“Brothers” by Olga Steinepreis. Non-Professional Overall Winner and Non-Professional Portrait Winner.
“Two brothers are so different, but sometimes they are as one. They quarrel, but cannot live long without each other. After all, neither of them two recall a time before he had a brother.”
The Exposure One Awards is celebrating the nuances of black and white photography by announcing the winners of the 2024 One Shot Photo Contest. Separated into divisions for professional and non-professional photographers, the contest highlights the timeless quality of the monochromatic color palette.
Photographers competed in a wide range of categories, including Portraits, Landscapes, Conceptual Works, and Fine Art. Paul Lukin was named the overall winner in the professional division, while Olga Steinepreis won the non-professional division.
Lukin is a photojournalist based in Bangkok. His winning image gives an aerial perspective on a rooster fight as the animals are cheered on by a crowd. As he explains, working in black and white is a purposeful choice for the photographer.
“I gravitate towards black and white photography because it feels more mysterious and timeless. It is more of an interpretation of reality than a reflection of reality. By stripping away color, the focus shifts to forms, contrasts, and the scene's essence, inviting the viewer to engage more and encouraging imagination and interpretation.”
Steinepreis won the non-professional category for a distinctly different image. Her portrait of two brothers is a touching tribute to the bond siblings share and is a nostalgic look at childhood. This photo of her sons, stolen between moments of play and laughter, also creatively uses shadows to enhance the composition.
Scroll down to see even more of the winners. If you love black and white photography, consider entering the Exposure One Photographer of the Year competition, which is now accepting entries.
The Exposure One Awards celebrates the beauty and nuance of black and white photography.
“Feathered Warriors: A Moment of Suspense” by Paul Lukin. Overall Professional Winner and Professional Photojournalism Winner.
“In the heart of the cockpit, two majestic roosters soar through the air. Their feathers ruffle in the intensity of the moment. Surrounding them, a captivated crowd holds their breath, their eyes fixed on the airborne spectacle unfolding before them.”
“Absence” by Silke Hullmann. Overall Professional Runner-up and Professional Abstract Winner.
“Even without color, reduced to black and white, the flamingo formations above the marbled waters of Lake Magadi are a masterpiece of nature.”
“Flock of Sheep” by Serkan Dogus. Non-Professional Overall Runner-up and Non-Professional Domestic Animals Winner.
“Every day in the Tatvan district of Bitlis, hundreds of sheep make a dusty journey to reach the pasture. Joining the dusty journey and photographing them was an indescribable feeling.”
The organization has just announced the 2024 One Shot Photo Contest.
“Silk hat” by Alberto Colognato. Non-Professional Fashion & Beauty Winner.
“The details of a female body can reveal aspects of a woman's life and history. A hand, an arm, the neck can narrate the work, the fatigue, the sweet and beautiful moments or the offenses they have witnessed. It is precisely these details that I look for and photograph.”
“Calla Lily” by Maria Marriott. Professional Minimalism Winner.
“Tuscany in the Fog” by Alberto Fornasari. Professional Landscape Winner.
“Between October and December I have been in Val d'Orcia, in Tuscany, to create impressive images using the fog and the light of dawn, a typical phenomenon of this period.”
“Walker II” by Jozef Danyi. Non-Professional Conceptual Winner.
“It is the story of a walker's journey across a striped black and white world. It is a game of colors black and white. A little traveler in the middle of the magical scenery of the black and white strips that create this imaginary world. We wish him the best of luck in his travels.”
“Living In Geometry” by Dorota Yamadag. Non-Professional Abstract Winner.
“Shadow of the Jungle” by Brice Tribollet. Non-Professional Wildlife Winner.
“As the shadow of the jungle, the orangutan becomes a guardian of the secrets held within the heart of the wilderness. It is a custodian of the wisdom embedded in the ancient trees and a living testament to the delicate balance between nature and its inhabitants.”
“The Mennonites” by Jorge Mónaco. Professional Portrait Winner.
“The city” by Antonio Coelho. Professional Still-Life Winner.
“Conceptual still-life image with a touch of fine art photo , made with screws that reminds a city skyline.”
“One step beyond” by Laurence Bouchard. Professional Street Winner.
“Diving” by Maxim Korotchenko. Professional People Winner.
“People enjoy diving in the diving pool of Zvezdny sports center in Astrakhan, Russia.”
Here are some of the exceptional winners of the professional and non-professional divisions.
“The Mane Man” by Gary Cox. Professional Wildlife Photography.
“Khari the lion giving his beautiful mane a good shake. Taken at Blackpool zoo, UK.”
“Assumption” by Luis Henry Agudelo Cano. Professional Event Winner.
“Hundreds of young people enter competitions every end of each month, they practice outdoors since they do not have stages for their events.”
“Perspective” by Ahmad Badr. Non-Professional Fine Art Winner.
“Souk Light” by Tim Jamieson. Non-Professional Event Winner and Non-Professional Travel Winner.
“A man pushes his bike through the winding lanes of a souk in Marrakesh at sunset. There are few places I've been quite as mysterious as the ancient souks of Morocco's most beguiling city.”
“Mourning Ceremony” by Emrah Karakoç. Professional Travel Winner.
“The photo is from Iran, where we went for a trip. It is the mourning ceremonies held by Shiites to commemorate the events of Karbala. Thousands of people are in the squares dressed in black for the mourning ceremony, and different mourning ceremonies are held in every neighborhood and city.”
“1994&1999: Our Portrait” by Man Zhu. Professional Conceptual Winner.
“The superimposed films are from 1994 and 1999 respectively, which are the year my boyfriend and I were born. Age differences may lead to cognitive differences. We love each other, but we are still two independent individuals.”
“Great White Egret Preening Ballet” by Caroline Peppiatt. Non-Professional Nature Winner.
“Montreal's Olympic Stadium” by Sebastien Arbour. Professional Architecture Winner.
“A detail of the retractable soft roof of the Stadium.”
“Balinese Kids playing” by Asep Setiawan. Non-Professional Photojournalism Winner.
“Made Ready” by Larry Bean. Non-Professional Landscape Winner.
“One Man Power” by Andriy Stepanov. Non-Professional Minimalism Winner.
