The 25 Winners Of The 2018 Drone Photo Contest Have Been Announced, And Their Images Are Breathtaking
Every year SkyPixel sifts through thousands of bird's eye view photographs to find the best photos and award them with incredible prizes. This year's photography contest's grand prize winner professional photographerDeryk Baumgärtner received camera gear worth $12,090 for his incredible portrayal of Saint Michael's Mount, an island located in Normandy, France. Visited by almost 3 million people each year, Saint Michael's Mount is already an incredible heritage site by itself, but Baumgärtner's outstanding drone photography skills took the island and it's breathtaking monastery to a whole new level.
In an interview with Bored Panda, Deryk Baumgärtner explained he thought he had no chance to be amongst the top participants of this photo contest, "It was an unbelievable feeling when I got the mail that I won the Grand Prize. Never thought that I had the slightest chance to be in the top100." The German photographer added it was his first time entering the SkyPixel competition but he has been interested in aerial view photography for many years, "I’ve been interested in aerial photography since the 1st DJI Phantom in 2013 came to the market. Today I own the DJI Mavic Pro 1 and I'm still satisfied with its compact size which makes it pretty easy to travel with."
Scroll down to see Deryk's winning photo along with the other stunning pictures from this year's competition!
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People's Choice Prize, "Red Train"
One of the winners of people's choice prize captures a breathtaking shot of a train passing through mountains in Landwasserviadukt in Switzerland.
Is there somewhere I can get this printed really big for my place?! GOSH I love this!!!
contact the photographer. Ask them. :) (they are credited at the bottom of the photo. A little time + google, should get you their contact details. Good luck!! :D )
Load More Replies...Amazing, pays to be in the right place at the right time ...and have the alertness to act.
Grand Prize Winner, "Mont Saint Michel"
The winner of this year's Grand Prize is a shot taken by Deryk Baumgärtner and it captures the magical beauty of the famous monastery of Mont Saint Michel during a foggy morning.
I've been there. Went all the way to the top. They were charging 10 Euro for the "inside tour". I hesitated. I didn't want to pay to see the inside of the church. But changed my mind. BEST 10 Euros I spent on my trip. The inside tour takes you through passages INSIDE the mountain, from the church at the top, almost all the way to the bottom. So. Many. Stairs. Can't wait to take my family there.
An amazing place to visit. When I was there a few years ago it was beautiful and sunny - not nearly as atmospheric though.
Third Prize Winner In Fun Category, "花瓣雨"
Mesmerizing shot taken with a Phantom 4 Pro drone shows gooses creating flower-like figures in the field.
"Gooses" is a verb, and the plural of "goose" is "geese." This is an unintentionally funny caption...
First Prize Winner In Fun Category, "Flowers On The Water"
"These women are washing each gun flower, bundling it into a bundle to bring it to market. They put flowers into a circle that looks very beautiful. This is a fun job."
I don't think it's a fun job. . .Those women probably aren't well paid and probably not well treated
People's Choice Prize, "Infinity Road: Summer vs. Winter"
"A perfect mountain road shot twice during Summer and Winter. Same place. Different seasons. It took a lot of effort to shoot this photo. Two photos shot 8 months apart. Perfectly aligned. The battle between the Summer and the Winter."
well these are simply two different pictures put together in one, as it says one from the winter and one from the summer^^ if you click on the name at the bottom left the photographer explains it himself:)
But it is because its two photos taken from such a precise location that it is so stark. Had it been a helicopter or plane that took the photograph, the images would NEVER line up perfectly. But because an RC GPS guided A/C (drone for short) took the photo, it could be from the exact same location at the exact same angle, lens, and everything, so when the photos were stitched together, they did not look awkward, it looked stark.
Load More Replies...Beautiful, but I wonder why the road does that S curve there while being basically straight on either side of it?
Because there is a sleep slope to it, it is in the mountains and if I'm not mistaken it looks a lot like Transfagarasan, a road through the Romanian Carpatian mountains, so it is either descending or ascending, you kind of need that loop
Load More Replies...Second Prize Winner In Architecture Category, "Bagan"
Magical shot that captures a sunrise in Bagan, Myanmar, taken by Witold Ziomek using Mavic Pro done.
And the best part is that its real. Photos like this really do make me wonder if magic is real.
Load More Replies...So cool! But imagine trying to bring a drone with a camera into Myanmar.
People's Choice Prize, "Kyiv Monuments"
Photographer Ristenko Segiy managed to capture a magnificent shot of a statue in Kyiv covered in autumnal fog.
It's magnificent, just peeking over the fog. It's also sort of mysterious and I like that.
These are 25 drone photo contest winners. "They" are with both feet solidly on the ground, but with their (auxiliary) heads up in the air.
Load More Replies...People's Choice Prize, "双栖"
Stunning aerial photography of birds and trees in Huanglongtan, China.
