Meet our photo competition winner

[Peter_S.]

Read our interview and find out all about our latest winner and get his photography tips:

Start by telling us a bit about yourself: Where do you live, what do you do?

I live in Leverkusen, Germany and you could say my job involves photography too, although for very different and less personal reasons. I take photos using TEM (transmission electron microscope) and SEM (scanning electron microscope) electron microscopes.

"Normal" photography is simply my hobby.

When did you first try photography and what camera did you use?

I've been interested in photography since I was a teenager back in the analogue era, starting with various basic, 35-mm cameras. Later, as my interest grew, I moved on to Minolta single-lens reflex cameras. About 95% of photos were taken on reversal film at that time. Then I lost my passion for photography for a couple of years before rediscovering it again when the first affordable compact digital cameras came on the market. I re-entered the world of DSLR and spent many years owning cameras made by Canon. Then Sony launched the a6000 and I loved it immediately — I'd never seen such great quality from such a small camera before. This was succeeded by the Sony a6300 a couple of years later. Then when Sony launched the aa7III last year, I knew I'd finally found the camera I'd been looking for my whole life. I sold some of my Canon equipment and now I use the a7III almost exclusively.

How did you feel when you were told you had won the competition? 

I was really surprised when I got the email, as I'd never expected to win the competition and I'd forgotten I'd even entered it. 😉 And to win first prize was even better!!

Tell us a bit more about the inspiration behind the shot. 

The image is a composition. I captured the main subject at a workshop at Stefan Gesell's studio in Munich. There are loads of accessories lying around there (like the rocking horse in this case), so you inevitably come up with crazy ideas, especially since the model was up for all kinds of silly things. 😉

What equipment and accessories did you use to take the frame? Did you process the image after shooting? 

I took the image using my Sony a7III and the 4.0/24-105. The composition was created using Photoshop®; the background is a stock photo I bought.

Can you share some tips that could help other photographers to create winning photos?

My top tip: Try to develop your own style and make your photos stand out from the crowd.