Die Finalbilder der Sony World Photography Awards 2022 - [GEO]

Zur Galerie Die Finalbilder der Sony World Photography Awards 2022

Image Name: Bare Land Photographer Name: Lorenzo Poli Year: 2022 Image Description: <p>An uninhabitable volcanic desert in the Icelandic Highlands. The climatic conditions here are so harsh that, for the majority of the year, life doesn’t thrive.</p> Series Name: Life On Earth Series Description: Science and religions may all fall short in explaining the incredible miracle of life which, through millennials of evolution, has transformed barren land into a living planet. Mother Earth has been regarded by humans through the centuries as a fertility goddess; water is the most incredible terrestrial element, with all living beings depending on it to thrive. Water is the common denominator of the living world. There is an untamed world between sacred and magic, where the essence of life is safeguarded by silence, where the outer and the inner world coincide. This is what I am seeking to photograph. As philosopher Alan Watts said: "Each one of us, not only human beings but every leaf, every weed, exists in the way it does, only because everything else around it does." And "If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, you'll come to understand that you're connected with everything."

Island von Lorenzo Poli

Lorenzo Poli zeigt hier eine unbewohnbare vulkanische Wüste im isländischen Hochland. Die klimatischen Bedingungen hier sind so rau, dass die meiste Zeit des Jahres kein Leben gedeiht.
Das Foto ist Teil der Serie Life On Earth, in welcher der Fotograf auf Wasser als das "unglaublichste irdische Element" eingeht.

© Lorenzo Poli, Italy, Finalist, Professional, Landscape, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards

Image Name: On the Car Windshield Photographer Name: Milan Radisics Year: 2022 Image Description: <p>The fox jumped onto the windshield, observing my camera. I parked in the yard for the first time – it was unusual behaviour for Roxy, she jumped up right away. I wasn't prepared to photograph this scene, but I knew she would be coming back in an hour-and-a-half, I set the lights up and waited in a dark room. I was lucky she jumped up again and watched the camera click inside the car.</p> Series Name: The Fox’s Tale Series Description: Over eight months, I spent almost every night sitting at the window of my cottage in the middle of the forest – where wild animals live almost as neighbours of the villagers. The young vixen appears in the village after dusk, circles an hour and a half, and appears in a courtyard several times. I observed her movements and behaviour from the darkened room, and took the exposure remotely. I named her Roxy. I set the lights in advance, like in a studio, and waited for the protagonist to walk into the scenes. She always surprises me, showing a new side, and I have had to solve many technical, theoretical, and physical challenges in the process of photographing her. During lockdown, both sides were forced to adjust: man to the wilds of the forest, animals to the human environment.

Image Name: Future Studies 6 Photographer Name: Luca Locatelli Year: 2022 Image Description: <p>The patriarch – that's the name given to this millenary oleaster, a wild olive tree. It's struggling for survival after fires devastated Sardinia, Italy, in July 2021. The extraordinary vitality and resilience of olive trees will allow for many to rebound. This tree is in ‘intensive care’, with a tarp protecting it from heavy winds and rain that could damage it further.</p> Series Name: Future Studies Series Description: One of the most characteristic symptoms of the time in which we live is the growing sense of loss of a better future, of a hypothetical tomorrow perceived as something promising and yet unknown. If we’re going to re-establish a healthy relationship with the plane, it is imperative to reflect on our attitude toward the future. In the 21st century we need to learn how to use our knowledge in a more sustainable way, find new ways to live on our planet and confront today’s critical environmental issues. Future Studies is an ongoing piece of research spanning more than ten years, aimed at triggering the viewer to join the critical debate on our precarious balance on Earth, and hopefully contribute to restoring hope for the future of mankind.

