A great photo can come from any camera; from expensive medium format bodies, right through to the camera we carry everyday in our pockets – the iPhone. Well, the best of the best iPhone images have been recognised in the 2021 iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS).
The competition was celebrating its 14th year and received thousands of submissions. 2021’s Grand Prize Winner and Photographer of the Year Award went to photojournalist Istvan Kerekes of Hungary for his image, which is entitled; ‘Transylvanian Shepherds’ and was captured using an iPhone 7. In it, two rugged shepherds traverse an equally rugged industrial landscape, bearing a pair of lambs in their arms. The grit of the men and the bleakness of their environment are a moving contrast to the hope and innocence of the lambs in their care.
First Place Photographer of the Year Award went to Sharan Shetty of India for his image, entitled ‘Bonding’, where a man and his horse commune in an empty landscape, offering each other comfort and soft words. The impactful frame was captured using a iPhone X.
The Second Place prize was picked up by Dan Liu of China , who used an iPhone 11 Pro Max for his image, which is entitled ‘A Walk on Mars’ and shows an astronaut traversing a desolate Martian-esque landscape, sparking questions about our relationship to worlds beyond our own.
Third Place Photographer of the Year Award went to Jeff Rayner of the United States for his photo, entitled ‘Side-Walking on Air’, which is a portrait of a young girl aloft and weightless in a pool of light on her Los Angeles sidewalk that was captured using an iPhone X.
The winner of the Abstract category was announced as Glenn Homann from Australia, who picked up top spot for an untitled image that was shot in Queensland using an iPhone 11 Pro.
Taking first place in the Animals category was this spectacular frame by Dutch photographer Laila Bakker. Entitled ‘Strike a pose’ the image was captured on an iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Taking top honours in the City Life category was Liz Huang from the United States, who captured this epic frame showing the Manhattan skyline on her iPhone X.
First place in the hotly-contested Landscape category went to Lizhi Wang from the United States for this jaw-dropping frame that was captured using the iPhone XR. The scene, entitled ‘Flight from Iguazu’ shows the Paraná River in Argentina.
Mahabub Hossain Khan took First Place in the Lifestyle category for this atmospheric frame entitled ‘The Old Gym, which was captured in Dhaka, Bangladesh using an iPhone XS.
Australian photographer Christian Horgan was named as the First Place winner in the Nature category for an image entitled; ‘Pondering the Positives’. The Perth-based photographer captured the colourful frame using an iPhone X.
