Contests

“Magic happens anyhow, and this is one of the lessons photography has taught me. I need to be there, as technically prepared as I can, but in the end, creativity and magic happen way beyond technique (at least during shootings).”

“Creating digital photographs gave me belief, and I tend to understand myself better. I can express and convey my emotions through photography. And the winning edit does that exactly.”

“With a friend of mine, we wanted to visit the mountains and shoot some foggy conditions there. On our way, we saw a fox crossing the road. We stopped the car, and to my surprise, the fox was still there. Of course, the fox jumped into the bushes. But luckily, I had the 18-135 mm lens and I was able to find the fox looking straight at the camera through the bushes.”

“I think that the differential factor that made this photo win was not the editing but the photo itself. I shot in a neutral profile which allowed me to give the shades of green that I wanted. I was also able to recover the imperceptible tones over the clouds. Can you spot them?”

“The weather may be challenging to predict and sometimes never goes the way you planned. However, on one of the days, out of the blue, it’s that one-in-a-lifetime change in the conditions that genuinely makes all of it worth it.”

“Sometimes you put a lot of effort into it, but the photographs turn out badly. Other times the results are winning photographs, which then feels extremely rewarding. In the end, photography is like a game, so I always make sure to have fun while photographing!”

“I will always keep in mind that, with the right mindset and attitude, my grass will always be greener if I keep fighting for what I want and thinking positively – even if I am enjoying the current shade of green as well!”

“Living in Finland has been a good way for me to meet my compromise. I only bought tickets to stay here for a couple of weeks, but not long after arriving I decided to find a job and stay. And this is how eventually, I captured the winning photo – a magical experience I will always remember vividly!”

“A lot of times we’ll say we got so lucky, but half the battle is just getting and being there. The best advice is to simply get out and shoot – only then you might achieve “luck”.

“I wanted to capture the beautiful and calm atmosphere of this morning. It was important to me to show how I felt. I wanted to bring the magical moment to life in the photo for everyone looking at it to actually feel the freedom. I also wanted it to be real – that’s why I decided to go with this natural and light edit.”