Image Name: Sea Lion Hunting 2 Photographer Name: Graeme Purdy Year: 2022 Image Description: Like an Olympic athlete performing a perfectly choreographed routine, the sea lion preys on these sardines. The sardines’ only hope is to dive into the deep dark blue but the sea lion knows this and pins them to the surface waiting for its moment to strike. Series Name: Oceans and Seas – The Last Frontier Series Description: Despite two thirds of the world being covered in seas and oceans, we know so little about this world. Our lack of understanding is partly driven by the remoteness and challenges in experiencing these environments. We are often content with near-shore sea life experiences: coral or rocks can bring some degree of reliable experience. But our deep oceans remain other worldly. I have been driven, and inspired, to photograph these places. To show the beauty that exists in the oceans and seas is our first step in connecting with wildlife that lives there. There are a plethora of conservation issues threatening the seas and oceans, but first we need to understand more: connect and then act. I hope this collection brings the beauty, the challenges of the oceans to the forefront of the viewer's mind. I hope we do more.

Image Name: Dorf 7 Photographer Name: Domagoj Burilović Year: 2022 Image Description: <p>The photo is a photo montage of a historic village house and local forests and plants taken in the Croatian agricultural region of Slavonia. The photo is part of a broader story about the mass exodus of people from the region. The photo montage was created in 2021 and its parts were shot in 2020 and 2021.</p> Series Name: Dorf Series Description: ‘Dorf’ is the German word for village. In the 19th century, the Croatian region of Slavonia was inhabited by people from all nations of the Austro-Hungary empire. A fast economic development began with the exploitation of forest and land. Villages became an elementary demographic unit. German colonists made the largest cultural impact through language, crafts and architecture. Instead of building with mud, people started to build with baked bricks – this raised the quality of life. The irony of history is that today, due to the impact of the war in Croatia and subsequent industry decline, the population is leaving Slavonia for Germany, in search of a better life. With the extinction of the village, the historic houses that became part of its cultural identity are the first to decay. These photographs are a photo montage of houses and local nature. Exploitation of nature was the reason these houses came into being – now this very nature is destroying them.

Image Name: Bare Land Photographer Name: Lorenzo Poli Year: 2022 Image Description: <p>An uninhabitable volcanic desert in the Icelandic Highlands. The climatic conditions here are so harsh that, for the majority of the year, life doesn’t thrive.</p> Series Name: Life On Earth Series Description: Science and religions may all fall short in explaining the incredible miracle of life which, through millennials of evolution, has transformed barren land into a living planet. Mother Earth has been regarded by humans through the centuries as a fertility goddess; water is the most incredible terrestrial element, with all living beings depending on it to thrive. Water is the common denominator of the living world. There is an untamed world between sacred and magic, where the essence of life is safeguarded by silence, where the outer and the inner world coincide. This is what I am seeking to photograph. As philosopher Alan Watts said: "Each one of us, not only human beings but every leaf, every weed, exists in the way it does, only because everything else around it does." And "If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, you'll come to understand that you're connected with everything."

Image Name: Nemo's Garden 10 Photographer Name: Giacomo d'Orlando Year: 2022 Image Description: <p>Nemo's Garden seen from the water’s surface. The biospheres are located 40 metres off the Noli shore – a small village on the Ligurian coast. They are constructed 6-12 meter below the surface of the water, to enable the plants to draw the necessary source of light for their development. In the centre stands the tree of life which represents the core of the experiment: the possibility of growing terrestrial plants underwater.</p> Series Name: Nemo's Garden Series Description: According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the desertification brought by climate change in recent years has already extensively reduced agricultural productivity in many regions of the world. Agriculture represents 70% of freshwater use around the globe and with the world’s population projected to increase to 10 billion by the end of the century, it has become imperative to find alternative and ecologically sustainable methods of cultivation. Nemo’s Garden – the world’s first underwater greenhouse – offers a possible solution. This completely self-sustainable project explores an alternative farming system that could be implemented in areas where environmental or geo-morphological conditions make the growth of plants almost impossible. The encouraging results of the last few years, where more than 40 different species of plants have been successfully cultivated, gives hope that a sustainable agricultural system has been developed to help tackle the new challenges brought by climate change.

