EISA’s Maestro’s international photography contest results are out for 2023-24. These awards recognise photography talents from across the globe. This year’s theme was ‘The Animal Kingdom’, and it saw enthusiastic participation from India. Magnus Berggren from Sweden won the first prize of €1500. Congratulations to all the winners.
1st Prize: €1500
Magnus Berggren (Sweden)
Magnus Berggren started photographing in 2007, but it was not until 2018 that he decided to focus on wildlife photography. “I started photographing small birds and just got hooked,” he says. “But I also like to photograph other animals, of course.”
His image style is distinctive and dramatic. “I try to plan how the background looks as I try to get the animal separated from the background. I want to try to show the beauty of the animal by editing the photos a bit dramatically and bring out their soul in the photos,” he explains. “I’ve been developing my style for a few years and it’s still evolving.”
Magnus uses a Sony Alpha A7 IV with a Sony 400mm F2.8 lens, but he hopes to upgrade to a Sony 600mm F4 soon. “It would be better suited to smaller birds,” he says. He edits his photos on a PC with Lightroom Classic and Topaz Sharpen.
2nd Prize: €1000
Angi Wallace (U.K.)
“I am an ex nurse turned multi award-winning photographer with a passion for close up and macro, nature, still life, creative portraiture, landscapes and gig photography”, Angi Wallace says. Over 18 years of enjoying photography, she has relished learning various genres, concentrating initially on capturing images of amphibians and reptiles (another hobby of hers). More recently she have been focusing on floral, fungi and other close up nature images as well as honing her skills in still life, focus stacking macro and food photography. “I produce a lot of my photography from home, using a mini studio set up in our dining room, simply because my health does not allow for energy demanding activities,” she explains.
3rd Prize: €750
Pål Hermansen (Norway)
Pål Hermansen works as a photographer in the field of nature and arts. He is educated from Robert Meyer College of Art, Oslo, in addition to degrees in dentistry and homeopathy. In his work, he is mainly focusing on the interaction between man and nature, existential landscapes, and creative wildlife photography.
Pål has written and/or illustrated 40 books and is represented in the 2013 international portfolio book, Masters of Nature Photography (BBC/Natural History Museum, London 2013). His images have appeared in publications such as National Geographic Magazine, ORION, GEO, and BBC Wildlife Magazine. He is a member of FFF, The Norwegian Art Photographer´s Association and is represented in the group 100 Norwegian Photographers (100norwegianphotographers.no). He is also member of the art collective HAM together with Mats Andersson and Erik Malm and is an honorary member and member of the board of NN, The Association of Norwegian Nature Photographers.
EISA Maestro Public’s Choice Award: €1000
Mirjam Radke (Germany)
Whenever German travel blogger Mirjam Radke is selecting a new destination for an upcoming trip, it’s always the local wildlife in a country, that will be crucial for her decision making, she admits. This 38 year old amateur photographer from Munich has captured outstanding images of orangutans in Sumatra, lions in Tanzania and hippos in Uganda. She is more than aware of one essential quality required in wildlife photography: Wherever she will go, she will need to bring along a lot of patience. Mirjam Radke knows that it will take time to get adapted to a place, learn about the resident animals, their habitat, and their behaviour – and find the perfect situation for outstanding photographs.
If, for once, there shouldn´t be any faraway destination on her travel agenda, there´s always the mountain region of the alps nearby her hometown, where she will climb high to capture portraits of marmots or take portraits of deer in the early hours of the day. And yes, in terms of technical equipment she is prepared, often bringing along 12 kilos of hardware in her backpack.
“Animals are definitely on top of my list of favourite subjects to photograph”, the self-taught photographer says. So, of course she wouldn´t miss entering this year´s Maestro competition. Asked about the wildlife destination of her dreams, Radke is quick to answer: It´s Antarctica, where she would love to photograph seals and penguins.
