HIPA, the arena’s maximum successful picture contest, introduced its 2025 winners with the theme Energy on 11th November in Dubai, probably the most populous town within the United Arab Emirates.
The highest award of $200,000 used to be claimed via Italian photographer Gianluca Gianferrari for his picture Etna’s Paroxysm, submitted to the Energy class. A paroxysm is a volcanic explosion of brief, however intense period, characterised via lava, gasoline, and ash emissions inside mins or hours.
That is the 14th season of the once a year picture contest, which over the past two years has yearly awarded a staggering $1 million in prize cash throughout six classes, with the bottom prize being 5 $20,000 prizes and the highest prize netting $200,000. There have been 15 different awards starting from $30,000 to $100,000 to have a good time a complete of twenty-two extremely joyful prize winners attending in particular person from world wide.
PetaPixel sat down with grand winner, newbie Italian photographer Gianluca Gianferrari, as the truth that he had received just about 1 / 4 of 1,000,000 bucks slowly sank in.
Attending to {Photograph} an Energetic Volcano
Gianferrari used to be house, unwell with fever, when his good friend from Tuscany referred to as. There used to be an eruption on Mount Etna, and he used to be focused on photographing it. Now, Etna at the coast of Sicily, Italy, is without doubt one of the international’s maximum lively volcanoes and is in virtually consistent eruption, so eruptions are not likely to be very sturdy or visually rewarding.
Being a passionate panorama photographer, he determined to take at the problem and fly to Sicily from his fatherland of Correggio, Italy (about 100 miles southeast of Milan), along side a neighborhood good friend.
“Each time there may be an eruption, it lasts two to 3 hours most,” says Gianferrari, explaining the habits of the volcano. “So, I will not cross, take a aircraft, take a automotive. It’s unattainable. This time, it used to be a atypical paroxysm that lasted one week as it used to be no longer with peaks however used to be gradual.
“Ok, even though it’s a small eruption, no downside. We keep in combination and feature amusing with the opposite 3rd good friend.”
The primary two days, beginning with the 1st of December 2023, had been the standard lackluster, small regimen eruptions, even main them to wonder if that they had made the appropriate resolution.
“At the 3rd day we had been there, the whole thing modified,” says Gianferrari because the volcano erupted with violent paroxysms. “So brutal, very fortunate. We went right down to consume one thing, after which noticed it used to be exploding. Grabbed the digital camera and ran again.”
Mount Etna, the most important volcano in continental Europe at 11,165 toes, used to be placing on an unique efficiency for 3 Italian pals, as there have been simplest 4 or 5 different photographers provide at round 9 pm when Etna blew its best, with golden lava streams flowing down its flank.
Gianferrari captured round 1,000 plus frames on the ones 3 fateful days on his Sony A7R IV, with a Sony FE 200–600 mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS the use of his Italian Gitzo Traveler Collection 2 tripod. The profitable shot of Etna’s Paroxysm at 236mm used to be recorded at f/9, 1.3 sec, and ISO 640.
The photographer used to be stored at a distance of over 1 kilometer via the police, so the 200-600mm tremendous telephoto zoom got here in at hand for purchasing a close-up of the exploding beast.
“It used to be so windy, so I needed to discover a position close to a small wall to stick down[low] and to hide from the wind,” recalls Gianferrari.
“I used to be excited, in reality excited, as it used to be a dream. I didn’t anticipate finding a pleasant eruption. And I used to be additionally emotional via the sound that I heard, so brutal. It used to be my first. The sound is loud, like an earthquake.
“Ahead of we had been in reality close to the volcano. That is humorous: we began taking [photographs] of a few peaks, and at a definite level I stated to my good friend who lives there, ‘It’s beginning to rain.’ And he stated, ‘It’s no longer rain, let’s cross away right away,’ as a result of there have been the drops of lava, drops small that might spoil the digital camera and the get dressed, as a result of I felt, tink, tink, tink [he simulates the sound]. I believed it used to be raining.”
Those are the photographer’s simplest photographs of an erupting volcano, as his previous journeys to Iceland and the Canary Islands in Spain had been unsuccessful.
“Within the first image we took when the lava ash [was] falling on our heads, we felt some heat…
“We had been dressed for the mountain, as it’s a top mountain, so there, I didn’t really feel [hot] as a result of we had been some distance and there used to be a large number of wind. And Sicily is a chilly position.”