Image Name: Fiesta Photographer Name: Oana Baković Year: 2022 Image Description: <p>The world of flowers is a magical, happy place. I shot this at Great Dixter House and Gardens, a centre of education and place of pilgrimage for horticulturists from across the world.</p> Series Name: Absolute Beginner Series Description: My art emerges from the need to reconnect with the beautiful nature surrounding us. As a human, I enjoy the wonders of discovery and constant advancement that define us as species, but I am also sad that we overlook the wonders that are so close to us. This feeling set me on a path of exploration that I continue to follow. These photographs document the tragic beauty of disruptions to nature happening before our eyes. The shots, taken in my local area, are meant to draw attention to the esoteric signs that nature gives us at every step. The images were shot using a combination of ambient light and flash, sometimes ND filters. I colour-graded them in Capture One and Lightroom.

Image Name: Exotic appetite 1 Photographer Name: Federico Borella Year: 2022 Image Description: <p>Chameleons in plastic boxes, on display during an exotic animals trade fair in Vicenza, Italy, in November 2021.</p> Series Name: Exotic Appetite: Inside the Italian Exotic Animal Trade Series Description: It's common to think that ’wet markets’ only exist in Asian countries, but in Italy there are also fairs at which thousands of exotic animals are displayed and sold, and huge profits are made. At these fairs, exotic animals are considered collectibles. They’re often stressed, kept in plastic trays the same size as the animals they contain, and anyone can touch them. Among the stands it's not uncommon to find animals who are solitary by nature, forced to live in groups, and animals with a strong social nature isolated in plastic boxes. There is also the question of potential risks to human health.

Image Name: Hunters 1 Photographer Name: Brent Stirton Year: 2022 Image Description: <p>DOUME VILLAGE, LASTOURSVILLE, GABON, 29 JUNE 2021: Expert bushmeat hunter Nkani Mbou Mboudin is seen with an antelope he just shot hunting in the forest around his village. This village survives on fishing and bushmeat. Gabon has a sustainable bushmeat culture, largely because of its small population and large protected habitats.</p> Series Name: Bushmeat Hunters Series Description: This is a series of bushmeat hunter portraits taken in Guyana, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. These men are seen in an age-old act, bringing animals they have hunted back to their villages. Some of these men are hunting for other, wealthier men who have employed them, others are hunting for their families. In all cases, very little of what they hunted was consumed in the village. Bushmeat commands a high price, which increases as it gets to major cities. These days, hunting of this kind is almost always about an economy of supply and demand.

Image Name: Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari Province – Kurd City – 2021 Photographer Name: Majid Hojjati Year: 2022 Image Description: A painting of lush nature, with the clean climate of Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari province’s past, is located in the dry desert of this province. The sign reads: ‘I must remember not to do anything that is against the law of the Earth’. Series Name: The Earth Belongings Series Description: Life has meaning in human beliefs with its symbols. Mountains, forests, plains, free and beautiful creatures, and clear blue skies are all creations that will come to mind when we hear the word ‘life’. Where it is free from the fence of man, and there is no trace of human presence in it, it is ‘nature’. Where humans stepped in without understanding and respecting the spirit of nature, they endangered the existence of other beings. And then from this soil, nothing but a lifeless body will remain. The mountains will forget the flight of the eagles, and the noble howls of the horses will not be heard in the plains; and even the lion, that king of the forest, will be only a name in the books. These elements belong to the planet and are inseparable from it, without them what is left is a cold, lost and distorted image that no longer resembles anything. Maybe it's time to weigh what we have taken from nature and what we have given it and measure what we have done with the universe.

Image Name: Tree 3 Photographer Name: Gareth Iwan Jones Year: 2022 Image Description: <p>Beech Tree, Autumn</p> Series Name: Tree Series Description: This project was born of the Covid-19 lockdowns, and the impact upon my work as a portrait photographer. Inspired by my home county of Wiltshire, where the distinctive landscape features many knolls with lone trees raised above the horizon line. Unable to photograph people, I turned to my love of trees. I wondered if it was possible to take a unique portrait of these quiet giants. I chose to photograph against dusk skies and lit the trees with drones to create an otherworldly impression. As lockdowns took hold, so did this project. I started looking into every field and up every hill for aesthetically interesting treescapes. While many people discovered the joys of walking in nature during the lockdowns, once the sun had set it was just me, the trees and the darkness, which was an experience that at first terrified me but with time I began to relish.

