Sharjah resident wins international Concrete in Life photography competition

The striking image was shot in the emirate's Aljada Skate Park

Concrete in Life photography competition, overall winner, by Ferdz Bedana, who lives in Sharjah. Photo: Ferdz Bedana / Global Cement and Concrete Association

Urban Concrete, amateur, winner, by Joey S Reginaldo, who lives in Dubai. Photo: Joey S Reginaldo / Global Cement and Concrete Association

Urban Concrete, professional, shortlisted, by Biju Sivasankaran, who lives in the UAE. Photo: Biju Sivasankaran / Global Cement and Concrete Association

Concrete Beauty and Design, professional, winner, by Fatma Demir. Photo: Fatma Demir / Global Cement and Concrete Association

Concrete Beauty and Design, amateur, winner, by Mariana Riios. Photo: Mariana Riios / Global Cement and Concrete Association

Concrete Beauty and Design, professional, shortlisted, by Nsr Bin Mohd, who lives in the UAE. Photo: Nsr Bin Mohd / Global Cement and Concrete Association

Concrete in Daily Life, professional, winner, by Azim Khan Ronnie. Photo: Azim Khan Ronnie / Global Cement and Concrete Association

Concrete in Daily Life, amateur, winner, by Muhana Syafiquddary. Photo: Muhana Syafiquddary / Global Cement and Concrete Association

Concrete in Daily Life, amateur, shortlisted, by Roger Alfonso, who lives in the UAE. Photo: Roger Alfonso / Global Cement and Concrete Association

Concrete Infrastructure, professional, winner, by Chek Poh Wong. Photo: Chek Poh Wong / Global Cement and Concrete Association

Concrete Infrastructure, amateur, winner, by Dinar Wahyu Herlambang. Photo: Dinar Wahyu Herlambang / Global Cement and Concrete Association

Ferdz Bedana, a photographer who lives in Sharjah, has won the fourth annual Concrete in Life photography competition with a striking black-and-white image.

Titled Skateboarder, the photograph won in the Urban Concrete category, which awarded him $2,500. It was was also named as the overall winning image, for which the prize was $10,000.

“During the live announcement of the winners, I felt so excited and nervous,” Bedana tells The National. “Most of my friends and participants told me that my photo is very strong and they feel that my photo must be the overall winner.”

UK organisation the Cement and Concrete Association holds the global competition, which is open to amateur and professional photographers, to highlight the essential role and aesthetic value of concrete worldwide. As a commonly used building material, concrete is present almost everywhere in urban cities around the world, including in the UAE.

There were more than 14,000 entries from around the world and several photographers who live in the UAE found success in the competition.

Dubai resident Joey S Reginaldo won the Urban Concrete category in the amateur section for his work, Metro Station. Meanwhile those who made it into the shortlist were Biju Sivasankaran in the Urban Concrete category, Nsr Bin Mohd in the Concrete Beauty and Design category and Roger Alfonso in the Concrete in Daily Life category in the amateur section.

Photographers were asked to submit an image that shows what concrete means to them or how it plays into their daily life.

Bedana’s photo, which was taken at Aljada Skate Park in Sharjah, depicts a young skateboarder in mid-air as he leaps with his skateboard through a concrete tunnel with his shadow projected in front of him.

“The Aljada Skate Park gives everyone the opportunity to enjoy and improve their skills in skateboarding,” Bedana says, while also adding that he admired the design of the urban concrete skate park and its impressive size.

Bedana, who has been living in the UAE for 13 years and works as a full-time photographer, was first interested in taking pictures at Aljada after seeing a boy playing in the concrete tunnels. He then found a skateboarder on social media and reached out to him to take part in a photoshoot.

“I can’t remember how many shots I took,” Bedana says. “But we took different angles and shots around that area to get the good lighting, angle and emotion or action.”

From the stark whiteness of the sky to the range of blacks of the shadows and the skater’s outfit to the nuanced greys and textures of the skating tunnel, the photo not only captures a particular moment, but a mood, through its composition and light.

“I chose to edit the photo in black and white to reveal the details and texture of the concrete and the details of the shadow,” Bedana says. “It’s a more powerful image in black and white than in colour.”