Travel Photographer of the Year 2020
February 2, 2021 6:49 AM   Subscribe

In pictures, from the Guardian. Is the Pallas' Cat one the best? Probably, but the other photos of people, places, and phenomenon are also good.
posted by Hypatia (23 comments total) 23 users marked this as a favorite
 
That Svalbard Eclipse photo is amazing. It's hard to believe it's a photograph.
posted by mhoye at 7:02 AM on February 2, 2021 [3 favorites]


These are wonderful, thanks for posting.

The Syrian puppeteer, man. That's a picture that tells a story, mostly grimdark with a fuzzy yellow glimmer of light.
posted by chavenet at 7:28 AM on February 2, 2021 [12 favorites]


The Svalbard eclipse photo had to have been taken in 2015, so I assume there was no requirement that the photographs be taken in 2020.
posted by jedicus at 7:49 AM on February 2, 2021


"not to be "that person", and I want to believe that a lot of these were taken earlier in 2020 before the pandemic really set in and before travel got constrained, but I find the number of entries here of crowds and people without masks and general normalcy to be somewhere between disingenuous and irresponsible. "

Out of 29 photos, there are only three that show a large group of people (people praying in Bangladesh (and since we only see their backs, there's no way to tell if they're masked), a market in India, and pilgrims in Ethiopia), and only two show people who are most likely not family members in a situation that breaks social distancing rules (the puppeteer entertaining the kids outside, and the three men in a bar. I'm not sure how any of that is disingenuous, and five out of 29 that may show general normalcy is hardly irresponsible.
posted by jonathanhughes at 8:01 AM on February 2, 2021 [1 favorite]


not to be "that person", and I want to believe that a lot of these were taken earlier in 2020 before the pandemic really set in and before travel got constrained, but I find the number of entries here of crowds and people without masks and general normalcy to be somewhere between disingenuous and irresponsible.

Well, the very first photo is clearly marked as depicting an event that occured in 2015, so there's obviously no requirement that the pictures actually be taken in 2020. And several of them are specifically described as being taken before the pandemic started (or right at the start), so are you just objecting to the depiction of crowds in general, or do you have reason to believe that these are actually depicting unsafe crowds?
posted by firechicago at 8:03 AM on February 2, 2021 [3 favorites]


The contest website has more photos from the winners, I really like Vladimir Alekseev's [he's the first prize winner], including the arctic fox and more great landscapes.

Here is the entrance criteria for the 2020 contest:
Do I need to shoot new material to be able to enter the awards?
No! We have always allowed entrants to submit images from their archives – i.e. contemporary photography shot in recent years – and have always said that ‘travel starts when you leave your home’ and never has this been more important than in 2020. Entries close on November 2nd, so, depending on when travel restrictions are lifted, there may also be time for you to shoot new material before the closing date. But we want to stress that, in these extraordinary times, entrants should not make unnecessary journeys or break any lockdown that may be in force in their country of residence in order to take photographs to submit, and archive images are always welcome in TPOTY.
posted by Hypatia at 8:03 AM on February 2, 2021 [7 favorites]


Also, entries opened in April of 2020 and it only got more and more expensive to submit from there.
posted by Hypatia at 8:07 AM on February 2, 2021


Mod note: Folks, Let’s pause on debating when the photos were taken/depictions of crowds stuff and allow users to appreciate the travel photography. Thanks!
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 8:14 AM on February 2, 2021 [1 favorite]


You are correct: the pallas cat is the best. But I do really like the man hugging the goat.
posted by ChuraChura at 8:18 AM on February 2, 2021 [8 favorites]


Thank you, these are amazing.
That Syrian puppeteer, though. I teared up.
posted by Nieshka at 8:27 AM on February 2, 2021 [1 favorite]


I am in Minnesota, where winter is mostly gray and brown, and all this color and light are just what I needed today. Thank you for posting.
posted by ALeaflikeStructure at 8:46 AM on February 2, 2021 [1 favorite]


Dialing thru these is the opposite of doomscrolling.
posted by tspae at 8:51 AM on February 2, 2021 [3 favorites]


The pallas cats expression reminded me so much of my cat, for some reason that made me laugh. Thank you!
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 10:18 AM on February 2, 2021


Wow, I don't know - I kind of think they're ALL the best. I mean, the little rock island off the coast of Taiwan, and the wombats!, and the flower market, and the lake ice in Sweden, and the bear - and all the other ones!

It's like hanging out at the dog park and trying to decide which dog is the best dog. They're all the best.

These are so, so great.

Thank you for posting this, Hypatia!
posted by kristi at 11:13 AM on February 2, 2021 [7 favorites]


I'm confused at the fact that there are two "Overall Winner" pictures, and they are both by the same Russian guy? (Eclipse and the deer pulling the sled)
posted by Windopaene at 12:17 PM on February 2, 2021


I'm confused at the fact that there are two "Overall Winner" pictures, and they are both by the same Russian guy? (Eclipse and the deer pulling the sled)

The contest is to be Travel Photographer of the Year. Photographers submit a portfolio of their images. Alekseev is the Overall Winner.
posted by Hypatia at 12:31 PM on February 2, 2021 [1 favorite]


Ah, I see.
posted by Windopaene at 1:13 PM on February 2, 2021


Agree with kristi; all are best. Thanks for posting!
posted by winesong at 1:37 PM on February 2, 2021


Yes the ones with animals are the best, and then the one of the eclipse, as far as the subjects are concerned. They are all technically amazing however.
posted by turbid dahlia at 2:03 PM on February 2, 2021


Oh man, I really feel for the photographer of the Vietnamese motorbiker in front of the mosaic wall, knowing how long it takes for traffic to clear and waiting for the perfect shot. I’m surprised he wasn’t standing there for a week. Likewise the swimming pool shot.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 3:33 PM on February 2, 2021 [2 favorites]


Of course the Pallas cat is the best. Pallas cats will always be best.

Wooz a fuzzy-wuzzy floofy killing machine?
Yoo iz!

posted by BlueHorse at 5:44 PM on February 2, 2021 [2 favorites]


This is one if the best of the best of photography posts - thank you!
posted by blue shadows at 10:23 PM on February 2, 2021


That Svalbard Eclipse photo is amazing. It's hard to believe it's a photograph.

Not to yuck anyone's yum but the post processing looks overdone to me. The dodge/burn (painting an increase/decrease of brightness manually into the photo) looks very unnatural in the foreground. Surprised to see that photo win.
posted by ilikemefi at 10:15 AM on February 3, 2021


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