All these amazing photos were taken with smartphones

MANILA, Philippines – You don’t need fancy, top-of-the-line technology to capture stunning photographs, and this year’s winners of the iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS) again show how it’s really the eye of a skilled photographer – the eye for details and stories, more than anything.

Sometimes, it requires patience, but there will be times when luck or focus allows one to preserve a split second in an arresting image. There are people, places, nature, and things in these photos, but what’s consistent in all of them is their power to move – even if they were taken with a ubiquitous tool.

Here are the photographers of the year:

All photos courtesy of iPhone Photography Awards

Grand Prize Winner – Photographer of the Year: Siyuan Niu (Xinjiang, China)

 

Siyuan Niu describes the subjects of his photograph, titled “Man with Eagle,” as quoted on the IPPA website: “The brave and wise Khalkhas live along the mountains in the south of Xinjiang and are companions with the eagles. They regard eagles as their children and train them for many years to hunt.”

“This 70 year old man is rigid and solemn in front of family and friends, but when he is with his beloved eagle, the corner of his mouth would curve up. When the eagles reach mating age, although he is very reluctant, the man releases the eagles back into nature so that they can thrive. A mild heart and exquisite love are covered by his weather-beaten face. He is a tough man with a tender heart.”

1st Prize Winner – Photographer of the Year: Patryk Kuleta (Warsaw, Poland)

Patryk Kuleta combines his backgrounds in graphic design and photography to create this “impressionistic” picture with multiple shots taken in Warsaw and Strasbourg, France. 

2nd Prize Winner – Photographer of the Year: Robin Robertis (Carlsbad, CA, United States)

 

Robin Robertis tells the story behind this iPhone photo, which was taken during an iPhone workshop: “I tend to bring a few things when I travel, one being this wonderful red umbrella. When others shoot the sunsets and beautiful scenery, I like to photograph some human aspects in these scenes.”

3rd Prize Winner – Photographer of the Year: Carolyn Mara Borlenghi (Coral Gables, FL, United States)

“This image was taken as part of a series I did for instagram’s #WHPwonderland,” Carolyn Mara Borlenghi said. “Each weekend when the hashtag project comes out I try to come up with an idea and this particular weekend, the weekend before Christmas, was wonderland.”

So, she just went on a trip to the beach with her son, and took reindeer masks with them – thus, the image above.

Check out the photos from the different categories: 

Abstract

1st: Jiayu Ma (Dallas, TX, United States)

2nd: Junfeng Wang (Shanghai, China)

3rd: Jinsong Hu (Kunming, China)

Architecture

1st: Jian Wang (Beijing, China)

2nd: Patryk Kuleta (Warsaw, Poland)

3rd: Patryk Kuleta (Warsaw, Poland)

Animals

1st: Erica Wu (San Francisco, CA, United States)

2nd: Mette Lampcov (Los Angeles, CA, United States)

3rd: Junbiao Cai (Guangdong, China)

Children

1st: K K (Changsha, China)

2nd: Siyuan Niu (Xinjiang, China)

3rd: Bruno Dreux (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Flowers

1st: Lone Bjørn (Zurich, Switzerland)

2nd: Amo Passicos (Prades-le-Lez, France)

3rd: Qinglan Qu (Newark, DE, United States)

Food

1st: Andrew Montgomery (Hampton Wick, United Kingdom)

2nd: He Kuankuan (Shanghai, China)

3rd: Andrew Montgomery (Hampton Wick, United Kingdom)

Landscape

1st: Vasco Galhardo Simoes (Lisbon, Portugal)

2nd: Nazaret Sanchez Rodriguez (Tarragona, Spain)

3rd: Jian Wang (Beijing, China)

 

Lifestyle

1st: Yuki Cheung (Hong Kong)

2nd: Jason Greene (Los Angeles, CA, United States)

3rd: Rithwik V J (Tamil Nadu, India)

Nature

1st: Junfeng Wang (Shanghai, China)

2nd: Yang Zhang (Shanghai, China)

3rd: Lei Yuting, Xianyou (Fujian, China)

News/Events

1st: Loulou d’Aki (Säter, Sweden)

2nd: Hernan Ramos (Santiago, Chile)

3rd: Liang Huang (Shanxi, China)

 

Panorama

1st: Glenn Homann (Ipswich, Australia)

 

 

 

2nd: Diana Mota (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)

 

3rd: Jen Pollack Bianco (Seattle, WA, United States)

 

People

1st: Xia Zhenkai (Guangdong, China)

2nd: Scott Woodward (Singapore)

3rd: Yi Lin Hu (Honolulu, HI, United States)

Portrait

1st: Elaine Taylor (Leeds, United Kingdom)

2nd: Geri Centonze (Corona, CA, United States)

3rd: Paddy Chao (Taiwan)

Seasons

1st: Valencia Tom (New York, NY, United States)

2nd: Cocu Liu (San Francisco, CA, United States)

3rd: Matthew Sullivan (Westwood, MA, United States)

Still life

1st: Wen Qi (Guangdong, China)

2nd: Fan Long (Shanghai, China)

3rd: Maddy McCoy (Alexandria, VA, United States)

Sunset

1st: Nicky Ryan (Sydney, Australia)

2nd: Yongmei Wang (Chongqing, China)

3rd: Phillip Nix (Hilton Head Island, SC, United States)

Travel

1st: Fugen Xiao (Guangdong, China)

Taken in Xiapu, Fujian Province

2nd: Donghai Xia (Fujian, China)

Taken in a Suti village, Fujian, China

3rd: Shiyang Han (Beijing, China)

Trees

1st: Victor Kintanar (Cebu City, Philippines)

2nd: Conchi Muñoz (Tarragona, Spain)

3rd: Gianluca Ricoveri (Pisa, Italy)

Others

1st: Kevin Casey (Pemulwuy, Australia)

2nd: Kechen Song (Tempe, AZ, United States)

3rd: Zero Lai (Hong Kong)

Which photos caught your attention? Moved you? Let us know in the comments. – Rappler.com

 

---

The power to take your arts career to the next level is in your hands. Click here to apply for jobs in the arts and creatives scene on the Rappler x Kalibrr Job Board.