IPA Photography Competition 2017 — Winners Announced!

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The International Photography Awards (IPA) 2017 Photography Competition has announced its winners. This year, the International Photography Awards received 14267 of submissions from over 165 countries.

HERE ARE MY AWARDS:

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

The International Photography Awards conducts an annual competition for professional, non-professional, and student photographers on a global scale, creating one of the most ambitious and comprehensive competitions in the photography world today. Each year, the International Photography Awards (IPA) invites passionate photographers, to compete for the title of Photographer of the Year, Discovery of the Year and Deeper Perspective Photographer of the Year. A board of esteemed professionals in the field juries the competition: curators, photo editors, gallery owners, art directors, and other luminaries from the international photography community.

Selected as National Geographic's Photo of the Day (also awarded as National Geographic's "Best of August 2017")!

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My photo "the City of Disorder" was selected as National Geographic's Photo of the Day on Aug. 29, 2017. It was also awarded as one of ten "Photos of August, 2017)!

View my photo on National Geographic's Photo of the Day ->

View my photo on National Geographic's Best of August 2017 ->

MORNING ROOFTOPS

Day begins in Varanasi, the holiest city in India for Hindus. Located on the banks of the holy river Ganges, millions of pilgrims visit each year to bathe in the sacred waters. "Being the oldest continuously inhabited city in India, Varanasi is chaotic and colorful, intense and frenetic," says Your Shot photographer Yan Li. "Although it is the holiest place for Hindus, the daily life of locals has no difference compared to ours."

“What really attracted me to this image, besides the interesting perspective was all the stories happening within this photo. There are several subjects going about their day or taking a nap in this image and I was just fascinated by everything happening in this frame.”
— Matt Adams, Producer of National Geographic

Selected as National Geographic's Photo of the Day

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My photo "Protect and Defend" was selected as National Geographic's Photo of the Day on Aug. 4, 2017.

View my photo on National Geographic's website ->

PROTECT AND DEFEND - Being a park ranger in Ethiopia's Mago National Park is serious business. The men and women who take on this work risk their lives to defend the land and animals, like elephants and giraffes, from poachers.

“A very strong and intense portrait. Great idea to frame this image within the inside of the vehicle, Yan. After learning about many park rangers who risk their lives for that of wildlife’s and to end poaching I’m amazed by these men and women. Love the expression you captured here as his face tells part of his story and his personality.”
— Matt Adams, Producer of National Geographic

Editors' Favorite Entries in National Geographic Travel Photographer Contest, 2017

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Three of my photos have been selected as Editors' Favorite Entries in 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer Contest. Enjoy!

Px3 2017 Photography Competition — Winners Announced!

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The Prix de la Photographie, Paris (P×3) 2017 Competition has announced its winners.

Here are my awards:

ABOUT THE P×3 AWARDS

The Prix de la Photographie, Paris (P×3) strives to promote an appreciation of photography, discover emerging talent, and introduce photographers from around the world to the artistic community of Paris. The Paris Photography Prize was founded in 2007, and has since become one of the most prestigious photography awards in Europe.

Winning photographs from this competition are exhibited in a gallery in Paris and published in the high-quality, P×3 Annual Book of Photography.

Daily Life in Holy City

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Varanasi, on the riverbank of Ganges, is the holiest city for Hinduism, attracting hundreds of Hindu pilgrims every day from all parts of India. The fascinating rituals along the riverbank have been extensively photographed by journalists. However, another fascinating part of this city which is often missed by tourists is the daily life of locals inhabiting deeply in the community. Life of the city bursts into activities from all aspects in the early morning and goes on until midnight. Being the oldest continuously inhabited city in India, the daily life in Varanasi is chaotic and colorful, intense and frenetic. 

