Feature image: Robbie Allen | other photography as credited
And just like that – the five weeks of the 2019 Mark Gunter Photographer of the Year Awards are over. In the end if flew past with a flurry of entries in the last week. The photos entered this week have been amazing – and it’s made a very difficult selection for Showcase 5.
With some devastating fires here in Australia, many Australian’s were naturally focussed on more important things – like family, core to what we’re doing here. Our hearts are with those many hundreds of families without homes today.
So now the judging commences…… Pauline Ballet, Simon Wilkinson, and Chris Auld are in the process of selecting their Shortlists, which we’ll publish later this week.
Thank you as always to CyclingTips for promoting the Awards and helping to make a difference to curing cancer and young cyclists worldwide. Every bit we do together is helping someone else – and that always feels good.
See images posted @cyclingtips and #markgunterphotoawards2019
A poignant cover Image by Robbie Allen @robbiedustyallen Smartphone / Action Cam category: ‘Over the Xmas holidays I took the bike into the mountains behind Ulladulla just near Pidgeon House and ….. far out😢. Not sure if it was the smoke stinging my eyes, the loss of wildlife or just acknowledging the legendary effort of our firies👨🏻🚒👩🏼🚒 but this ride was gut-wrenchingly real. Stating this country needs rain fast… is surely the understatement of 2019.’
Entry into the fiercely-contested Professional Cycling Photographer category is permitted to anyone who earns a living from his or her cycling photography.
Allan Stone @stoneallanstone: ‘You make it to the UCI Worlds for your Country, it happens to be in your own backyard, roads you know, hills you love, the support will be for you, the weather, well it is going to be terrible for some but this is god’s own country, it’s tough up North and it will be for many, it is once in a lifetime. Everything is ticked, but racing is unpredictable and when it just doesn’t happen and it hits home, it is tough really tough but the ‘World’ is watching and you just need your family.’
Craig Huffman @craigsclicks: ‘“Peter, The Dad” – Let’s just say, bowling is not his strong suit. But when he arrived at lane three, where a young fan was bowling, the dad side of Peter Sagan took over. After more than 20 minutes of having fun, helping her bowl and seeing the genuine joy they both shared as she succeeded, I captured this tender moment of eye contact during a VIP event before the Sagan Fondo: Gran Roadie-Oh – San Diego in North San Diego County, California on Saturday, November 09, 2019.’
Daghan Perker @dperker: ‘Rising Stars. This year’s breakthrough rider, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado chasing teammates at the 2019 Cyclocross World Championships.’
Kristof Ramon @kramon_velophoto: ‘After having dealt with the effects of Epstein-Bahr virus for the past year, Esteban Chaves resurfaces in the upper cycling echelons with a strong 2nd place finish (Giro stage17) > behind the finish line his father hugs him intensely as emotions of joy & relief are shared in the understanding that this might indicate ‘light at the end of a (dark) tunnel’ > 2 days later Esteban would win his first race since the virus took over…’
Chris Keller-Jackson @crankphoto: ‘Derny Racing is an odd sport with a rich heritage. (Odd that the Derny Rider always wins !) This reverse angle shot gets ambient and artificial lighting to create this wide-angle letterbox image straddling the 50M line. 1/250th SEC at f/5.6, ISO 2000 20mm prime.’
Francesco Rachello @strict: ‘Passo San Boldo is a small iconic climb because of its 18 switchbacks. But what makes it so unique are the spectators lined up everywhere during Giro stages like the 2019 one. Getting the shot required some climbing skills and disregard for heights.’
Jordan Benjamin-Sutton @peloton_perspective: ‘Bauke Mollema recovers after crossing the finish line in Harrogate during the 2019 World Championships.’
For non-professional photographers using high-end cameras, we have the Enthusiast category. It’s a loose description including entries taken on high-end cameras including Interchangeable Lens Cameras (ILC), mirrorless, film, compact, DSLR and other cameras.
Felipe Cano @pipecano_photo: ‘I had the change to travel to Flanders this year and I love the fact that you can see all families united for cyclists, this old man was there for several hours to take his analog camera in the right time and take a great shot.’
Alexander Law @alex_law_photo: ‘Caleb Ewan recovers from his first ever stage victory of the Tour de France.’
Guilherme Botelho @guilherme_botelho: ‘We climbed started this climb in Austria in the late afternoon. It got cold and dark really soon. So we decided to sleep on a hut up there. This shot was taken the next morning, we had no idea we were surrounded by snow because we couldn’t see anything the day before.’
