Nature nominee

The black and white series shows tree in a wide, open space, taken using infrared technology. The leaves appear almost glowing white, giving the tree an almost surreal, dreamlike effect. The dark sky intensifies the contrast and draws the eye to the fine structures of the tree. The motif appears still and timeless - an picture between nature and fantasy.

Driven by her fascination for photography and design, the Munich based French-German photographer Sonia Aumiller (born 1971) completed her studies at the University of Applied Arts in Paris with a mélange of skills. From learning how to develop analog film to sharpening her sense of image composition and colour, she eventually opted to specialise in design and embarked on a career in fashion that spanned twenty years. Following the birth of her twins, she retreated from the fast-paced, cut-throat world of fashion to devote her artistic passion entirely to photography. Revelling in the limitless creative freedom that comes with looking through a camera lens, Sonia consciously aims to tell a short story within each of her works. She succeeds in the subtlest of ways in evoking the desired emotion within the beholder and considers this the ultimate gratification of her work.