Recovery is Slow, but Life Goes on

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Nepal had a massive earthquake in the year of 2015. The Kathmandu Valley was one of the hardest hit areas, with the shock waves bringing homes and temples crashing to the ground. Now it has been two years since the disaster, but unfortunately life in the Kathmandu Valley is far from being normal. Tourism, a key money-earner for Nepal, has failed to revive, causing the government to reduce funds for reconstructions of homes and ancient temples. Many of the locals, who are still living in temporary accommodation, have to rebuild their homes using simple tools without any government help. Despite hardships, life goes on. Children have been back to school, culture-rich wedding are held in local communities, and religious rituals are taken place at the base of temple ruins etc.

Mongolian Steppe: Leave or Stay

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The vast steppe in Mongolia is home to one of the world’s last surviving nomadic cultures. Due to its landlocked position, the way of life on the steppe is able to be retained from ancient history. However, the fate of the nomadic culture is now facing uncertainty due to climate and political changes. The dzud climate phenomenon which creates unusual harsh winters following summer droughts, has made life difficult for herders on the Mongolian steppe. Since communism ended in 1990, herders have to deal with each dzud on their own without governmental support. Many herders suffering massive loss of livestock are forced to migrate to the capital, Ulaanbaatar to find work. Additionally, the changes of Mongolian economic and social activities also attract people to seek better schooling, higher wage and modern conveniences in cities. Such an extraordinary scale of migration poses serious infrastructure challenges for municipality. Due to excessive burning of coal, Ulaanbaatar is now one of the most heavily polluted cities in the world. On the other hand, nomads who remain on the steppe are facing a choice that will shape the future of their country: withstand new threats on the steppe, or give up herding in search of new opportunities.

The Sailaukhan Family - The Kazakhs in Wild Mountains

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Kazakhs are the largest ethnic minority in Mongolia with approximately 100,000 living in the provinces of western Mongolia. During the period of the Soviet Union, Kazakh’s nomadic herding and the traditional way of life were completely suppressed. Nowadays, only few Kazakhs still preserve their culture identities, such as the Sailaukhan family who remain isolated in the wild and rugged mountains. Herding and hunting form the major part of their income. Living in the extreme isolation means everyone in the family including kids must work together in daily life. Without being disturbed much by the modern world, all the family members are proud of maintaining their unique culture and way of life. The traditional hunting using golden eagles is one of their cultural identities, which is passed from generation to generation.

Honorable Mentions, International Photography Awards (IPA), 2016

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Won Honorable Mentions in International Photography Awards (IPA) in 16 different categories, in the year of 2016. 

This year, the International Photography Awards received 16982 of submissions from over 164 countries

About the INTERNATIONAL Photography Awards

The International Photography Awards conducts an annual competition for professional, non-professional, and student photographers on a global scale, creating one of the most ambitious and comprehensive competitions in the photography world today. Each year, the International Photography Awards (IPA) invites passionate photographers, to compete for the title of Photographer of the Year, Discovery of the Year and Deeper Perspective Photographer of the Year. A board of esteemed professionals in the field juries the competition: curators, photo editors, gallery owners, art directors, and other luminaries from the international photography community.

Back to the 12th Century

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During the festival of Easter, Orthodox priests and pilgrims wear traditional white clothes and carry lit candles in the church to celebrate the Easter Eve. This tradition has been practiced by Ethiopians for hundreds of years and still continues to be carried out to this day. The churches in Lalibela were carved out of the mountain rock on all four sides. Today, these churches still remain to be a religious center, as sacred to the people of Ethiopia as hundreds of years ago when they were carved.

Editors' Favorite Submission in National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest, 2016

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One of my photos was selected as Editors' Favorite Submission in National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest 2016. 

Stranger to Stranger

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I traveled to Ethiopia as a non-African visitor to document the fascinating culture, custom and people. As I was taking photos in the countryside, I soon realized that I also became the focus of attention, especially for the children in villages. In various places, I was mostly treated as curiosity, with kids staring at my skin, hair, complexion and way of behaving. During my photography assignment, kids often giggled, made faces at me, tried to hold my hand, and were bewildered at my photography gears from an entirely different world.