Image Name: 10 Photographer Name: Mehdi Mohebi Puor Year: 2022 Image Description: The few lucky birds that survive will migrate from the lagoon, and may return next year. Series Name: Painful Death of Birds Series Description: In recent years, we have witnessed the death of thousands of migratory birds in Iran’s Miankaleh Wetland – the cause is still unknown. This is a set of efforts by environmental forces to collect and bury birds.

Image Name: Labyrinth of Speleothems Photographer Name: Martin Broen Year: 2022 Image Description: A diver navigating his underwater scooter through a chamber full of stalactites and stalagmites, showing the raw nature and amazing textures of the flooded caves in Mexico Series Name: Unknown world below the ground Series Description: This series was shot in the underwater cave system of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico – the biggest underwater river system in the world, with amazingly decorated tunnels and chambers that can compete with the best gothic churches in the world. These decorations took millennia to form in the dry caves and then got preserved when the caves flooded after the last ice age. A majestic world that is under our feet and is barely known due to the challenge of reaching and photographing it, with no natural light beyond the entry points (cenotes). These are locations that may be hours away from the closest exit to safety, through a labyrinth of underwater tunnels, but that can offer (to the daring photographer) some unique experiences to shoot.

27. Februar 2021,00:15

Newsletter

Von Gesundheit bis Fotografie Abonnieren Sie jetzt Ihren Lieblings-Newsletter von GEO

Propaganda sei dieses Bild, sagt Gisela Heidenreich. Tatsächlich war ihre Mutter kalt und distanziert. Über ihre NS-Vergangenheit lügt und schweigt sie nach dem Krieg

Nationalsozialismus Geboren, geraubt, belogen: Die Schicksale der Lebensborn-Kinder

Tiktaalik Illustration

Evolution Wie das Leben an Land kam

Gynäkologenstuhl

Zwangsverhütung auf Grönland Das dunkle Vermächtnis der dänischen Herrschaft

Blick auf den Watzmann im Abendlicht

Watzmann Haben wir die Demut vor den Bergen verloren?

Nahaufnahme eines Schimpansen

Thanatologie Wissen Tiere, dass sie sterben müssen?

Eine Region im Gehirn entscheidet überraschend mit, wie optimistisch oder wie pessimistisch wir sind

Psychologie Wodurch wir zu Optimisten oder Pessimisten werden

Foto eines gläsernen Gehirns mit Viruspartikeln im Inneren

Schlummernde Gefahr Was Herpesviren im Gehirn anrichten

Ein Mädchen übt auf einer Geige

Wissenschaft Fleiß oder Talent? Was für unseren Erfolg entscheidender ist

Um die Terroranschläge vom 11. September 2001 ranken sich zahlreiche Verschwörungstheorien, etwa, dass Mitglieder der US-Regierung die Anschläge bewusst geschehen ließen

Von Illuminaten bis QAnon Die Macht der Verschwörungstheorien

Keinen Durchblick im Diäten-Dschungel? Einfache Faustformeln erleichtern das Abnehmen

Einfacher abnehmen Drei simple Faustregeln, die hilfreicher sind als Kalorientabellen

Edward Witten hat die Physik seit den 1980ern wie kaum ein anderer geprägt. Mit seiner Stringtheorie will er nicht weniger als alles: die finale Erklärung des Universums liefern. Doch das Mammutprojekt ist in der Krise. Und was es über die Natur berichtet, ist selbst für den "Einstein unserer Zeit" schwer zu akzeptieren

Gespräch mit einem Genie Der "Einstein unserer Zeit" hadert mit seiner Theorie. Warum?

Ein Behandler drückt den Nacken einer liegenden Frau mit den Händen

Wissenschaftlich geprüft Sanfte Hände, große Versprechen: Was kann Osteopathie wirklich?

