Photographer wins Red Bull Illume 2021 prize skiing inside his apartment!

(Image credit: Philipp Klein Herrero / Red Bull Illume)

A photographer has scooped a prestigious gong in the Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2021 with an ingenious stop-motion video of him skiing – indoors, in his apartment, during a lockdown.

The Red Bull Illume photography contest is unveiling winners of each of its categories every night this week. Dedicated to adventure and action sports, the competition showcases the most creative and captivating images around, celebrating the passion, lifestyle and culture behind the photographers that shoot them.

• Read more: Best action cameras

Last night, two more winners were announced for the categories of Photo Story and Playground by Whitewall. The Photo Story category was won by Philipp Klein Herrero, from Spain, for his viral lockdown video featuring cleverly composed shots of him skiing in his living room.

The category brief was to submit photos "presented in a slideshow from 30 seconds up to 3 minutes, giving you the opportunity to show us your story that simply can’t be told in a single image". Watch his creative and humorous stop-motion story below:

Photo Story was introduced as a new category this year, and the inspiration for Herrero's unique concept was the global pandemic, experiencing a day in the mountains from the comfort of home. "I taped my camera to the ceiling, put on ski gear and started shooting, one shot at a time," he said. "Once posted, it went viral in a matter of hours, something I never expected but it showed me how much the world needed something positive."

Taking the crown for the Playground by Whitewall category was Markus Berger, from Austria. His glacier shot fit the brief perfectly by showcasing "the landscapes, locations, platforms, and environments in which athletes play". The spectacular shot features wakeboarder Dominik Hernler riding a meltwater stream inside a glacier.

Markus recalls that the glacier ice cave was so cold that he struggled to keep himself, and his camera, alive and functioning. "In terms of photography, this was an extreme challenge… I didn't feel anything below my waist and one of my cameras failed as well. It was also a matter of luck if I got the camera to trigger at the right moment…Right after this shot the camera shut down and didn't work for three days!"

glacier shot red bull illume 2021 — (Image credit: © Markus Berger / Red Bull Illume)

Photography fans around the world won't have to wait much longer for the results of this year's Lifestyle by Cooph category winner, announcing today (01 December) at 12:00 EST / 17:00 GMT. This will be followed by a second announcement of the Masterpiece by SanDisk Professional category winner at 14:00 EST / 19:00 GMT.

Announcements can be viewed live on Red Bull's Instagram, in addition to being streamed on the Red Bull Illum website, bringing the experience directly to fans all over the world. Numerous guests from fields of action sports and photography will be making appearances on the live streams, including former Red Bull Illume Overall Winner Chris  Burkard on tonight's panel.

Beth kicked off her journalistic career as a staff writer here at Digital Camera World, but has since moved over to our sister site Creative Bloq, where she covers all things tech, gaming, photography, and 3D printing. With a degree in Music Journalism and a Master's degree in Photography, Beth knows a thing or two about cameras – and you'll most likely find her photographing local gigs under the alias Bethshootsbands. She also dabbles in cosplay photography, bringing comic book fantasies to life, and uses a Canon 5DS and Sony A7III as her go-to setup.

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