2017 Sony World Photography Best Photos Will Take Your Breath Away

Light. Shadows. Perfect Woman. Arranging the delicate balance of the correlation of the dark and the light the author discovers the obvious monumentality and duality of the images of the perfect woman. Within the space of the picture, the light becomes flat and the dark becomes deeper, highlighting all conventions and details. With this approach, the geometry of light becomes not only a sculptural language but also correlates with the meaning of the subject. The concept of “the perfect” in the photographs is contradictory in nature; on the one hand, it is monumental and complete, and on the other hand it is naked and vulnerable. These opposing concepts are at the heart of the works.

Walking on water. The Solomon Islands are special well beyond pristine reefs and world-class diving. It is one of the last frontiers where local tribes and indigenous populations are scattered throughout the archipelago, and proudly conduct a life where what is taken from Mother Nature is only that which is needed as a means of subsistence. I wanted a different shot than the usual underwater reef scene to capture the cultural essence of this incredible far-flung destination and its inhabitants. This is a place where it seems kids learn to paddle before they walk. I noticed canoes following my bubbles, a great opportunity to capture villagers, their canoe, the reef, and a stunning sunset as the backdrop.

White breasted marten. A white breasted stone marten leaping over some roots, picture taken in Czech Republic in the beginning of 2016.

Shaolin Kungfu, also known as Shaolin Wushu, is one of the famous Wushu schools in China. It has a long history and profound influence, is an important part of the traditional martial arts Chinese. The most prominent feature of Shaolin Kung Fu is "Zen Wu one", namely the Zen in Wuhan, practicing meditation, so there are "Zen martial arts".

Silent Kingdom. Ever since I was a kid, as far back as I can remember, I was attracted to the sea. I dreamt about what lay beneath the waves, and how would it look if suddenly all the water vanished, leaving all the animals and living creatures in stasis. In this way, I could walk within the ocean and see them all, suspended for a moment in time and space. To this day I carry within me that dream; and very gratefully realise it through my photography. Each image is a visualisation of that sublime moment whereupon the beautiful marine life around me is frozen majestically in its natural environment. My intention is to capture the essence of being immersed in the experience and presence of the animal or habitat I am photographing, and to share with others their splendour and soul. I hope the images I capture contribute to the existing corpus of underwater photography in a way that energises each of us to form our own dream of preserving and creating a better world where we value and care for all expressions of life. Ultimately our understanding and celebration of the sheer beauty and poetry of life is intrinsically linked to how we communicate and bond with the myriad configurations of life energy surrounding us. In my case, it is the ocean and its marine inhabitants which inform my observance and joy for life. I in turn communicate this through my photography of the underwater realm.

Whiteout. There is a peculiar transformation of nature when winter comes, when snow and ice start to dominate the landscape and when humans and animals have to deal with the extreme weather. The series investigates this struggle against disappearance. The struggle against a whiteout. These photos were made in the Balkans, Scandinavia and Central Asia; remote areas where people often live in isolation and in close contact with nature. A harsh existence, fighting against superhuman forces.

Black rhinoceros at night. The waterhole at Okaukuejo in the Etosha National Park in Namibia, is visited by black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) on a regular basis. This animal stood in the water at night for quite some time before drinking. The calm water allowed for reflections. The position of the flash, some 30 meters from the camera, helped reveal the structures of the body surface. The photo was taken in April 2016.

African Wildlife at Night. My aim was to capture never-before-seen images of African wildlife at night and to show nocturnal animals such as lions and hyenas in their true element. The techniques I employed were only made possible by the low-light ability of modern-day digital cameras and by using remote-control devices such as my "BeetleCam". BeetleCam is a remote-control buggy for my camera, which I created to take close-up ground-level photographs of African wildlife. All of these images were taken in Liuwa Plain National Park, a remote area in the West of Zambia. These images were shot over the course of two trips in 2015 and first published in print and online in 2016.

Metropolis. A reflection of the tree on the woman's hair in Midtown.

Darkitectures. "Darkitectures is a series of images of the most significant italian architectures, from an artistic point of view, captured at night. The voluntary memory of these pictures is a reminder of the stone not in its lifeless matter, but as the continuing of the living forms’ vital momentum. The whole project is meant to be as a work in progress."