European Excellence
We reveal the winners of the 2012-2013 EISA Maestro photo competition
Speed was the theme for the 2012-2013 European Imaging and Sound Association’s Photo Maestro competition, and Rob Van Thienen from Belgium has taken top spot. He wins €1,500 and the EISA Photo Maestro 2012 trophy. In second place is Max Riché from France, who wins €1,000 and a trophy, while Elena Anosova of Russia finished third and receives €750 and a trophy. All three photographers were invited to Berlin to the official EISA Awards ceremony to receive their prizes. Find out more about EISA
The competition was open to photographers from all 18 EISA member countries and the winners’ photographs will be published in all 18 EISA-member photo magazines. Find out what inspired the three prize-winners…..
1st Rob Van Thienen, Belgium
Rob is a self-taught photographer, who bought his first camera at the age of 19. However, his first encounter with photography came at a much younger age when he decided to dismantle the family’s fully functioning camera – and it worked after he put it back together!
Rob’s favourite subjects are sports and action photography. He was inspired by the high-speed images published in National Geographic, and aims to attain a similar ‘mood’ his own images. Rob adds: ‘If people take more time to look at your photograph than normal, then you know you have done a good job.’
Rob’s winning photographs were shot at the dog-racing track in Beringen, Belgium, using a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV.
To see more of Rob’s images, visit http://500px.com/RobVanThienen
2nd Max Riché, France
Max is a freelance photographer specialising in action, sports and lifestyle portraits. He is also the founder of ‘Climate Heroes’, a photo project about climate change.
A former engineer who graduated from the École Centrale de Lyon, Columbia University New York and the University of Cambridge, Boston, Max went on to attend the École des Gobelins in Paris to learn professional photography.
Max’s initial training as an engineer and scientist shows through in these extremely sophisticated pictures. Taking these photographs required a high degree of technical skill, as well as a long, close relationship with the athletes to depict their careers – from the keen sports amateur in normal clothes to the top-level accomplished sportsman in the final image. The fuzzy speed trails, artistically combined with the frozen moments, are what make these images so interesting.
Max’s photographs were shot on a Nikon D700 with 24-70mm lens. To see more of his images, visit www.maxriche.com and www.theclimateheroes.org
3rd Elena Anosova, Russia
Elena, who comes from Irkutsk, is the art director of a publishing house. She began taking pictures of people after she moved from the country to the city, but still shoots nature when travelling. Some of her landscapes were included in the Young Photographers of Russia and Wild Nature of Russia exhibitions last year, and she reached the final of the National Geographic’s Russian Landscape 2011 competition.
These photographs were taken in Moscow at the final stage of the 2012 world swimming championships, during the diving events. Elena says her most interesting shots came during a training session. ‘Shooting straight down helped to increase the feeling of their flight to the water, and to focus attention on the figures,’ she says.
Elena was inspired by Vladimir Vyatkin, the Russian photographer who made long-exposure photographs of girls swimming.
Elena’s photographs were taken using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera with EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens.
To see more of Elena’s images, visit www.elena-anosova.ru
To view more of the winning images please visit the AP Gallery
