Chen Siqi vankochensq@163.com STUNNING drone shows, wildlife, and modern breweries — these are just a few of the subjects that audiences can see through the lenses of Shenzhen’s expat photographers. The Sixth Expats Eye Shenzhen Photo Contest awards ceremony and the photo exhibition opening ceremony, which features the contest’s winning works, were held at OH Bay in Bao’an District on Saturday afternoon. The exhibition showcases over 100 photos, including contest winners and others that spotlight Bao’an District. The free exhibition will run through Dec. 6. This year’s contest was divided into four categories: Shenzhen Cityscape (C1), Shenzhener (C2), Shenzhen Tech (C3), and Shenzhen Nature (C4). The contest, which ran from July 19 to Sept. 20, received submissions from 90 expats that hail from 31 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Ukraine, Japan, France, and Italy. Many of the participants have entered the contest for six consecutive years. The organizing committee recognized outstanding works by selecting a Photographer of the Year, four Category Photographers, six Merit Photographers, and nine Shortlisted Photographers. John Roger Speakman, who won second prize in the nature category last year with a series featuring birds, shifted his focus to butterflies this year. His series, “Flying Fashionistas of Shenzhen,” earned him the title of Photographer of the Year. “It is really difficult to take pictures of butterflies during their flight,” Speakman shared with the audience during a video speech. “I took literally thousands of out-of-focus butterfly pictures before I figured out the best way to capture them.” Frantisek Bina, a photographer from the Czech Republic, participated in the contest for the fifth time. His series focuses on GDH City?Jinpi Fang, a brewery-turned-cultural site in Luohu District. He shot the series with a fisheye lens from a Shenzhen-based manufacturer, earning him the title of Category Photographer for the Shenzhen Cityscape category. The site, transformed from Kingway Brewery, has become an arts block and was one of the main venues for the Ninth Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture. Jerome Reyes, a photographer from the Philippines, was recognized as a Shortlisted Photographer for the Shenzhener category. He has followed the contest for about five years, and this was his first time submitting photos, making the award even more special for him. “Shenzhen, with its dynamic blend of modern innovation and cultural heritage, offers endless inspiration for photographers,” he said. The event was hosted by the Information Office of the Shenzhen Municipal Government and organized by EyeShenzhen, Shenzhen Daily, and the Publicity Department of the Bao’an District Committee of the CPC. | 