The Epson International Pano Awards 2022 showcases some of the best amateur and professional talent in the photography world. Using creative vision and technical skills, these panoramic shots show pastel-hued countryside, cloud-piercing skyscrapers and intricate interiors as you've never seen them before. Here are our favourites.
Judith Kuhn’s Bernese Oberland shows the Alps near Bern, Switzerland. The area is known for its large ibex colony and following their call led Judith to the Niederhorn, which is not commonly photographed. Captured early in the morning, the viewer can appreciate the spatial depth of this nature haven, with Mönch Eiger Jungfrau directly opposite.
The Rio Tinto mine and its surroundings are shown in colourful glory with Juan López Ruiz’s Poison River. Recipient of the Epson Digital Art Prize, this photograph was taken in Huelva, Spain. The reservoir is close to the mine where copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver are extracted, contributing to the textures and vibrancy of a constantly changing site.
A herd of elephants follow each other in a line in Florian Kriechbaumer’s In Formation. Taken in Kenya, the photograph won the 2022 Amateur Competition category. The stark black and white filter pulls our focus to these magnificent creatures. Elephant families often visit the dried-up lake bed of Lake Amboseli, crossing from the forest areas in the morning towards the swamp lands.
Peter Li's vertical image titled Veles won the Open Built Environment/Architecture category. He was also the overall runner-up in the Open Competition and was the Highest Scoring Vertical Image in the Special Awards. Prague isn't short of beautiful buildings, with many intricate interiors and exteriors worth seeking out.
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Craig McGowan won the 2022 Nikon Australia Award for his snowy shot titled Winter Mountains. Taken at 10,000 feet (3,048m) over the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand, partial sunlight filters through the cloud cover to illuminate the landscape below. While a few mountains were exposed to full sunshine, others were shadowed by heavy clouds; the combination of the two are captured brilliantly in this photograph.
Pictured here is Icelandic Bridge, winner of the Amateur Built Environment/Architecture category. Taken by Carlos Solinis Camalich, this straightforward piece of engineering crosses a section of south Iceland. The small country is the ideal road trip destination for those seeking the great outdoors.
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This haunting photograph was captured one quiet October morning, where Joshua Hermann kayaked past dense cypress trees to snap Serenity Shores. The changing of the seasons comes later in the year for the southern US and in this image, which received the Raw Planet Award, we see fog hover over the water topped with riots of greens, yellows, oranges and reds from the dense cypress forest.
Fan of sunrises but not so much the early starts? Take a look at this panoramic photograph by William Leki instead, titled Camp for the Sunrise. William took this photograph in Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina, which bagged the Highest Scoring Smartphone Pano award. The start of a fresh day hits the jagged peaks, making them appear like the rippling flames of a fire.
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Taken by Rainer Roth, Polychrome reminds us that London isn't just dominated by celebrated historic buildings and iconic institutions. There's space for forward-thinking modernity too, which this image encapsulates perfectly. This swish image won the Highest Scoring Film Capture award.
With its sweeping dunes and rippling clouds, Death Valley National Park almost looks like a painting. Without its title, you might first think that this photograph was taken in a remote Arabic desert, but Elliot McGucken captured this beige haze in the eponymous US national park which straddles California and Nevada. Elliot won the Highest Scoring IAPP Member award for this dreamy shot.
Encrusted in winter mist, the small church outcrop is reflected against Lake Bled in northwestern Slovenia. Ales Krivec's ethereal photograph was one of the top 50 images in the Built Environment category and this image makes its magical origins seem all the more plausible – legend has it that fairies created the lake.
As the sun sets, Dubai stays alight with its stack of dizzying structures giving the United Arab Emirate state its 'Skyscraper City' nickname. The tallest of them all is the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building since its inauguration in 2010, at a whopping 2,717 feet (828m). This panoramic shot was taken by Ghazanfar Ali Shah and was one of the top 50 images in the Amateur Built Environment/Architecture category.
The Flamingo Airport was photographed from above by Cédric Tamani and was another Top 50 image in the Amateur - Nature/Landscapes category. The all-pink shot captures a flamboyance of flamingos passing over the Pink Lake in the coastal city of Swakopmund, Namibia. Visitors can see the salt lake for themselves but will likely need to fly into Windhoek before driving a few hours west to Walvis Bay, where Pink Lake can be found.
Three horses and their riders stand silhouetted against the full moon in Shell, Wyoming. David Swindler's twilight shot was a Top 50 image in the Open - Nature/Landscapes category, capturing the snowy terrain melting away to reveal unique red rock structures and bare hillsides.
Golden sunlight streams down over Taipei in this wonderful image taken by Shirley Wong. Mountains layer the background while tall buildings and a winding river dominate the foreground. Unsurprisingly, this was part of the Top 50 images in the Open - Built Environment category.
