There are photos, and there are photos. We’ve all taken some holiday snaps at a particularly enviable location, or in a rather picturesque spot, and checked out the images later, thinking that professional photography might not be out of reach after all.
Well, maybe think twice about that - the images you’re about to browse are from the shortlist of Professional shots fromSony’s 2021 World Photography Awards, and to say they’re stunning would be an understatement.
Black Leopard Under the Stars
Professional photographer Will Burrard-Lucas explained that it took a long time to capture this magnificent image of a Black Leopard. He spent a year photographing leopards in Kenya’s Laikipia County, with many of the creatures being evasive and difficult to photograph.
The Black Leopard is an uncommon sight as well, which makes this photo even more magnificent. Before this image was taken the creature had apparently not been documented in that area for over 100 years.
The images he took saw Burrad-Lucasshortlisted in the Wildlife & Naturecategory in the 2021 Sony World Photography Awards.
Hvaldimir, the White Whale
This image is part of a series of photos by professional photographer Aleksander Nordahl called Hvaldimir, the White Whale. They not only sawNodahl being shortlistedbut also allowed the photographer to tell the interesting story behind the beluga whale:
“This is the story of a beluga whale called Hvaldimir and a fisherman called Joar Hesten. When the fisherman and former whaler jumped into the ice-cold Arctic water and freed Hvaldimir from a harness that had been fitted to the whale, both their lives changed forever. When this white mystic creature turned up in the Arctic waters of Norway, bordering Russia, American activists turned up. Hollywood called and Saudi money was spent. The friendly beluga whale became an Instagram star. When the fuss settled, Joar returned home down south and Hvaldimir did likewise. In the summer of 2020, he turned up in the fjord neighbouring Joar’s home. During that summer and autumn, the former whaler visited the whale, looking after him and discussed with annoyed fish farmers how they best could protect it.”
Eternal Hunting Grounds
This unusual image is one of the finalists in 2021’sArchitecture & Designcategory. Like many of the other images in this article it shows just part of a thoroughly interesting story:
“The former Drnov military complex has been abandoned for 17 years when two friends, Martin Chlum and Michal Seba, bought the dilapidated facility in order to realise their dream of building a final resting place for pets. Explaining the reason for pursuing this project one of the owners reflects: ‘When my dog died, I found that there weren’t any places where I could take him for cremation or burial’. With the help of Czech minimalist architect Petr Hajek they established what is now known as the Eternal Hunting Grounds, a space comprising a mourning hall, a crematorium and approximately 40 hectares of surrounding land where wildlife can thrive.”
Silent Neighborhoods
Majid Hojjati took a collection of images named Silent Neighborhoods. These images saw this professional photographer selected as one of the finalists in the landscape category. The photos also tell a story of human life, gone but not forgotten:
" Everything in life is made up of impressions from the past and whatever befalls us today. The fabric which took one form yesterday takes on a new form now. All creatures still fight for their survival. Nature is the battlefield. The forces of the world are as they have ever been; the waves of the sea, storms, the earth itself. But ultimately it is humanity, marching everywhere, claiming everything, proving to the world that it will endure. We strove to live, to take and to control, before even knowing what to call ourselves. We think we will last forever so we hunt, build, wear clothes and consume, changing our ideas and our tools over the years but never changing our ways. We chased after more and more and something was always left behind. Homes were abandoned, chairs left empty and clothes unworn, even the buttons of a shirt were lost. We have raced to eternity, knowing life is fleeting, leaving the lights on behind us as if to say that once upon a time we were alive. Here are the silent neighbourhoods: those places free of the presence of humanity. The noise of their silence can be heard everywhere – but here in these places we are condemned to hear nothing."