No it doesn't, you mixed it up with 两栖. The term 双栖 used here is a word describing deep marital love, which makes sense because the mandarine ducks pictured here have been symbols of a happy marriage since hundreds, maybe thousands of years in China. The funny thing here though is that these two ducks are both male :D
thank you for the explanation, and for noticing both ducks being male. Now, is that a sign in itself? :D
Load More Replies...I love the ruddy shelducks, lovely contrast against the dark colors around them!
Second Prize Winner In Fun Category, "Burden Salt Harvest"
"The workers are carrying salt to the warehouse. They start work from 3 am to 7 am and remake from 1 pm to 6 pm every day. Hon Khoi salt field is the largest salt field in Vietnam."
I'll have nightmares now... the resemblance is crazy
Load More Replies...This is stuning like the other but ''Fun category'' ? Those people work hard, not fun at all
Fun Category. Why work related photos are put into the Fun Category? (this and the flower market workers)
It took me a moment to see what was what in this picture but it's absolutely stunning..
Nominated Entry, "National Library Of Kosovo"
Photographer Agon Nimani used Mavic 2 drone to capture the beauty of Kosovo's National Librarie's architecture.
This... is a library? Where is this library, I need to go see it or something.
All lines and circles, it is a great composition for a black and white photo. Pure art.
People's Choice Prize, "Ancient Moonlight"
Photographer Mauro Pagliai Received a People's Choice prize for his shot "Ancient Moonlight" that captured the Coliseum, Sirio and Rome covered in a magical moonlight
Is wonderful that the ancient buildings can be used in modern times. So much more than a tourist attraction.
But ... it is used as a tourist attraction. Large concerts are held outside of the Colosseum since it is too destroyed inside to hold large crowds. However, there is one fantastic use: "In recent years the Colosseum has become a symbol of the international campaign against capital punishment, which was abolished in Italy in 1948. Several anti–death penalty demonstrations took place in front of the Colosseum in 2000. Since that time, as a gesture against the death penalty, the local authorities of Rome change the color of the Colosseum's night time illumination from white to gold whenever a person condemned to the death penalty anywhere in the world gets their sentence commuted or is released, or if a jurisdiction abolishes the death penalty. Most recently, the Colosseum was illuminated in gold in November 2012 following the abolishment of capital punishment in the American state of Connecticut in April 2012."
Load More Replies...Nice, but contravenes Italian drone laws. https://www.uavsystemsinternational.com/drone-laws-by-country/italy-drone-laws/
Wow this lighting is pure magic and it is completely out of this world even though it's just the famous Colosseum!
Having visited the Coliseum last year, this speaks to me....we did not see this sight. How beautiful.
Isn't it funny how names/titles get bastardized over time? The word Coliseum is from the Latin 'Colossus' which means "A statue larger than life." The best known use of this was 'The Colossus of Rhodes', referring to an individual. The correct title for this huge enclosure is known as 'The Flavian Amphitheater', built during the Flavian Dynasty. The real culprit of this mix-up was 'The Colossus of Nero', a huge bronze statue, which was later moved next to the amphitheater in the 2nd century AD. Over time this arena became know as "The Coliseum" which has nothing to do with any statue. -Colossus of Nero: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_of_Nero -Flavian Amphitheater: https://www.ancient.eu/amphitheatre/
First Prize Winner In Nature Category, "Hungry Hippos"
"There's no party like a hippo party! An incredible visual to see and such a unique perspective. Truly honored to have this moment in time."
Gregg, you tried but no one recognises a joke anymore 😁
Load More Replies..."I suppose you're all wondering why I called you here today... Bill, will you hit the lights?"
"Hey, wait. Why am I in the middle?" says Harry. "Why are you looking at me that way? Guys? Guys? . . . . . . . GUYS?!?!?"
Back in the days, I once shot a whole film on hippos playing in the river. When I went to take it out of my camera to put a new roll in I was in for a surprise. There was no film in the camera and there was no other opportunity to take other photos. I still remember them clearly in my head which may actually be because I mulled over the photos I "lost".
Nominated Entry, "Two"
A romantic shot of newlyweds near the lake was captured with a Mavic Pro drone and became one of the nominated entries of the competition,
Hopefully you will ask the photographer first and purchase it.
Load More Replies...I love the stillness of the water which just makes the atmosphere of the picture so calm and peaceful.
Nominated Entry, "There Is A Precise Point Up There In The Sky Where The Mountains Almost Seem To Pose"
"Sunrise on the Nuvolau group in the dolomites. Temperature -18 c.
Takeoff with the drone and what I see in the screen almost does not seem real. The majesty of Mother Nature."
Third Prize Winner In Architecture Category, "日照新葡京"
A stunning shot of Grand Lisboa's hotel was captured using Phantom 4 Pro drone and won a third prize in architecture category.
