THE INTERNATIONAL LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020
Our planet, in all its glory, is stunningly showcased in the winning images in the seventh International Landscape Photographer Of The Year competition.
Over 3,800 entries from around the world were submitted to the seventh International Landscape Photographer Of The Year awards, which were open to both amateur and professional photographers. There are two major prizes – the International Landscape Photographer Of The Year award was judged on a portfolio of four images, while the International Landscape Photograph Of The Year award recognised the best single image submitted to the competition. Additionally, there are five special awards based on popular landscape themes – Dark And Moody, Amazing Aerial, Snow & Ice, Night Sky and Incredible Horizon.
The International Landscape Photographer
Of The Year for 2020 is Kelvin Yuen, a 24-year-old landscape photographer based in Hong Kong. “I’ve been taking photos for six years since borrowing my cousin’s camera for a hiking day trip to Lion Rock Peak,” says Kelvin. “There was no particular reason for going… Lion Rock Peak is just a mountain in my backyard and I’d never visited it. This was also my very first time hiking above the clouds and the view from the peak really inspired me. I fell in love with nature. For a person like me, who grew up in a city, this walk opened a whole new world to me. Since then I have spent most of my free time in the mountains, exploring the spectacular views of nature. And after graduating from university in 2018, I have been able to travel around the world and have become a fulltime professional landscape photographer.”
Kelvin uses a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and most of his images are taken with a Laowa 12mm f/2.8 ultrawide lens. “I love the distorted perspective it creates. I also use Sigma’s 14mm f/1.8 for night photography, plus there’s a Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 and Tamron 2470mm f/2.8 which cover most of my requirements. I find the image stabilisation in both lenses provides a lot of flexibility when shooting in conditions where it is hard to set up a tripod. However, most of the time I use a tripod to ensure I get the best image quality.”
“What I like most about landscape photography is that it gives me a chance to understand myself. Working outdoors, I need to deal with many uncertain conditions. For example, shooting without sleeping, shooting inside a storm, exploring areas without a path and even dealing with a car that gets stuck! These challenges have improved my problemsolving skills and give me an opportunity to reach a place I never expected I could in my life.”
Second place in The International Landscape Photographer Of The Year was won by Joshua Snow from the USA and third by Isabella Tabacchi from Italy.
The winner of the seventh International Landscape Photograph Of The Year (awarded for a single image) is Kai Hornung, a German landscape photographer who has been able to turn his passion and hobby of photography into a side job as a freelance photographer and artist.
“It was on a business trip to Ireland back in 2016 when I started to fall in love with photographing landscapes. Before then, I had only used my camera here and there to document family life and travels.
Since then, I have travelled within Europe extensively, trying to capture the beauty of nature and shaping my artistic vision. Landscape photography combines the joy of the outdoors and being creative. And creativity is of vital importance for me. Since my teenage days, I have been writing lyrics and songs and singing in rock bands. Within the last four years, landscape photography has become my main creative outlet. It gives me a chance to slow down and remove myself from the sometimes hectic everyday life. For this I am incredibly grateful.”
Second place in The International Landscape Photograph Of The Year was won by Dipanjan Pal from India, and third place was awarded to Chance Allred from the USA.
Chairman Of Judges, Peter Eastway, notes, “As our annual award grows with over 3,800 entries this year, so does the range and diversity of subjects, locations and styles. Landscape photography is a powerful medium, even more so when we acknowledge the impact of climate change and our footprint on Earth”.
For all the details and winners, along with the top 101 images, visit the website and download the eBook: www.internationallandscapephotographer.com