Guardian readers April 4, 2012

Readers’ travel photograph competition: March – adventure

Your inspirational photos on the theme of adventure take us from a glacier face in Argentina to the Namib Desert. Find out who our judge Natalie Mayer selected as this month's winner

Been there March 2012: Been there: Jake Zarins — Jake Zarins: I took this picture in Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan while watching a game of the popular local sport buzkashi – a bit like polo but with fewer rules and a headless calf instead of a ball. I took a sequence of shots and by luck caught this image with the white horse perfectly centred, with all legs off the ground, as another rider and horse behind make painful contact with the ground. Watching such skill and bravery was an adventure in itself. Photograph: Jake Zarins

Been there March 2012: Been there: Peter White — Peter White: Cavern divers at Dolphin Reef, Egypt. The light filtered through the cracks in the roof of this cavern throwing different light beams and creating shadows. After making more than 800 dives I have never seen anything quite like the light beam effect that I captured in the picture. To take the photo I had to take a time delay shot while steadying the camera on a rock. Photograph: Peter White

Been there March 2012: Been there: Carolyn Hannah — Carolyn Hannah: Kayaking off the Antarctic peninsula in the brash ice. I took the photo from the ship. The weather was perfect for some hardy souls to go ashore by kayak. Photograph: Carolyn Hannah

Been there March 2012: Been there: David Henshaw — David Henshaw: Huayna Potosi stands at 6,088m. This picture was taken on our descent, just after dawn. After three days of trekking the final ascent is done in darkness so you reach the summit at sunrise. This shot is of a group of trekkers on the glacier below and looks serene and calm, totally opposite to how tired and exhausted we felt. Photograph: David Henshaw

Been there March 2012: Been there: Deba Prasad Roy — Deba Prasad Roy: Crossing the ocean. Taken in Alleppey Beach, Kerala, India. The golden sky with a blue patch had created an eerie, otherworldly scene, just before the darkness set in. Suddenly the subject entered my frame, running from behind, to complete the picture. Photograph: Deba Prasad Roy

Been there March 2012: Been there: Georgina Bolton — Georgina Bolton: An enchanting spot on the outskirts of Reykjavik. We sat soaking up the beauty of the Icelandic landscape while sipping cold beers and dipping our feet into our own hot geothermal plunge-pool. Across the bay, the protruding land mass was where we started our epic camping trip around the west and north coasts of the island – and the glacier under which we would be camping the following evening. It was here that our adventure really began. Photograph: Georgina Bolton

Been there March 2012: Been there: Jasmine Fleffer Johann — Jasmine Fledderjohann: Solitude on Stanley Lake, Idaho, US. We canoed out early in the day and the water was glassy, the lake peaceful. Looking out over the bow, everything felt tranquil – a moment of peace before the adventure to come. I shot this from a first person perspective to capture this feeling of quiet anticipation. Photograph: Jasmine Fleffer Johann

Been there March 2012: Been there: Oliver Loveday — Oliver Loveday: I took this photo in February while on a precarious cable bridge above the Bhote Kosi gorge in Nepal with the river raging 160m below. Looking at this picture immediately brings back the same vertigo-induced butterflies that I felt at the time. Photograph: Oliver Loveday

Been there March 2012: Been there: Kris Morgan — Kris Morgan: Ice climbing on Perito Moreno Glacier, Los Glaciares national park, Argentina. The day had begun overcast but soon cleared allowing the sunlight to penetrate the ice and project the most amazing spectrums of blue. During the ice trek one of the guides began to demonstrate freestyle ice climbing. The climber's presence brought a sense of scale and context to the glacier as well as showing the climber's sense of adventure on a tough terrain. Photograph: Kris Morgan

Been there March 2012: Been there: Steve Fabes — Steve Fabes: The photo shows a couple running down the huge Dune 45 in the Sossusvlei area of the Namib Desert, Namibia. The photo was taken just after sunrise, in June last year. Photograph: Steve Fabes

Been there March 2012: Been there: Will O'Neale — Will O'Neale: A Nepalese porter passes alongside the Khumbu glacier on his approach to Everest Base Camp to drop supplies for those attempting to summit the world's highest mountain. There is approximately half the amount of oxygen available at this altitude (5,300m) as at sea level, and porters often carry more than 45kg each. Photograph: Will O'Neale

Been there March 2012: Been there: Chris Mole — Chris Mole, runner-up: This is of wing walkers at the Shoreham Airshow in West Sussex. The wing walkers are particularly photogenic as there is the combination of human interest (glamour and adrenalin), lots of smoke to show the movement and, as they fly low, you can get reasonably close up shots. The shot was taken from the main spectator area adjacent to the middle of the runway, where the planes fly by at their lowest point.

Natalie Mayer, judge: This is a beautiful image, lovely exposure for the silhouettes, and perfectly captured action. Nice tones too, very appropriate to the vintage feeling of the whole scene. Lovely stuff. Photograph: Chris Mole

Been there March 2012: Been there: Renato Lainho — Renato Lainho, runner-up: So there we were, driving around Porto in Portugal, looking for good spots to shoot when Dimitri spotted a full-pipe. It wasn't easy to skate, because of the little rocks on the ground, and little wall on the right, but Dimitri took the challenge very seriously, and made this sick turn look easy.

Natalie Mayer, judge: This is a cracker, a real contender for winning, but the three top images this month were all excellent. The grain, black and white, action, watchers on, light and shadow ... all well executed and compelling. It can be difficult to capture good action under these circumstances, but the photographer has shown an excellent understanding of exposure, and timed his shot perfectly for capturing the wallride at its peak (nothing like half a second too late for ruining a nice trick). Nice one! Get it printed on some nice textured Hahnemühle paper – it'll look fantastic! Photograph: Renato Lainho

Been there March 2012: Been there: Jacob Cockle — Jacob Cockle, winner: A supertanker had been washed on to the reef off Sumatra, Indonesia, and the local villagers had been pillaging it for the past six months. We noticed a backwash being created by waves rebounding as they crashed into the tanker. My friend Seb, the surfer in the photo, only caught two waves. When he got back on to dry land, he said it was extremely dangerous as the waves were so unpredictable and there was lots of twisted metal under the water.

Natalie Mayer, judge: Sweet composition and sweet air reverse! I really like this image – it has a great element of surprise; you don't see the surfer immediately, but when you do, the action is strong and stylish, and perfectly captured. All this really justifies the strongly unbalanced composition and makes it work. It fits really well with this month's adventure theme too ... the rough sea, ominous looking shipwreck, moody exposure and tones. All spot on.
Photograph: Jacob Cockle Photograph: Action images

Leave a Comment Cancel comment