WOW!
Today I am going to talk to you about the photographs I submitted to the 360° photo award competition, that were then recognized as award winning photographs.
You can probably imagine the surprise and delight I experienced having received this email in December 2022.
360 Degrees Photo Awards - Winners Announced
I have the pleasure to announce the 360 photography awards International and Australian photographers of the year.
International Photographer of the Year: Hamcke-Onstwedder
Carol’s love of photography began as she was given her first Instamatic camera at age 6. Mentored by her father, using a hand-held light meter along with her father’s Argus, the passion for taking photos began. Her first proper camera was Nikon FM. Her first real photography project was a documentary piece of work on the displacement of a local community because of building expansion plans. Then life got in the way…work…family, etc. Fast forward to 2016 where she joined three world-class photographers on a photo tour in the Atacama and Altiplano. Now her photographic journey was about to begin in earnest. Carol is self-taught with the guidance of masters in the field, who have helped her hone her skills and encouraged her to approach her work with energy and creativity.
Focussing on light, textures, patterns, she has continually tried to push her own boundaries to create innovative and interesting natural and urban landscape photographs. Her people shots incorporate both her public policy background in a rather documentary approach and a travel/street photography approach which has been developing over time to creatively capture the moment. Whether it is abstract architecture, photographing in the rainforest, trying to capture the beauty of big views, or getting that amazing wildlife moment, Carol is always challenging herself to produce something different. Carol is currently based in Singapore where she leads photo walks around the island, sharing with others her passion for exploring Singapore through the lens. Carol currently shoots with a Nikon Z7II, Nikon FM, and a Nikon FC converted to infrared.
four photographs were recognised:
· Landscape: 2022 Gold Award Winner 1st Place
· People: 2022 Silver Award Winner Runner-up and 5th Place
· Wildlife: 2022 Gold Award Winner 2nd Place
Landscape: GOLD - 1st Place
“Layers”
Milford Sound, New Zealand
Nikon Z7II, Nikkor 24 - 200 f/4-6.3
Milford Sound is a fiord in the southwest of New Zealand’s south island, within Fiordland National Park. This park is a huge rainforest, with an average rainfall of 252 inches each year, the wettest inhabited place in New Zealand. It was no surprise to have cloud, mist, and rain on our visit here.
Mountains drop precipitously directly into the sound. Sheer rockfaces line the fjord, rising 1,200 meters or more on either side. The combination of the mist with the many rock faces that line the fiord provided the superb conditions to capture the ‘layers’ of the peaks in Milford Sound.
This is a classic view looking down the fjord from the small village of Milford Sound. When it rains, it is a place of hundreds of waterfalls. When there is cloud or mist, it is a place of layers appearing and disappearing. This is a classic view looking towards Mitre Peak, and The Elephant, and the Lion—all high peaks at the innermost sections of the fiord.
We had mist…we had cloud…we had the mountains…we had all the conditions to capture this moody moment at Milford Sound.
People: Silver Award - 2nd place
“Monk Portrait I”
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Nikon Z7II; Nikkor 24-200 f/4.0-6.3
Siem Reap, Cambodia…a land of ancient ruins…a land of Buddhist culture. Quiet.. Meditative…This monk at Chuen Srey Vibol encapsulated all of this for me. The incense burning, his eyes closed—deep in thought. This is an image that I visualized and I wanted to get on my photo journey in Cambodia. I love the perspective of looking up. I love the seriousness of the monk. I love the atmosphere that the burning incense fills the photo with. I had many photos from this morning, but this is the one that captured the essence of the moment, at least for me.
People: Silver Award - 5th Place
“Fisherman, Tonle Sap”
Tonle Sap, Cambodia
Nikon Z7II; Nikkor 24-200f/4.0-6.3
This photo is part of a larger series where I explore the impact of the upper Mekong dams, primarily in China, on the livelihoods of these fishermen and the biodiversity in this unique biodiversity hotspot. The ebb and flow of the Mekong is crucial to this body of water as a breeding ground for thousands of species of fish. When I was here I wanted to explore Tonle Sap with this “sustainability” hat on. I will be doing a dedicated blog about life on Tonle Sap in the future.
I was delighted with this photograph of this fishermen. I went out with a local Cambodian photographer early in the morning. While most tourists come for the sunset cruise, I wanted to see the village as a working village. I arrived as the sun was rising and work was already beginning in the village. As we floated down one of the inlets on this huge body of water we came upon this fisherman...standing in the water as he is checking his nets…cigarette and all.…hard work…. Captured.
Wildlife: Gold Award - 2nd place
“Shake”
The Mara, Kenya
Nikon Z7II; Nikkor 100-400 f/4.5-5.6
We were in the Mara, looking for big cats. Led by Piper Mackay, we were not disappointed. On this day in particular I got one of my best shots of the trip.
We followed this leopard for quite some time as it walked through the bush in the rain. At one point it climbed up on a mound. I overheard Piper say something like—"I wonder if he will do the shake”…I thought if this animal did a ‘shake’ then I needed to slow my shutter speed down as I really wanted to water to flow—not be pin sharp. I quickly put the shutter way down—from 1/1000 where I normally shoot to get sharp wildlife photos, down to 1/80. I knew I had only one chance. It was a split-second decision to move the shutter speed to this level. And in the next split second there was the SHAKE! I was ecstatic to capture this moment.
All of these photos have a story…
And with this award I can add to my story as cho-photography.