This image is all about the light breaking through the clouds and settling on the de Havilland Vampire, which separates the silvery jet fighter from the overcast sky. The single subject and wealth of space has created a minimalist aesthetic, bolstered by the mono conversion and its removal of any colourful distractions. The final component is a dark vignette that helps to channel the viewer’s gaze. A fine aviation image indeed.
909 Images entered
507 Photographers
You could imagine this image of a McLaren 570S on a billboard. The gentle motion blur, classic 3/4 angle and clean aesthetic scream luxury car advertisement. Crucially, the vehicle is positioned on the right side of the frame and thus appears to be moving into the active space on the left. The position of the camera suggests the vehicle was photographed from another vehicle, matching its speed and thus effortlessly producing motion blur.
We love how the smoke trail helps to convey that the subject – a Super Stearman biplane – has been captured mid loop and how the 1/400 sec shutter was fast enough to freeze the aircraft, while also capturing a hint of propeller blur. By capturing the aircraft in the top portion of the frame, there’s room for it to occupy the active space below. A great shot!
The challenge when photographing a grounded plane is finding a compelling background. This image takes full advantage of the Red Arrows’ famous red livery and the display team’s colourful smoke trails. The red Hawk T1 complements the red smokescreen beautifully and gentle backlighting ensures the aircraft doesn’t get lost against the matching backdrop too.
If you were fooled into thinking this charming village scene was a film still from a period drama, you wouldn’t be far off. The vintage bus, car and period-clad models were brought together to create an authentic 1950s aesthetic. We particularly like the image’s high-dynamic range and its detail-rich illustrative quality.
The panning technique has been used to great effect here, depicting a taxi speeding through the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. By using a slow 1/20 sec shutter speed and panning to match the vehicle’s speed, the taxi has been frozen sharp, while the colourful lights merge into a vibrant backdrop of motion blur. What makes this image particularly special is that it was shot during wet weather, so the lights are reflected spectacularly in the road.
Each and every component of this clever minimalist image has been carefully considered and it stands out as something completely different from the rest of the competition. The parking lines and rows of cars have been captured almost perfectly square and the single, white car invites the viewer to ponder the artist’s intended meaning. The lone figure helps to balance the bottom portion of the image and if that wasn’t enough, is even walking towards the odd car.
This Blackburn Buccaneer certainly looks like it’s taking off, but it’s actually a cleverly staged ruse. A jack was used to raise the front of the grounded aircraft and a smoke machine provided convincing engine fumes. A tripod steadied the frame while multiple photographs were captured of the aircraft, lit from different angles. Five images were then cleverly blended in post to provide the illusion of a consistent light source.
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