The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has concluded the May 2021 edition of its Instagram Photo Contest “Day Light”. Seven winners were announced for the competition, which received submissions under the hashtag #HIPAContest_daylight.

The contest winners hailed from; Ukraine, Oman, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Vietnam.

The winner from Oman Mahmood Mohammed Aljabri (@mm_aljabri) said, “The photo was taken in Manah in the Al Dakhiliyah Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman, where a group of young people perform the ‘Al Razha’ dance, which is a popular folk art on religious and national occasions and weddings. I have achieved many international achievements, but winning the Hamdan bin Mohammed International Photography Award is completely different; as the competition has artistic value and great global standing.

Frans Eddy Bungaran Siregar (@franzire99), the winner from Indonesia, said, “The photo was taken on Sunday, 14th June 2019, in a suburb of Jakarta, I was with my colleagues on a short trip to take pictures with a focus on people. The idea of children playing with kites and bamboo blocks evoked the memory of childhood joy for me, as it is for most Indonesians, where the feeling of innocence and freedom is a beautiful human feeling.

“I focused on identifying the best angle taking into consideration the lighting conditions from the sun and the shade of the bamboo. The result was a happy child-like shot.”

In turn, Yevhen Samuchenko (@qn_travel), the winner from Ukraine, said, “The photo was taken in Odessa – Ukraine. I chose the best time so that shadows were as long as possible and perpendicular to the wave line. With the drone, I started looking for an interesting shot and was lucky to fly over these people with the dogs and take photos.”

HIPA Secretary-General, Ali bin Thalith said that dealing with different lighting conditions is at the heart of photography. “We often see unassuming photos, transformed through the genius of lighting. Our choice of ‘Daylight’ for this month’s competition was to test the skills and artistic visions of photographers in embracing natural light to produce photographic inspirations, and we were not disappointed with the level of participation.”

“We congratulate the winners and wish all participants the best in upcoming editions. We encourage everyone to keep participating and to continue nurturing your craft,” he added.