The High quality of the RAW Symbol
The RAW symbol record used to be processed in Seize One, which he has been the use of for the previous 7 years. The photographer believes that Adobe Lightroom is now similarly just right, with out a actual distinction. He makes use of Affinity, nevertheless it used to be no longer used on this profitable symbol. Topaz Labs used to be used for noise aid, however now he’s the use of much less of it and extra of DxO.
The photographer shot Etna’s Paroxysm in Uncompressed [he emphasizes the word] RAW to win the highest prize of Hamdan Global Images Award (HIPA), based in 2011 underneath the patronage of the crown prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
“So, 61 megapixels. Now I’ve the 5 (Sony a7R V) and I shoot lossless compressed. I would like the utmost high quality, as a result of I make prints two meters [6.6 feet] vast,” says the panorama artist.
“[It is the] best possible sensor along side an R5 [Sony a7R V]. It’s the similar sensor because the a7RV, and that is the most efficient sensor when it comes to symbol high quality and sharpness. And regardless of what everybody says, that the ISO is noisy, I feel it’s no longer so noisy for me.”
Gianferrari feels that even a Sony a7 IV with 33 megapixels will have taken an similarly just right picture.
“My good friend who lives right here has taken a large number of footage with a Canon. Each time now there’s a paroxysm, he is going and makes use of a Micro 4 Thirds [camera].
I feel there is not any want for a 61-megapixel digital camera, however when you’ve got one, it’s higher. It’s extra helpful while you shoot one thing like animals [with] a large number of element. However for this picture, I feel that APS-C or Micro 4 Thirds is enough.
He makes use of a 32-inch track on a Mac and is proud to be referred to as a pixel peeper. On this profitable symbol, the highlights had been extra vital to the photographer than the shadows, as he didn’t wish to lose any main points. He didn’t bracket the publicity and used a faraway to fireplace the digital camera whilst shielding it together with his frame from the wind.
The photographer sees a double V formation within the symbol. The primary inverted V is of the mountain, and underneath it’s any other V formation.
“It converges [into] the double V. Everyone says about order. My pictures are order, each and every element in the appropriate position, on the proper level. Differently, I’m no longer happy.”
From Photographing Bikes to Landscapes
“I began to make pictures within the 70s as a result of my older brother, 12 years older than me, had a zeal for images, doing a little contests, fashions, and motor game,” remembers the award winner. So, he’s taking me to Imola [racetrack] sooner or later, perhaps 1982. I bring it to mind love it used to be the day before today. Then I used to be sure 10 years previous, 11 years previous, and he taught me tips on how to do panning on motorbike [racers].
Gianferrari has labored at one of the vital oldest banks on the earth, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, based in 1472, for 35 years as an officer servicing company shoppers.
The banker prefers landscapes however has additionally shot animals.
“I’m a naturalist, and [photograph] panorama perhaps with out space or construction [maybe] someday, sure, however I want simplest nature. 3 or 4 years in the past, I began making a little of animals, birds, and so forth. I went to Kenya final yr and did some astrophotography. I love the primary panorama with the Milky Manner.
“Lately, I photographed the comet, C/2025 A6 (Lemmon). There’s a well-known mountain one hour from my space, and I deliberate this shot for 3 or 4 years, spending a large number of time learning it. Getting the appropriate place, proper time, and photographing the comet is hard the use of an astro tracker.”
A Profitable Dream
Signore Gianferrari didn’t be expecting to win a prize in Dubai.
“No, no, as a result of final yr there have been 5 winners, proper? The fourth and the 5th don’t achieve not anything. So I stated, ‘Ok, I’ll cross.’ It’s an revel in. I to find some new pals.
“However I certain can be 5th or fourth. Then in a decision, they informed me that there have been simplest 3, simplest 3rd, 2nd, and primary, and I stated, Oh, wow. So, 3rd, fantastic. The entirety greater than the 3rd for me used to be a good fortune at the moment. I by no means anticipated [to win the top prize.]
Even now, I will’t completely notice what is occurring. And if it’s truth or a dream. Everyone, I say, ‘Please don’t wake me up’.”
In regards to the writer: Phil Mistry is a photographer and trainer based totally in Atlanta, GA. He began one of the vital first virtual digital camera categories in New York Town at The Global Middle of Images within the 90s. He used to be the director and trainer for Sony/In style Images mag’s Virtual Days Workshops. You’ll be able to achieve him right here.