Angelica Dixon @angelicadixon825: ‘Racing stars (and stripes). Stephen Hyde/ Rockland County Supercross Cup/ Suffern, NY.’
Eugene Kim @yourjeansoneugene: ‘Rigoberto Urán, cold, standing in front of white paper taped onto the team EF Education bus, after a cold descent on Mt. Baldy, the queen stage of The Tour of California.’
Jakab Rokob @jakipajti: ‘This shot was made in Hungary in a cyclocross near the northern border. Cyclocross just got really popular in Hungary in the last few years, but we had races as old as 20 years. This event was reminded me to old days of cross in my country, with few athletes, and nice scenic courses. It was a really small event, so I was able to move around the course pretty freely, trying out unusual angles.’
Roderick De Guzman @rodpedals: ‘When a pro rider comes home for the holidays and gets a homecoming reception (and a target on his back!). The pro taking the corner at the Teardrop with precision and speed. The other racers keeping up behind him. Local boy and EF Education First pro rider, Jimmy Whelan comes home for the Australian summer. Joins the local crits at the Hawthorn Cycling Club, showing some love!’
Anthony Leutenegger @anthonyleutenegger: ‘Mads Pedersen against all odds wins the 2019 World Championship RR. As rider after rider gave up, us photographers were ready to throw in the towel as well. Cold, long, and wet it was a battle against the elements. I unfortunately did not have access behind the finish line like other togs, but positioned myself well against the barriers. After raising his arms in victory Mads collapsed on the ground, as dozens of people swarmed around him I caught an image of him in full emotion and disbelief.’
The SmartPhone / Action Cam category refers to still photos taken on devices such as iPhones, Android, Windows Mobile, etc, as well as still photos from devices such as GoPro, Shimano Sports Cam, Garmin VIRB, and drones.
Matt Stevenson @mattwstevenson: ‘Emptied the tank racing up to Lago Di Misurina against an Austrian. After 80km this effort was brutal. We climbed, exchanged words ‘your going strong’, edged out the speed, pushed our limits, taking chunks out of each other. ‘We race for the last kilometre?’, I agreed. He darted off, I clawed him back and took the line with 100m to go. We consoled, each broken but buzzing. I stopped to breath, he rode on, my only thought, I still had another climb to go – Tre Cime Di Laveredo.’
Liam Bertuzzi @liam_bertuzzi: ‘This photo was taken on the way back to Byron bay NSW after a local club race. My lungs were absolutely shattered due to near by fires. The smoke was thick and this small under pass seemed to be a breath of fresh air.’
Galen Stilgebauer @lightersideimages: ‘I had the chance to live in northern Italy for a year from June 2018 to June 2019. This little suspension bridge was always a catalyst to great bike rides. The Brenta River and the surrounding landscape will always hold a special place in my heart.
Will Armitage @willarmitage: ‘500km into the Bryan Chapman audax and I was enjoying rolling down the Wye Valley on a sunny, Sunday morning in May. Suddenly motorbike outriders start over taking me and then I’m asked to pull over. A breakaway goes through and I whip out my phone to get a picture of the peloton navigating a roundabout. I think it was a junior race but I know no more and I was in no state to chase them down and ask!’
Sean de Luna @de.Luna.Shoots: ‘On a business trip from Maryland to New York, I took my commuter-folding bike hoping to explore iconic landmarks beyond “office hours.” It took 325 photo-self-timer-bursts at the Brooklyn Bridge (between waves of crowds) to nail my bucket shot of a “levitaSEAN”. The experience was a rewarding reminder of what’s possible when you combine persistence, creativity, and bike-exploration. The bike and iPhone has become my lens to experience my world, differently.’
Ian Routledge @ianr_photography: ‘Feeling very small once gaining some height, with the views and scale of the Italian Mountains.’
Randall Frasen @fransencomesalive: ‘Table Mountain Park in Morrison, CO is kinda like the Marin Headlands of Denver. Huge expanses with amazing views and perfectly packed gravel paths. It suits road bikes with 25c all the way to gravel/CX practice and some single track for MTB.’
Bella Molloy @elbearo: ‘I’ve always enjoyed riding my bike, sometimes not so much for the exhilaration of pedaling itself, but more-so for the places it takes me and the sights I get to see along the way. I’ve always made a point of stopping and being mindful of the magic which is often around me. This photo was taken on a commute home from work in the middle of winter. I could tell the sky was going to pull out something spectacular for sunset and I made sure to stop to take it all in.’
For more information on the #markgunterphotoawards2019 check out CyclingTips and Mark Gunter Photography.