35 members of the jury 2016
from 35 countries

His bird and wildlife images have won multiple awards and been celebrated nationally and internationally in many publications. His preferred genre of fine art bird photography is easily recognisable by their authentic style, simplistic design and technical skill.

Isak’s passion for nature is fuelled by the reminiscence of a classic Africa and his aim is to create conservation awareness for his continent’s natural wonders. He is not only focussing his attention on photographic assignments throughout the African continent, but also on offering private photographic safaris with avid amateur and professional photographers. Having hosted many groups of photographers in Africa, Isak has taken on a keen interest in educating the photographers about their surroundings as well as teaching them the art of photography.

During the last years he has won over 50 major international photography awards from different competitions, including Professional Photographer of the Year, Nikon International Photo Contest, Prix de la Photographie Paris, Sony World Photography Awards, EISA Photo Maestro and International Photography Awards three years in a row.

His solo and group exhibitions have been seen from South and North America, through Europe, all the way to Asia. His photographs have been exhibited in places such as New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Milan, London, Miami, Prague, Hong Kong, Kiev and many more. Stranka's work was presented in prestigious galleries such as Getty Images Gallery and Saatchi Gallery. His work stood proudly alongside the likes of Andy Warhol, Annie Leibovitz, Banksy, Damien Hirst, Helmut Newton, Albert Watson and Roxanne Lowit.

He has created book covers for the biggest New York publishers, such as Harper Collins Publishers and Sterling Publishing. In addition, he has collaborated with other book publishers, music publishers and artists around the world.

He loves the smell of autumn and the sparkling grains of dust floating in the sunset.

Exhibitions:

"I was done my photography graduation from Pathshala (The South Asian Media Academy) in 2008, along with my academic graduation. I made my own manner across this subcontinent, exploring the country by way of doing photography. My conceivable thoughts made me to interact with people at the time I was brought up in old town. This makes me more conscious about the people, society as well as my own country. In 2007, when the cyclone (SIDR) scattered Bangladesh, I went to remote places to capture the dying condition of local people. Against those photos hundreds of people got reliefs who were in need of foods and other staffs, funds. Tracing the narratives of my communities I was moved my lenses to realize the unconscionably of the sufferer."

Publications
Time, The Guardian- UK, New Internationalist, The New York Times, Asia Time, The Telegraph, Days Japan, Paris Match, The Daily Telegraph, National geographic magazine, Discovery Channel magazine, Feature shot, The wall street journal, Saudi Aramco world magazine, MSNBC, Smith Sonian magazine, Popist and many moor.

Judges

This self-taught photographer who only possesses one picture of his own childhood simply wished to record the passing of time with his family.

Alain Laboile started observing and snapping shots of his children's carefree games from his shed on an isolated piece of land in the south of France. Without any staging, the photographer-father catches them in symbiosis with nature. The house, the field, the woods and the pond are some of the open-sky sets where telluric forces seem to possess the young moving bodies.These photos act like an elixir of life. They take us back to the“state of nature” imagined by the 17th century philosophers. When the world was young, only impulses mattered.The family album quickly goes beyond the private setting and seduces the web. Tens of thousands of internet users all over the world await, daily, the new images of this French“tribe”insolently living on the edge of the world. In December 2012, the New York Times celebrates Alain Laboile's talent. The first exhibitions ensue in Japan and the United States, then in France in early 2015 with the“Aux frontières de l’intime“ collective exhibit. Alain Laboile's images finally take their rightful place in the long tradition of family photography. The“La Famille”series joined the Musée français de la photographie collection in 2014.and was recently published by Kehrer Verlag.

Her works are treated delicately, seeking beauty and feeling behind each face and each person. Usually, uses their models as characters to tell stories and emotions. All wrapped around in a pictorial and dreamlike atmosphere.

In 2012 he decided to dedicate his life exclusively authorial photography and its images seeks to show the soul of the characters, the beauty of the landscapes and the intrinsic details of the human condition, regardless of the context, place, or time, so his art presents traits impact the captured extreme situations and also by a strong aesthetic and humanitarian sensibility. Alisson has held exhibitions with your images in various countries of the world and won dozens of photographs of competitions and last year winner in the category Photographic Documentary "Humanity Photo Awards" held by UNESCO, Honorable Mention in the "Travel Photographer of the Year" and medal merit in "HIPA".

Uses a purist photographic technique, trying to capture what is most human and pure the people portrayed, as it believes that through this relationship it has with who portrays establishes the symbolic spaces, imaginary and real, where values are constructed, feelings, emotions and fantasies and that makes visible what is invisible on appearances: the human condition.

For the artist the beauty of photography is whet the imagination of the viewer with tests that cause in a single moment the tenderness and hope contrast with the pain, guilt and tragedy, but not detached from the aesthetic pleasure.

I had no interest in choosing photography as my profession until autumn of 2013, when I finally realized how strongly I really feel about it. Photography has become my greatest love. Capturing emotions and milestones is now a big part of who I am, and the whole idea of perfectly freezing special moments & feelings pushes me to take risks, get creative and learn as much as I can about the art of photo editing. When it comes to style & interests, I prefer the outdoors and eye-catching locations. I like to create unreal situations in the real world, and tell surreal stories with my camera. My mission is to create images that look unnatural, but feel real.

Его команда единомышленников занимается фото и видео съемками неизведнаых локаций Казахстана и Средней Азии.

So I grew up in an environment of cameras, magazines, lenses, selfmade camera-baggages, darkrooms and funny weddings. I wasn't very excited back then about those films and development processes. It was such a lot of fiddling in my eyes. The importance of photography changed into joy when I held my first digital cam in my hands. The fire was sparked off and a long journey began, a journey through lots of camera systems, techniques, experiences and finally software products. February 2011, I decided to take a step across the border of plain photography. I entered the world of Photoshop. That was the best thing I ever did... now photography is a complete passion!

"I love bringing my fantasy to life with the help of my own images, Photoshop and 3D Software. Due to the fact that it's more an obsession than plain passion I call myself a photoholic."

He also creates images that have a dream-like quality that aims to excite one's imagination. He has been published in various magazines and websites as well as exhibited his work in galleries locally and internationally. He's been teaching workshops on fine art portraiture and editing to inspire photographers to unlock their creativity through the art of storytelling.

I’ve always been fascinated by people. I like looking at them, studying their characteristics, their reaction, getting to know their stories. I believe each human being is unique, beautiful and unpredictable.

My works have appeared in various publications & websites including: Adore Chroma Magazine, Silvershotz Magazine, Professional Photographer Magazine Uk, PH magazine, Worbz, Blur Magazine, Camera Obscura Journal, Tribe Magazine, Musse magazine, Foto4all, CHIP Foto Video, Photo Magazine”

His work purely represents his own vision and standards. That means he often does not work for a client directly. As a perfectionist he always tries to capture a certain moment or scene in the best possible way spending great amounts of dedication and time to get the shot he wants. He calls himself a ‘modern’ photographer meaning he completely loves new technology and always tries to keep up with innovations. That’s where he says Sony is a complete fit to his personality.

He has been featured on many big media outlets like Time, National Geographic and the Huffington Post.

His projects range from pure landscape work to artistic abstract approaches in which he is trying different things with photography. He always finds it important to have no boundaries in expressing an artistic vision.