FIRST PRIZE – MAX STURGEON

“This photographer made an interesting commitment to reality, but with an artful point of view. The humble chain link fence is everywhere – even at national parks – but it still feels surprising at a nature vista versus an urban setting. The use of flash also emphasizes what is protected and who is kept out. The bit of flora in the corner is beautiful too.” – SAMANTHA CLARK

SECOND PRIZE – GUILLAUME PETERMANN

“This image captures the majesty of the iconic dragon blood tree of Socotra. The photographer made beautiful use of natural light and painterly use of artificial light on the man. Running below his head, the horizon balances the heavy tree top and provides a good sense of scale and place. There’s a sense of awe in the landscape that comes through.” – SAMANTHA CLARK

Photographer statement – “Socotra is a piece of Yemeni land, located in the Indian Ocean, off the Gulf of Aden. The island gives itself, at first glance, a look of inhospitable land as if it wanted to keep its fabulous landscapes hidden or keep the secret of its flora and fauna from another age. This 140 by 40-kilometer piece of land, which broke away from the Horn of Africa thirty million years ago, is considered as “a precious ark of Noah”, “A masterpiece work of evolution” by experts that described the archipelago in 2008 when it was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Due to its isolation, Socotra has become a treasure house of biodiversity: on the 825 plant species identified, 307 are endemic, a rarity on a global scale. The most famous gem is called “Draceana cinnabari”, aka dragon blood tree. This kind of tree is a vestige of a prehistoric flora. It is famous for its blood-red sap, used in dyeing, in cosmetics, or as a medicinal remedy. With its woven foliage in the shape of a giant parasol, the dragon blood tree is impressive. It is very resistant and can live up to a thousand years.”

KATIE FARR

“One facet of landscape photography has always been describing the immensity of the natural world, transporting the viewer to majestic places they may otherwise never have the chance to visit. As travel has gotten easier, and photography far more ubiquitous, that task becomes harder for the photographer, and so Katie takes a different tact – to morph the landscape through filters into something alien and completely unexpected. It works beautifully, drawing this rockscape in luminescent, mesmerizing pinks and blues with her infrared chrome filter, with a central loan figure acting as a proxy for us – the first to set foot on it. And by creating this otherworldly landscape, it conversely reminds the viewer of just how magical our home planet can be.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “With this image we delve into the realm of infrared, the high peaks of Chamonix transcend into another dimension. One inquisitive young explorer sets off on his voyage of discovery into the unknown. I used a full spectrum converted Camera with an Infrared Chrome filter to transform the wild mountain landscape into something quite spectacular. I wanted my audience to see it from another perspective, in a new spectrum of light! There is so much energy, life, and colour unseen to the naked eye.”

ALEXANDRE B LAMPRON

“There is something in the muted color palette and compositional rigor of this snow-swept shot, a split frame of horizontal and vertical lines, that makes it a joy to pour over. There’s a stark beauty to it, and with these trunks stacked like a dense forest, waiting to be transported away it, hints at the immense operation of felling and moving wood around the world.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “Chopsticks – Cutting and stacking logs effortlessly, just like chopsticks.”

WALTER FOGEL

“Less face of the Earth, more face in the earth, this is a quirky, playful image that raises a smile. Against a stunning backdrop there’s something cartoonish at work, as if this person is a paraglider like those in the background who’s fallen from the sky and landed like a stake in the ground. It’s a memorable image, and a good reminder that a little fun and silliness in an image can go a long way.” – LIFE FRAMER

TOM GOLDNER

“The colors in this well composed image are just exquisite – jade leaves wrapped around black branches, that punctuate a pale gilded backdrop – and have an aptness given that it was taken in Australia, land of green and gold. This beauty belies a tragedy however, with these forests ravaged by the Black Summer wildfires which made global news in 2019-20. And yet they also represent hope, in new life springing from the ashes. The promise of gradual renewal. As climate change exacerbates these fires, and our leaders meet to confront that reality, Tom’s image reminds us of just what there is to lose.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “A beard of epicormic shoots sprout from a eucalyptus tree near Tumbarumba, NSW in response to damage from the recent bushfires. The country is seen shrouded in a thick smoke as it continues to burn.”

