Stunning images capture the world around us

The winners of this year's Sony World Photography Awards Open competition have been revealed, with Britain's Nick Dolding's portrait of Emile (above) being voted the best in the Portraiture category.

All the category winners will now compete for the Open Photographer of the Year award, which will be announced on the 19 April.

"This composition is quite popular amongst photographers at the moment. And it's easy to understand why," said Mikkel Beiter, winner of the Travel award.

"The beautiful Mount Olstinden has almost the same shape as the roof of this cute yellow cabin. And the yellow colour creates some amazing contrast to the snow-covered mountain."

The picture was taken in the Lofoten Archipelago, in Norway, though Beiter has made a few changes. He said: "I've removed a small cabin in the left side during post process. Beside that, colour correction, contrast and sharpness has been done in Lightroom and Photoshop."

Klaus Lenzen's Every Breath you Take, which won the Enhanced image category, was made from 35 individual photos of swimmers at the triathlon in the Dusseldorf Media Harbor in summer 2017.

"I was able to take a picture of them from above while the athletes crossed a pedestrian bridge, capturing their very individual 'breathing techniques'," said Lenzen.

"I was inspired by the work of Andreas Gursky. Therefore, I took the individual images with the highest possible sharpness. That enables me to display or print the overall picture in large format."

Veselin Atanasov's picture of autumn trees in a national park in Bulgaria has won the Landscape and Nature section of the competition.

Richard Frishman's Sunday Buffet at Jerry Mikeska's BBQ won the Still Life section.

"I found this curious juxtaposition while looking for lunch in rural Texas, the heart of hunting country," he said.

"Mikeska's Bar-B-Q is famous for its Sunday BBQ buffet and its taxidermy.

"Authentic to the scene depicted, this highly detailed image is constructed of over 100 individual photographs meticulously stitched together."

Fajar Kristianto's The Highest Platform, showing the new aquatic stadium in Jakarta, won the Motion category.

Greek photographer Panos Skordas's picture of his son dressed as a minotaur won the Culture section.

"The picture was taken in the actual palace of King Minos, on the island of Crete. And the costume and mask was made by me," said Skordas.

"I was about to leave the Sequoia National Park, when from the corner of my eye I saw a beautiful clearing bathed in a fog," said Justuna Zdunczyk, winner of the Wildlife category.

"Without thinking too much, I ran with the camera to take some pictures.

"When I reached the clearing, I heard the crack of broken twigs and I can't say that I was not afraid, since Sequoia National Park is a home for black bears and people are warned about it at every step.

"When I turned around, fortunately there was not any bear.

"Instead, I saw a curious mule deer walking towards me.

"Soon after, other deer joined him. And we just stood there together for a while and watched each other.

"It was one of the most beautiful moments during my trip through California."

Manuel Armenis's Old Friends won the Street Photography section. Armenis, who took this picture in Hamburg, Germany, said the woman in the picture was the "most graceful lady of her neighbourhood, despite the burden of old age".

"Always stylish, colourful, in good spirits, smiling, never complaining, even though the everyday is a struggle and a challenge for her.

"And never to be seen without her best friend - her little dog."

Andreas Pohl's The Man and the Mysterious Tower, which won the Architecture category, shows a vertical wind tunnel built in the 1930s for aeronautical studies in Berlin.

All photographs courtesy Sony World Photography Awards