Frau hängt an einer Schnur und wird von einer Hand hochgehalten

Psychologie Welche Phasen narzisstische Beziehungen haben – und wer hineingerät

Frau schaut in den nächtlichen Sternenhimmel

Astrologie Steht unser Schicksal in den Sternen?

zwei Menschen fahren auf einem Fahrrad mit Luftpolster umwickelt

Partnerschaft Wie Verspieltheit Krisen entschärft – und das Liebesleben spannender macht

Illustration Manching

Manching Vom Alltag in der Kelten-Metropole

Eine Männerdomäne? Heute boxen immer mehr Frauen. Der Kopfschutz bewahrt Autorin Constanze Löffler vor Verletzungen beim Kickboxen

Kampfsport Weshalb mich Kickboxen so glücklich macht

Jedes Nein ist ein Ja zu den eigenen Bedürfnissen

Psychologie Warum Neinsagen eine Superkraft ist – und wie wir sie anwenden

Patricia Brennan in ihrem Labor mit Silikonabgüssen von Tiervaginas

Sex im Tierreich Eine Evolutionsbiologin erklärt das Wettrüsten der Genitalien

Vulkane unter der Eifel

Interview "Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass in der Eifel ein Vulkan losgeht, liegt bei 100 Prozent"

Im Gefängnis der Zwangsgedanken: Bin ich noch normal?, fragen sich Betroffene von Zwängen

Psychologie des Zwangs Bin ich noch normal? Wenn verstörende Gedanken zur Qual werden

Mehr zum Thema

30. September 2025,06:00

14 Bilder

Eibsee

Naturwunder 14 Landschaften, die in Deutschland liegen - aber gar nicht danach aussehen

29. September 2025,10:47

9 Bilder

Surfer vor Riesenwelle

Naturphänomene Vulkane, Stürme, Monsterwellen: Bühne frei für großes Drama

26. September 2025,10:38

13 Bilder

Zwei Gottesanbeterinnen

Preisgekrönte Fotografie Gottesanbeterinnen beim Ausdruckstanz und Landschaften aus der Vogelperspektive

26. September 2025,06:00

10 Bilder

Eselspinguine tauchen ins Wasser ein

Ocean Photographer of the Year Tanzende Haie und Monsterwellen: Preisgekrönte Meeresfotografie

24. September 2025,13:09

13 Bilder

Indonesischer Vulkan Kelimutu

Fotografie Eismassen, Stürme und Vulkane: Naturgewalten in Bildern

17. September 2025,09:14

6 Bilder

Eine Klapperschlange im Mondlicht

Fritz-Pölking-Fotopreis Verehrt, gefürchtet und gejagt: Preisgekrönte Bilder der Klapperschlange

27. August 2025,17:22

15 Bilder

Flamingo

Fotowettbewerb Diese Naturfotografien zeigen die fragile Schönheit der Wildnis

27. August 2025,17:03

Die KI-Darstellung (r.) des Feldhamsters ähnelt eher einem Goldhamster. Das echte Tier (l.) ist deutlich größer und massiger, der Kopf ist länger und läuft zur Nase hin spitzer zu. Auch die arttypische braun-weiße Fellmusterung ist deutlich dunkler und kontrastreicher, als es die KI entwirft. Die Unterseite ist bei Feldhamstern schwarz gefärbt, beim KI-generierten Tier ist dort weißes Fell sichtbar. In diesem Beispiel wird die Neigung der KI zur Verniedlichung deutlich: Augen und Kopf sind im KI-Bild klar überproportioniert

Interview Gefährliche Illusion: Wie KI-Tierbilder unsere Wahrnehmung verfälschen

10. Juli 2025,06:00

13 Bilder

Surreal: Die Natur formte diesen geometrisch perfekten Bergkegel, der auf 3500 Metern über den Salzfeldern der argentinischen Anden thront. Noch magischer wirkt Cono de Arita im Licht der symmetrisch gespiegelten Gegendämmerungsstrahlen. Sie entstehen, wenn die Sonne kurz vor dem Aufgehen oder direkt nach ihrem Untergang hinter dem Horizont steht. "Es ist ein ganz besonderer Ort mit unglaublichen Möglichkeiten und sehr unterschiedlichen Blickwinkeln", sagt Fotograf Ignacio Palacios. Seine Drohnenaufnahme des Cono de Arita ist das "Foto des Jahres".

Aerial Photographer of the Year Die Welt als Vogel sehen: Faszinierende Fotografien von ganz weit oben