The world’s best action and adventure sport photography
- Text by HUCK HQ
- Photography by © Jody MacDonald / Red Bull Illume
German BMX pro Senad Grosic is in perfect balance. With his front wheel anchored to the old stone bridge in Gablenz, his rear wheel and body pokes up into the air like a ballerina. His likeness is captured in the mirror-like surface of the water metres below, creating a reflection that’s almost too perfect to believe.
© Lorenz Holder / Red Bull Illume
© Daniel Vojtěch / Red Bull Illume
Shot by photographer Lorenz Holder, this image was the overall winner of the Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2016, the compeititon which celebrates the very best action and adventure sport photography.
© Dean Treml / Red Bull Illume
© Denis Klero / Red Bull Illume
5,645 photographers from across the globe submitted a staggering 34,624 images, that encompass everything from surfers riding atop freight trains in the heart of the desert, to wounded kayakers and death-defying skydivers. After judges selected winners for each of the 11 categories, which included Mobile, Close Up and Lifestyle, Lorenz Holder was crowned with overall victory.
© Dean Treml / Red Bull Illume
© Vegard Aasen / Red Bull Illume
The 275 semifinalist images from this year’s contest are showcased in a limited edition coffee-table book, which also reveal the finalists’ biographies, their stories behind each shot and the technical details. A selection of the judges’ favourite images also go on display in a travelling nighttime outdoor photo exhibition.
© Micky Wiswedel / Red Bull Illume
© Ale Di Lullo / Red Bull Illume
© Lorenz Holder / Red Bull Illume
© Luke Shadbolt / Red Bull Illume
Find out more about the book and exhibition tour stops at Red Bull Illume.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
Nxdia: “Poems became an escape for me”
What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s Egyptian-British alt-pop shapeshifter Nxdia.
Written by: Nxdia
Kathy Shorr’s splashy portraits inside limousines
The Ride of a Lifetime — Wanting to marry a love of cars and photography, Kathy Shorr worked as a limousine driver in the ’80s to use as a studio on wheels. Her new photobook explores her archive.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Lewd tales of live sex shows in ’80s Times Square
Peep Man — Before its LED-beaming modern refresh, the Manhattan plaza was a hotbed for seedy transgression. A new memoir revisits its red light district heyday.
Written by: Miss Rosen
In a world of noise, IC3PEAK are finding radicality in the quiet
Coming Home — Having once been held up as a symbol of Russian youth activism and rebellion, the experimental duo are now living in exile. Their latest album explores their new reality.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Are we steamrolling towards the apocalypse?
One second closer to midnight — While the rolling news cycle, intensifying climate crisis and rapidly advancing technology can make it feel as if the end days are upon us, newsletter columnist Emma Garland remembers that things have always been terrible, and that is a natural part of human life.
Written by: Emma Garland
Analogue Appreciation: Maria Teriaeva’s five pieces that remind her of home
From Sayan to Savoie — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. First up, the Siberian-born, Paris-based composer and synthesist.
Written by: Maria Teriaeva