This image is from a series named, "Territory" where each image features a guard and his guardhouse. "Guard booths are architecturally inexpressive and humble, although present in the urban landscape," says photographer, Reinis Hofmanis. "Those are images that feature the moment at which the guard has spotted or is approaching the photographer. It is a brief moment in time, one that can be described as an intermediate situation before the actual event. Photos are captured in twilight conditions, when the lighting is visible. Contemporary architecture is unthinkable without the light. Light plays an important role in highlighting and hiding."
Winners from the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards will be announced on April 25, 2013.
Ryan Pierse, Australia, finalist, sport
The Australian Mens Olympic water polo team are photographed in an empty Bondi Icebergs pool at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia on May 31, 2012. "The Aussie Sharks as they are known were finalizing their preparations for the 2012 London Olympic Games when I asked them to pose in an famous ocean pool ... with the twist of it being empty." Adds photographer, Ryan Pierse: "The images have a timeless Australian feel to them."
Daesung Lee, Korea, finalist, contemporary issues
"I focused on showing the tragic situation rather than on a story of their lives. I did not want to follow the general style of photojournalism, because the eroding shore tells the story about the situation where villagers live in." says photographer, Daesung Lee of his photo, taken on Ghoramara Island, located in West Bengal. Due to the dramatic increase in sea level, resulting from global warming since the 1960
Gali Tibbon, Israel, finalist, travel, professional competition
Every year just before Christmas day thousands of pious orthodox Christian worshipers make pilgrimage to Lalibela, a small town in Ethiopia's highlands, known as Jerusalem of Africa or Black Jerusalem. Lalibela is famous for its 13th century monolithic churches, carved out of the living rock and one of the world's great wonders.
Nenad Saljic, Croatia, finalist, landscape, professional competition
The Matterhorn was the last great Alpine peak to be conquered and its first ascent in 1865 marked the end of the golden age of alpinism. Its North Face, which is on all images, is among the "Three Great Problems" in the Alps and was not climbed until 1931. Photographer, Nenad Saljic says, "I have been around Zermatt countless times, the village nestled at the foot of the Matterhorn, looking toward the mountains and trying to capture the exquisiteness of this magical peak and its endless state of change; to compress the passing of time." He adds, "This portfolio is a kind of memento to all climbers who dared to go there and for those who never returned."
Daniel Duart, Spain, finalist, travel, professional competition
This image is from a series called "Cities from a taxi." Photographer, Daniel Duart took this photo in Marrakesh from inside of a taxi showing a little girl walking home after school in the Muslim city. Duart says of his series which includes scenes from Paris and New York, "I don't ask the taxi driver what do I want to see. I just simply let me being carried, with my open eyes and aware of what happens outside the car. I shoot left and right, back and forth, with the avidity of a tourist, enthusiast of his new destination."
Jens Juul, Denmark, finalist, portraiture, professional
Taking its point of departure in the idea that every person on Earth is connected by six degrees of separation, photographer Jens Juul engages with random people in the streets of Copenhagen, taking highly personal photos of them. His subjects in turn send Juul on to another person in their network, who he can photograph, who then gives him the name of another person, repeating the process.
Gilbert Yu, Hong Kong, winner, arts and culture, open competition
"Fung Shun" fire dragon dance is a traditional ceremonial event held on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year in the Fung Shun area of southern China, and it has a history of more than 300 years. The dragons are composed of bamboo, metal wire and paper and are meticulously hand-made and painted by local artists before the event each year. The dragons are over 100 feet long and are heavily decorated with fireworks, firecrackers and fire arrows. Each dragon is carried and danced around by scores of strong and masculine men, while the fireworks shoot up in the dark sky. Photographer, Gilbert Yu says, "to take this picture, I need to dash across crowds of bystanders and try to force my way ahead of the dragons, and it takes many trials and errors before I can find the right settings for my camera given the unpredictable light source and chaos around. I was wearing protective mask and helmut (sic) to prevent fire burns and collision with the running people."
Myriam Meloni, Italy, finalist, arts and culture, professional competition
Myriam Meloni took this photo of twins Laura and Belen on the day of their fifteenth birthday celebration. In Latin America, the celebration of the fifteenth birthday of a teenager is very important because it marks the transition from childhood to maturity. The image is part of a series called "The Limousine" which Meloni describes as "an icon of the Argentinean popular culture."
Sandipan Mukherjee, India, shortlist, smile, open competition
This image is simply titled, "Shy." This little girl was photographed in Turtuk Village, Nubra Valley, Ladakh, India.
Scout Tufankjian, United States, shortlist, campaign, professional competition
This image is part of a series taken throughout the last four months of Barack Obama's 2012 presidential campaign. They were used by the campaign in television advertising, the web, social media, and print. This one shows a candid moment between the president and first lady sharing a lighter moment over sundaes.
Yeow Kwang Yeo, Singapore, panoramic, winner, open competition
This panoramic photo entitled, "My Old House" is by Yeow Kwang Yeo. "My home In this small village outside Jakarta, I met this old man who has been staying here since he was a boy. He was very hospitality (sic) and showed me around within his house, I took several photos and form this panoramic image in Photoshop."