Travel Image of the Month Winners 2024

This month's winner is Dan Bronish.

Our judge this month, Richard Lewis, commented,

This is an interesting and nicely framed image that not only conveys sense of place – in this case through the skyline of Philadelphia – but which also emphasises the Travel theme by including the plane that might have got us there, captured at an unusual and prominent angle. Together they form a striking and well composed image, helped by the lighter sky backlighting the buildings beneath a darker layer of clouds above.

This month's winner is Mike Whittle.

Our judge, Richard Lewis, commented:

A simple but very effective image that exudes sense of place with the gathered climbers well positioned in the foreground and several snowy ridges cascading into the mountainous background – resulting in such a feeling of remoteness, you can almost hear the silence.  The prominence of the figures is emphasised by their brightly coloured clothing which contrasts with the receding snow covered ridges that differentiate themselves from each other by their various shades of white and grey as their profiles overlap.  The bags casually laying on the ground around the climbers tell of a job well done, as the latter exchange experiences.  This image shows that you don't need to travel abroad to capture winter mountain scenes laden with snow.

This month's winner is Donatus Gricius with his image of Repairing Clothes in Souq al-Saray, Baghdad.

Our judge, Glyn Paton, commented: 

This image is all about atmosphere. This run-down stall in a souk tells its own story. From the sandals at the door to the few photos on the back wall.  The ramshackle “cupboard” also at the back has a jumble of a few clothes as does those on the left-hand side.  There aren’t that many clothes, so perhaps he’s very good at turn-round, or perhaps business isn’t thriving.  Of course, it’s the fact that clothes repair is going on in the picture that makes this such a good travel shot.  Rather than the owner looking at the camera, here he is going about his business. The inclusion of the shop sign on the left-hand side also helps to add to the dilapidated atmosphere.

Congratulations to Stu Thompson for April's winning photo.

Our judge, Justin Cliffe, commented:

What a delightful photograph, these four boys out enjoying themselves, with the little one, on the left, looking straight at the photographer, creating a nice connection. They are well-framed, the grass verge (and solitary shoe!) holding in the bottom left well and the background pleasingly out of focus. 

The monochrome treatment used here keeps our attention on the boys faces and, apart from the (probably garish) football shirts on two of the boys, gives it a timeless feel. Well taken and very enjoyable.

Congratulations to George Pearson for his image of rickshaw drivers in Kolkata, India.

Our judge, Glyn Paton, commented:

A great street shot, the background gives us clearly defined subjects.  As the title implies this picture is made by its strong diagonals and they help to place the two figures in the frame.  The two men’s postures and positions are so typical of working men in India, resignation, exhaustion?  The clearly defined muscles and sinews in the arm of the right most person are an indication of the strength required in this line of business.  The crop is very tight but it helps to focus on the main subjects. An excellent street and travel image, with strong characters well depicted.

Congratulations to Sanjoy Sengupta for his image of a ceramics artist in Cappadocia.

The judge wrote:

I felt that this image tells us a lot about the artist - and his studio. He’s clearly prolific and very talented - I’m intrigued by all the pieces of paper in front of him - are they his order book? The lighting on him works really well, but we can still see the background and his environment - though neither distract. 

Composition is good, helped by the angle from which the photograph has been taken, leading our eye, initially, to the artist and then on to his other pieces of work in the background. An excellent, and well-taken, travel photograph.

Many congratulations to AndreJa Ravnak.

The almost mono tonality of this image is very important in conveying mood and atmosphere.  The position and posture of the lead horse help to give this picture its strength and impact.  The Camargue horses are shown beautifully, pin sharp and perfectly exposed.  It’s a tight crop but it works well.  Obviously, the low position of the photographer is very important and adds to the drama of the image. Overall, though and what makes this image really stand out is its composition. It isn’t easy getting four horses all in good poses and in good positions relative to each other, but this image achieves that.  So given all the points expressed I hope you can understand why this is my image of the month

Many congratulations to David Short.

This beautiful photograph of Niagara Falls is exceptionally striking. The presence of the rainbow infuses the image with a sense of enchantment, while the harmonious colour palette and the cascading water elegantly direct my gaze towards the vibrant red boat. The thoughtful composition, featuring the boat centrally positioned, imparts a sense of scale and provides a compelling focal point. It is a well captured scene that almost makes me hear the roar of the waterfalls. This stunning and breathtaking travel photo is the kind that many dream of having, making it the unequivocal winner of the month!

Congratulations to September's winner, Andrew Flannigan.

This is an interesting, and in some ways, unusual view of Venice - showing two sides of the city, one that we always associate with it - the tourists, the bridge & canal and the colourful boat - and the other, less often seen, the homeless man with all his possessions around him. 

It’s well composed, helped by the layers that the photographer has created - the man, dominant in the foreground, the perfectly positioned seagull on the left, the coloured boat. and then the couple in the background.

A thought-provoking, well-timed and well-taken image which tells a story - and gives us a real ’sense of place’, showing that Venice is not all gondolas, canals and tourists.

Congratulations to the winner of October's competition, George Pearson, and to Glyn Paton for the adjudication.

This image jumps out you, it is such a powerful and dramatic image with an excellent black and white conversion.  The photographer is in an excellent position, looking up to the man and horse to make this an impactful image.  Great lighting also adds to the many strengths of this picture.  I thought that perhaps the clouds were a bit “too strong”, but then realised we are in the proximity of an active volcano (!) and the cloud is probably suffused with volcanic gases.  Well done a deserved winner this month.

Congratulations to Paul Reynolds and thanks to Justin Cliffe for the adjudication.

This is a very pleasing photo, I like the way that the photographer has got down to the level of the card players, involving us in the scene. This also makes the most of the light, from the window on the left, lighting up the faces of the two card players on the right.

The colours, especially the blue garments being worn by three of the 4 players contrasts nicely with the red curtain in the background which, helping to add a sense of place, is covered with Chinese lettering.

One minor point, we cannot see the eyes of any of the card players - principally because they are looking down at their cards. If the photographer had moved just a little to the left, instead of being right in the middle, and focused more on two players on the right, this might have helped. Just a suggestion!