Scene from a Climber's Dream
Who is behind this initiative? We contacted the Director of the PNA (and photographer), Franck Seguin : "I have organized other astronomical-themed photographic awards, more focused on technique, on the arts to combat light pollution... in Astrophotography . I wanted to create something new, a purely photographic award : for about ten years, with the new cameras, I watched how my colleagues sought to capture the stars on a dark night; on the other hand, the astrophotographers, sought to add a more terrestrial part in their compositions... The marriage between these two tendencies was sung. With NAPs, the only thing I wanted was to reward that idyll between heaven and earth".
The level of the winners, both in the Night Landscape category and in the Urban one, is evident. And that the call it is not only open to professional photographers (yes, you can and should introduce yourself) . But, what makes night photography 'the best in the world'? What do you have to have to attract the attention of the PNA jury? "I always ask the jury to heed to emotions, to framing, to composition ... The technique is very important, because with Photoshop it is too easy to spoil the photograph, add stars, ruin the composition..."
Sky hunters on the hunt
One of the most important parts of this communion between the divine and the earthly is the location. What is, according to the criteria of the Director of the awards, the best night landscape? "He will never be the best technically speaking; he will always be one that exudes emotion ".
But we are not only talking about snapshots: PNAs also reward movement in the form of timelapse. Curiously, the winner of this edition is the Spanish José Antonio Hervás, with an Ibizan timelapse. The jury chose it from more than 400 photographs and timelapses from more than 50 countries... (good for national pride). In this gallery you can enjoy the winning photographs of the PNA and then enjoy the three winning timelapses of the edition.
**WINNER IN THE TIMELAPSE CATEGORY, 'LIGHTS OF IBIZA' BY JOSÉ ANTONIO HERVÁS **
**SECOND PRIZE: 'AFTER DARKNESS' BY MARK GEE (NEW ZEALAND AND TEKAPO LANDSCAPES) **
THIRD PRIZE: 'ESCENES VOLCANICA' BY LUC PERROT, SHOT ON THE PLAIN OF LAS ARENAS IN REUNION ISLAND
** 2016 EDITION .** If you are also a sky seeker, you can present yourself to the new edition of the Photo Nightscape Awards from february 9 . The photograph or timelapse that you present (it can only be one, so choose well) must be taken between October 1, 2015 and September 30, 2016 . Seguin points out that the call is open to professionals and non-professionals and that the requirements are simple: "You just have to take the shot before after dark and before dawn and you must portray stars or the moon . If you want to enter the Night Landscape category, a terrestrial element ; the Urban category must present some monument or building or and the photo must be taken from a city. we also have a junior category but, for the moment, only open to the participation of French neophytes...". All that remains is for us to wish you luck and... to chase skies!
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