Embracing Dawn: December 2024 Photo Contest

Hi everyone,

After my narrow victory over Herodotos (just one point ahead—I had a close call, even in December in the northern hemisphere!), I’m now honored to organize the next contest, the one for the closing year, whose results will be announced on the first day of the coming year. Out of affection for the poet with wind in his soles, who dreamed of ivory and setting sail, again and again, even in his final hours, I borrow the theme from the first line of a poem dear to me: I embraced the summer dawn.

So, as the year draws to a close, the theme will be: embracing dawn.

The verb here is just as important as the noun. More than just a subject about sunrises or that magical half-hour of pink light before the sun appears (a photographer’s nightmare: either I crank up the ISO and deal with noise, or I lug around a tripod, and say goodbye to spontaneity like a beggar on marble quays), this is about those happy little mornings—the thrill of joy in the soft light of the first hours, whether it’s a landscape, a person, an animal, a plant, architecture, or whatever else. What’s certain is that it makes you want to smile at the day breaking. Even if you go back to bed afterward.

Technical details (shamelessly borrowed from Ragamuffin, thanks!):

Participation Each VF member can submit up to 3 photos, until Wednesday, 12/25 at 11:59 PM, Milan time. Each photo must be posted in a separate message, with its number (1, 2, or 3). Don’t forget to add a little explanation (comment, location, etc.).

Voting: Each VF member can vote for the 3 photos they consider the best, based on their own criteria and the theme.

Voting will take place from Thursday, 12/26 to Tuesday, 12/31 at 11:59 PM, Milan time.

Selected photos will be ranked in order of preference: - 1st photo: 3 points - 2nd photo: 2 points - 3rd photo: 1 point

The winner is the author of the photo with the most points.

Results will be published on 01/01 (if I’m in any state to do so). In case of a tie, the number of first-place votes will decide. The winner will have the honor of organizing December’s contest.

For discussion, it’s here.

That’s all! Let’s welcome Dawn with rosy fingers, dressed in saffron...

Catherine

Oh wow, what an inspiring topic, Catherine! 👍 Sunrises are definitely some of my most cherished travel moments. The hardest part will be finding one that’s a little original in my collection 😅. See you soon!

Good evening

Photo No. 1

On the small roads of Shekhawati near Churu (Rajasthan, India) in the misty early morning

Photo 1: Sky ablaze over Lake Baringo (Kenya)

Photo 1: The sky lights up as campers get busy at the Kalahari on the Namibia side

Photo 1, Île d'Oléron...



(Why did you move?)

Photo 1

Istanbul's port on the Asian side. The rumble of economic activity in the soft morning light.

Photo number 1 Maspalomas Dunes, Canary Islands.

To find a bit of tranquility in these dunes, you’ve got to go early in the morning. I spent two hours there with my thermos of coffee and some ensaimadas. The colors of the sand changed every 10 minutes!

Photo 1

Aire-sur-l'Adour, France. The first steps after leaving Aire led me along the trails of Lac Broussau. The water, mist, and sky seemed to blend into a soft, ghostly atmosphere. I don’t know why, but the small loop around the lake—with its wooden structures and footbridges—reminded me of a landscape from the Far East, Japan or Korea, which is why the phrase "calm morning" immediately came to mind. Though, I suppose a different perspective might have just as easily imagined a Scottish loch. (Excerpt from my travel journal, My Journey Page by Page)

Thanks Richard. I live an hour away from this lake and didn’t know about this lovely walk to do! 🙂

Photo #1 Taken a few days ago in Kenya: fishermen heading out early in the morning on the Indian Ocean

Photo 2: The sun rises over the dunes of Sossusvlei, Namibia

Photo 3: Merzouga, Morocco

Photo 2, Lozère...

And the dawn will be magnificent

Photo 3, The Luminous Island... La Grand’-Côte is that entire part of the island facing the open sea, the endless expanse of the Ocean. Its beaches stretch without any curve, and the sea’s breakers, unobstructed, roll out their sad white spirals for leagues, with a deep roar. Pierre Loti, The Story of a Child

Photo No. 2

In Pushkar, India, pilgrims performing their morning ablutions

Lucky my husband took the early train, otherwise I would’ve gotten up too late to admire this sunrise from my living room.

Photo 1 at home



Photo 2 Gili Meno We’re about to take the boat and leave Gili Meno to head back to Bali.



Photo 3 Merzouga I slept so well I almost missed the sunrise over the Merzouga dunes.

Photo 2: well, Venice

Photo 2:

These first glimmers of light promise a beautiful day on Mauritius Island.

Hello everyone.

Since it's also great to be in the moment, I’m sharing my little contribution before my hard drive is out of reach. As someone who’s more of a morning person, I’ll admit the choice was tough...

Photo 1: dawn from Incahuasi Island, Salar de Uyuni

On that note: photo 2: Sossusvlei Dunes, Namibia

Like Atilla, but from above ;)

And finally, I’ll admit it—I thought of this right away when the theme came up...

