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In order to take a good photo, people think they need an expensive camera, and after that, they think they need an even more expensive lens, and so forth. In reality, all you need is your phone, and a mix of imagination and skills. And the result is sometimes even better than the results with expensive gear. This effect is called toolbox fallacy: the gist of it is that in order to do something, people mistakenly think that they need a list of tools to do it, when in fact, anything minimal might suffice.

The annual Mobile Photography Awards (MPA) organizers have announced the winners and runners-up of their 10th annual competition. MPA is the longest-running international competition that recognizes and rewards photography captured on mobile phones or tablets.

Over 5,700 images were submitted from 75 countries. Participants entered their work into a broad range of 20 categories including Photo Essays, Transportation, Street Photography, Photojournalism, Black & White, and Digital Fine Art, among others.

More info: mobilephotoawards.com | Instagram | Facebook | twitter.com

Dan Liu, a mobile photographer from China, won the title of MPA Photographer of the Year and a grand prize of $3,000 cash. Dan Liu is an independent photographer & visual artist who currently lives in Chengdu, China. His work focuses mainly on humanist and landscape photography. Dan has traveled to nearly 50 countries around the world & 100 cities in China where he explores & records the relationship among various social & cultural groups, as well as their unique characteristics. For this year's winning photos, he used an iPhone 11 Pro Max.

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    Making a full circle to the introductory paragraph, this year's winners go to show that you can take a great photo even with less than perfect gear, like Black & White category winner Alessandra Manzotti, who did it on her iPhone 5C, which is considered somewhat old by today's standards. And the brands are not as important as some may think. Winners used iPhones, Samsungs, and Huaweis, and even Xiaomis, and Vivo, among lesser-known brands. The lesson here is: go out and do it, and you may become the winner of next year's MPA.

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    Black & White, 1st Place: Horse Play By Alessandra Manzotti

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    Eyes Of The World, 1st Place: Cantonese Opera By Queenie Cheen

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    Street Photography, 1st Place: Stuart Street, Boston By Jeff Larason

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    McPanda
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    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This probably did not have a happy ending for one of them...

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    Photographer Of The Year Winner: Early Evening Poplar By Dan Liu

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    Felice Coles
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Always a good idea to document the powerful persistence of Nature.

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    Landscapes, 1st Place: Lake Baikal By Juan Zas Espinosa

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    Capelli rosa e patate
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    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Isn’t it amazing how an artist can take something like a man in a hat next to a building and make it look sinister? Really awesome.

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    #16

    Nature & Wildlife, 1st Place: Jian Cui, Deer Hidden In The Forest

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    Photo Essay, 1st Place: Hot Dust & The Myth Of Being A Man By Juliet Cope

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    Photo Essay, 1st Place: Hot Dust & The Myth Of Being A Man By Juliet Cope

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    In the UK, consistently since the fifties, three-quarters of suicides have been male.

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    Kevin Donegan
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    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I used to love the old "cognitive spatial tests" given in school. My brain is struggling to match the jumper with his shadow.

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    #21

    Visual Fx, 1st Place: Mrs. Klimt Had Her Own Sense Of Style By Jen Mckenzie

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    Digital Fine Art, 1st Place: Movie Night By John Nieto

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    #26

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    Kevin Donegan
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    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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