Ukrainian photographer takes 3rd place at the 5th Annual International Drone Photography Contest

The judges of the fifth annual International Drone Photography Contest, which is organized by the popular social network Dronestagram in cooperation with National Geographic, have announced the list of the best drone photos for 2018.

If at last year's award all entries were divided into three categories "Nature, People, City" (+ special "Creativity") and in each of the categories were selected 3 winners, in 2018, the jury was not so generous and the winners were only 3 photo works.

Despite the increased competition, the work of Ukrainian photographer Eugene Samuchenko from Odessa took the third place among several thousand photos from authors from all over the world. In addition to Ukraine, the top three winners included images from Tanzania and Vietnam.

"My picture was taken a few months ago on the beach of the 13th station of the Big Fountain in Odessa. Although I am an experienced travel photographer, but I got the drone recently and at that time I just started my first flights. I went to the sea almost every day in search of interesting aerial shots" - said Samuchenko.

Eric Dupin, founder of Dronestagram, said: "Despite the various regulations and restrictions that are increasingly affecting drones, creativity cannot be limited and the unique view of the world that drones offer us continues to make us dream."

And so, the winners of the 5th annual International Drone Photography Contest 2018 awards are:

1st place

• Title: Hungry Hippos
• Author: zekedrone (Martin Sanchez)

Last year the author has already won the prize with Falling from the edge of lines, and in 2018 he traveled to Tanzania and brought back a winning photo of a herd of hippos taking mud baths.

Author's comment:

"I was planning to go to Utah, USA at the end of the year until at the last minute my friend asked me if I wanted to go to Tanzania and shoot wildlife. As exciting as it sounds, I almost turned down the opportunity. Looking ahead, I finally said yes to the trip and we ended up in some isolated area of Tanzania where we came across a small body of water. As we got closer, I couldn't believe my eyes. I knew at that moment I had to get the most unique angle, as this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity."

2nd place

• Title: Fishing net
• Author: Trung Pham

Last May, photographer Trung Pham captured this mesmerizing image of a Vietnamese fisherman casting a large net into the sea.

Author's comment:

"It was such a memorable moment when I was driving from Ho Chi Minh City to Tuy Hoa, a small town in central Vietnam, 500 kilometers away. I was planning to take pictures of a village where lobsters are raised. When I raised the drone in the air, I saw a fishing boat with a huge fishing net. I didn't miss the moment to capture it."

3rd place

• Title: 2 people, 2 dogs, 4 shadows
• Author: qliebin (Eugene Samuchenko)

The shadows of two dogs and their owners are captured in this fascinating shot taken on the shore of the Black Sea, on one of Odessa's city beaches.

Author's comment:

"This photo was taken in the morning on the Black Sea beach (Odessa, Ukraine). I live near this place and almost every day I walk by the sea with my drone. The day before I took this photo, I noticed that during certain morning hours, shadows from people fall exactly perpendicular to the water line. The next day I arrived specifically at this time - I flew along the surf and looked for interesting subjects. People were walking their dogs at this time, so I took some photos and then chose the best shot where the silhouettes were best seen."

The jury also noted a number of photos that fell just a little short of becoming winners in 2018, but these works deserve no less attention.

South African photographer Luke Maximo Bell managed to capture with his drone a female Southern Smooth Whale with her newborn baby whale off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa.

One of the images that received praise from the judges was taken by Russian photographer Maxim Tarasov while he was traveling in Iceland.

Another work by Trung Pham was recognized by the jury. It depicts lobster cages in the coastal province of Phu Yen, Vietnam.

User J Galamba took a stunning aerial photo of a river meeting the ocean in East Timor.

Author's comment:

"At the beginning of the rainy season, the mountain rivers come alive again, bringing mud and debris to the ocean. The water then clearly separates into two parts: brownish muddy river water and dark blue ocean water. This attracts flocks of fish to the shore. And where there are fish, there are fishermen."

The stunning roof of an unusual building in Singapore. The photo was taken by Macbook Boy user.

A polar bear is stuck on a small piece of sea ice in a stunning photo taken by photographer Florian Ledoux in Greenland.

The author of this photo also won a prize in the nature category last year with his Ice formation shot

Author's comment:

"They are among the first refugees of climate change. Polar bears depend on sea ice not only as a platform for hunting, but also as a place where they can rest between hunts and a place where they can breed"

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