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It’s Red Bull Illume time. Appearing towards the end of the year, this is always worthy of your eyeballs.
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By ben_haworth
Get the full story here:
https://singletrackmag.com/2023/12/the-best-bike-photography-of-the-year/
Love Lorentz Holder's shot, brilliant!
If my photography answer is dictated by "which would i put on my wall"..
Hannes Berger....
The rest are IMO absolutely bloody awful.
I am definitely drawn to the more "natural/riding" type of shots than the "arty/farty" end of the scale.
Have that Jb Liautard shot on my screensaver roll.
Maybe an STW equivalent to PB Photo of the Year (forum members not paid staff/contributors) might be an interesting idea?
Love this
Red Bull, so preferably both wheels off the ground, but at least one. Or trials, so a sense of precariousness.
It's not for me; I'm also in the 'STW covers are better' camp.
If I may blow my own trumpet for a moment, I was dead chuffed to get an image through to the semi finals of the competition. A shot not too dissimilar to one that graced the cover of this publication (there's a magazine?): https://www.redbullillume.com/int-en/photographers/james-vincent
I do love the aesthetics of La Muralla Roja, but it’s a heavily photographed location and the sort of place where you’d have to work hard to take a duff image. I’m surprised it was a category winner when it leans so hard on a readymade backdrop. There are many other bike images in the pool that make much more creative use of less well-trodden (and often far more mundane) locations, most of them showcasing more impressive action as well. It’s definitely worth browsing the whole gallery.
Maybe an STW equivalent to PB Photo of the Year (forum members not paid staff/contributors) might be an interesting idea
This has happened several times - the late simonfbarnes won it one year.
I am left rather nonplussed by a load of those. They seem rather artificial and contrived.
+1. The contrived, arty and (for most people) completely unattainable riding style is just a complete turn off. Not interested in the slightest. Give me some natural riding achievable by "the normal rider" in normal locations, not some purpose built ramp in Utah only accessible by helicopter for 7 selected riders.
+1 to some kind of STW forum photography contest (or even just a showcase or gallery).
And I also found most of those trying a bit too hard. While I can appreciate the skill and effort, the end results left me a bit cold in most cases. Did quite like the Bissig, Bernstal and Grosgurin images though.
Love the Crocs in the first pic.
Yeah, just a bit too "arty" maybe. I love the first Lorenz Holder apartments one (he's got 2 in the list), but not seen any photos of it before myself.
The first 2 don't do anything for me.
Nice that the high res images are available with a right-click, I shal "borrow" a few for wallpaper 🙂
Some pretty special pics in the gallery.
This one is something a bit different. Like it 🙂
https://www.redbullillume.com/int-en/photos/janik-steiner-masterpiece-by-soelden
To answer the ops title then it’s a simple no. These aren’t even close to being the best bike photographs of the year. The PB a contest in previous years has had a far higher standard of images in it than these.
I can admire the extremely high level of photoshop skill that appears to have gone into these but wouldn’t give any of them wall space or even have as my computer wallpaper for a while
+1 to some kind of STW forum photography contest (or even just a showcase or gallery).
You'll have to judge it though, so you can't enter 😋
The Nazca one by JB is a classic.
I do love the aesthetics of La Muralla Roja, but it’s a heavily photographed location and the sort of place where you’d have to work hard to take a duff image. I’m surprised it was a category winner when it leans so hard on a readymade backdrop.
I'd agree with this. Bit too confected, but the contest seems to have an arty-farty angle eh?
Kaleidoscope one is very striking, otherwise I think I prefer James's image to a lot of these.
Don't get the one of the lad doing a tailwhip in the desert at all.
Meh!....A russian doing some 1980's flatland move whilst wearing crocs but trying to 'do art' , another Russian wearing a fez and carrying a briefcase on his commute to the Ukrainian front lines.
A few are taken from the Squidgames set/studios.
The tree one is the best but the blurb mentioned the waterfall in the background that I can barely see.
Far better pics on the daily photos thread!
Frankly, STW has better photos regularly
None of those photos created any sort of emotion in me. I can understand that they were difficult to take or the riding was awesome but nothing touched me at all :(.
Buy the mag 🙂
Why are photos from Russia even in the competition?
Hardly the place for that. Find a different thread or go make one.
.
A to the photographs and subject at hand, few floated my boat, and like others here wonder why they all have to be taken in mid air 😕
I'd prefer to see cycling in the great outdoors, some mountain or green hills or snow covered peaks in the background.
I know its Red Bull, but come on. Makes it less about cycling in general and more about promoting Red Bull events.