Here they are: the winners of the 2016/17 Wanderlust Travel Photo of the Year. It’s the UK’s biggest travel photography competition, so get ready to be inspired.
Sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the winner of each amateur category will jet off to Thailand for the photography commission of a lifetime. The winner of the Portfolio competition receives £3,000 in cash, while all Runners Up and Highly Commended photographers get a Nikon D3400 camera kit, provided by Nikon.
Itching to enter your amazing travel shots? Details about the 2017/18 Wanderlust Travel Photo of the Year will be announced soon.
Winner – People
Descent of the Ukukus
Christopher Roche
Qullqipunku Glacier, Peru
“Qoyllur Rit’i is a festival that takes place in the Peruvian Andes. A mix of old Incan traditions and Catholic influences, it attracts 80,000 pilgrims. During the night, bands of Ukukus (pilgrims dressed as mythological tricksters) head up to the holy glaciers and perform initiation ceremonies at an altitude of around 5,600m, before descending back down at dawn, which is when this image was taken.”
Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 28mm, 1/125 sec @ f/9, ISO 5000
Runner up – People
Lost in Pushkar
Khairel Anuar Che Ani
Pushkar, Rajasthan, India
“This was taken at Pushkar Fair. During the fair, camels from all over Rajasthan are gathered here, ready to be sold.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EF 400mm f/5.6L USM @ 400mm, 1/800 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 800
Winner – Wildlife
Facing certain death
Julia Wainwright
Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
“It was with mixed emotions that I watched a pride of lions take down this pregnant wildebeest. During the struggle that ensued, the wildebeest lifted her head and looked at one of the lionesses. I'm sure that, at that moment, she knew it was all over.”
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXT @ 560mm, 1/2000 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 5000
Runner up – Wildlife
Snowy owl
Giovanni Frescura
Quebec, Canada
“I spent all day hiding under the snow in order to spot birds, and at last I saw one coming towards me, during a storm.”
Canon EOS-1D X, EF 500mm f/4L IS USM @ 500mm, 1/3200 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 1000, tripod
Winner – Landscape
Flooded wood
Vittorio Ricci
Punte Alberete, Italy
“The riparian forest in the Po Delta Regional Park is one of the last remaining spots of this previously widespread type of forest in the Po Valley. The southern catchment area of the Lamone River is very popular among landscape photographers, and hundreds of bird species find protected breeding and nesting grounds there. An overcast sky and the fresh green of young leaves were the ingredients for this photograph.”
Nikon D70S, 17-35mm f/2.8 @ 30mm, 1/40 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 200, Manfrotto 055 tripod
Runner up – Landscape
Land of Narnia
Brian McCready
Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland
“I reached the summit of Slieve Bearnagh in time for sunrise. I remained there for several hours as the early morning light began to illuminate the frozen mountain landscape, which had turned white following an overnight fall of snow.”
Nikon D750, 16-35mm f/4 @ 16mm, 1/15 sec @ f/11, ISO 100, ND Grad filter
Winner – Travel Icon
Taj behind the colour
Sanghamitra Sarkar
Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
“The Taj Mahal, one of the true wonders of the world, is photographed here through a veil of yellow gulal powder during Holi Festival, when people around the Taj Mahal celebrate by sprinkling coloured powder on one another.
Seen through the veil of yellow gulal, I hoped to capture the beauty of the Taj Mahal and also the Holi Festival, as both are part of India’s unique heritage.”
Nikon D7100, 10-20mm f/4-5.6 @ 14mm, 1/8000 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 2000
Runner up – Travel Icon
The Imam Mosque by moonlight
Ruth Spencer
Isfahan, Iran
“Once a year, on a public holiday, devout pilgrims are allowed to spend the night inside the Imam Mosque on Isfahan’s main square. Photographed at midnight, they are seen silhouetted by the moonlight, still queuing to get in.”
Olympus OM-D E-M5, M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4-5.6 @ 14mm, 1/40 sec @ f/4, ISO 1250
Winner – Portfolio
Trevor Cole
The salt cutter
Danakil Desert, Afar Triangle, Ethiopia
“Salt workers in the Danakil Desert spend each and every day cutting salt into blocks in the searing heat. They need to ensure that the blocks are ready by the afternoon, ready to load onto the camel trains, and often have to cope with temperatures in excess of 50ºC.”
Nikon D750, Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II @ 122mm, 1/1000 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 100
An ancient trade
Danakil Desert, Afar Triangle, Ethiopia
“Caravans of camels traverse the Danakil Desert on a daily basis as part of an eight-day cycle. The trains move on the salt fields at dawn and depart at dusk.”
Nikon D750, Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II @ 200mm, 1/320 sec @ f/5, ISO 250
Afari woman
Danakil Desert, Afar Triangle, Ethiopia
“The Afar tribe, who inhabit the desert regions of Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia, are in control of much of the salt trade.”
Nikon D750, Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II @ 110mm, 1/1000 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400
The salt of the Earth
Danakil Desert, Afar Triangle, Ethiopia
“As access has improved and vehicles can now get to the desert floor, salt extraction has commercialised. These men heft 50kg bags of salt, to be transported by truck, thus marking the beginning of the end for the caravans.”
Nikon D750, Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II @ 185mm, 1/1250 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 200
Reflections in time
Danakil Desert, Afar Triangle, Ethiopia
“At certain times of the year, the water table rises and the journey of the camels is reflected on the thin veneer of liquid that is left on the desert surface. It is this very water, which is saline in nature, that then evaporates to create new salt deposits.”
Nikon D750, Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II @ 120mm, 1/800 sec @ f/5, ISO 250
Runner up – Portfolio
Andy Skillen
Aspiration
Baffin Island, Canada
“A mother and her yearling cub pause on an iceberg after being trapped among the sea ice of the Davis Strait, off the coast of Baffin Island. After emerging from their dens, the bears hunt around the bases of these giant icebergs for seals.”
Canon EOS-1D X, EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM @ 200mm, 1/640 sec @ f/8, ISO 200
Ever watchful
Baffin Island, Canada
“After months in a den, young cubs are full of energy and the desire to explore. Their tireless mother, of course, serves multiple roles in this regard; from mobile food source to climbing frame, to oversized duvet.”
Canon EOS-1D X, EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXT @ 560mm, 1/2500 sec @ f/8, ISO 800
Deference
Baffin Island, Canada
“Three hours by snowmobile from our primitive cabin; 24 days of tracking (10 hours a day) in temperatures of -45ºC; 15 minutes of battery life; one priceless moment. This is the world of high-Arctic winter photography. In this shot, newborn cubs and their mother scramble atop an iceberg, trapped in the sea ice off the north of Baffin Island. A once-in-a-lifetime shot.”
Canon EOS-1D X, EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM @ 600mm, 1/1250 sec @ f/8, ISO 400
Exit stage left... pursued by a bear
Baffin Island, Canada
“Measuring around three metres from head to tail, mother bears have little to fear. With males hunting further out on the sea ice, the pressure ridges around the icebergs closer to Baffin’s fjords and bays provide a relatively low-risk environment in which to hunt and raise newborn cubs.”
Canon EOS-1D X, EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM @ 600mm, 1/1250 sec @ f/8, ISO 400
Vantage point
Baffin Island, Canada
“Local Inuit trackers say the female cub is always the one that stays closer to the mother. Although this has not been the subject of any major study, there is no doubt that, even in the early months, the cubs exhibit differing levels of independence.”
Canon EOS-1D X, EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM @ 600mm, 1/1250 sec @ f/8, ISO 400
Main image: Taj behind the colour ( Sanghamitra Sarkar)
