July 1, 2011

June Been there competition: colour – in pictures

Here are this month's brilliant shots that best capture the theme of colour. The winner receives a £200 Point101 voucher, and a chance of winning the grand prize of a photographic safari to South Africa

Been there June: Chameleon , Maasai Mara, Kenya — Tamsin Carver: This was taken in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, where chameleons are considered devils due to their ability to change appearance. The Maasai all crowded around, and the red of their chukas against the green of the chameleon made a really simple but lovely contrast. Photograph: Tamsin Carver

been there june: Danza del Volador, Mexico — Gemma Lynch: I took this shot in Teotihuacan, Mexico. I had already seen the Danza de los Voladores (Dance of the Flyers) performed once in Mexico City but hadn't managed to get a shot I was happy with. The second time I had the benefit of knowing what to expect. I lay down on my back looking up and waited for one of the flyers to enter the frame. I wanted some movement so I shot at an ISO of 100 with a shutter of 1/100 and with the aperture at 18 the man sat on top of the pole remained in focus. Photograph: Gemma Lynch

been there june: Jamie Lafferty — Jamie Lafferty: This colourful flower is irresistible for a bug on a coffee plantation in Guatemala. The shot was a bit fiddly to take as it required a very fast shutter speed. In order to get the proper exposure, the faster it became, the more narrow was the depth of field. In the end I was working with only a couple of millimetres to try and get the bug and the flower in focus at the same time. Unsurprisingly it took a lot of shots to get it right. Photograph: Jamie Lafferty

Been there June: Utrecht houses — Slawek Kozdras: This is a student house in the process of being torn down. I spotted it one day cycling around the lovely city of Utrecht in Holland. What I liked about it was the overview of different styles and colours used to decorate the individual rooms. Photograph: Slawek Kozdras

been there june: Northern lights — Rob Senior: The aurora borealis, or northern lights, taken from on the frozen Torne river near Kiruna, Sweden, in March this year. I gave it a 20-second exposure at f4 on a Canon 5D with a 28mm f1.8 lens. Photograph: Rob Senior

been there june: Temple, Vietnam — Nabeel Khan: This was taken in beautiful Hoi An, Vietnam. It is one of the few places that wasn't bombed during the Vietnam war so the buildings are beautifully preserved. This old man is painting small Buddhist statues behind the rails of a temple, from where he would be selling them later. The colours were the first thing that struck me, from the lurid green rails to the beautiful brown of his skin. Photograph: Nabeel Khan

been there june: xxxxxx — Krisitina Thimm: Summer house in the dunes near the very northern tip of Denmark. I was struck by the vivid red and white of the house in the evening sun. Photograph: Krisitina Thimm

Been there June: Butterfly — KatharinaDziacko: This picture was taken last summer on a walk through the Black Forest in southern Germany. It was a sunny day and this colourful butterfly came into view. Photograph: KatharinaDziacko

Been there June: Cusco, Peru — Andy Donohoe: This is the Plaza de Armas, Cusco, Peru, taken from the balcony of the cathedral overlooking the square. The heavens opened and this colourful flag, which is the bandera de Cusco, stood out against the rain. Photograph: Andy Donohoe

Been there June: Dog, Bangkok — Amy Walford: I took this picture in Bangkok the day before we were due to fly home. We'd had a crazy three-week trip, and just when I thought things couldn't get any more surreal I saw this little fella coming towards us on Khao San Road. It is literally the best thing I have ever seen! Photograph: Amy Walford

Been there June: Festival tent — Phoebe Hannah: This photo of one of my best friends was taken at Shambala festival in Northampton, three summers ago. Overwhelmed by the colourful magic that is summertime festivals, my friend and I were attracted to this tent from afar and enjoyed crawling round it in our bazaar fancy clothes! Photograph: Phoebe Hannah

been there june: Weaving, Egypt — Kerry Grainger: It was early evening in a Bedouin camp in Egypt, whose occupants weave tapestries for a living. In the background children were playing football on the sand, kicking dusty clouds up into the air. I saw the light catch the colourful threads, stretching off into the distance and thought it looked beautiful. Photograph: Kerry Grainger

been there june: Chinese New Year — Leo Harrison, worthy mention: This shot was taken in Victoria Park in Hong Kong during this year's Chinese New Year celebrations.
Natalie Mayer: Fun and pretty unique. I would have cropped off the top to balance the picture more. But it's quite quirky to use light as the source of the image. Nice one. Photograph: Leo Harrison

been there june: Monk, New York — Leo Texier, worthy mention: Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, Brooklyn, New York. I was walking by the park on a beautiful June evening when I saw this monk sitting on a rock staring at the sunset. The contrast between his colourful robe and the New York skyline was striking.
Natalie Mayer: Striking. The monk exudes serenity despite the brutality of the bridge sweeping over him. It's an interesting interpretation of the theme too. Photograph: Leo Texier

been there june: Tulips, Netherlands — Phil Wiggenraad, runner-up: I spotted this "love shack" next to a tulip field in the Noordoostpolder, in the north of the Netherlands. This is newly reclaimed land, which explains all the straight lines in the landscape. I'm usually in Holland during the Easter holidays, and this year my visit not only coincided with the peak of the tulip season but also warm weather and blue skies.
Natalie Mayer: Great blocks of colour. Graphically it's very striking and although it's not quite in the classic 'rule of thirds,' the composition with the line of trees bending towards the left, draws your eye directly to the caravan. It's an unusual thing to capture and the brightness adds a clarity to the scene. Excellent.
Photograph: Phil Wiggenraad Photograph: Action images

Been there June: Cinque Terre, northern Italy — Marie Peyre, runner-up: The village of Vernazza in the Cinque Terre, northern Italy.
Natalie Mayer: This is a really intricate shot, exposed excellently. You initially see it as a whole but then tiny details start popping out and your eye is drawn to studying it. Photograph: Marie Peyre

been there june: Holi festival — Winning photograph by Dominic Burdon: I received a colourful greeting during this year's Holi festival in Mathura, India.
Natalie Mayer: It's a classic travel picture which I've seen before but the composition here is the interesting thing. It's layered really well - the guy in the front has been posed brilliantly. He is both peaceful and questioning. The two women laughing in the background are also used well: if either of them had had their heads turned away it would have changed the tone. And it certainly hits the colour theme. A great shot. Photograph: Dominic Burdon

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