Photography Competition Winners

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PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION WINNERS

Our specialists are passionate about travel, and many are equally passionate about photography. Each year, staff members enter their favorite images from their research trips in our photography competition. Here are 2017’s winners...

THE ERG CHEBBI, MOROCCO

By Olivia Snow, Morocco & Jordan specialist

”One of my favorite places in Morocco to photograph is the Erg Chebbi and its sea of dunes. In the golden hours of the day, the sand shimmers with swirling patterns made by the wind, so every dune is distinct. I snapped this photo just before sunset. The shadows cast by the sinking sun outlined our profiles against a rising dune, and I loved the contrasting colors of the sand and the blue gandoura worn by my guide, Hamid. The Erg Chebbi offers such a different environment within Morocco, and the rolling sand dunes create the perfect backdrop for striking photography.”

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KERALA, INDIA

By Susan Cunningham, China specialist

”This picture was taken on a trip to India during a day-long boat trip through Kerala’s backwaters. Kerala is a relaxing departure from the energy found elsewhere in India, and taking a cruise along its palm-shaded canals was an ideal way to wind down. We started the day with a traditional Keralan breakfast of iddiyapam – nests of rice noodles covered with cinnamon and shredded coconut. After boarding, the only order of the day was to sit back and enjoy the waterways. Kingfishers darted among the trees, local children splashed by the banks, and mullet fish swam beneath us.”

‘FIELD OF LIGHTS’ & THE MILKY WAY, ULURU, AUSTRALIA

By Mark Robinson, Australia & New Zealand manager

”For me, there’s no finer place to stargaze than the Outback. But walking within Bruce Monro’s colorshifting ‘Field of Light’ artwork – which carpets a patch of the ancient, sacred ground surrounding Uluru (Ayers Rock) – it’s difficult to decide if you should lose yourself in the lights on the ground or those light-years away in the sky above: it’s as if you’re suspended between the past and the present. To bring this destination alive, I used a tripod and a 30-second exposure to coax out the detail.” The installation is on display until 31 December 2020.

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