Celebrating man's 2nd most-used building material, Concrete of Life invited photographers to shoot it in all its forms
(Image credit: Ferdz-Bedaña (@ferdzbedana))
Concrete of Life 2022 celebrates one of the most popular building materials known to man. Used to build everything from skate ramps and bridges to high-rise flats and contemporary designer homes, concrete can be molded, painted and sealed to create striking rugged structures.
More than 14,000 images were entered into this year's competition from photographers in every continent. Split into four categories, each with an amateur and professional sub-category they included; Beauty and Design, Concrete in Daily Life, Concrete Infrastructure, and Urban Concrete. Photographers could use any device available to them whether that be a camera phone, a drone or a mirrorless camera.
The Boy, Turkey - Beauty and design winner. Fujifilm X-T2 with 10-24mm. 1/100sec at f/5, ISO100. (Image credit: Fatma-Demir (@fatmademirphotography))
First place and a cash prize of $10,000 was awarded to Ferdz Bedana for his photo of a boy skating in a half pipe at a skate park in Sharjah, UAE. On winning the award Bedana said, “It’s a great honor to be the overall winner of the Concrete in Life 2022 competition and spread the story of how concrete is a big contribution in our life. I was interested to take a photo of this skatepark when I saw a boy enjoying playing in a substantially artistic concrete design.”
Each category winner also received a cash prize of $2,500 including Mariana Ríos for Contemplation, Mexico, Dinar Wahyu Herlembang in the amateur concrete infrastructure category and Fatma Demir for The Boy taken in Turkey.
Thomas Guillot, chief executive of the Global Cement and Concrete association said, “Concrete is the second most used substance on earth after water and plays a vital part in modern infrastructure and society… These amazing photos capture the appeal of concrete design and the essential role it plays in modern life and communities everywhere.”
Metro Station, Dubai - Urban concrete, amateur winner (Image credit: Joey S. Reginaldo (@sijoeyto))
Indonesia. Concrete infrastructure, amateur winner.
Canon EOS 70D, 18-135mm. 10secs at f/32, ISO100. (Image credit: inar-Wahyu-Herlambang (@idealisticalith))
Interchange, Guangzhou, China - Concrete Infrastructure, Professional Winner. DJI Mavic Pro. 1sec at f/2.2, ISO100. (Image credit: Chek Poh Wong/Concrete in Life)
It's hard to leave the house without seeing concrete - some houses even have concrete inside for feature walls or industrial-looking worktops but these photographers frame it in a way that makes it truly artistic. Bold shapes complement blank backgrounds and colorful blockwork injects life into this dull-looking material.
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Whether you're a fan of brutalist architecture or have a soft spot for skating, Concrete in Life is about capturing even the most basic of materials at their absolute best.
Having studied Journalism and Public Relations at the University of the West of England Hannah developed a love for photography through a module on photojournalism. She specializes in Portrait, Fashion and lifestyle photography but has more recently branched out in the world of stylized product photography. For the last 3 years Hannah has worked at Wex Photo Video as a Senior Sales Assistant using her experience and knowledge of cameras to help people buy the equipment that is right for them. With 5 years experience working with studio lighting, Hannah has run many successful workshops teaching people how to use different lighting setups.
