Beno Saradzic

Beno is a Slovenian born time lapse cinematographer, photographer and visual artist. He is currently based in Dubai, UAE.

For 18 years, Beno has trained his eye in the art of seeing as a 3D Computer Animation and Architecture Visualization specialist. As a veteran digital artist, Beno won numerous accolades and awards such as the winner of the prestigious 'Tektronix International Design Visualization Competition' in 1993. For his continuous contributions to the art of architectural visualization, Beno was given a 'Special Merit of Excellence' award by Kinetix / Autodesk in 2005. Beno's 3D generated art was published in several international architectural visualization publications and books such as the '3DS MAX 2008 Foundation'.

In 2008, Beno started exploring new creative avenues which lead him to discover the world of photography and time lapse cinematography. Having a solid foundation and decades of practice in related types of visual arts, Beno’s transition to his newly found passion was a swift one. By 2011, he had dozens of photographs and time lapse films specially featured across local and international media and publications. His body of work is recognized for its use of light and composition, drawing strong influences from the classics of cinema and traditional art.

Beno's comprehensive portfolio is defined by his profound love for architecture, engineering, science and the beauty of nature. His vast knowledge of digital imaging technologies is evident in every photograph. As an individual accustomed to dramatic profession changes, Beno believes in the power of a life-long learning process and feeding the child-like curiosity throughout adulthood. He tirelessly experiments with fresh styles of photography while refusing to box himself in any particular genre. Keeping the broad and diverse subject matters in front of his lens is the secret sauce to creative liberty and inspiration.

His list of clients include BBC’s Natural History Unit, the Discovery Channel, Canon Middle East, Emirates Airline, Abu Dhabi and Dubai Governments and many others.

Beno was nominated for an Emmy for his achievements in cinematography. As a producer, Beno is also a Silver Dolphin Award winner of the prestigious Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards.
As of March 2015, Beno was inducted into Canon Ambassador Programme as a 'Canon Explorer' for Europe and MENA regions.

Beno shoots for major image libraries such as Getty Images, Alamy and Trevillion Images. As a photo educator, he hosts regular photography workshops and inspiration seminars on time lapse photography, fine art photography and digital image post-processing. He is a frequently featured artist and has made numerous appearances and tutorials on various blogs such as 500px.com, Scott Kelby One, Trey Ratcliff's Variety Hour, Topaz Labs Blog and many others.

Below is the list of Beno's most notable awards, merits and appearances in the field of photography and time lapse cinematography:

• Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Cinematography in Long Form Documentary (ANIMAL PLANET 'Wild Arabia', September 2014)
• Silver Dolphin winner - Cannes Corporate Media & TV Award Winner (October 2014)
• 2nd and 3rd place at the International Photography Awards 2014 (IPA) in Architecture Category as well as 3x Honorable Mentions
• Featured guest and time-lapse cinematographer on Discovery Channel's 'Passage to Abu Dhabi'
• Time-lapse cinematographer on BBC Natural History's 'Wild Arabia' TV series
• Honorable Mention at the City Soul 2014 International Photography Salon PSA HM
• Honorable Mention at the International Photography Awards 2013 (IPA) with 11 nominations
• Honorable Mention at the 6th International Contest of Photography NARAVA 2013
• Honorable Mention at Seventh Season PX3 - Prix de la Photographie Paris 2013
• Gold Medal Winner of the Egypt IPC 2012, photography contest, Architecture Category
• 1st Place Winner in the Time Lapse photography category of the 'SPACES OF LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD - FIFTH SEASON' (2015)
• 1st Place Winner in the architectural photography category of the 'SPACES OF LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD - FOURTH SEASON' (2014)
• 2nd Place Winner in the architectural photography category of the 'SPACES OF LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD - THIRD SEASON' (2013)
• 3rd Place Winner in the architectural photography category of the 'SPACES OF LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD - SECOND SEASON' (2012)
• Winner of the 1st prize for the' EARTH HOUR 2011' photo contest organized by ADGAS/WWF
• Two-time Finalist of the 'AL AIN PHOTOGRAFIA AWARD' in 2011
• Finalist of 'HIPA' photography award, Fourth Season (2014-15)
• Two-time Finalist of 'HIPA' photography award, Third Season (2013-14)
• Finalist of 'HIPA' photography award, First Season (2011-12)
• Finalist of National Geographic 2012 International Photo Contest
• 'Abu Dhabi' time lapse film featured in the permanent collection of Encyclopedia Britannica's 'Project Time Lapse' (2013)
• Photographic Society of America (PSA) Honorable Mention Ribbon - City Soul 2014 photography contest
• Published architectural photography work in Simone Kosremelli's book 'A Lebanese Perspective' (2012)
• Consulting instructor of photography and time lapse photography at Gulf Photo Plus in Dubai
• Jury member of the ADP / Tempo Planet magazine - Photo Contest 2013