IVANKA IANTCHEVA

“A lone figure works in this rice paddy, we presume, facing out into a white abyss punctuated only by the dots of birds that hang on the electricity cables and the faint lines of distant hillsides. It’s a dramatic and immersive scene, the heavy, silent atmosphere almost palpable. One that conjures a sense of quiet wonder.” – LIFE FRAMER

GARY CUMMINS

“As we’re exposed to more and more drone photography, it becomes harder for the photographer to impress – to produce a truly striking image. It’s something Gary achieves in droves; in the dramatic composition, bright colors and impressive sense of scale. Highlighting the myriad paths we trace across the face of the Earth, either directly or in the goods and materials that support our lifestyles, it’s an amazing glimpse into the mechanics – for good and bad – of the modern world.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “By land or by sea! – A gigantic cargo ship intersects with a the Golden Gate bridge as it departs to deliver commodities across the Pacific Ocean.”

JAN SCHUENKE
 

“Hotel rooms are an interesting liminal space, evoking both a mundanity and a sense of potential drama that make them an engaging setting for photography. Viewing Tokyo stretch to the horizon from our distant, detached vantage point in slightly strange and washed out colors, we’re invited to ponder our place in time in space. ” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “I Am Sitting In A Room Different From The One You Are In Now is a series of analog photographs taken from hotel rooms across the world. Showing the view, combining the inside with the outside, seen from the distance of the room, these images depict a fast-changing society of rearranging landscapes.”

ITAMAR MATSRY
 

“Itamar doesn’t tell us where this is, or provide any context behind the photograph, but it’s nonetheless a striking image – this clifftop jutted into the air and smattered with colorful hikers and tourists taking in its views, like sprinkles against the barren rockscape. We often see nature as an escape, but there’s no escape from the others who’ve ventured here too, posing an interesting question about our need to see the sites, and capture ‘that view’.” – LIFE FRAMER

JULIA DE COOKER
 

“Shot against bleached tones, this tyre stands apart from its surroundings, a tourist in an environment for which it was never meant. It feels symbolic for the way in which we pollute the natural world – a washed up tyre the tip of the iceberg of a petro-chemical industry that damages our oceans and beaches. And with the context Julia describes, the location being one at huge risk from rising sea levels, it highlights a sad inequity: that those most affected by environmental damage are usually far removed from those that cause it.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “A tyre on a white sand beach of the lagoon in Fongafale, Tuvalu, Pacific. One of the tiniest and least visited countries in the world, whose destiny of being swallowed by the rising seas gets more real every year.”

NENAH DEMUNSTER

“This is a remarkable image – a huge ‘supercell’ storm structure that, as Nenah suggests in her title, looks more like a science-fiction spacecraft than a cloud formation, and that highlights the immensity of the natural forces at play in our world. Captured in gorgeous orange and grey tones, the shapes and textures of the rising, swirling plume are quite incredible. It’s an awe-inspiring sight.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “The Mothership. Storm chasing is a day-to-day grind. What originally was supposed to be a rest day turned out to be one of the most epic supercell structures I have ever witnessed. While sight seeing at an overlook in Rapid City, SD we saw a few storms going up. We were trying to find all the reasons not to go, but thanks to FOMO (fear of missing out) we dove South into Nebraska to intercept. Right as we got closer the storm was at it best. Unbelievable structure combined with incredible colors. It was the most effortless yet memorable chase of the season.”

STEPHEN KING
 

“This image shows a spectacular sight – lava meeting water off Big Island in Hawaii. The fiery red colliding with cold blue is a visual treat, and documented with a slow shutter speed Stephen softens the edges, emphasizing the powerful, elemental forces at play. It’s something to behold – the very process of creating new land mass at the face of our Earth – and one that mesmerizes in both its subject, and thoughts to the circumstances through which Stephen must have captured it.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “An amazing sight to see new land being created from lava flowing into the sea off the Big Island of Hawaii.”

KATHY RADIE

“It’s the vibrant, saturated colors that first draw you into this scene – the gleaming green of the foreground grasslands rolling into the luminescent azure of the distant mountains and sky. A loan subject takes it all in, and the tranquility, the sense of presence in the moment, is palpable. The white buckets that dot the hillside – for foraging perhaps? – add an intrigue in this visual idyll. It’s a treat of an image – ‘mind-nourishing’ as Kathy puts it so well.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “Free to Rest – Thompson Pass, Valdez, Alaska. Inspired mainly from Alaska’s vast landscapes. Alaska is like a dear old friend that provides a mind-nourishing journey and presents many faces and feelings, depending on the season, weather or the pursuit. The face of Alaska is home to a rich natural and cultural diversity, whether it be reflected in the people living the traditional life hunting in the Far North Arctic Ocean, or a place to find and lose yourself in the beauty of it all while embracing new discoveries.”

