News

US National Award Winner Revealed For 2015 Sony World Photography Awards

Cynthia Boylan | Mar 19, 2015

American photographer Courtney Colantonio-Ray was recently named the winner of the US National Award in the prestigious 2015 Sony World Photography Awards. Colantonio-Ray’s winning image “Dancer in Pause” was chosen as the single best photo taken by an American photographer entered into any of the 10 Open categories of the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards (the world’s biggest photography competition).

Colantonio-Ray (a wedding and fine art photographer originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma) won a Sony a600 camera and her image will be shown as part of the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House, London (April 24 to May 10).

Talking about her win, Colantonio-Ray comments: “I’m so honored to be chosen for this award, especially among such talented competitors who submitted stunning images. Thank you to Sony and the World Photography Organization for this wonderful honor!”

US National Award:

1st place: Courtney Colantonio-Ray

Image Name: Dancer in Pause

Photographer Name: Courtney Colantonio-Ray, Winner

Year: 2015

Image Description: A dancer pauses during rehearsal to make small adjustments to her shoes and costume. The image was taken in June 2014 in Los Angeles while shadowing a dance company during preparations for an upcoming performance.

2nd place: Jassen Todorov

Image Name: Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone

Photographer Name: Jassen Todorov, 2nd place

Year: 2015

Image Description: I flew across the country to capture this spectacular natural wonder. At sunrise and 11,000 feet, I overcame high winds and turbulence while trying to maintain altitude and capture the right angle without people on the walkway. This place is not only remote but flying over mountains and high terrain is dangerous. While circling, I felt I didn't want to leave. There are just not enough words to describe magic.

3rd place: Douglas Croft

Image Name: Above Big Sur

Photographer Name: Douglas Croft, 3rd place

Year: 2015

Image Description: It was early May in 2014, the height of the gray whale migration. I'd gone to Big Sur to photograph the whales from the cliffs, but when I got there, it was too foggy to even see the water. I decided to hike up the Baronda Trail to see if I could get above the fog and this God-given gift was my reward! Miles of Lupine and blue skies. I stayed up in the hills and shot through the morning and then went back down to the cliffs in hopes of watching the gray whales northward trek.

(In a related note, Croft is a frequent contributor to Shutterbug's Galleries and, coincidentally, we picked this same image as Shutterbug Photo of the Day in January.)

View the winning images in the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards here.

COMMENTS

Thanks for the shout out!

Submitted by douglascroftimages on March 19, 2015 - 4:34pm

Fun to see this on the site today! That photo from Big Sur is one of my favorites. A real case of things not going the way I'd planned, but turning out far better than I'd hoped. Isn't that usually what happens with nature?