10 beautiful photos from The Fine Art Photography Awards

Immerse yourself in the world of photography with these stunning images from The Fine Art Photography Awards.

The Fine Art Photography Awards is one of the largest award giving bodies for a new era of photographers. Since 2014, this competition has been a melting pot of passion, sense of beauty and openness to diversity in photography colliding in international proportions.

Fine Art Photography provides a platform of promotion and support in their pursuit of self-realization and development. Let's check out some the winners from this year's competition

Professional Category

1. Gabriel Isak - "In The Blue"

Gabriel Isak is a 34 year old Swedish photographer. In 2016, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Photography at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California.

"‘In the Blue,’ is inspired by the years I battled depression" says Isak. He also reminds us that about 280 million people in the world have depression, currently. In this series each image represents fragments of living "in the blue". The pictures can be viewed as an interactive experience. Envision yourself as the subject in each photograph and reflect back on your personal encounters with melancholia.

This series made Gabriel Isak win the "Fine Arts" sub-category 1st place award.

2. Deryk Baumgärtner - "The Gang"

Deryk Baumgärtner is a travel and landscape photographer. He is based in Cologne (Germany). The winner's journey into photography started way before he ever picked up a camera. Art and drawing came first for Deryk, as he recalls: "that’s pretty much what I was focused on throughout school." The German photographer also entices the viewer to enter his work: "I want my viewers to feel like they are right in the middle of the scene."

And if two quotes weren't enough, here's the third: "Me watching vidoes on smartphone with my best firend" The misspelled words on the description given by Deryk make the photo even cuter.

This picture made Baumgärtner win the "Panoramic" sub-category 1st place award.

3. Alena Grom - "Stolen Spring"

Alena Grom lives in Bucha and works in Irpin (Ukraine). After the Russian occupation, these cities were destroyed. "The military landscape has become my reality and routine." writes Alena.

Gram's series "Stolen Spring" documents how Russian occupation continued during the spring and how the people who survived this tragic period didn't get the chance to notice the season passing: "how chestnuts and lilies of the valley bloomed, birds flew in. They were deprived not only of their homes, loved ones, work, health, but also part of their lives."

Alena Grom won the "Portrait" sub-category 1st place award with this series of photographs.

4. Mahendra Bakle - "Riding Into Tradition: The Tenggerese Horsemen Of Bromo"

The Tenggerese people, known as "The Horsemen of Bromo" in Indonesia, embody a captivating cultural legacy in the stunning landscape surrounding Mount Bromo. Their vibrant customs and role as horseback guides create an immersive experience for visitors exploring the volcanic terrains. These horsemen, with their traditional attire and deep-rooted rituals, offer travelers not just a ride but an encounter with the rich heritage of the region. They also carry tourist's bags up the steep mountains surrounding the volcano but declining tourism is affecting their lives.

Mahendra Bakle who won the 1st place in the "Travel" sub-category with this horseman's portrait, has always been interested in photography. Or at least since he was taking pictures of sunsets and sunrises as a child. However, it wasn't until 2001, after he had established a solid foundation with his business in Solapur, that he got into travel photography, drawing inspiration from the places he travelled to for business.

5. Deryk Baumgärtner - Bodie Ghost Town

Bodie is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town. In 1875, a mine cave-in revealed a rich vein of ore, which led to purchase of the mine by the Standard Company in 1877. People flocked to Bodie and transformed it from a town of a few dozen to a boomtown.

The mixture of money, gold and alcohol was fatal. Bodie became notorious for its shootings and murders, being dubbed by a clergyman in 1881 as “a sea of ​​sin, buffeted by the storms of lust and passion.” The inhabitants became accustomed to finding a corpse every morning, being described as “the breakfast man.” The town's population continuing to decline until only a few remained.

Today this once thriving mining camp is visited by tourists who continue to travel to Bodie from all over the world, just as they did back in Bodie's boom years.

We already know the author: Deryk Baumgärtner not only won the "Panoramic" subcategory but he also won the 1st price award in the "Night" subcategory

Amateur Category

6. Lukasz Spychala - "Multiverse"

The "Multiverse" series of photos takes us on a journey through time and space, revealing the remarkable intergenerational differences that have arisen as a result of rapid technological development.

