Once again, we received thousands of entries from every corner of Europe, and with such a variety of different interpretations of the theme, it was difficult to choose a winner. Still, the judges finally agreed on a magnificently calm shot taken by Nikolay Alexiev (@nikolaialexiev).
“The image was taken at Lago di Braies, a famous lake in Northern Italy, located within the Alps. It has been my dream to visit this place as I've seen it beautifully captured by other photographers.” “The first time I was at the lake, it was the middle of the day. The lake is surrounded by huge cliffs and peaks, but it is easily accessible, which meant that it was crowded, so I could not take any photos. That's why I decided to visit again early the following morning so that I could capture the calm Autumn atmosphere.”
Nikolay shot the image with his Sony Alpha 7R and Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens.
“The camera has a solid body and a high-resolution sensor that captures lots of detail in highlight and shadow areas. Many features help me shoot my landscapes images, such as using the EVF on bright sunny days and the tilting screen, which helps when I am shooting low to the ground.”
“The next morning, I returned to the lake. The scene was calm. I grabbed the camera and tried to capture a panoramic image of four vertical shots. I wanted to show all the elements, including the beautiful foreground boats, the wooden dock, and the peaks and cliffs in the background. The cherry on top of the cake was the colourful forests of early October.”
As the competition winner, Nikolay is now the proud owner of a Sony Alpha 7R IV.
“I will carry it everywhere I go. I’m looking forward to using it, particularly over the coming winter months. Autumn and winter are the most inspirational seasons of the year for me. Hopefully, I will take a lot of great photographs,” said an excited Nikolay.
Runners Up
Congratulations also go to Magdalena Szałajko (@rysiowydomfotografie) and Arda Acar (@ardaacarphotography), whose superb images were awarded 2nd and 3rd in the competition.
To be in with a chance of winning some fantastic Sony prizes in our next competition, make sure you follow @alphauniversebysony.eu on Instagram and keep up to date with all the latest Sony Alpha news and advice.