CATEGORY WINNER PLANTS AND FUNGI 
Soare Laurentiu | Cold and Warm

Name: Soare Laurentiu
Picture title: Cold and warm
Category: Plants and Fungi
Nationality: Romania
Occupation: I completed Mechanical Engineering studies, but since 2017 I have been self-employed and I have been running my own small business. I am an amateur photographer. I resumed my passion for photography from my youthful years in 2017 and I have combined this passion with the pleasure of going out for walks and hikes in the middle of nature. My photography aims to capture in a unique way the beauty of nature that surrounds us.

Technical information
Camera:  Nikon D750
Lens: Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 lens
EXIF: 220mm 1/500sec at f8 ISO100

Soare Laurentiu says:

The picture was taken in a small and lost-in-time village called Dumesti, Alba County. The landscape of this village is characterized by hilly formations dotted with clumps of birch trees. The white trunks of the birch trees make them an interesting subject to photograph. Particularly in spring and autumn, this landscape becomes incredibly attractive for a photographer on sunny morning days when, due to the cold nights and with the appearance of the first rays of the sun, the fog rises and a mystical atmosphere is created in front of your eyes. You cannot help but want to go back to this place after being there once, and therefore I always find myself revisiting Dumesti almost every year, in both spring and autumn. The photo presented in the contest was taken in the spring of this year. I decided to immerse myself and explore the landscape more carefully, and it was not a bad idea, as I discovered a unique viewpoint for taking photographs. Once the warm sunlight made its appearance the show of the rising mist began. Of all the photographs taken that day, I consider the one presented in the competition the most beautiful one, due to the contrast between foreground and background, the atmosphere created by the fog, and the white silhouettes of the birch trees in the second plane.