“Fishermen close the net,” Ge Zheng. Grand Prize, 2016 SkyPixel Photo of the Year.
The SkyPixel 2016 Photo Contest—a creative photo competition dedicated to showcasing aerial photography—was on the lookout for the next great aerial photographer. And with 27,000 entries from photographers based in 131 cities, they’ve unveiled the winners of this year’s contest.
The grand prize, which includes two DJI drones and an Epson wide format printer, goes to Ge Zheng for his photo Fishermen close the net. The stunning image plays off shadows cast by billowing fishing nets, as well as their elongated reflections in the water. Creating a striped pattern along the calm waters, the interplay of color and light made for a winning capture.
The top photographs in the Beauty and Drones in Use categories, both professional and amateur, show the wide stylistic variety that these talented drone photographers possess. Each is able to infuse their own artistic eye into the winning photographs, proving that aerial photography requires the same talent and technical skill as any other type of photography.
Scroll down to see more winning images from the SkyPixel 2016 Photo Contest and get your gear ready for next year’s competition.
The winners of the SkyPixel 2016 Photo Contest show their skill at aerial and drone photography.
“Exploration,” Hanbing Wang. 1st place Beauty (Professional).
“A Happy Morning,” Roman Neimann. 1st place Drones in Use (Professional).
“Overbridge,” Chenghan. 1st place Beauty (Amateur).
“Despectus,” Fifa. 1st place Drones in Use (Amateur).
“Spillway Selfie,” dixonltd_user. 2nd place Beauty (Professional).
“Meet the Phantom,” HackerSundy. 2nd place Drones in Use (Professional).
“Green Waves,” Mauro Pagliai. 2nd place Beauty (Amateur).
“Inspire in Use,” Lili cui. 2nd place Drones in Use (Amateur).
“The Earth,” Heng Li. 3rd place Beauty (Professional).
“Drone in Use,” Norman Nollau. 3rd place Drones in Use (Professional).
“Ice River,” Canloker. 3rd place Beauty (Amateur).
“The Phantom of the Earth,” Lingdamowang_user. 3rd place Drones in Use (Amateur).