DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Best 2017 drone photo wasn’t shot from a drone, and it’s from 2014

Mar 1, 2018 by Dunja Djudjic Add Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Earlier this month, DJI announced the best 2017 drone photos of their SkyPixel contest. The winner got valuable prizes, but then it turned out that the photo wasn’t even shot from a drone. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t even shot in 2017, but three years earlier.

The rules of the contest require photographers to submit photos taken using “any aerial platform” and taken in 2017. However, PetaPixel reports that the winning image in the Landscape category doesn’t meet either of the requirements.

The image in question is named Sun’s Up, Nets Out and it was taken by photographer Zay Yar Lin with a Nikon D750. He told Amateur Photographer that he took the photo “from a high bamboo stage built near the fishing place in the lake for photography purposes.” It’s probably not what DJI meant by “aerial platform.” Anyhow, this interview dates back to 2016, which brings us to the next issue: the photo wasn’t taken in 2017.

As reported further, the same photo was submitted to several other contests in the previous years. These include NatGeo 2015 Traveler Photo Contest, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards, and Amateur Photographer of the Year 2016. The EXIF data on the NatGeo page doesn’t only show that the photo was taken with a Nikon D750, but also that it was captured in 2014.

The winner of SkyPixel contest was awarded Nikon D850 and DJI Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian drone. However, the photo was disqualified from the contest, as DPReview reports. Still, Zay Yar Lin explains that his DSLR was, in fact, attached to a hexacopter when he captured the winning image on the bamboo stage. This is the statement he gave PetaPixel regarding this case:

I regret that I had shot with my DSLR with hexacopter on the bamboo stage to get the best angle. But to be honest, I wasn’t aware of the Photo Contest rules that all photos should have been shot in 2017. I’m a freelance and ethical photographer in the contests. Please look up my profile in any site. I really regret misunderstanding had occurred between us.

DPReview points out that the photographer didn’t mention the hexacopter when he gave the interview about this image to Amateur Photographer in 2016. But if he did attach the DSLR to the hexacopter, I guess he found a loophole in the contest rules. Still, the fact that the photo was shot in 2014 is something he couldn’t fake so easily, considering that it was submitted to several contests before 2017.

Upon disqualifying the photo from the contest, some people argue that “it’s still a nice photo.” And I have to agree: regardless of the gear used, the photo is nice indeed. But still, if the contest has certain gear and year requirements and they are not fulfilled, I guess the photo, no matter how good it is, can’t be accepted.

[via DPReview, PetaPixel; image credits: Zay Yar Lin]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

2014 Smithsonian Photo Contest Finalists Show Nature In Its Finest Moments All About Photo magazine announces the best black and white photos of its 2021 contest A photo of butchered rhino wins 2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year award 2017 will be the year that film makes its big return

Filed Under: news Tagged With: Competition, contest, photography competition, photography contest, Zay Yar Lin

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« Court orders Canon Italia to remove Elia Locardi’s image from their social media pages
Tokina announces Opera 50mm f/1.4 “Top Premium” full frame lens for Nikon and Canon »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • Kodak could have dominated digital photography
  • Tourists fight over a photo spot at famous Pedra do Telégrafo
  • iPhone 15 Pro Max: First impressions
  • Blackmagic’s new app turns your iPhone into a cinema camera (kinda)
  • Nikon announces Zf shortage (Surprise!)

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy