Platinum Winner

Wings of Courage

Photographer

Fenqiang Liu

Category

Fine Art Photography - Open Theme

Company

Submission Group

Amateur

Year

2022

Country / Region

United States

On one perfect spring morning in Central Florida, I captured the moment a Great Egret took off decisively and beautifully from an ancient oak tree draped in Spanish moss. That was in 2020, and for nearly two years, I did not feel an urgent need to process that image. Then, when the war in Ukraine broke out in February, I began to see my photo in a different light—it had come to symbolize, for me, the Ukrainian spirit and bravery that I so much admired. After that, I immersed myself in processing it with genuine enthusiasm.



The original capture of the image was in bright sunlight and a blue sky. During post-processing, I selected the sky in Photoshop to make it darker before painting the light, using the digital brush to create a more dramatic and artistic impression. This photograph is my tribute to the brave Ukrainians and their military, as well as all the international volunteers in this ongoing war.

Professional
2022
Swimming in the sky - Photography Winner

Photographer / Company

Andrea Izzotti

Category

People Photography - Environmental

Country / Region

Italy

Amateur
2022
Wonderful marine animals - Photography Winner

Photographer / Company

Sylvie Ayer

Category

Nature Photography - Underwater

Country / Region

Switzerland

Amateur
2022
Delineations - Photography Winner

Photographer / Company

Mike Tesselaar

Category

Special Category - Long Exposure Photography

Country / Region

Netherlands

Professional
2022
the veiled woman - Photography Winner

Photographer / Company

Giò Tarantini

Category

Black & White Photography - Nudes

Country / Region

Italy