Travel Image of the Month - January 2023

An excellent selection of images this month - and very nice to be able to view them at 1000px - one can appreciate the images all the more, following this recent change to the entry requirements. After considerable thought and revisiting of the images, I’ve selected, as my Travel Image of the Month for January:

Backstreet Cook, Bundi, India - Ian O'Neill

A well seen and well executed image, I really get the feeling that I’m there, standing in front of the cook, with his outstretched arm and ladle poised over the bubbling caldron before me - bags of atmosphere!

I am presuming that this was taken with a wide angle lens, emphasising the foreground but showing us both the cook, who is beautifully lit and the background to his kitchen. A great example, to my mind, of demonstrating a sense of place - and a worthy winner.

I also have three Highly Commended images which are, in no particular order:

Hanoi Downpour, Vietnam - Jane Tearle

Again a great sense of place and one really gets the feeling of being out in this tropical downpour. I like the way that the motorcycle rider is trying to shield his face from the rain and the photographer has left plenty of room both for him to ride into the image and for us to get a feeling for the location where it was taken.

This image also demonstrates that we should get out with our cameras, whatever the weather - as it has a lot more impact that it would have done on a nice, sunny, day.

Barber, Cuba - Jo Kearney

A quick glance at this photo tells us, immediately, that it’s very likely to have been taken in Cuba - the old red, American car parked outside and this is confirmed when, taking a closer look, the photographs of Fidel Castro can be seen pinned up on the wall in the background.

The subject of the image, the barber and his resting customer, is relatively small in the frame, but as with the motorcyclist in the previous image, we have plenty of space around him to set the scene and tell us where we are.

I should also add that the exposure has been handled well, balancing both interior and exterior light perfectly - and there’s a pleasing, soft, colour palette.

Waiting for the Water Taxi, Kuching, Borneo - David Ireland

This, to me, is a very peaceful image - helped by lovely light from the sun setting over on the right. Whilst it was this that initially caught my eye, it was the group of people on the jetty, especially the ones with the red umbrellas, that really brought it to life for me. The sidewards ‘V’ of the jetty also acts as a nice lead-in line across the image towards the approaching boat. Lovely.

2017-2018 winners, 2019 winners, 2020 winners, 2021 winners, 2022 winners, 2023 winners,

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