From a young Nepalese woman with her baby tied upon her
back, to a girl in a pretty frock in a wooded area surrounded by swarms of
butterflies, they are photographs that show worlds apart.
Some of the pictures - taken from around the globe - would
not appear out of place in children's tales such as the Secret Garden or the
Chronicles of Narnia.
Others show the paradoxical reality of some of the world's
most frugal people, enjoying the technological advances of the western world.
Monks are pictured in a barren landscape on an iPod in
Malaysia and tigers, appearing almost magical, are pictured bounding through
the snow in China.
The images are among dozens of stunning entries that are
shortlisted in a global photography competition, the Sony World
Photography Awards.
All of the entries are vying for a top spot in this years awards.
And with just one month remaining for professional and
amateur photographers to submit their images, the competition is getting
extremely tough.
Already submitted are an array of photographs taken across the world -
including an atmospheric close up of Birmingham’s Bullring and a British bus
stop packed full with people.
Waiting at the bus stop has people from all walks of life
and all generations, from teenagers to pensioners. Some are injured and some
look more frail than others.
Another photograph shows a heron in the Maldives preparing
for take off and bathers in a choppy sea in Singapore about to be hit by a big
wave.
Some of the photographs are so vivid and colourful, they
even appear to be photo-shopped.
Professional photographers will compete for the title of L’Iris d’Or plus
$25,000 (£15,500).
Meanwhile amateur photographers will scoop the Open
Photographer of the Year 2013 title, plus $5,000 (£3,105).
British photographers Palmer and Pawel, 2012 category
winners, said: 'The awards allow you to reach a much wider audience, they open
doors and enable you to take advantage of opportunities that otherwise might
not be available.
'Winning the Professional Sport category not only allowed us to gain more
exposure but it also resulted in us being funded to carry out our Sao Paulo
Nights project - we shot the first part when we were invited by Sony Brazil to
the city to talk about our work.'
Argentinean photographer Irina Werning described the support
of the World Photography Organisation to its winners as 'invaluable'.
Following her win at this year’s awards, Werning spent
November 2012 on a five-country tour of Latin America, made possible by Sony
Latin America and WPO.
All 2013 winning and finalist photographers will receive an exhibition of their
work at Somerset House, one of London’s historical landmarks, from April - May
2013.
The deadline for entries for the ten Open categories, for
amateurs and enthusiasts, is 4 January 2013.
The Professional competition, with 15 categories for serious
photographers, will close on 9 January 2013.
All entries are free via www.worldphoto.org
and the shortlist will be revealed on 5
February 2013.
Credits: Mail Online
