When the 2021 Red Bull Illume coffee table book arrived on my doorstep, I couldn’t wait to check it out. After all, I’d spent hours scouring the 2019 publication. I was excited to see the progression and creativity of this edition’s images.
The Red Bull Illume book is a veritable bible of stunning adventure and action sports imagery. As someone who both participates in and photographs action sports, this is one of my favorite publications.
The history of Red Bull Illume
The book itself is the end result of the Red Bull Illume image contest. The contest was founded in 2006 by Ulrich Grill, a former Red Bull athlete who had transitioned into photography. Grill realized that there weren’t any photo competitions dedicated to the adventure and action sports genres. Thus, he decided to create a contest where these types of photographers and images could be celebrated.
According to Grill, what makes Red Bull Illume unique is that the contest strives to highlight not only amazing images but also the photographers behind the lens: “The essence of Red Bull Illume is to illuminate the world’s very best adventure and action sports images and its unsung heroes — the people behind the cameras.”
The contest
The contest is comprised of 10 different categories for entry: Creative, Energy, Emerging, Best of Instagram, Innovation, Lifestyle, Masterpiece, Playground, Photo Story and RAW. The book is segregated into these categories as well. In this, the sixth edition of the contest, a panel of more than 50 photo editors and public voting rounds whittled 41,447 image submissions down to 256 semifinalists. Over 200 of these images are on display in this year’s book.
The Red Bull Illume book
Only 3000 Red Bull Illume books are printed and sold as limited editions after each contest. Each one is individually numbered and stamped. The book itself is large and robust, laid out in a 12-by-12 inch format. Inside, the design is clean and visually appealing, with all images either being displayed on white or black backgrounds.
The images are given the space and size they deserve, letting them speak for themselves. I really appreciate that they don’t cut costs by cramming a bunch of images on each page. In fact, almost all images are given their own page, aside from the odd two-image page.
The book stay’s true to the contest mandate of amplifying the photographers behind the images. Each category winner and the category runners-up get a two-page spread. On one side is a photographer’s bio, as well as the story behind the image. Opposite, the image is displayed. The athlete’s name, location of the shoot and all EXIF data are also included.
Overall, it makes for an enjoyable reading experience. I love learning about each photographer as well as getting the behind-the-scenes explanation of how each image came to be.
If you are interested at all in adventure or action sports photography, I highly recommend checking out this book. Of course, it’s inspiring from a photographic sense. But I love how it celebrates the dedication and hard work of the people behind the lens, not just the athletes. The ingenuity, creativity and uniqueness of each image create a truly captivating visual experience.
Copies from this year’s edition are still available here, get one before they’re gone!
What a great collection of photographers and athletes! Nice to see the photographers get some credit!