Hongkonger Anthony Lau has been named National Geographic’s Travel Photographer of the Year!
The amateur photographer scooped the top prize on Friday for his picture of a horseman charging out of the morning mist during winter in Inner Mongolia.
In his description, Lau detailed the inclement conditions in which he captured the stunning photo.
“The winter in Inner Mongolia is very unforgiving,” he wrote. “At a freezing temperature of -20 and lower, with a constant breeze of snow from all direction[s], it was pretty hard to convince myself to get out of the car and take photos.”
Looks like Lau’s going to have to get his thermals out again though, as he’s won a seven-day trip on a polar bear safari for two at the Seal River Heritage Lodge in Manitoba, Canada.
Fellow Hongkonger Jimmi Ho was also recognised by National Geographic for his photo, “Silenced”, which depicts a dormitory at Guangzhou’s South China Normal University.
“Silenced” by Jimmi Ho, via Facebook
Ho, who studies photography at the Open University of Hong Kong, came second in the “Cities” category.
He will win a National Geographic DVD with informative lectures from six experts on the art of travel photography. Not quite an expenses-paid trip to see polar bears, but who doesn’t love recorded lectures… ?
The 23-year-old previously caught our attention when he won the Hong Kong National Award in a global photography competition run by Sony earlier this year.
“Childhood” by Jimmi Ho, via Facebook
Ho’s winning photo, “Childhood”, showed a young boy playing basketball at the candy-coloured Choi Hung Estate, and was exhibited in London’s Somerset House for two weeks.
To see more of Lau and Ho’s photography, check out their official websites below!
Anthony Lau: Flickr
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