These Landscape Masterpieces Won Awards in the 2018 AdventureX Outdoor Landscape Photography Contest!

Thomas Chu Photo

After 2 months of submissions, the AdventureX Outdoor Landscape Photography Contest received nearly 40,000 entries.

Scored by a panel of internationally renowned landscape photographers Max Rive and Daniel Kordan, the contest awarded three grand prizes — Best Outdoor Landscape, Best Outdoor Activity, and Best Outdoor Aerial — along with 7 Excellent Outdoor Photo awards and the final honorary "Judges' Grand Prize."

Let's appreciate these landscape masterpieces together!

Judges' Grand Prize

Outdoor Landscape Grand Prize

Photographer: Moonlit Sun (月夜的太阳)

Judge Max Rive's comment:

It is the combination of a spectacular landscape with the inclusion of the bird that makes it so powerful. The cloud on top makes it both more spectacular and helps to frame whole scene.

This photo powerfully combines a grand landscape with flying birds. The lenticular cap cloud is not only very rare but also serves as an excellent framing device in the composition — truly astonishing.

The judges' comment:

This photo received the highest score from both Max Rive and Daniel Kordan because the scene is truly one of a kind. Whether the clouds or the birds, everything is just right. At first we had some doubts about whether the photo contained any compositing not permitted by the rules — but the original files provided by the author fully complied with the contest rules.

Prize:

DJI Mavic 2 Pro Drone

Osprey Xenith Professional Mountaineering Backpack (75/88L)

Outdoor Activity Grand Prize

Photographer: Li Rui - lrmax

Judge Daniel Kordan's comment:

This nightscene of the milky way has great balance thanks to the inclusion of the person. The person works well here thanks to the separation created by the light behind it. The reflection of the milky way helps to also create interest on the ground.

The design of this photo is very clever. The Milky Way in the night sky appears balanced and not monotonous thanks to the dancer in the foreground. The light behind the dancer nicely separates the figure from the background. The glints of starlight reflected on the water also make the ground richer and more interesting.

Prize:

DJI Mavic 2 Pro Drone

Osprey Xenith Professional Mountaineering Backpack (75/88L)

Outdoor Aerial Grand Prize

Photographer: Ivy Jing'er from Australia (澳州Ivy婧儿)

Judge Max Rive's comment:

The connection between the white water below with the icebergs makes it a powerful image that let the viewer look at all parts of the image. The composition of this image is unique at this popular beach.

In this photo, white water and ice blocks combine beautifully. The lines and structures in the frame keep viewers' eyes busy. Through a drone's aerial perspective, the photographer created a very unique photo at this popular beach spot.

Prize:

DJI Mavic 2 Zoom Drone

Osprey Xenith Professional Mountaineering Backpack (75/88L)

Excellent Outdoor Photo Award

Photographer: OoQiaoyisioYuxingyuyuanoO (Oo乔伊斯o愈行愈遠oO)

AdventureX's Zhou You's comment:

This work was shot at Vermilion Cliffs in the Arizona wilderness. The terrain here is highly distinctive, with dark-red rocks and excellent texture. Shot after a snowfall, the red-and-white pairing is impressive.

I recall that AdventureX's Shi Yanbing also has a telephoto close-up shot of a small scene taken here, which resembles "snowflake marbled beef." The author's ultra-wide-angle shot here feels refreshingly new, especially the heart-shaped little lake in the foreground, which is full of novelty.

Photographer: Tian Qi TIANQI (天祺TIANQI)

AdventureX's Pan Weihao's comment:

Forest photos are often hard to shoot because it's difficult to create a sense of three-dimensional space, which requires the presence of both distant and near subjects, as well as differentiation between the background and foreground.

In this image, the photographer uses frost flowers and light accents as the foreground, while the larger trees on both sides draw the viewer's eye to the center of the frame — guiding the gaze from the foreground, gradually to the reflection in the middle, and then to the distant forest.

In the distance, mist and light are used to "create" the differentiation between near and far — here it's a contrast of light and dark, sharp and hazy. Overall, this is a fine forest photograph.

Photographer: Huise Guiji (晖色轨迹)

AdventureX's Shi Yanbing's comment:

This photo presents the morning countryside in a very dreamlike way. The persimmon tree up close, and the haystacks and fields in the middle ground, convey information about the environment, while the distant mist and hazy peaks create a wonderful atmosphere. The warm and cool colors are very harmonious, and the composition is richly layered.

Photographer: Hou Ruxuan (Miro) (厚汝轩Miro)

AdventureX's Shi Fei's comment:

In landscape photography, the landscape itself is often the primary element, and the uniqueness of the scenery is the most important of all. In today's fast-food era of landscape photography, this photo is easy for me to remember because of its rarity and uniqueness.

The 40 Glacier may not be a niche spot in many outdoor circles, but few people can perfectly capture its characteristics. When shooting landscapes, many people focus only on in-camera techniques and post-processing retouching, yet forget how to shoot in a way that presents the scenery you see as both authentic and artistic. This, I think, is an important part of advancing in landscape photography.

Photographer: Nanzhou Li, Li Nanzhou (NanzhouLi李南洲)

AdventureX's Zhu Jingshu's comment:

The snow mountain forms three triangles evenly distributed across the frame, presenting a tripod-like stance — a very bold compositional choice.

The other small triangle is the prayer flag in the foreground lit up by sunlight — the finishing touch of the composition. Through the contrast in scale, it conveys the majesty of the snow mountain, while adding a human element that brings the whole frame to life.

Exposure is accurate in this high-contrast environment, and the use of rim/backlighting sculpts the three-dimensionality of the peaks, while the arrangement of the foreground creates layering and depth.

Photographer: Su Tie (苏铁)

AdventureX's Yao Minglai's comment:

This abstract aerial work is very unique — it can be imagined as many things. Importantly, I've never seen another photographer shoot such an image.

Photographer: Itisme (就是我Itisme)

AdventureX's Thomas's comment:

This photo is clean and transparent with comfortable colors. The photographer made excellent use of the high-angle advantage of aerial photography, letting the winding river and endless snow mountains stretch into the distance — a wonderful image.

Prize:

DJI Osmo Mobile 2 Smartphone Gimbal

Osprey Hydraulics Outdoor Hydration Reservoir

Congratulations to all the winners above. We'll contact the winners via Tuchong private messages to arrange prize shipping.

Thanks to co-organizer Tuchong (图虫), and partners DJI and Osprey for their support!

Thank you all for your enthusiastic submissions and strong support!