With over one million contributions from 81 countries and regions, the Oppo Imagine If Photography Awards they celebrate the potential of mobile photography to capture life’s most exciting moments. This year, 56 extraordinary works, exhibited at Paris Photo 2024, demonstrate how mobile photography can transcend technology, becoming a tool for telling stories of humanity, creativity and cultural diversity. Each winning shot reveals universal experiences that resonate across cultures, strengthening human bonds and demonstrating the power of mobile photography to bring people together, moment after moment.
INSIGHTS
As well as capturing moments: an instant of pure joy
On the banks of the Hutuo River in Hebei, China, a child plays in a cloud of bubbles on a bright summer day, filling the air with laughter. In “Summer on the Hutuo River,” amateur photographer Liang Xibing captures this simple joy with an intensity that conveys the magic of childhood.
Taken with an Oppo smartphone, this candid image won the prestigious Master Award at the imagine IF Photography Awards 2024.
As a devoted father, Liang appreciates mobile photography for its accessibility and ability to capture memories as they happen. “With the Opoo Find His photography goes beyond the documentation of an instant; conveys the warm innocence of childhood, made possible by Oppo’s advanced technology that allows for intuitive and precise capture of fleeting expressions. “A good photo is not just a visual image, but it touches emotionally and creates a deeper connection with the observer,” adds Liang.
Threads of memory and silent ties: connection between generations
From a Chinese city to the Japanese countryside, “Thread” by Kazuyuki Kawahara — winner of the Bronze Award — takes us into the intimate world of family bonds. With the Find X7 Ultra, Kawahara captured a touching scene with his daughters and their grandmother who suffers from Alzheimer’s. The three generations share a day in the ancestral home, spending precious time with memories of their grandmother fading. In this series of photos, they played with strings, picked vegetables in the fields, applied lipstick in front of the mirror, cut their bangs and played with handmade dolls. As time slowly passed, happiness filled the air.
Photography allows anyone to preserve memories that words cannot express; captured by the Oppo smartphone, these precious family bonds remain forever etched in the memory. In the language of photography, love is not expressed in words, but is captured intensely. Similarly, in “Unspoken Bond” by Hana Galal Gad from Egypt, a profound connection between man and horse emerges in a simple but meaningful portrait. This shot, awarded in the Portrait category, recalls Gad’s childhood memories on horseback: as a boy, he ran away from school and his father to go horseback riding, now reflected in his role as father, while his son takes refuge in the open fields as he did, finding the same joy in riding. For Gad, Oppo’s imaging technology enhances the story behind each image, combining precise detail and natural light to create authentic emotional impact.
Photography captures moments that transcend language. From “Thread” in Japan to “Unspoken Bond” in Egypt, we can sense photography’s unique ability to weave a compelling tale of steadfast love that transcends the boundaries of time and space.
The beauty of everyday life: bringing cultural narratives into focus
In the remote countryside of Myanmar, a herdsman leads his cattle towards greener pastures, followed by his faithful dog. This simple and powerful image, “Ordinary Life,” taken by Kyaw Kyaw Winncelebrates the beauty of everyday life and cultural heritage. Recognized in the Travel category, Winn’s photo captures the harmony of the rural lifestyle in Myanmar, offering a rarely seen, yet universally understandable perspective on life.
As noted by the judges, in an age where we are bombarded with images, something special is needed to stand out. Photography draws attention to moments that would otherwise go unnoticed. Winn transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, using photography as a powerful tool for human connection. «A photo can tell a story without words and help us understand the lives of others. It brings us closer by showing common experiences and emotions, regardless of where we come from,” says Winn. Through this extraordinary work, Winn also expressed his amazement at the Oppo smartphone’s many features and methods to optimize shots at any time and place, such as exceptional sharpness, autofocus and wide-angle lens. «Thanks to Oppo’s technology, I was able to capture the scene exactly as I imagined it», he underlines.
Each of these stories reflects Oppo’s humanistic vision in mobile imaging, where each image is an invitation to experience the beauty and depth of life through different perspectives. From the fleeting smiles of childhood to intergenerational bonds and daily life in rural Myanmar, Oppo’s imaging technology allows photographers to capture these moments, adding layers of emotion and meaning to every shot.
