Summer 2022 Competition Winner
We could almost feel the sand beneath our feet and the sun on our backs as you sent us your best images of the brightest months of the season. From wildlife enjoying a crisp mountain morning to people witnessing a hazy summer sunset, we saw a huge variety of images from people and places across Europe.
Picking the final winners was no easy task, with thousands of entries during the duration of the competition. However, Mel Zagers stunning image was chosen as our winner.
“It is a strikingly simple but beautiful image”, said a Sony representative. “We love the subtle colour and gradients which draw your eye straight to the subject’s silhouette. It is perfectly executed.”
Mel, who is from Belgium, took the winning image whilst travelling in the Algarve, Portugal.
© Mel Zagers | Sony α7 III + FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS | 1/800s @ f/9.0, ISO 250
As soon as I pressed the shutter of my Alpha 7 III, the adrenaline started kicking in! After taking it, I saw the image flash on my screen, and I knew I had a gem. I was very excited.” Says Mel.
As is often the case with photographers, the best images aren’t always the ones you set out to take.
“When we got to the beach, I had some ideas, but this picture wasn’t one of them. I found this one accidentally – I was looking around for beautiful minimalist compositions with my Sony 70-200mm telephoto lens. I stood on a rock and looked through the viewfinder of my Alpha 7 III and saw this beautiful scene. The shot was almost exactly as it appears in the picture, but it lacked a focal point – a person in the scene. Thankfully one of my friends I had been travelling with had this long white dress, which was perfect. It was the icing on the cake.”
Now that he has won the competition, Mel will have the pleasure of upgrading his Alpha 7 III to the latest 33-megapixel Alpha 7 IV.
I'm really looking forward to taking the Alpha 7 IV on some adventures in the mountains and being able to use the articulated screen to get creative with how I compose my images.”
Runners up
In second place was Carmine Bonanni with awe-inspiring sunrise taken at 3,538m at the top of Mount Rocciamelone in the Piedmont region in Italy.
I was hiking with my friend Edoardo, and we stayed overnight on the top of this mountain to catch both sunset and sunrise. The view was truly amazing. I put my Alpha 7 III and 28-70mm lens on a tripod and started taking photos using the camera self-timer feature. It took several attempts to get the shot I wanted as I quickly marched down to the perfect spot to be in the photo. I exposed for the sunrise, but thanks to the camera's dynamic range, I was able to recover all the details in the foreground. It is one of the best pictures I have ever taken."
© Carmine Bonanni | Sony α7 III + FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS | 1/320s @ f/5.6, ISO 250
As runner-up, Carmine is now the proud owner of the Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM lens.
‘I never had a good telephoto lens, so I am excited to try it. I will use it to shoot more images of my mountain adventures. A sharp telephoto lens will allow me to capture new details, the emotions, the wrinkles on the face of an alpinist standing against the storm, or their struggles of climbing a rock. And let’s not forget the possible encounter with wild animals. I can’t wait to try it out!’
Finally, in third place was Paul Wagner’s beautiful playful image of a dog leaping to play.
© Paul Wagner | Sony α7R III + FE 50mm f/1.2 GM | 1/3200s @ f/2.5, ISO 200
I had planned to shoot portraits with the model in the image - Marike. On the day, Marike couldn't find a minder for her dog, so she brought her along to the shoot. After we had finished shooting the portraits as planned, we played with the dog for a little while. With the sunset, it was magical and produced a great series of images.”
Paul took the image with an Alpha 7R III and will now be able to pair it with the FE 20mm f/1.8 G lens.
‘I’m going to use the wideangle lens to try something new. I want to shoot some natural landscapes and architecture. I very rarely photograph these two areas. I would love to photograph these areas with the new lens.’
Thank you to the winners and to everyone who entered the competition. Don’t forget to follow our Sony Alpha Universe EU Instagram account to ensure you are ready to join our next completion.
