Sebastian Szostek, a photographer and a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at the Wrocław University of Technology, made it to the finals of the international photography competition - the International Xposure Photography Awards in the Architectural Photography category. The photo entered in the competition was also presented at the Xposure Photography festival in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Photo of the Iceberg building complex in Aarhus, Denmark, proj.: CEBRA
© Sebastian Szostek
The photo, which was among the seven best in the architecture photography category, shows the Iceberg building complex in Aarhus, Denmark by CEBRA studio.
Staying in Aarhus, Denmark, was an unforgettable experience for me, and one of the most memorable moments was meeting the Iceberg building complex, Sebastian Szostek recalls. - I had already been fascinated by the architecture of the place when planning my trip, but it was only when I stood there that I realized how much of an impression it made on me. Whenever I plan a photography trip, I carefully analyze the lighting I can expect during the day. In this case, going for a photo shoot, I knew that the afternoon hours, when the sun begins to set, could create unusual lighting effects on the structure of the site. This is what happened. The sun's rays began to penetrate the surrounding buildings and the complex itself, creating dynamic chiaroscuro on its expansive body - I knew this was the moment I wanted to capture in a photograph. It was then, with camera in hand, that I began to compose the frame, trying to capture not only the architectural details, but also the atmosphere of the place," he adds.
The photo was presented at the Xposure Photography festival in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
© Sebastian Szostek
The contest received more than 25,000 entries, according to the photographer. Why did Szostek decide to present this particular photo to the jury?
A maximum of ten photographs could be submitted to the contest, but they were required to be in landscape format and taken within the last three years. This somewhat limited my options. When selecting photos for submission, I immediately thought, among other things, of this frame, although it was not my favorite among those I submitted. I chose this photo primarily because of the interesting plans and the play of light that appeared on the surface of the building," he explains. - What's more, what fascinates me about this photograph is that it's not entirely clear what scale the object is at first glance, which might somewhat suggest that it could be, for example, a collage made of different sections, he adds.
Photos nominated in the Architectural Photography category of the International Xposure Photography Awards
© Sebastian Szostek
The competition was decided on March 3 this year, By the decision of a jury of 23 professional photographers and industry experts, the first place in the Architectural Photography category went to Murat Bakmaz, the author of the photo of the edifice of the Hejdar Aliyev Center in Baku designed by Zaha Hadid, and the second prize was won by Sarah Wouters for her photo depicting a section of the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia designed by Santiago Calatrava.
