Aerophoto: Mountains – 35AWARDS Photo Contest Guidelines
Aerial photography of mountains reveals the landscape in its true scale: from above, the terrain acquires volume, rhythm, and structure invisible to a ground-level view. Light sculpts the slopes, shadows accentuate tectonic dynamics, and clouds or atmospheric phenomena become integral compositional elements. Here, mountains are not a backdrop—they are the central subject of the frame.
This category accepts works captured from drones, aircraft, or other aerial platforms that use the bird's-eye perspective to reveal the geomorphological expressiveness of mountain ranges. Human presence, wildlife, or infrastructure may be included provided they play a secondary role—as a scale reference or subtle narrative accent—without diverting attention from the landscape itself. Preference is given to images with strong chiaroscuro lighting (dawn, dusk, sidelight), pronounced textural rendering of relief, and shots taken in challenging natural conditions or remote, difficult-to-access regions.
Accepted:
- Aerial shots of mountain ridges, valleys, plateaus, and canyons with clear compositional intent;
- Images demonstrating expressive light-and-shadow modeling of terrain;
- Frames incorporating atmospheric elements (clouds, mist, haze) as organic compositional components;
- Graphic or abstract compositions revealing the structural patterns of the landscape.
Not accepted:
- Ground-based photography, including shots taken from elevated positions;
- Images dominated by humans, machinery, or architectural structures;
- Photographs where mountains serve merely as background for another subject;
- Frames containing visible parts of the aircraft, drone, or operator.
