Congratulations to all of the incredibly talented photographers who entered our Best of Nikon Kenya 2016 photo competition! We received hundreds of submissions and had a difficult time whittling them down to the top three but here they are:
Third Place: Jonathon Okello’s “Emotion”Photographed on a D5200
Jonathon began his photography career in 2011 and went professional last year. This image was shot in studio, allowing Okello to take advantage of striking practical effects and precise lighting. “I put vaseline on her face and poured water so it would reflect,” Jonathon explains. “I wanted to showcase emotions, especially in her eyes.”
Second Place: David Mutua’s “Strings Master”Photographed on a Nikon D90
David Mutua began shooting in late 2009 and quickly made the jump to pro in 2010 after immersing himself in photography. He has done a lot of concert photography, but this shot, from 2016’s Safaricom Jazz Festival, was taken at his first concert after a break from the genre following a change in focus. He notes the challenges of photographing performances, which are typically low light settings, telling us, “I usually appreciate dark silhouettes and outlines. For this shot, I was working with dark shadows and playing around with light.” You can find more of David’s work at www.davidmutua.com.
First Place: Abdulrahman Mutuma’s “Robber Fly”Photographed on a D5100
For Abdulrahman Mutuma, photography is still a hobby, but we hope that his first place prize of a KShs. 50,000 voucher will help him realise his dreams of turning pro a little faster. Mutuma has spent a lot of time on macro photography, learning through observation and practice. “Overtime I’ve gotten used to flies and other bugs and learned about their behaviour,” he tells us. “With robber flies if you wake up early in the morning they’re kind of dormant and they sit still. Usually during the day they move around too much.”
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
While we had to pick just winning three images, we received a wealth of excellent photographs to choose from. Here are some of our other favourite submissions from this year:
Thank you to all of the photographers who submitted your work and watch this space for future opportunities to highlight your work, as well as learning opportunities through Nikon School and our quick tips and tricks.