13 Inspiring Photos That Show The Hidden Talent Of Amateur Photographers

    The 2014 Sony World Photography Awards have today announced their winners for the Open and Youth categories, selected from over 70,000 non-professional entries. By jove they're impressive.

    Matthew Tucker
    by Matthew Tucker

    BuzzFeed Picture Editor, UK

    Open Category

    1. 'Poor god', India, by Arup Ghosh.

    Arup Ghosh, India, Winner, Open People, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

    A boy guised as Hindu God Lord Shiva, begging for alms on a train in India.

    2. 'The cold pony', Netherlands, by Gert van den Bosch.

    Gert van den Bosch, Netherlands, Winner, Open Nature & Wildlife, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

    3. 'Photographer story - Behind the scene', Malaysia, Hairul Azizi Harun.

    Hairul Azisi Harun, Malaysia, Winner, Open Split Second, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

    Captured in a village in Kuantan, Pahang. Malaysia, this image 'narrates the pains and gains of being a photographer, the heritage of an old house [and] forgotten traditional games'.

    4. 'Muddy smile', Turkey, by Alpay Erdem.

    Alpay Erdem, Turkey, Winner, Open Smile, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

    Woman jumping into a lake after a mud bath in Dalyan, Fethiye, Turkey.

    5. 'Rain in an ancient town', China, by Chen Li.

    Chen Li , China,Winner, Open Travel, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

    People traveling in the rain during the rainy season in phoenix Town, southern China.

    6. 'Starry lighthouse', Italy, by Ivan Pedretti.

    Ivan Pedretti, Italy, Winner, Open Panoramic, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

    Taken in April 2013, this image is a stitched long exposure panorama of 12 horizontal shots in two rows. The photo captures the milky way arch form south to north in Capo Spartivento, south Sardinia.

    7. 'Under the staircase', Germany, by Holger Schmidtke.

    Holger Schmidtke, Germany, Winner, Open Architecture, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

    An office-Building in Cologne, Germany.

    8. 'Rescue operation', Estonia, by Kylli Sparre.

    Kylli Sparre, Estonia, Winner, Open Enhanced, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

    Composed in Photoshop, this image conveys 'a daydream about a getaway'.

    9. 'Rodeo', France, by Valerie Prudon.

    Valerie Prudon, France , Winner, Open Arts & Culture, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

    Cowboys relaxing in Branxton, Australia, in October 2013.

    10. 'First snow', Romania, by Vlad Eftenie.

    Vlad Eftenie, Romania, Winner, Open Low Light, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

    First snow of the year in Bucharest.

    Youth Category.

    11. 'Mourning ceremony Imam Hussein', Iran, by Bohran Mardani.

    Bohran Mardani, Iran, Winner, Youth Culture, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

    Imam Hussein mourning ceremony performed by Shiites in the city of Bijar, Iran.

    12. 'Untitled', Germany, by Paulina Metzscher.

    Paulina Metzscher, Germany, Winner, Youth Portraits, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

    Taken on a night train in China in 2003.

    13. 'Life and line', Bangladesh, by Turjoy Chowdhury.

    Turjoy Chowdhury, Bangladesh, Winner, Youth Environment, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards

    Taken at Kawranbazar Slum, Dhaka, where people live along two rail tracks.