In April 2020, ‘The Independent Photographer’ organized its monthly contest around Landscape Photography. On this occasion, the British photographer Thomas Heaton was the judge of the photo contest.
Landscape photography is one of the oldest forms of photography. When taking a picture of a landscape, just like in a portrait or a scene, photographers attempt to tell a story and we wanted to discover and celebrate all the beauty and joy that nature can provide.
After receiving and sorting photos from more than 60 different countries, this award aimed to discover photographs that communicate the life of a place in all its splendor, trigger our memories, and share the photographers’ journey, visually and intellectually.
Congratulations to the Winners & Finalists!
More info: independent-photo.com
1st Prize - Winter Wonderland
Image credits: Stephen King
Prize received: $1000
Stephen King - Hokkaido, Japan.
"Shot during an unexpected spring snowstorm at the top of Hirafu in Hokkaido, Japan. The storm clouds which enveloped the background also helped highlight and isolate the wonderful shapes and lines formed by the branches. The manner in which a few branches followed the contour of the hills in the back was an added bonus."
2nd Prize - Pyramid of Khafre
Image credits: Christopher Baker
Prize received: $600
Christopher Baker - Giza Necropolis, Egypt.
3rd Prize- Jinshanling, The Great Wall
Image credits: Joshua Cavalier
Prize received: $400
Joshua Cavalier - Chengde, China.
"Jinshanling is a section of the Great Wall of China located in the mountainous area in Hebei Province, 125 km northeast of Beijing. The Jinshanling section of the wall was built from 1570 CE during the Ming dynasty. It is 10.5 km long with 5 passes, 67 towers, and 3 beacon towers. The initial section of the wall has been restored to the original condition, but the condition of the wall deteriorates towards its natural state as it approaches Simatai."
Solar Storm
Image credits: Eric Melzer
Eric Melzer - Ivanpah Solar Station, California.
Density
Image credits: John Kimwell Laluma
John Kimwell - Laluma, Macau.
"View from the inner courtyard of downtown buildings in Macau. Macau is an autonomous region on the south coast of China, across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong and one of the densest cities on earth."
Sensual Curves
Image credits: Mark Boyle
Mark Boyle - Injidup Bay, Yallingup, Western Australia.
Paradise island
Image credits: Olivier Jarry-Lacombe
Olivier Jarry-Lacombe - Norway.
"The sun had just passed the horizon when I arrived at the end of this incredible archipelago located in the Norwegian Sea. I settled down and decided to take flight above the last rocks of the most southerly islet. The view was incredible, and like every clear evening in this late winter period, the polar colors settled on the horizon."
Glow
Image credits: Robin Christ
Robin Christ - Hawaii, USA.
"I took this picture on the big Island of Hawaii. I was traveling with a well-known National Geographic photographer who specializes in lava. We had to walk 1 hour on the extinct lava towards the Active Spring. The excursion started at 04:00 AM so that we arrived in the dark and could catch the light of the lava pretty well."
Fall colors in the Dolomites
Image credits: Sid Ghosh
Sid Ghosh - Dolomites, Northern Italy.
Balloons over Bagan
Image credits: Stefano Tomassetti
Stefano Tomassetti - Bagan, Myanmar.
"I knew that in Myanmar, I would want to fly in a hot air balloon over Bagan. As soon as I arrived in Bagan, I bought the ticket. After 3 long days of waiting due to unsatisfying weather conditions, I could finally fly. Just before the sunrise, the first balloons rose up in the sky."