The winner of the IGPOTY 10 Macro Art Photo Project is George Pantazis with his shot ‘Embryo’ (above) taken in his home town of Mouttagiaka in Limassol, Cyprus.
He embarked on a photoshoot around his house one morning and only discovered the significance of what he was shooting when he switched to macro.
Mr Pantazis said: “Whilst looking for subjects my attention was caught by flashes of lilac and green in between areas of darkness. The meaning of the shot became clear when I started taking macro pictures. The photograph looks remarkably like a human embryo, particularly the stamens which resemble developing fingers.“
Tyrone McGlinchey, Managing Director of IGPOTY said: “It’s amazing what macro photography can reveal. One thing which really stands out in a lot of particularly good macro shots is the identification of parallel, almost analogous natural structures. This reminds us of how simple universal laws create the elegance and complexity of nature.”
Thirst. Image by Vyacheslav Mishchenko
Woods in a Pod. Image by Minghui Yuan
Inspiration is something that we often discuss and not unlike writers block finding a subject to photograph can lead to photographers block!
Images are all around us and yet sometimes it’s difficult to see, George Pantazis winner of the 2016 Macro Art competition found that by shooting in macro opened up another world of images to him. World Photo Adventure has for a number of years promoted the International Garden Photographer Of The Year – IGPOTY – competition. The diversity of imagery submitted is immense and the finalists and winning photographs can only be inspirational to other photographs who maybe looking for other subjects or different angles in which to photograph.
Alpine Hypericum. Image by Mandy Disher
Red Ribbons. Image by Linde Stewart
Black Cherry Plum Blossom. Image by Jacky Parker
Photography is usually a solitary pastime or profession, which perhaps is how it should be – being at one with whatever is your preferred subject. WPA have discovered that great images are to be had in the garden, in nearby cityscapes and landscapes, and suddenly, as if for the first time, we were “seeing” with fresh eyes.
It is exciting getting ready for a trip to a new distant destination, but keep in mind that you do not have to travel far to find subjects that can be fascinating to photograph and can quickly immerse yourself in another world.
Astrantia. Image by Jane Dibnah
Autumn Leaf. Image by Valeria Donnellan
Spider Nest. Image by Chris Speller
Designed by Nature is a fitting title and tribute for the selection of photographs that we are privileged to showcase in this article. Once again the IGPOTY Macro Art competition has produced a wealth of stunning images which I have no doubt will prove the stimulus to get that camera ready and get out there and start shooting.
Snuggle in Water. Image by Minghui Yuan
All Tied Up. Image by Gillian Plummer
Purple Swirl Image by Jackie Kramer
All images are © copyright of the individual photographers and reproduced by permission of the International Garden Photography Of The Year competition.
IGPOTY continues to be the premium global competition for garden and plant photography -open to all ages, amateurs and professionals alike, with a Young Garden Photographer of the Year award for under 16s. The IGPOTY exhibition, also tours the UK and worldwide – including Sweden, Portugal and the Netherlands. Click on the image below to find out more about IGPOTY.