The Killing Daisy
Professional photographer, Vito Fusco from Italy uses stunning photography skills to tell an interesting story about an otherwise innocent looking flower:
“The pyrethrum is known as the ‘flower of death’ – a nickname that neatly describes this delicate daisy imbued with murderous power. The pyrethrum is cultivated mainly in the hills of Nakuru in Kenya and is the arch foe of the insect world. When insects encounter the substance they are stunned into paralysis and then die. Used for centuries as a natural insecticide, it was only in the mid-20th century that pyrethrum made an impact on the global pesticides market, earning an eminent position among natural insecticides. During the 1980s, the pyrethrum crisis began, instigated by the chemical synthesis of pyrethroids that led to the manufacturing of cheaper but non-organic products. Today, however, this special daisy is being grown once again on the clay hills of Nakuru at an altitude of over 1,500m. The Kenyan government has decided to liberalise the production of pyrethrum, opening it to private companies in an ambitious attempt to revive the sector and help local farmers meet the growing global demand for organic products. Once sown, the plant provides a yield approximately every 15 days, all year round.”
In one of the photos a young woman is seen happily picking some flowers and no doubt Vito Fusco was equally pleased to be selected as afinalist for the documentary category.
The Moon Revisited
This image by Mark Hamilton Gruchy shows that not all the photos from the Sony World Photography Awards are utterly serious. Here NASAs images have been edited to fit into the creative category and tell an interesting story of how the Moon has barely changed since the first Moon landing.
“This body of work is made up of previously unprocessed images from NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I have made my own images to express not only contemporary issues but also some that were relevant at the time of the Apollo missions. These are sourced from copyright-free materials that I have repurposed, processed and composited to create a conversation about the unchanging aspect of the Moon contrasted with the Earth, which continues to be a dynamic place where change cannot be prevented. With thanks to NASA and the JPL.”
Locust Invasion in East Africa
Another finalist in theWildlife & Nature categoryseems to show the battle of man vis beast as a man is surrounded by hundreds of locusts. Thecollection of imagestaken by Luis Tato show the sheer scale of the locust invasion and the havock they wreak.
“Desert locusts are the most destructive migratory pests in the world. Thriving in moist conditions in semi-arid to arid environments, billions of locusts have been feeding throughout East Africa, devouring everything in their path, and posing a huge threat to the food supply and livelihoods of millions of people. Farmers stand by as armies of ravenous insects eat their crops; meanwhile, herders watch the rangelands stripped bare before their livestock can get to them. Extreme rainfall events and severe weather anomalies have created ideal conditions for locust breeding and feeding. Swarms of desert locusts from the Arabian Peninsula began rampaging across East Africa in early 2020, devouring crop and vegetation where they landed. The crisis reached historic proportions, with 10 countries in the Greater Horn of Africa and Yemen experiencing infestations. Some areas of East Africa, such as Kenya, had not seen such severe desert locust outbreaks in more than 70 years. Covid-19 restrictions have significantly slowed efforts to fight the infestation, as crossing borders has become more difficult, creating delays and disrupting the supply chains of pesticides and products needed to prevent these pests from wiping out vegetation across the region and exposing millions of people to high levels of food insecurity.”
The photo is one of a group of images by Frank Machalowski referred to as Multiexpo. Shown off as finalists in the professionalArchitecture & Design category, they offer an interesting view of the world through multi-exposure techniques.
After the Battle
Another fantastic wildlife photograph makes it into the finalists as Graeme Purdy’s series “Raw Nature” shows off a collection of magnificent beasts including lions, leopards and crocodiles.
“This series of images was taken using wide angle lenses and wireless triggers. With these iconic wild animals, being in close proximity is too dangerous, so you need to be inventive and innovative. This unique perspective is complemented by an aerial image of a hippo pod, as well as underwater images inches away from wild crocodiles. I have aimed for a unique perspective showing the raw beauty and power of the wild; hopefully, through more empathy with nature, we will learn to preserve it. All animals are wild and free.”
Ourense, a Burned Land
Photojournalist Brais Couto’sportfolio of imageswere selected as finalists in this year’s competition with a range of poignant and dramatic scenes captured on camera.
From pandemic to forest fires, his hometown of Ourense has certainly seen some sights in the past year.
