July 2020

Travel Image Of The Month - July 2020 : Covid Days in Hong Kong - Kai Kong Wong

The July Travel Image of the Month (TIoM) competition certainly posed some questions for our judge this month, as a near record number of our travel photographer colleagues sent in their submissions for the competition.

I may be a bit biased, but the standard of the images seems to be improving every month, and it's certainly very clear that the way in which the whole concept of a 'sense of place' is being interpreted has led to some very interesting shots.

This month especially, as I've been privileged to open your submissions, there have been several that have simply stopped me in my tracks. There are some truly great shots, and I hope the photographers that I've been in contact with, to both confirm the arrival of their shot as well as to notify them of the posting of their shot haven't minded me adding in the odd congratulatory comment. All deserve it!

In response to suggestions from the Travel Group members, we've taken on board the idea of providing more feedback, not just on the winning shot, but also on those shots that were assessed as being in the short list for the month. For each person on that list I'll send them a 'heads up' to make them aware of the comments our judges have made, and hopefully the extended commentary will be of benefit of all our colleagues who have posted shots this month, as well as the wider community in the future.

But I'm glad that it isn't me that is making the assessment of the winning image for this month. That responsibility falls this month to my colleague Richard Lewis ARPS, who made the comment to me, that reaching a judgment is becoming increasingly more challenging.

So who were the images that stood out for our judge this month? Richard's commentary is below.

Winner: Covid Days in Hong Kong - Kai Kong Wong

"Apart from being very current, this image stood out for several reasons. It is very strong yet simple. It captures not only a sense of place, but also time and atmosphere – the spirit of the place. The strong geometry of the building shapes and contrasting shadows. The posture and position of the single person was just right to capture the spirit of the moment - that there was only one person in an image of Hong Kong underscores its title."

Highly Commended: Huc Bridge, Hanoi - Sam Segar

"In contrast, Huc Bridge is a very calming image of an apparently rural environment, with people going about their every day lives to and from the temple. It exudes atmosphere and the subdued light and soft colours emphasise that sense of place. The panoramic format suits the image very well and all in all it is a nicely balanced composition."

Highly Commended: Cappadocia City - Sanjoy Sengupta

"This is a very striking yet peaceful image. The near-silhouetted balloons bring balance and interest to a sky that would otherwise be empty. The light is strong enough to make out the details of the city below, especially the centrally positioned minaret) in a more subtle way than would be the case if it were less subdued. Again, it's a striking image, well suited to its portrait format."

Notable mentions

"I was also very impressed by “Uninterrupted View” (Lynda Golightly) which captured the sense of place and (I thought) Covid era city atmosphere very well."

"Also “Gathering Hay - Myanmar” (Andy Pinch) which presented such a delightful rural idyll – where agricultural tasks are still done without automation – with excellent composition, colour, timing, and local interest."

Well done and thank you to all who submitted images for this month, as well as particular congratulations to those of you who made it on to Richard's short list. Your continued interest and engagement has made this competition increasingly successful.

• Kai's winning shot will be added to the Travel Image of the Month page on the website, with the overall monthly winners competing to be the Group’s best travel photograph of the year.

Click here to see winning images from previous years or here to see 2019 winners, or here to 2020 winners to date.

Best Wishes,

Steve Day - Travel Group Competitions co-ordinator.