Stunning nature plus spot-on lighting makes for an incredible photo. For our Seeking Light in Nature Photo Quest with Olympus, we asked you to submit your best photos of moments that featured light in nature.
Congratulations to the three talented photographers who won the top prizes! Check out the winners below, as selected by Olympus.
1st place went to Péter Hegedus for his photo “Together.” He won an OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1 Mark II, plus a Profoto B1 To-Go Kit and an Air Remote TTL-O.
Péter gives us the story behind the shot: I made my photo “Together” of wildflowers named pulsatilla. These flowers bloom every spring in a little village nearby, where we go hiking. The pulsatilla is a very photogenic plant because the whole flower is covered with hair, which protects the flower from the night frost specific to early spring. This flower is toxic; that’s why it is not advisable to tear it off or touch it. To take this photo, I used the Sigma 150-600mm telephoto lens at 600mm because of the lower depth of field and softer background. Unfortunately, this flower is seen less and less. I hope we can find this “little family” next spring too…
2nd place went to David Thompson, for his photo “Bluebell Woods.” He won an OLYMPUS OM-D E-M5 Mark II, plus, a Profoto Collapsible Reflector Sunsilver/White, and a Collapsible Reflector Translucent.
David gives us the story behind the shot: The photo was taken in Micheldever Woods, near Winchester in Hampshire, UK. I had made several visits to this location, but particularly wanted the early morning shafts of light as they came through the new growth on the trees and hit the carpet of bluebells. Timing was important to get the light in the right position, and also the development of the bluebells. I used a Nikon D3S with 24-70 f2.8 lens. Some post-processing was done in Lightroom to enhance the colours of the bluebells, and to reduce the highlights from the extreme, early morning sunlight. I have always loved bluebell woods, and on this occasion, it was very fortunate that everything seemed to work for me. However, a photo like this does require some research into weather conditions, and prior visits to determine the growth of the flowers.
3rd place went to Sander van der Werf, for his photo “Finally!” He won an OLYMPUS PEN-F, plus, a Profoto Collapsible Reflector Sunsilver/White.
Sander gives us the story behind the shot: At the end of the famous Laugavegur trail in Iceland, my girlfriend and I stayed at the camping site Húsadalur in Pórsmörk for two nights. I had seen the potential of this well-known hilltop doing online research at home. Being able to photograph here was one of the bonuses of hiking the Laugavegur trail, and I wanted to make time to do it. With days and days of incredible amounts of rain, zero visibility, and two food packages I had sent by bus that disappeared, we hadn’t had the best luck on our trip up to then. On the fourth trip to this mountaintop (I went up two times for sunset, once for sunrise, and once on a trail run) I caught this magnificent, golden sunset. Since I had been there before, I knew exactly the right spot and what to do. I set the remote timer, got on the ridge and took a lot of shots. I repeated this process a couple of times. I think this is the best shot. It was taken with a LEE .75 soft grade ND filter. I double-processed it in Lightroom and blended the two different exposures to a single image in Photoshop.
For more great shots of light in nature, check out the honorable mentions below:
Did you miss this Quest? Check out our upcoming Quests here, and submit your best photos for a chance to win great prizes!
About Olympus
With its range of digital cameras and audio recorders, Olympus’ Camera and Audio business is dedicated to offering a wide selection of ways to capture and enjoy life’s most precious moments. Olympus has a long history of combining innovative technology, usability and excellent quality with an extraordinary yet highly functional design. Examples include our mirrorless OM-D and Olympus PEN camera series as well as the associated M.Zuiko lenses. Along with our Tough compact camera series, Olympus fulfils the expectations of demanding photographers: cameras boasting highest performance, compact design and low weight.
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