Contests

“The photo was taken in Tenorio volcano park in Costa Rica. We knew that this waterfall, called Rio Celeste, would be one of the highlights of the visit. The intense blue water comes from the presence of certain minerals in the river thanks to the volcanic activity.”

“During an outing with the group, we discovered the beautiful black sand beach of Vík. I could take many pictures of the beach but what I wanted more than anything was to see and photograph the symbol of Iceland: the puffin.”

“When editing the shot, I chose a rather dark atmosphere to transcribe the emotion this place provokes. It’s almost an oppressive feeling, seeing nature rise up strongly, right in front of you. It is to feel small, in danger… For me, this photo represents these emotions, this energy.”

“After this cold morning, I learned to live more in the moment, to breathe and enjoy the views with my eyes, not through my lens.”

“Every time I can find something new to photograph there and the day I took the winning shot, it was a frosty spring morning and colors started to slowly appear in the sky while swans were swimming near the shore of the lake – simply beautiful.”

“The clouds broke open, giving way to this brilliant orange light that streamed across the sky. Off in the distance – a cloud inversion had formed in the valley, however, right above us were the most voluminous clouds, catching the light rays in different intensities.”

“I’m not very patient, so the wait was painfully long, fortunately for my impatient self, 10 fox cubs came out of the den around 2 pm. A bit later their mother, a beautiful vixen returned from hunting, which meant it was time for the cubs to be fed. This was the very moment I captured my winning shot.”

“Many experiences and meetings took place along this path and each of them are an incredible treasure and contribution to how my life has evolved. The day I took the winning shot was no exception and has become a memory that I remind myself of more and more regularly.”

“It’s not often that you take a perfect photo. But that moment everything fell into place. I had never seen anything like it in my life and felt a calmth, almost zen-like feeling within me.”

“Being able to experience this teaches a lot about how Iceland was made and how powerful nature can be. It’s hard to keep in mind how dangerous and unpredictable it is, and seeing this got me to think more about the existence and composition of our Earth.”