Happy Days - HIPA Winner & Smithsonian Finalist 🥳
The award gods were kind to me this year, as my work has received a 1st place recognition at HIPA’s Worlds Coolest Winter Season 2 contest.
From time to time I submit my work to photography contests around the world. There are many sub-par money-grab competitions out there, so it’s important to be selective when choosing where to submit. HIPA of course is beyond such a doubt, running the world’s highest priced global photography competition, for instance. Their World’s Coolest Winter campaign doesn’t quite reach the same prestige (and price money) but it was still a competition of amazing images from all around the United Arab Emirates.
All the more exciting is it to be among the winners, and I managed to claim a 1st price this year with the five images below. Some of them happen to be among my favorite photographs ever, not only from the UAE, but in general, so I’m glad they’ve been recognized.
On this note, a shoutout to my friend Neelima Azad, who won the second price. She’s one of my favorite photographers in the UAE, so I’m very happy we’re sharing the stage on this one! Funnily enough it’s not the first time, as we also both had images featured at the RAK Fine Art Festival last year, and they happened to be exhibited next to each other.
If any of you feel like one of the photos would make your home a nicer place (or someone else’s - good gifts!), the works from this competition are available as signed prints with certificates. Just contact me and we will figure out which options work best. If prints on the wall are not your thing, some of these images are going to be part of my upcoming photo book “Wonders of the Globe” - more on that soon!
Here is each of the photos with its story for your viewing pleasure:
The Smithsonian & the Nature of Viral Posts
A few weeks earlier, I heard from the Smithsonian Magazine, which selected one of my submissions as a Finalist in the Drone category. “Suburban Dystopia” is a photograph I also took in the UAE, scouting the location on Google and Apple Maps, as I often do. Once it was published on the Smithsonian’s website, it quickly went viral on Facebook and Reddit with ten thousands of likes and comments. Sadly - as it often goes on social media and the wider internet - it’s mainly controversy that drives engagement. A bland suburban robotic copy-paste housing complex in a place like Dubai (which as a city itself is always a well-loved subject for online debate) seems to attract a lot of people feeling the need to voice their often less-than-qualified opinion, and this is seemingly what it takes for the algorithms to surface content high up in the feeds.
This villa complex is in Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, and one of the many master planned gated communities in the city, built to quickly and effectively counter the housing shortages resulting from the growing population.
🥇 The Epson 2022 Panorama Awards
I woke up to some excellent news a few days ago, telling me that I had won the overall Amateur Award at the 2022 Epson Panorama Awards.
I woke up to some excellent news a few days ago, telling me that I had won the overall Amateur Award at the 2022 Epson Panorama Awards, among 1876 entries, with three images scoring Gold medals, including 1st and 2nd place.
The Winning Image - In Formation 🐘
The dried-up lake bed of Lake Amboseli in Kenya is home to a regular ritual for large elephant families: In the mornings, they cross from the forest areas on one side towards the swamp lands on the other, in search for water. With a bit of patience you can photograph their amazing formations as they walk in line, and if you’re brave enough you might be able to do so from the ground for that extra special perspective. The experience of observing the behavior of these magnificent creatures and how it reflects their social ties and emotions has been very impactful for me, and their plight for survival in a world that continues to hunt them for ivory is a topic that deserves more attention - hopefully this image will help.
The quality of the submissions has been extremely high, as was the case in the previous years. Last year I was able to win the Built Up Environment Amateur category with my “City in the Clouds” panorama (more Dubai fog images here - available as prints!) and in the previous years two of my Timeblend Dubai series collected Silver and Bronze awards, so it’s amazing to see an overall win this year.
Runner Up - The Confrontation
This image is available as a limited edition print of 100 signed editions - contact me for details!
A journey of patience led me to this image, as it took many scouting trips to identify this spot, and even more visits to the location to finally find clear skies adorned by clouds, while a pair of oryx was engaging in their territorial rivalry. The resulting photograph is meant to represent both the confrontation of the animals, but also the contrast of harsh urban shapes of Dubai, with the natural soft outlines of the dunes of the UAE desert.
Sunrise in the Clouds
A panoramic view of Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, and the Sheikh Zayed Road skyline, as the beautiful blue hues of the morning light slowly turn orange and yellow from the rising sun in the east, illuminating the world's tallest building while thick fog rolling in from the desert covers the ground, creating the illusion of a city in the clouds. While many images of this rare phenomenon exist by now, I’ve always been looking for a new angle and composition during my time in Dubai - through persistence and patience I’ve been able to achieve this goal through a panoramic photo from the roof of a skyscraper that’s a little bit set back from the rest of the skyline.
Congratulations to all other winners and listed entries, make sure you check out the full gallery of the Awards here - incredible photography!