This trippy photograph by Mieke Boynton made the Top 50 list in the Open - Nature/Landscapes category. And it's not hard to see why. The aerial view shows us pockets and cobweb-like streams of Australia's weird and wonderful nature in all its glory. Mieke Boynton's overhead shot was part of the Top 50 images in the Open - Nature/Landscapes category.
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Yellow specks of fireflies dance through the fast-approaching night sky in this dazzling photograph by Quan Vu Van. As night sweeps over the dense forest, we can just about make out a quaint bridge amongst the sweeps of tall, thin trees. This magical image was part of the Top 50 list in the Amateur - Nature/Landscape category.
Krzysztof Baranowski encapsulates what many struggle to express: the sheer might of Mount Fuji and its dominance over Tokyo. No matter how tall the city's skyscrapers are built, this mighty volcano watches over. There are plenty of details to notice; smaller apartment buildings in the foreground and rectangular skyscrapers (and the aptly named Cocoon Tower) in the main section of the photograph. This enthralling shot made part of the Top 50 images list in the Amateur - Built Environment category.
A rose-pink hue settles across the ancient city of Toledo, central Spain. Our gaze is drawn to the Alcázar de Toledo (centre) and, to its right, Toledo Cathedral (Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada de Toledo). This photograph by Pedro Nogales Tena formed part of the Top 50 images list in the Amateur - Built Environment category. For gorgeous views of your own with the bending Tagus river below, head up to the Mirador del Valle and take in the scenic overlook.
With a population of over seven million, there's a fight for space in Hong Kong, reflected in its never-ending construction of mind-bogglingly tall buildings. Chi Kin Carlo Yuen photographed this overhead shot showing an illuminated tennis court at the centre of apartment blocks shooting skywards. It placed in the Top 50 images in the Open - Built Environment category. Want to visit for yourself? Hong Kong is planning to give away a limited number of free airline tickets in a bid to boost tourism.
A pastel-coloured sky sweeps over the verdant green isle of Kalsoy in the Faroe Islands, where you can just about spot the white Kallur lighthouse standing small and alone in the centre of the photograph. Yun Hsuan Lee's beautiful shot ranked in the Top 50 images in the Open - Built Environment category.
Nickolas Warner took this mesmerising photograph of a desert in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, during a camping trip. Rose-pink sands dominate the shot, fading into peach-like hues and sprinkled with jagged rocks strewn across the seemingly endless stretch of desert. This was another Top 50 image in the Open - Nature/Landscape category.
If you've ever been to China, you might recognise Guilin; its spectacular hills feature on the 20 Yuan banknote. Here, the Li River snakes through gridded farmland with conical hills lining the background. Mohammad Kamal's photograph placed in the Top 50 images in the Amateur - Built Environment category.
Arctic Henge is located in Raufarhöfn, one of the most remote villages in Iceland, where the Arctic Circle lies just off the coast. This huge sun dial is actually a modern monument (construction is still ongoing) and, when finished, will pay tribute to the country's Nordic roots and Neo-Pagan beliefs. Oliver Jerneizig captured the ethereal Northern Lights dancing overhead, placing him in the Top 50 images in the Amateur - Nature/Landscape category.
The iconic Petronas Towers pierce the clouds in Lam Soon Tak's eye-opening photograph of Kuala Lumpur. The twin towers dominate the Malaysian capital's skyline and, luckily for sightseers, offers two observation decks: one on the teetering skybridge and another on the 86th floor of Tower 2. Reaching a height of 1,483 feet (452m), they held the dual title of the world’s tallest buildings from 1998 until 2004. This image made the Top 50 list in the Open - Built Environment category.
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It may not look like your typical island paradise, but pictured here is a wooded scene on Madeira, a small archipelago off the southern coast of Portugal. Jens Ober captured this image in the ancient Fanal Forest, covered in mist and peppered with wind-carved trees which almost look like they've been snapped mid-dance. This Top 50 image placed in the Amateur - Nature/Landscape category.
With its unique geometrical shapes, we love the quirky design of the Museu de les Ciències in Valencia, Spain. The fading sun persists through threatening clouds over the science museum, which was snapped by Camacho Villanueva and placed in the Top 50 images under the Amateur - Built Environment category.
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Jinyi He was the overall winner of the 2022 Open Competition with three captivating photographs. The Vein won the Open - Nature/Landscape Category and was taken in the photographer’s hometown of Xinjiang, northwest China. Here we see the geological wonder of Dushanzi Grand Canyon. Jinyi stitched together 40 drone shots to capture an aerial view of the canyon in its entirety.
Jinyi’s second winning image was ‘Purple World’, where he took 48 photographs to create this shot. The title is true to its name, with a purple infusion dominating the entire landscape, from flora to the sky overhead.
The final winning shot in the 2022 Open Competition was Jinyi’s ‘Rainbow Canyon’. This breathtaking photograph was taken in the Tian Shan stone forest and shows an optimistic rainbow arching over the lighter stone forest and through the dark sky.
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