The Independent Photographer has announced the winners of its Landscape Photography contest:
"In April we wanted to see images that showcase our planet’s diverse and beautiful topography. All approaches were valid and we wanted to see as many different styles and compositions as possible!"
Kai Hornung was the judge of the month: a landscape and fine art photographer based in Hanover, Germany. He has won several international awards and his work has been frequently published in magazines such as National Geographic, GEO, Elements, and Condé Nast.
Making images that have the ability to “sing” is what he aims for. Be it the grand and dramatic, or the small and abstract moments in which he quiets the chaos that surrounds us. Kai Hornung also writes on landscape photography and regularly conducts photography workshops.
We are delighted to present the images of 10 artists whose work shows an exceptional level of talent: discover the winners!
Kevin Krautgartner - 1st place. Prize - $1000
“Reef Shapes” - Southern Brazil
From "Art of Water", an aerial photography journey showcasing some of the world's most beautiful, surreal, and unique landscapes which were formed by water. Experience the element in all its diversity, colorfulness, an abundance of form, and fragile beauty and aesthetics. The interplay of colors turns oceans, rivers, and lakes into unique works of art. The landscape photographs blur the boundaries between natural and man-made water colorations.
Brooke Holm – 2nd place. Prize - $600
“Namibia from above” - Namibia
"I traveled to Namibia to seek out the oldest desert in the world, the Namib Sand Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, the tallest sand dunes tower hundreds of meters into the sky. From dawn until dusk the colors of the dunes shift with the sun in stunning gradients of burnt reds and dusty pinks. From this perspective, the dunes bear a resemblance to the human form, an array of fleshy tones blending and cascading in the symphony, bringing to mind our complicated relationship with Nature and its magnetic pull on the human subconscious."
Nicolò Taborra– 3rd place. Prize - $400
“Aerial view of mine” - Dolomites, Italy
In the late summer afternoons, sunlight during the sunset is very soft and creates a soft color pallet over the Dolomite mountains in the Italian Alps.
Anderson Cunha de Sao Sabas – finalist
“Lungs” - Iceland
"As seen from above, Iceland's rivers form various abstract shapes and structures. Whenever I look at this picture, I see a lung. Maybe you'll see something else."
Attila Balogh – finalist
“Larung Gar” - Sichuan, China
Located in the Sichuan province, The Larung Gar Buddhist Academy is the world’s largest monastery and highest slum, home to around 4,000 monks and nuns.
Deryk Baumgaertner – finalist
“The Perfect Storm” - Norway
A scene like from the movie “The Perfect Storm”. The wild sea with hurricane-like and very cold winds, the whipping snow, and the northern lights shimmering through for a short time represented a combination of situations that you will probably only experience very rarely.
Florian Delalee – finalist
“Millennium Man Shaped landscape” - Yuanyang Rice Terraces, Yunnan, China
Yuanyang's terraces are in the south of the Ailao Mountains in China's Yunnan province. For generations, the local Hani people built terraces on hillsides with slopes between 15 and 75 degrees. The terraced fields stretch across Honghe, Yuanyang, Luchun, and Jinping counties south of Honghe — "the Red River".
Laurel Anderson – finalist
“Pink Pools” - Salt Lake City, USA
The unexpected beauty of industry outside Salt Lake City.
Samuel Hardwick – finalist
“Preikestolen” - Preikestolen, Norway
Surrounding mountains in Preikestolen, Norway.
Yann Calonne – finalist
“Majestic” - Aiguilles d’Arves, France
Always in awe of the mountains, feeling like being small and insignificant compared to these majestic giants of ice and rocks. The North face of the Aiguilles d’Arves (3500m) located in the Maurienne valley. In the heart of the French Alps, the Maurienne Valley was the ancestral passage between France and Italy.