"Change" photo competition - these are the winners
Reading time: 6 minutes - May 10, 2021 - by Melissa Stemmer
The last photo competition also had the theme "Change" to match the upcoming issue of Schnappschuss magazine. The art was to show a mixture of the present and the past or several states in one picture. Change can be multifaceted, so the meaning lies somewhere between different circumstances. Above all, it describes changes that can be seen as positive or negative. Change is evident in numerous themes, regardless of whether it is about the climate, history, nature or people. The spectrum is broad, and this is also reflected in your submissions.
You were not deterred by this huge task. You convinced us with your creativity and versatility, and we are overwhelmed by the numerous creative submissions. We received more than 2400 photos from over 950 participants. As you can imagine, it was very difficult for us to make a decision from such a large selection. But as the saying goes: there can only be one winner. Or as in our case: 5 first places! We put our heads together and filtered out the best shots.
We congratulate our 5 winners and say on behalf of the Foto Koch team: THANK YOU!
1. Place Max DreherThe winning photo - "Four seasons"
Maximilian Dreher won with a montage of different seasons in one picture. He submitted a total of three motifs from the series, including one motif that shows all four seasons. But the winner was this "two-picture combination". He wrote to us afterwards: "I have been pursuing the idea of a combined picture with the same motif for all seasons for almost exactly a year. I always got up early in the morning to capture the small pond before the first rays of sunshine and to ensure consistent conditions in the different seasons. With the Mavic drone I used, I also managed to photograph the image section as identically as possible each time by looking down vertically and at the same height. As you know from my other submissions, there are a total of four images from which the series was combined. The "Change" photo competition gave me the perfect opportunity to present my work.
The exact location where I took the photos remains my secret, as I had to search for it myself for several hours using Google Maps and on site. But I can reveal that the pond is near a rather famous mountain lake in southern Bavaria ;)"
About Maximilian Dreher:
"I'm 26 years old and come from and live in Munich. I've been photographing ambitiously for three years, but I got my first Nikon (D3100) six years ago to take photos during vacation trips. I currently use a Nikon Z6 and Mavic 2 Pro, which I also had with me on a trip around the world from September 19 to March 20. On days off, I'm always drawn out into nature with my Instagram photo buddies, mainly in the Alps due to the proximity. As soon as it's possible again, I'm planning more trips. "
You can find more photos and works on his website and Instagram.
2. Place Karl Scholten2nd place - Mona Lisa
In second place is the photo by Karl Scholten. He writes to us: "The photo was taken during my first trip to Paris. As always, I had my little Fujifilm X100T with me when I visited the Louvre. When I arrived at the Louvre, I realized that for most visitors everything revolved around the Mona Lisa and the other paintings were hardly noticed. Most of the rooms in the building were almost empty. You could hear the crowd of people in front of the Mona Lisa from a long way off. Once there, I was caught offguard by a surprising situation. Everyone just wanted to take a photo of or preferably with the Mona Lisa. There was security staff in front of the picture itself who moved people on after a few seconds. For me, the situation was so surreal that I tried to capture it with my camera. So a photo of or better with the Mona Lisa seems to be more important than the sight itself."
Karl Scholten on Instagram
3. Place Felix Weichsel3rd place - Moscow in transition
Felix Weichsel used the contrast between old and new buildings to illustrate the transformation. "The picture was taken a little to the west of Moscow city center. The city has been undergoing extreme change for a few years now, including architecturally. The old Soviet buildings are now being joined by modern skyscrapers. In connection with the new small district, which is peppered with skyscrapers - called "Moscow City" - the contrasts of the existing architecture can always be staged well, be it through massive Soviet apartment blocks along the wide arterial roads or, as in this picture, the Church of the Protection and Intercession of the Virgin Mary, which was built at the end of the 17th century, in combination with the modern glass towers in the background. "
You can find more pictures on Instagram.
4. Place Thomas Wegmann4. Place - Trabi snake
This picture by Thomas Wegmann describes a major turning point in German history. The theme of change was taken up here primarily in terms of content, but also because it is a historical photograph. "I was studying in L?beck at the time and cycled into the city on the evening of 9/11. I was very surprised to see a long queue in front of McDonald's. I was even more surprised by the appearance of the people (thick glasses, somewhat old-fashioned clothes...). I immediately went home, turned on the TV and watched Mr. Schabowski's press conference... On Saturday, November 11th, I drove to the border in Schlutup and greeted the people crossing the border with many others. That's where I took this picture."
5. Place Thomas M?ller5th place - Abandoned synagogue
5th place comes from Thomas M?ller and shows a lost place. He wrote to us that the picture was taken on a photo trip through Eastern Europe and was taken in an abandoned synagogue.
You can find more pictures by the photographer on his website or on Instagram.
Conclusion of the Change 2021 photo competition
With the pictures of the five winners, we have only shown a small selection of unique and interesting ways of capturing change photographically. Many images only just failed to make it into the top five, as there was too much to choose from.
We would like to thank all participants and look forward to receiving interesting entries for future competitions. The next opportunities will soon be waiting at our online Fototage. Until then, we hope you continue to enjoy photography and all the moments that can be associated with it and captured!
Photo competition "Change" - All pictures
The prizes
1st place: Nikon Z50 + DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR
Compact system camera for beginners and intermediates
2nd place: Leica Monovid 8x20 Blackline
Monocular telescope with 8x magnification
3rd place: Syrp Super Dark Variable ND Filter small + large
ND filter set for light reduction by 5-10 f-stops
4. 1st place: X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Photo 2
Color calibrator for more color control
5th place: Moab Moenkopi Sampler A4 + Moab SAMPLER EU A4
Especially high-quality photo paper in different variants