DONNA BASSIN

“In Donna’s statement she describes the deep consideration for concept and technique in her work, and the result here is a compelling image that feels exotic, dreamlike and nostalgic. Built with a clear admiration for nature, and drawn in unexpected, washed-out colors that might symbolize the risk of such environments slipping away, it’s an arresting scene – even if the collaging technique feels a little cryptic.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “Hypothetical Landscapes consists of a series of constructed fictive landscape portraits, reflecting my artistic reaction to the environmental crisis. Many photographers since the 1970s have raised our consciousness by capturing the environment’s destruction by careless human involvement. The significance and visual impact of these influential records of our actions is undeniable. My response to this ongoing issue is focused on efforts to care for our shared Earth through an artistic call for collective mobilization and communal stewardship. I am transforming real landscapes into fictional portraits of our shared world freed from narratives of place, becoming borderless, and transcending specific sites to suggest our interconnectedness and global interdependence. In part, this is a utopian vision, but the possibility of care and renewal of our planet is dependent on our relations with others.”

YOHAN TERRAZA
 

“Entitled The Thrown of the Flying King, there is a majesty to this image that’s captured in its grand title. Backlit and shrouded in mist, and shot in muted, sepia tones, it has the quality of an oil painting, and the result is a dramatic atmosphere of silent awe. The vulture circles a clifftop seemingly untouched by human influence – no one but an intrepid adventurer like Yohan who has ascended to it for our gain.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “The Throne of the Flying King.”

CHRISTAN BARNARD
 

“Christan describes the ‘terrible beauty’ of this image, which is a lovely phrase to capture the drama on display. We see the seemingly endless sprawl of Cape Town, the mountains rising imposingly from its heart, and this fire raging in the center of the frame, painting the blue nighttime hues in a deep red. Taken from an aesthetic standpoint it’s stunning, but what it depicts – a fire whether natural or man-made raging through the night – highlights a fragility in man’s relationship with the natural world.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “Cape Town is a city where the face of the earth comprises both natural beauty and human civilization. Sometimes a symbiosis exists; sometimes conflict. On this particular morning, the Atlantic Fog rolled into the city bowl as the sun rose behind Devil’s peak, blending with the smoke from the reportedly man-made fire that raged across Table Mountain throughout the night. A terrible beauty ensued.”

JOEL WEBB

“This remarkable town in the Namib Desert has been much photographed, memorably by our past judge Neil Krug for Tame Impala’s latest album campaign. However it’s a perfect response to the theme – a place abandoned when the diamonds ran out, and now being reclaimed by the earth, symbolizing the idea that nothing can last forever. And Joel photographs it well, capturing a frame within a frame within a frame – a corridor that beckons the viewer in to explore this unique place.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “Kolmanskop is a former German diamond mine in Namibia. Since being abandoned in the early 1900s the former bustling town has been overrun by the Namib dessert creating an eerily preserved natural museum of life in a colonial outpost.”

SITTICHAI JITTATAD
 

“Although obscuring the view of Leh spreading out below, the layering of flags across the frame works – bringing interest, as well as a deeper meaning to Sittichai’s image. With huge and imposing mountains rising in the background, it’s quite a view, and a window into Sittichai’s amazing experience.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “For this series, I wanted to document my first overseas trip to Leh, Ladakh in India in 2016 for five months to experience astonishing landscapes and unique culture and practice my English. On the way back home, what I had got was much more. Friendship. Peace. I took this photo from Shanti Stupa, the tourist attraction located on the hilltops close to the town, with flags that symbolized the five basic elements waving in the wind in the foreground.”

AL NEYMAN

“Our sprawling urban landscapes are perhaps the largest marks we make on the Earth, symbolic of both human ingenuity and the more troubled aspects of our relationship with the environment. Here Al documents the seemingly limitless repetition of Hong Kong in flat, muted greys, creating something staggering in its immensity and begging to be seen at large scale.” – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – “View from the 100th floor of Hong Kong’s tallest structure, showing plots of land extensively covered with high rise, typical across the island.”