Nature can be photographed in countless ways. It can be vast and dramatic, intimate and delicate, wild and unpredictable, or so small that we might easily overlook it. For AAP Magazine #60: Nature, photographers from around the world were invited to explore this extraordinary subject through their own eyes.
The result is a diverse collection of contemporary photography bringing together 25 photographers from 14 countries across 3 continents.
From expansive landscapes and solitary trees to flowers, insects, birds and wild animals, the selected photographs offer very different ways of looking at the natural world. Monkeys, a striking rhinoceros hornbill, plants, coastlines and details from the environments around them all become part of this visual exploration.
What makes the issue particularly interesting is the range of scale. Some photographs immerse us in enormous landscapes, giving us a sense of space and distance. Others bring us much closer, finding beauty in a flower, the structure of a leaf, the body of an insect, or a small detail that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Animals are photographed in many different moments — moving, resting, observing, or simply existing within their surroundings. Rather than presenting nature in a single way, the photographers show how different our relationship with the natural world can be.
There is also a strong sense of time running through the work. Changing light, weather, seasons, growth, decay and movement all contribute to the character of these photographs. Some images feel peaceful and contemplative, while others remind us that nature is constantly changing and can never be completely controlled or predicted.
Perhaps the strongest connection between these very different approaches is simply the act of looking. The photographers featured in AAP Magazine #60: Nature take the time to observe their surroundings closely. They encourage us to do the same — to look beyond the obvious and notice the forms, textures, colors and details that make the natural world so endlessly fascinating.
First Place: Dev Kumar — Unspoken
The First Place winner is Dev Kumar from Malaysia, with the series Unspoken.
The title itself suggests something that runs throughout this issue: nature does not necessarily need to be explained to be understood. Through photography, a gesture, a landscape, an animal or a detail can communicate something without words.
Second Place: Thibault Gerbaldi — Living Coastlines
The Second Place winner is Thibault Gerbaldi from France/United States, with the series Living Coastlines.
His work turns our attention toward the coastline as a living environment, revealing the relationship between landscape, water and the life that exists along these constantly changing boundaries.
Third Place: Luca Pederneschi — Lost Worlds
The Third Place winner is Luca Pederneschi from Italy, with the series Lost Worlds.
The title evokes a sense of discovery and disappearance, adding another dimension to this exploration of the natural world and the environments we encounter, preserve, transform and sometimes lose.
Merit Award Gallery
Alongside the three top awards, 22 photographers received a Merit Award for their work:
Alexej Sachov (Germany), Thaddäus Biberauer (Germany), Jose Antonio Azcutia (Spain), Christine So (United States), Seppo Tuomaala (Finland), Carmen Vranau (Romania), Aline Taieb (France), Shawn Rosinski (United States), Brian Overcast (United States/Mexico), Rivka Katvan (United States), James Krajicek (United States), Yang Mo Lee (South Korea), Julie Wang (United States), Denis Churin (Russia/Portugal), Thibault Andrieux (France), Teri Figliuzzi (United States), Ciaran Willmore (Ireland), Beamie Young (United States), Jeremy Janus (United States), Dario Bonetto (Italy), Turgay Uzer (United States), and Anuj Rawla (India).
Together, these photographers demonstrate just how broad the idea of nature can be in contemporary photography. There is no single way to photograph the natural world, just as there is no single way to experience it.
With AAP Magazine #60: Nature, we are invited to slow down and pay attention — to the vast landscapes as well as the smallest details, to the animals we recognize and the forms we might normally overlook.
These photographs remind us that sometimes looking more closely is all it takes to see something differently.
Discover all 25 winning photographers and their photographs in AAP Magazine #60: Nature.
