location: Ellerslie, Georgia, United States

Artist Statement: This home was in the direct line of a tornado that hit Ellerslie, Georgia. Most of the trees on the property had fallen, but the house stood with minimal damage.

Winner, Natural World: ‘Adélie Penguin on an Iceberg’ by Conor Ryan (United Kingdom)
© Conor Ryan. All rights reserved.

Photo Location: Antarctica

Artist Statement: Ice-dependent animals are in perilous danger of losing their habitat. This photo shows an Adélie penguin standing on an iceberg off Devil Island, Antarctica. I like how the half-lit, sea-eroded iceberg gives the scene a sense of dichotomy. Perhaps the penguin’s indecision on which way to go, or perhaps ours.

Finalist, Natural World: ‘Tender Eyes’ by Tamara Maria Blazquez Haik (Mexico)
© Tamara Maria Blazquez Haik. All rights reserved.

Photo Location: Monfragüe National Park, Spain

Artist Statement: A gorgeous griffon vulture is seen soaring the skies in Monfragüe National Park in Spain. How can anyone say vultures bring bad omens while looking at such tenderness in this griffon vulture’s eyes? Vultures are important members of the environment, as they take care of recycling dead matter. When looking at them flying, we should feel humbled and admire them.

Winner, The American Experience: ‘Shields Strikes Back’ by Terrell Groggins (United States)
© ?Terrell Groggins. All rights reserved.

Photo Location: Detroit, Michigan, United States

Artist Statement: Olympic champion Claressa Shields (right) meets Hanna Gabriels in a boxing match at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan on June 22, 2018. Shields suffered a first-round knock-down by Gabriels—the first time that had happened in Shields’ career—but went on to win the match by unanimous decision. Shields is the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing, and the first (male or female) to win a gold back-to-back in successive Olympic Games.

Finalist, The American Experience: ‘Playground Landscape’ by Juan Osorio (United States)
© Juan Osorio. All rights reserved.

Photo Location: Verona, New Jersey, United States

Artist Statement: This series documents the interaction of the shapes, colors and functionality of playgrounds and the people who use them with an emphasis in the color contrast between the outfits and the environment.

Winner, Travel: ‘Iceberg Tower’ by Natnattcha Chaturapitamorn (Thailand)
© Natnattcha Chaturapitamorn. All rights reserved.

Photo Location: Ilulissat, Greenland

Artist Statement: Sunset over an iceberg tower in Disko Bay.

Finalist, Travel: ‘Blooming’ by Thien Nguyen (Vietnam)
© Thien Nguyen. All rights reserved.

Photo Location: Phu Yen, Vietnam

Artist Statement: A fishing net moving underneath the water’s surface. Many local fisherman families along the coastline of Phú Yên province in Vietnam will follow the near-shore currents to catch the anchovy during peak season.

Only a small proportion of the entire catch is sold fresh, with most of it being dried or salted. Salted anchovy is the most important raw material to create traditional fish sauce; the humble anchovy becomes the spirit of Vietnamese cuisine.

Finalist, Travel: ‘Larung Gar Buddhist Academy’ by Attila Balogh (Hungary)
© Attila Balogh. All rights reserved.

Photo Location: China

Artist Statement: The world’s biggest Tibetan Buddhist institute.

Winner, People: ‘Dungan Wedding’ by Yam G-Jun (Malaysia)
© Yam G-Jun. All rights reserved

Photo Location: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Artist Statement: Madina, 20, an ethnic Dungan, is covered by a red veil before she leaves for the groom’s house during wedding ceremony in Milyanfan, Kyrgyzstan. Dungans wear traditional Chinese-influenced wedding gowns, follow traditional Hui Chinese wedding ceremonies from the 19th century and practice endogamy, but due to shrinking population size, they have stopped the practice and allowed Dungans to marry other ethnicities.

Finalist, People: ‘Portrait of Endurance Athlete Anders Hofman’ by Jesper Gronnemark (Denmark)
© Jesper Gronnemark. All rights reserved.

Photo Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Artist Statement: Portrait of endurance athlete Anders Hofman before his attempt to complete a triathlon at Antarctica.

Finalist, People: ‘The Young Dreamers’ by Sujan Sarkar (India)
© Sujan Sarkar. All rights reserved.

Photo Location: India

Artist Statement: Childhood, youth, old age. Among the three, the childhood is the most beautiful part of our life…It must be enjoyed to the fullest.

Finalist, Altered Images: ‘Follow the Herd’ by Tuan Nguyen Tan (Vietnam)
© Tuan Nguyen Tan. All rights reserved.

Photo Location: Vietnam

Artist Statement: The buffalo follow each other to new food sources at Dau Tieng Lake, Vietnam.

Winner, Mobile: ‘At Sunset’ by Victoria Gorelchenko (Russia)
© Victoria Gorelchenko. All rights reserved.

Photo Location: Moscow, Russia

Artist Statement: I was waiting for my husband in the parking lot and noticed this beautiful light.

Finalist, Mobile: ‘Loneliness in Capital’ by Farnaz Damnabi (Iran)
© Farnaz Damnabi. All rights reserved.

Photo Location: Tehran, Iran

Artist Statement: When I was going back home from work, this scene—women taking naps on public transportation— attracted my attention.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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