Thanks again to all who participated in We Blog the World’s first photo contest over on our Facebook page. The collection of photos will be preserved on the webdoc where they were submitted, so feel free to check them out whenever you’d like. After days of consideration, our photographer-judges have made the first cut, from over 200 submissions to just 26 Finalists after agonizing for far too long to get to the Magic 25.
While all of the photos submitted were incredible and inspiring, the ones below were the ones that had the judges finding it difficult to shift their eyes away from even though the decisions were hard ones as there were so many incredible entrees.
Top 26 (in no particular order) are as follows. Note that we list their name first (whether it’s user name or real name – whatever name they used to submit), followed by the description. In most cases, we have location, but there are a couple that were not included. If one of the below images is yours, please contact us with destination. Of the countries around the world that made the pick in the travel photo contest, the following are in the 26 Finalist List: India, Cambodia, Turkey, Peru, Scotland, Australia, Cumbria, Utah, Egypt, Namibia, Malawi, Japan, Venezuela, Canada, Chile, Ethiopia, Barbados, and Nepal.
Stay tuned – our three winners will be chosen on or before April 9, 2012 and we plan to do more photo contests in the future, around certain themes and perhaps even destination areas.
1. Ishtiaq: Opal
- Says Ishtiaq, “A jolly young girl sitting on a window. She was playing with her friends on a muddy road with rocks. She ran across the road and sat on the window as I passed by with my camera. The shy, happy glare in her eyes are still unforgettable.”
2. Ugur.Tufan.Emeksiz – Turkey. He says: “I took this photo in Istanbul just half an hour before sunset. I did not know the guy with the balloon but i asked him to pick up the balloon and walk away slowly.”
3. Patrick Houston: Peru
- Cusco, Peru, June, 2011. She was posing for money. But it’s still one of my favorite photos among the many, many I took.
4. David: Australia
- Picture captured during an underwater scuba diving session in the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, Australia!
5. Mkurtz423: Northern Scotland
- Frozen Creek in Northern Scotland
6. Toryreiss: Canyonlands National Park in Utah
- Elevated by nature – in Canyonlands National Park, Utah
7. Courtney.Timm – This photo was taken from a boat on the Ganga Ghats in Varanasi, India. Says Courtney: “One of the most magical and mystifying places in the world to me!”
8. Cambodia073: Cambodia
- Says the photographer, “In the midst of my bucket shower, a single ray of light was illuminating this blade of grass growing up through the floor of our bungalows’ bathroom.” Location: Koh Rong Samloem, Cambodia
9. April Hansen, RememberMePhotography: Lion at Zoo (location unknown)
- Says April: “This photo was taken in a zoo, the lion just looked so beautiful just sitting there,” she says, “I had to photograph it,they are absolutely the most amazing animals.”
10. Jennifer Winterberg: Egypt
- Camels relaxing between rides in Cairo, Egypt.
11. Senachun: Egypt
- Taken during a desert safari in Egypt
12. The Travel Bunny: Namibia, Africa
- The Dead Vlei, Sossusvlei, Namibia , the Travel Bunny says, “I was amazed to see that a bird had built a nest amid all the sand, dust and heat of the desert.”
13. Vuvuzelamandela: Cumbria
- This image was taken on a cold and foggy morning in Penrith, Cumbria.
14. Jejope (Jenni Petersen): Salima, Malawai. Says Jenni, “She had been crossing the street with her brother and sister when she spotted me in a minibus taking a photo.”
15. Krishnamjc: (we think the location is India).
- Says the photographer: “The photo features a young lady standing close to a decorated elephant moving along a procession. Her expression is a kind of “fearful curiosity”.
16. Ayyildizerol
- Unspecified location.
17. Amunet: Japan
- Taken May 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo Tower with Roses. Says the photographer, “This is my favorite shot of the whole trip because it was a study abroad and the blooming of the flowers almost symbolize my learning of this amazing country.”
18. Dani Blanchette: Goingnomad, Venezuela
- Says Dani, “This is a photo of 3 Warao children (an indigenous tribe of the Orinoco Delta in eastern Venezuela. These children grow up with the Delta as their source of food, water, sanitation, and essentially life. These young children stopped playing in the water for a few minutes to let me photograph them.”
19. Pratyush Bharali: India
- “A MOTHER & HER MOST PRECIOUS GIFT” – This photo was taken at Vagator Beach, Goa, India.
20. James Mcinnes: Australia
- Red Centre Dreaming…Central Australia
21. LandLopers: Lake Louise, Alberta Canada
- Photo taken while dog sledding in Lake Louise, Alberta Canada
22. Pablo Dutih: Chile
- Global warming in O`Higgins Lake, Chilean Patagonia.
23. Kidworldcitizen: Ethiopia
- Mursi Tribe in Ethiopia.
24. Julia Schneider: Barbados
- Barbados 2011, Double Rainbow
25. TheForeignFlash: India
- Birds putting on a show at City Palace in Jaipur, India
26. mtess: Just another day in Pokhara, Nepal
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
Shame I missed the announcement! I would’ve loved to join. Got some favorites from above, though.
Great to be one among the 26 finalists.. Keeping fingers crossed for the final results… :)
Stunning. I had to take a moment and pause at #19. Breathtaking
Jayme – we’ll be doing more photo contests, perhaps around themes or regions of the world, so stay tuned for that. You’ll have future opportunities to participate :-)