August 2026 Photo Contest Theme: Religious Buildings (page 5 of 5)

Hi Gaura, and thanks for organizing this contest on religious buildings—it’s a broad topic, but always inspiring for travelers. And thanks to everyone for your beautiful and varied photos.

A quick correction on the title: it’s actually the Melike Hatun Mosque, not the Hacı Bayram Mosque. The confusion comes from the fact that Melike Hatun is located in the Hacı Bayram district... which is also the name of a nearby mosque. 😊

A little more context on this winning photo to clarify some comments made during the voting. It was taken in October 2025 as I was walking down from the Ankara Citadel toward Gençlik Park at sunset. Around a small street corner, the large mosque first revealed itself behind the buildings.

As I continued walking downhill, on a staircase, it reappeared with tree branches in front. From this angle, I couldn’t avoid the trees, so I used them as part of the scene and immediately thought the photo was stunning. Beyond the lucky spontaneous shot, it almost looks like a mosque in the middle of exotic vegetation, even though it’s right in the city center.

Then I took more photos near the mosque.

And finally, from the hill and the park.

With all humility, and knowing I’m not a great photographer, I really love this series because the sunset colors were gorgeous, and the dome and minarets stood out perfectly. It’s also worth mentioning that the lighting really highlights this mosque at night. When the theme was announced, I thought of this series, and upon reviewing them, the one with the branches seemed the most beautiful to me.

Now it’s my turn to come up with a new theme today, which is quite a challenge since it feels like everything has already been covered in the historical list Kate provided. But I promise I’ll manage to launch the new September theme before midnight—something I never thought I’d be able to do!

Well done to you and see you soon on the new topic’s thread! 🙂

Good evening

The winner is Pagaljavab, who scored 18 points with their photo of a mosque at sunset in Ankara (photo2)



In second place with 14 points is Attila and his church in El Hierro (photo1)



And third place goes to Envallis with the nighttime photo of Hanoi Cathedral, which earned 11 points (photo3).

The new theme for September 2026 is here.

Hi Pagal, congratulations on your well-deserved first place! 😊 A photo only captures a single moment, a place—it doesn’t show the approach, like in the case of this mosque, nor the wait, like during a sunrise or sunset. It’s always interesting to see, as you just did, the reasoning behind the choice and why that particular shot. Thanks to you.

Thanks so much, Isabelle! 🙂

I haven’t contributed much to the discussion this month, but I did take the time to look at the photos that came up during the vote. I’ll share my impressions and feelings about some of them here. This is just my opinion, but I find this exercise quite educational.

Attila – Photo 2 – Royal Monastery of Santes Creus I really love this black and white shot—the people add something special. Too bad the tree on the left side partially blocks the building. The ones on the right don’t bother me, though.

Kate – Photo 1 – Chapel of Sainte Anne – Mont Saint Michel Bay Gorgeous sky with soft pink and blue tones, and the framing around the chapel really highlights it. The 16:9 format works perfectly here. I think the deep blue section is still a bit too dominant—I would’ve cropped it in just a little tighter.

Tylassin – Photo 2 – The Grand Mosque of Astana I really like this photo—a beautiful building with great clouds. That said, I’d center the mosque and, most importantly, straighten the perspective. I’d move back a bit to get those two paths symmetrical on either side of the mosque.

Envallis – Photo 3 – Hanoi Cathedral Lovely shot with great lighting. It’s not an easy angle, but it lacks some distance—too bad. I would’ve tried moving slightly to create symmetry and straighten the perspective.

Ragamuffin – Photo 1 – Asafi Mosque The framing with the door gives a nice effect and really highlights the subject. I think this would’ve looked great in black and white. Too bad there are too many people—a single person on the path would’ve been perfect.

Biboun51 – Photo 3 – Grand Mosque of Tirana, Albania The complementary blue and yellow tones, the ground reflecting the mosque’s roofs, and the framing to get the dome inside one of the arches—all the right ingredients are there. However, the horizon is definitely not straight, and we’re missing a person walking through the scene.

Philippebrg – Photo 3 – Wat Ban Den in Chiang Mai Nice photo with the monk walking by—it would’ve been better to wait just a fraction of a second longer so he wasn’t overlapping the base on the right. I would’ve tried framing it a little wider so the dragon on the right isn’t so close to the edge.

Marien33 – Photo 3 – Chennakeshava Temple A fleeting moment captured perfectly as the young Brahmin steps through the doorway—great timing! I would’ve just straightened the photo to make the temple level and create symmetry.