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Photo competition "Nature" - These are the winners

Reading Time: 5 minutes - May 22, 2019 - by Joana Kritiotis Your enthusiasm for the topic "Nature" knows no bounds, as the latest photo contest proves. More than 1,300 participants sent us over 3,700 pictures! This makes it the second most successful Foto Koch photo contest ever, behind the one on "animal photography" - which is also a nature theme. This certainly shows that we photographers are most fond of the motifs that Mother Earth offers us. At the jury meeting we were able to admire lots of breathtaking shots of animals and landscapes, but also a few that took a critical look at the influence of man. After a long selection process, a lot of back and forth and heated discussions we finally found the best five photos. They each inspire in their own way and reflect different facets of nature. They will also be published in the new Schnappschuss Magazine.

1.Place Peter Kniep

Reading Time: 5 minutes - May 22, 2019 - by Joana Kritiotis Your enthusiasm for the topic "Nature" knows no bounds, as the latest photo contest proves. More than 1,300 participants sent us over 3,700 pictures! This makes it the second most successful Foto Koch photo contest ever, behind the one on "animal photography" - which is also a nature theme. This certainly shows that we photographers are most fond of the motifs that Mother Earth offers us. At the jury meeting we were able to admire lots of breathtaking shots of animals and landscapes, but also a few that took a critical look at the influence of man. After a long selection process, a lot of back and forth and heated discussions we finally found the best five photos. They each inspire in their own way and reflect different facets of nature. They will also be published in the new Schnappschuss Magazine.

2.Place Volker Handke

The winning picture 2019 - Oryx antelope in Namibia

It is not uncommon for an expressive photo to be the result of random or spontaneous decisions. The light, the subject, the warm colors, the effect and the location fit together perfectly and the picture takes on a certain something. Peter Kniep's impressive picture, which was voted the best shot in our "Nature" photo competition, was just as spontaneous. The photographer was on vacation in Namibia and got out of bed very early in the morning to go outside because his "sleeping buddy" was snoring horribly again. He grabbed his camera. "A magnificent desert landscape with a morning sunrise awaited me," he says. In the end, he should thank his traveling friend, because it was exactly the right time and a unique moment. The warm light in combination with the morning mist create an incredible atmosphere and enormous expanse in the picture. The oryx antelope in the foreground puts things in the right perspective and only reveals that what is picturesque in the background is a vast landscape. Through its presence, the animal provides an explanation for the picture and tells a hidden story. However, this is left to the viewer's own interpretation.

4.Place Stefan Skouti

Second place - Sunrise at Lake Braies

Second place went to Berlin-born Volker Handke, a passionate nature and landscape photographer. His shot looks like something out of a picture book or a classic oil painting in a museum. The freshness of the colors, the clear water and the mountains still covered in snow in the background captured us immediately. Time almost stands still in the photo. It is peaceful, calm and relaxing. Every creature, every person and every plant can enjoy the natural elements. As a viewer, you sit on the shore and look at the beauty of the landscape and the first boat on the lake. "The picture was taken in the fall on a photo trip to the Dolomites. It shows Lago di Braies (Pragser Wildsee), which has become very popular in recent years, especially thanks to Instagram," he reveals. The photographer looked for a quiet spot away from the tourist crowds and waited for the right sunrise light.

5.Place Rolf Mraz

Pure nature photography - 3rd place in the nature photo competition

A lot of patience and dedication was also required from our third place winner Heinz Buls, which is usually the case in nature photography anyway. A solitary toadstool in the middle of the forest is visited by a small bird. It is a classic parade nature photo and the perfect snapshot of a stopover with a dynamic profile. No eye can capture a moment like this, but the camera with the right 500mm telephoto lens can, as the winner told us. We had imagined: The person lying on their stomach on the cold forest floor, holding the camera at the same height as the little red toadstool for hours, waiting for something exciting to happen. That's exactly what happened. "...to make it even more attractive for the birds, I also scattered a few sunflower seeds on the forest floor. My patience wasn't put to the test for too long, as the first titmouse had already arrived," we learn later.

Conclusion Nature Photo Contest 2019

Of course, these f?nf pictures were not the only breathtaking nature shots we got to see in this photo contest.We heartily congratulate the winners and thank everyone who participated. It was like every time a very difficult task for our jury and always a new experience to get to know the stories behind the pictures. In this sense: Stay curious, patient and have fun taking pictures!

JK | 05/22/2019

Photo competition "Nature" - All pictures

Nature vs. big city - 4th place

Stefan Skouti's shot came fourth, taking a somewhat more critical approach to the given theme of "nature". The composition alone shows that a big city like Nairobi, built by human hands, can become a threat to the animals and their environment. It takes away the zebras' space. Looking at it, you get the feeling that the city in the upper part of the picture is slowly taking over the space and pushing the greenery downwards. At the same time, however, there is actually more naturalness than city, which gives hope and shows the still current distribution. "I chose this picture because it reflects the coexistence between man and nature, but also offers plenty of potential for conflicts of interest due to the neighborhood," Stefan writes to us.

Winter Wonderland - Swan family in 5th place

In fifth place we chose a beautiful, wintry, but also funny nature panorama picture by Rolf Mraz. At first you might think that the picture is not real at all, that it is a montage of the same bird depicted several times. But on closer inspection, you can see that each bird has unique characteristics. The focus is on the animals, with their bright orange beaks, which clearly know their way and their destination. The weather conditions don't seem to bother them much. It seems peaceful and absolutely normal to swim forward like this in the freezing cold. "In my old home in Schleswig-Holstein, there is a region that is known for large groups of Bewick's swans making a stopover there in spring on their migration to the breeding grounds in Siberia," the photographer later reported. Once again, this picture required the full commitment of a nature photographer. Lying on the ground for several hours - completely snowed in himself - he waited for the good motifs and it paid off. A panorama that may not show much directly, but definitely reveals a lot.

Conclusion of the Nature 2019 photo competition

Of course, these five pictures were not the only breathtaking nature shots we saw in this photo competition, so we would like to congratulate the winners and thank everyone who took part. As always, it was a very difficult task for our jury and always a new experience to get to know the stories behind the pictures. With this in mind: Stay curious, patient and have fun taking pictures!

JK | 22.05.2019

Photo competition "Nature" - All pictures

The prizes:

1st place: Olympus TG-5
Waterproof, shockproof and frostproof outdoor camera. more info 2nd place: Sigma AF 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro
Fast macro lens with image stabilizer. more info 3rd place: EVOC backpack CAMERA PACK CP 18L olive
Sturdy sports and outdoor backpack for nature lovers. more info 4th place: Aputure Shotgun Microphone V-Mic D2
High-quality sound that high-quality videos deserve. more info 5th place: Compagnon strap the bold strap dark brown
Noble and sturdy camera strap made of buffalo leather. more info


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