Fifteen-year-old David Uzochukwu recently won the 2014 EyeEm Photographer of the Year award, beating out 15,000 competitors with his powerful, ethereal photos.
Here's the Austrian teen's winning photo, titled “Cry Me a River”:
This striking self-portrait was part of a personal project last summer, during which David committed to taking one photograph a day. David told The Huffington Post in an email that "working on a tight deadline and being unable to always plan ahead forced me to get creative.” Of course, it helps that he clearly has the eye for what makes a powerful photo, as can be seen below.
David's EyeEm award won him a stay in a five-star Berlin hotel and the opportunity to present and discuss his photography at September's 2014 EyeEm Festival. He documented his trip to Berlin as only an award-winning photographer could.
David’s been pursuing his love of photography for five years, and he’s been taking these amazing self-portraits for two years.
From the moment David started taking photographs, he was hooked. He told HuffPost that "the passion that I felt the first time I consciously took photos is the same I feel today.”
David doesn't have to look far for new ideas. "I'm inspired by everything around me -- light, people, stories, art." Here, he shows how the right lighting can create magic.
Though these photographs clearly require mad skill, David says the most important thing an aspiring photographer can do is just pick up the camera. “Shoot a lot!" he adds. "You'll find out what you like and what you don't, and learn something new about photography every time you pick up your camera."
Feeling inspired to take some photos? Just don't commit David's biggest iPhone photo faux-pas: Using flash when it's light outside. “Turn that flash off. Please.”
Follow David on Eye Em for more inspiration and check out the other 2014 EyeEm Awards Finalists here.
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