The winning entries of the May 2016 Instagram ‘Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards’ (HIPA) demonstrate the oft repeated belief that quality pictures are the work of the human brain.
Picking just ten winners out of 2799 submissions made on the broad theme of ‘Birds,’ must have been one of the toughest tasks.
HIPA Secretary General Ali bin Thalith said that the five-day competition attracted photographers from all over the world and that some of the submissions showed breathtaking wildlife photography ever seen.
He also announced that the theme of the June contest would be ‘Prayers’ to commemorate the Holy Month of Ramadan, which began on June 7.
Winner Mohammad Al Thani from Qatar said that he worked hard for two months, spending several hours per day in a camouflaged tent without making a single noise.
“This is my photography prize, which will catapult me to becoming an international winner in other competitions,” he said.
Russian winner Tatiana Smirnova won her award for her amazing photograph of the ‘Azure Tit,’ which is a rare and endangered species in Russia.
She said that her style of photography is usually more artistic and uses as little photo-shop as possible.