Photo 3: Bagan Plain, Myanmar

Haha, that one from Bagan "itched" me, but you couldn’t really see the dawn in my photo full of hot-air balloons 😅

Haha, that one from Bagan "itched" me too, but my photo full of hot-air balloons didn’t really capture the dawn 😉

If you want, I can send you some—I must have over a hundred! 🤪

The choice must’ve been super easy then 😄

Tsk tsk tsk Dear Madam, dear Sir, would you kindly take your exchanges to the discussion thread intended for that purpose? https://voyageforum.com/forum/discussion-embrasser-aube-concours-photo-decembre-2024-d10655496-1/

This thread is reserved for displaying the photos entered in the contest. It should include the photo number, its location, and if the photographer wishes, a few sentences about the moment captured, along with the photograph itself. That’s all! Have a lovely evening, Catherine

😊 Oops! The teacher’s strict, but fair.

Photo number 2

I’m not a morning person! And I couldn’t find a travel photo that was both presentable and unpublished. So, I’m heading back to the Canary Islands for the second image.

Lovers of Maspalomas

My bad, Catherine, I forgot the rule 😉.

Photo #3

The early morning glide of Beninese fishermen on Lake Ahémé

Photo 3: The rain was really coming down that morning on the island of Madeira. But the clouds cleared just before sunrise.

Photo No. 2



The sun is rising over the horizon, and I’m not the only one admiring it from the deck of the boat making the crossing of the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) between Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas (Baja California), Mexico—January 1988 (photo of a paper photo!)

Alright, I’ll be the 11th participant, so the number will nearly triple compared to the last contest! 😎

Photo #1: Charles Bridge in Prague, as the late risers will never see it.



It was still dark when I set out to take photos of the city, equipped with a tripod and a DSLR with a bright 50mm prime lens mounted. On the bridge that early morning, I only crossed paths with two people heading off to their daily routines (original photo on Kodachrome film).

Hi there,

I realize I'm not much of a morning person 😅

Still, I found this one.

Photo 1

Mongolia 2023

Since I don’t have a photo of a dawn in Aube on hand, let’s head to the mountains.

Photo #2. The Dent Blanche (Valais) looks quite dark in this backlight.



An alpine hike, here on the "Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route", is always a chance to embrace the dawn, since you have to set off in the middle of the night with a headlamp. But those clouds coloring this beautiful sky don’t bode well. We’ll have to turn back soon (from an old film photo).

Good evening,

Photo No. 3

Morning light in a back alley of central Liverpool (England).

Hello,

Last day to post your photos in this thread.

Buon Natale, Merry Christmas, or simply have a wonderful day.

Hello and Merry Christmas!

So here’s photo #3, taken this morning around eight o’clock at the Tour d'Auvergne.

Hi Michel,

That’s how you realize it’s not always necessary to roll out of bed super early to catch the sunrise... At least in winter on the western side of the time zone.

Voting is open until midnight on December 31st. (See the first post in this thread for details)

Catherine

I call out to drunken sailors As much alcohol as sleep: "That pale glow on the frost— Is it the moon... or the sun?"

A fleeting moment between the moon fading and the other hesitating to blaze... Far from exuberance, I (needed) softness, pale tones, seamless blends of pink and saffron, translucent blue. Just sketched silhouettes. An indefinable light.

Solene40 photo 2... 3 points Gaura photo 3... 2 points Solene40 photo 3... 1 point

Hello,

Gaura 2: 3 points Solene40 1: 2 points UnaMilanese 2: 1 point

Hi there,

I took the liberty of grouping the photos here if it helps voters.

Please let me know if you spot any mistakes.😊

Great idea, Agnès, thanks! It makes choosing so much easier this way 😉

Montagnard74 photo 3: 🙂🙂🙂 Rouquine39 photo 3: 🙂🙂 Kola photo 2: 🙂

Montagnard74: photo 3 Rouquine39: photo 1 Solene40: photo 3

3 points: Solene40 - Photo 3 - Beninese Fishermen 2 points: Montagnard74 - Photo 3 - Bagan Plain 1 point: Gaura - Photo 3 - Merzouga

Solene40, photo #3: 3 points, because even though I was a bit thrown off by the bookmark format, I love its bright simplicity and the very essential feel.

Rouquine38, photo #3: 2 points.

Herodotos, photo #1: 1 point.

Thanks, Agnès, for grouping the photos on a single page.

3 points: Hérodotos 1 Prague 2 points Montagnard 74.3 1 point Rouquine 38.3

For this challenge, a promising dawn. Who will lead it to its zenith?

A soft spot for cottony dawns (out of habit?): 3 points: Herodotos_1 (Prague). Cities feel so inviting when freed from the crowds. 2 points: Kola_1 (Oléron). The promise of islands. 1 point: UnaMilanese_1 (Istanbul). I love bustling ports (and behind your back, then, toward the west, Golden Dawn?)

3 points: Montagnard74 3 because the sunrise over a Bagan dotted with hot-air balloons is one of my absolute top travel moments 😊

2 points: Unamilanese 2 I love the contrast between the blue boats in the foreground and the sun rising over that "monument island" in the background

3 points: Rouquine38 3 Pro-level work that creates a magical effect

Thanks to everyone for these beautiful images and happy end of the year! 😊

3 points: Kola 1 (Oléron). This modest little cabin sparks my imagination.

2 points: UnaMilanese 2 (Venice). The image is classic, but I love the mix of complementary colors.

1 point: Rouquine 3 (Madeira). It’s already dawn, but I love this dramatic moment.