Winning Photos

Prize : $558.00 plus Leica Trinovid 8 x 20 BCA Binoculars

Judges Comment

Many bird photo competitions will only ever be won by photographers who can afford to buy professional gear and travel the world. We're keen to include images that have been created by people spotting great opportunities in ordinary situations, whether it's backyard birds, zoo portraits or the local waterbirds. This line of Mute Swans serenely floating across the calm blue water in soft, low sunlight makes a superb composition. Gaze at this elegant, aesthetic image for a couple of minutes and feel the day's stresses just melt away.

Photographers Comment

Thank you so much! I hardly can believe, that my swan lake made it into the hall of fame at once, for it's my first attempt here! One of the first photos I took with a Canon G11 I bought for everyday use. Almost out of cam, I only removed some noise, dirt in the water and optimized contrast. It was a wonderful cold and sunny winter day at a small lake in Austria, simply the perfect moment under perfect circumstances. Thank you all for voting this image as a favorite! Christian Bernfeld

Photographers Comment

A view from the south tufas at Mono Lake, California at sunset. This was a winter scene. Sometimes you have to spend a few days there to get great weather conditions for a good photo. Canon 1Ds Mark II with a split neutral density filter was used. Thanks for voting.

www.davidorias.com

Photographers Comment

This was photographed near Santa Barbara, California. At dawn there were enough red lit clouds in the sky to reflect the reds onto the water. Processing in Photoshop. Canon 1Ds Mark II. I enjoy using slow shutter speeds in my photography to give them a look different from what they eye can see. Please visit my website and email me if you have questions. Thanks for voting for my photo amongst the outstanding photos submitted.

www.davidorias.com

Prize : $445.20 plus a Leica V-LUX 40 worth approximately $800

Judges Comment

Congratulations for this beautiful photo, the composition is very well done, the sharpness is very good on both butterflies, for me it's all good!

Photographers Comment

Many thanks! This photo was taken with a CanonEOS Mark iv with a 180mm Canon Macro. The focal plane was very flat which allowed me to use a fairly open aperture and still hold the butterflies in focus but let the background become very soft. The backlight was wonderful, and I used a fill in flash set a minus 1. This photo was taken at Rancho Naturalista in Costa Rica last year.

Prize : $5,520.00 plus a Leica M MONOCHROM body worth approximately $8000.00

Judges Comment

When we look at this image, the technical quality it self is blowing our socks off. But moreover, the image stands as a unique portrait where the soul has been captured and there is a location and some circumstances we keep imagining we know what are. For each time we look at this image, the people become more familiar, yet with a strong story we can only imagine, placed in a strong composition with a rock solid technical presentation.

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