Capturing fleeting moments of time.

Byline: Zoe Christodoulides

A STUNNING landscape photo by local artist, Costas Kyriakides, has now been ranked as one of the best in the world by the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP).

The picture which was taken by Kyriakides in The Netherlands has been awarded the highly coveted Gold Award in the most recent international competition by the BIPP, the qualifying body for professional photographers in the UK.

Over 1500 images by photographers worldwide were judged in the competition which represents the very best in professional photography in the UK and beyond.

"The standards we set in our awards are extremely high. This picture by Costas is an outstanding example of the best in European photography," said BIPP President, Graham Rutherford. "Judging standards were high this year. He should definitely be proud of his work."

Born in Famagusta in 1962, Kyriakides now lives and works in Paralimni primarily as a full-time wedding photographer. "In the summer months I'm really busy with English weddings. This past summer I took pictures of over 200 weddings here, it was very intense." He has also worked as a Reuters photojournalist and has held several exhibitions of his work.

But it's when Kyriakides is off duty that he takes his most imaginative shots, working on his private collection of nature, landscapes and people. He's been taking pictures since he was just 16, and the 47-year-old is now looking for ways to expand his ever growing collection.

"I used to be satisfied just taking pictures here in Cyprus but recently I've felt the need to do something more," said Kyriakides. "I love taking pictures of cities. I now want to collect photos from all the capital cities of Europe."

His winning BIPP picture was one he had taken a few years back in the Zaandam district of Holland and was sent off to the competition quite by chance. "I had the picture in my photo gallery here in Paralimni for quite a while and one day I just decided to send it through," he explained.

"It's really difficult to receive gold in the completion so I was very proud to hear the news. I believe the reason why it was such a success is the high quality of the image. I used an extremely low ISO and got a very sharp image; the 15 seconds exposure time means the water looks silvery." He chose not to fiddle with the image on the computer, and the only enhancement involved was a slight saturation.

Success with the BIPP has not been his only recent achievement however, as Kyriakides has just received the good news that he has also won the title of Overseas Commercial Photographer of the Year at the Newcastle Master Photographers Association.

The winning photo is one that was taken as an advertisement shot, with an Axe deodorant bottle made to look like it's in a state of shock.

Over the years Kyriakides has also won a number of other prestigious awards including Landscape Photographer of the Year 2007 nominated by the British Professional Photographers Association and the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (BPPA/SWPPA).

This specific rather surreal landscape shot is one where a gleaming tree shines bright under the direct rays of the sun with the mountain backdrop hidden in darkness. "I took the picture on a drive from Larnaca to Troodos. I just saw this magical lighting and stopped the car immediately."

When asked if the picture has been digitally enhanced, Kyriakides is intent on emphasising that he wanted nothing to get in the way of showing just how magical the real light was at the very second when the shot what taken. Capturing fleeting moments in time is, after all, what award winning professional photography is all about.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2009

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