Born in 1995 in Wrocław, Lukasz Spychala "Koneser" is a Master of Science in Computer Science by education and an award winning photographer from passion. Since 2015, he has been a member of the ParaArtist Photography Association - Culture Agenda of the Wrocław University of Technology. He has already collaborated with over a hundred models from different countries. His pictures have been included in several collective exhibitions, published in many international websites (such as PhotoVogue) and magazines, receiving awards and building quite a reputation as an analog photographer.

This is how the 1st place winner in the "Fine Arts" subcategory describes the "Multiverse" series:

"Each actor symbolizes a different generation of people. The woman, with curly hair, symbolizes the oldest generation that grew up without the virtual world. There is also an athlete in the photos, symbolizing the generation that has experienced both the analog and digital world. In addition to this figure, we also find a red-haired girl symbolizing the youngest generation that was born in the era of the digital revolution. Also appearing in the frames is a silver mysterious figure symbolizing technology, which is more or less present in every generation."

7. Kyung Heum Song - "The River View of Seoul"

Kyung Heum Song is a photographer who takes nature as his teacher, sees the hidden side of society and in his free time, he is also a member of The Photo Artists Society of Korea.

This photograph series shows us different rows of buildings reflecting along the Han River that crosses the center of Seoul. "The view of the city is constantly changing, like a human life."

Kyung Heum Song won the 1st place award in the "Panoramic" subcategory.

8. Salvatore Montemagno - "The Age of Uncertainty 2"

Salvatore Montemagno was born in Gela in Sicily, 1962. He has been taking photographs for over 30 years, now. But he still remembers when he took his first photo with a reflex, a Cosina CT1, loaned to him by a work colleague, in Rome, from the window of their office. "A very trivial photo... but very important to me…"

The 1st place winner under the "Portrait" subcategory will share with us his thoughts on "The Age of Uncertainty 2":
"There is a period in the life of every human being in which one becomes aware that one cannot continue to be what one has been up to that moment and that one must become something else."

9. Thierry Lave - "Global Tourism. Me, Me, Me..."

Thierry Lavé has pursued his passion for photography since he was 18. Beginning with an interest in photographic techniques, Thierry has evolved his art to integrate abstract elements, lending a timeless poetic quality to his work. His unique blend of realism and abstraction offers viewers a contemplative space where reality blurs with the dreamlike.

This is how the 1st place winner in the "Travel" subcategory describes his winning photograph:

"Amidst the geysers in the heart of Yellowstone National Park, the scene is a juxtaposition of a group of tourists capturing their presence with a selfie while others appreciate the beauty of nature. In this minimalist photograph, the tourists' silhouette is reduced to the essentials, emphasizing the contrast between human fascination and the sublime wonders of Yellowstone. The picture is symbolizing our desire to capture and share fleeting moments." - Thierry Lave

10. Prajit Ravindran - "Eyeing the Stars"

Prajit Ravindran is a Software Engineer by profession but Landscape Photography is his passion. Prajit started his journey into the world of photography in 2007. He dabbled in different genres of photography before focusing on landscape photography. When Ravindran moved to Utah in 2011, he fell in love with the state. During the last 10+ years he has driven 150000+ miles exploring the rich, diverse landscape that Utah has to offer.

Ravindran explains that the photograph that won him the 1st place winner in the "Night" subcategory was captured in a 30+ minute exposure time using a Nikon FE 35 mm film camera. But it is easier said than done:

"It took me more than a year to finish that roll of film. After developing the film I was really pleased with how this photograph turned out when I looked at it on the light-box but not so happy with the quality of the scans. After another year I finally was able to get it scanned correctly and after some dodging and burning this was the result." - Prajit Ravindran

If you'd like to enter next year's contest, submissions are open! And if you'd like to learn some more photography techniques before entering the contest, Domestika has you covered:

- Join our courses on photography and video
- 10 Free Websites for Portrait Reference Photos
- Diverse Beauty of Female Bodies An article by Karen Mercado