Posts Tagged ‘Photo Competition’
Unlikely Winner
Recently, Sony ran a competition with four different categories – people, nature, travel and sport. Out of those four categories, sports is our weakest, as we hardly ever shoot anything sport related. Surprisingly, one of our sports submissions was selected as the winning image for that category.
Sony Photo Challenge Winner for the Sports Category
In another competition a few years back, we won a category for Man in Nature. Defying all logic, this was with another sports related image:
Winner of the 2007 Getaway/Fuji-film Man in Nature Photo Competition
Besides the basics, like lighting, composition and focus – a picture that is memorable needs to make an emotional connection with the viewer. Generally speaking, photographers can only make that emotional connection when they are emotionally connected to what they are shooting.
Looking back at these images, I realize what both of them have in common – the ocean. Growing up along the South African coastline shaped my life. The ocean played a massive role in my day to day life. Consequently, I’ve always had a strong emotional attachment to the ocean. The sense of adventure, excitement and often fear encountered before paddling out into the sea is one of the most addictive feelings I’ve ever encountered.
I’d like to think that both of these images capture some of those emotions and I suspect that is why both of them did well in competitions, even though sports images take up a fraction of our total portfolio.
If there is any lesson that I’ve learned, it is to shoot what interests you. If something interests you, it will probably interest others too.
I huge thank you to inspirational travel photographer, Julian Love for making us aware of the competition and to Sony for selecting our image.
Travel Photo of the Week
Congratulations to Kristján Jóhann for winning this week’s travel photo of the week with his fascinating take of the Northern Lights over Staumur, Iceland.
Why this Photo Won
I had a difficult time choosing a winner this week with so many different entries that could have won. This specific image stuck out in my mind for a little longer than the others though. I’ve always been fascinated by the Northern Lights and long to shoot them. Everytime a see a picture of the lights, I’m mostly dissapointed with the picture. The lights normally look fantastic, but the foreground leaves a lot to be desired.
Kristjan, however, managed to capture the lights very well and also managed to have a compelling foreground. I love the lead in road throug the snow and the reflection in the lake.
About the Competition
To enter this weekly travel photography competition you will need to be a flickr user. Once you’re a member of flickr, search for the group – Nomadic Vision and join it. Any photos posted into the group will automatically be entered into the competition.
The winner is announced on this site as well as the flickr group page.
Travel Photo of the Week
Congratulations to Shivakumar for winning this week’s travel photo of the week with his outstanding portrait.
Why this Photo Won
Low key portraits that hint something about the subject’s character are often far more interesting than strait forward portraits. The lighting seems to add a sense of mystery to the picture that makes you want to know more about the subject.
According to the photo description, the lighting used was natural window light. This image demonstrates excellent control and manipulation of natural lighting to give an almost studio effect to the lighting.
About the Competition
To enter this weekly travel photography competition you will need to be a flickr user. Once you’re a member of flickr, search for the group – Nomadic Vision and join it. Any photos posted into the group will automatically be entered into the competition.
The winner is announced on this site as well as the flickr group page.