The winners of the 2021 Epson International Pano awards have been announced and the overall winner of the 2021 Open Competition was Joshua Hermann from the USA with three entries, 'Eternal Triangle', 'Morning Burn' and 'Ancient Backwaters'.
Eternal Triangle © Joshua Hermann
2021 Open Photographer of the Year
“When shooting Eternal Triangle, I observed a cypress tree generally has a wide flaring base. Due to its watery habitat, it develops this triangular base and root protrusions called cypress knees to help it stand in the soft, soggy bottom. As I paddled amongst the trees on this foggy morning the triangular trunks stood out in a symmetrical fashion. To me, it looked like enumerable triangles receding into the fog. I named this picture "Eternal Triangle" as an ode to one of my favorite jazz compositions by the great Sonny Stitt.”
© Daniel Trippolt
© Manuel Enrique González Carmona
Explaining how his winning entries came to pass Hermann said, “It is an honour to have my images selected in the Open Category alongside so many wonderfully talented photographers. One of the great things about photography is its ability to inform. Growing up in south Louisiana and coming to know the swamp and marshlands from an early age, the unique beauty and interesting ecology of the area has stuck with me throughout my life. I hope to share the beauty of these places through my imagery, allow people to get a closer look into the uniqueness of these areas and ultimately to inform them of the importance of protecting these wetlands.
Describing Morning Burn Hermann said, “When conditions are right and cool moist air begins to warm over water in the swamp, mist begins to form over the water. If you are lucky enough for the mist to stick around when the sun breaks the horizon, a wonderful show takes place. There is a short window of time where the sun begins to set the mist ablaze with light. As I paddled, the scene constantly changed in front of me while the sun inched higher above the horizon. I stopped in front of this grove and setup my camera as the swamp put on a light show went on in front of me.”
On Ancient Backwaters Hermann added, “Like trees in most of the US, many of the old growth cypress groves were felled during the logging era. Today there are a few places were these 1,000 plus year-old giants still stand. You will usually find these in pockets of backwater that were too hard for loggers to reach, or because the trees themselves were hollow and the trunks weren't the ideal shape for lumber. When I find these ancient monoliths in backwater ponds and sloughs, I am immediately transported to the swamp lands of ancient times.”
The Epson International Pano Awards showcases the work of panoramic photographers worldwide and is the largest competition for panoramic photography.
This year the competition received 5,378 entries from 1,245 professional and amateur photographers in 97 countries - amazing stats for a competition held in the middle of a global pandemic - all of whom were competing for thousands of dollars cash and prizes with main sponsor Epson Australia alone providing prizes that included an Epson SureColor P7070 printer, an Epson SureColor P5070 printer and an Epson EB-1780W ultra-slim projector.
TAGREE, I love the cultural work you do, I donate to show you my sincere appreciation:
or become a reader with a TAGREEplus+Pass for unlimted access