First Prize Winner In Architecture Category, "Not A Small HK Island"
It took 43 shots using Phantom 4 Pro drone to capture the architectural beauty of Hong Kong.
Wow I was wondering how they did this and then I read the caption and I'm still wondering how they did this. The perspective makes my head spin but it's very interesting to see a city like this.
People's Choice Prize, "Lofoten"
One of the people's favorites was a shot of a village called Henningsvær in Lofoten, northern Norway. This tiny village has a population of only 500 people and locals mostly rely on fishing for a living. With such a small amount of people in the village, locals managed to build a football field that perfectly explains their love and passion for this sport.
Timber racks for dried cod / Stockfish , I guess... Use Google Street View (spot at the field) at 67°55'58'' N, 13°05'42''E
Load More Replies...This photo could be a real brain trickster If the buildings of the village were not included to give a sense of scale.
First Prize Winner In Sport Category, "Running Through The Sand Dunes"
"The kids were doing exercise by running through the sand dunes nearby their home in Phan Rang, Vietnam, in an early morning."
The sand looks so satisfying for some reason and I want to go run in it. But then again, how do you run in sand? I always just splash sand everywhere and in my eyes and I fall down and yet I get nowhere.
Actually beautiful in the mornings and evenings, nice to walk in the shallow river nearby. Unfortunately too many people during the day and to much "traffic" throughout the Jeeps and Quads. It's not Namibia.
Load More Replies...Nominated Entry, "Summit For The Team, Mont Blanc"
"Some of the most famous skiers in the world are all together on the summit of the Mont Blanc.
The Dynastar ski team walking the Mont Blanc Summit 4810m before skiing the north face during the sunset, with incredible light."
Doesn't anyone read the captions below the photos? Or is it a "choose your own adventure", make it up as I go, cuz I know everything" kinda deal? Because the caption clearly states .....before skiing the North face DURING THE SUNSET, with incredible light"
People's Choice Prize, "至所未知"
One of the people's choice prize winners was an extraordinary shot of a bridge disappearing in the fog with incredible mountains in the horizon.
I think this might be my favorite one! The bridge that takes you into unknown adventures.
I would not go on it at all....is that water....i ...its cool and all :)
Third Prize Winner In Nature Category, "足迹"
A snow in the Taklimakan Desert, China during winter forms a rare ice and snow texture. According to the photographer,"The ice pattern is like a huge footprint, like the footprints of aliens visiting the earth."
I clicked on the name under the pic and google translated the description. Appears to be a snow fall. Here is the translation: A snowfall in the winter Taklimakan Shamo, which forms a rare ice and snow texture on the desert lake, overlooking from a height of 400 meters, with ice as a huge footprint, like the footprints left by aliens visiting the Earth
Load More Replies...Turn your head to the right and it looks like a horse profile
Let me recommend some great reading: "The Great Game" by Peter Hopkirk. This book leaves lasting impressions of the Taklaman desert from times gone by.
People's Choice Prize, "Stein Eriksen Residences"
Low-level aerial view of the Stein Eriksen Residences at Deer Valley Resort.
Second Prize Winner In Sport Category, "Shadow Skier #5"
Using Mavic 2 Pro drone photographer Christoph Oberschneider captured skiers in Austria.
Yes yes beautiful. The new snow with one trail in it... I've seen some things like this before on ski lifts. I've always wanted to take a picture but was scared I would drop my phone somewhere down in the snow lol.
Here too, but I feel you! Love the still of winter.
Load More Replies...Nominated Entry, "Wake Up"
Dreamy aerial photo captured by Phantom 4 Pro drone in Auckland Harbour, during sunrise.
Third Prize Winner In Sport Category, "Throwing It To The Moon"
"Estonian hammer throw champion Kati Ojaloo throwing it to the moon."
Am I the only one who would have liked to know where each picture was taken? Only some of them mention the place...
These are fabulous. If you'd like more award-worthy drone images, check out my buddy Scott Snell's page and like him on FB. he's as prolific a he is artful. https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/scott-snell.html?tab=artwork
Load More Replies...Spectacular photos! Congratulations to the people who took these photographs. Stunning.
Wonderful, fantastic shots and brilliant to be able to see our world from an angle that would be otherwise impossible for me ❤️
Am I the only one who would have liked to know where each picture was taken? Only some of them mention the place...
These are fabulous. If you'd like more award-worthy drone images, check out my buddy Scott Snell's page and like him on FB. he's as prolific a he is artful. https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/scott-snell.html?tab=artwork
Load More Replies...Spectacular photos! Congratulations to the people who took these photographs. Stunning.
Wonderful, fantastic shots and brilliant to be able to see our world from an angle that would be otherwise impossible for me ❤️
