Winner of Photo Challenge - Book Escapes
We've come full circle as the very first winner of these Photo Challenges was posted on August 16, 2023 and now, a year later, the very same person comes in with another spectacular entry.
On August 16, 2023 I announced the very first winner of these photo challenges. Now, a little over a year later we have come full circle, literally, as this week’s winner is also our very first winner.
I couldn’t even have planned it this way even if I tried.
Please note that I’ve decided to streamline these winning posts a bit more, so my summaries or thoughts about the photos will be shorter from now on. This is to make the posts more readable as I know most of you are here for the photos and not my writing, which is understandable.
*IMPORTANT NOTE: This post is obviously too long for emails according to Substack, so if you want to see the post in its entirety I suggest you read it on either the Substack App or website. I highly recommend using your desktop to view it, all these submissions deserve it!
Next challenge is - August 18.
The Winner -
is one of the most talented photographers and people I know, her work is always outstanding and I am so proud to announce her as the winner this week.
A little over a year ago, one year and ten days to be exact, I announced Kerani as our very first photo challenge winner. Now, I get to announce her as a winner again and I couldn’t be happier or more proud to see such a masterpiece of a photo from someone I admire in this community.
Secret time: I’ve seen this photo before and it’s still just as magical. It’s even received a very well deserved position as a finalist in the 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize. It honestly deserves to win.
Thank you for submitting this extraordinarily beautiful photo, Kerani.
Make sure to give Kerani a follow on Instagram, her feed is so beautiful it almost makes me want to get back into using Instagram only so I can like all of her photos.
Check out Kerani’s Girl With Antlers newsletter while you’re here. If you’re into photography and creative writing, you’ll love her! Kerani is very talented, not just in photography, but also in writing which she constantly proves with her creative prompts.
Honorable Mentions
Choosing the winner and runner-ups for this challenge is never easy, especially not when there’s so many submissions. There are so many incredible and worthy winners this week as it is every week!
These honorable mentions are all winners, along with every single photo this week, but these ones had something special about them that I’m positive you’ll love as well.
The runner-ups for this challenge are;
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Alexander Semenyuk’s photo this week is cute, adorable and definitely a wonderful photo from a very magical land.
I think we've all watched or read Harry Potter at one point or another—even I have, despite not being much of a fan of the movies or the books. However, they certainly have their charm.
Though they are not as charming as this cute little wizard.
Alexander is an award winning Ukrainian-Swedish author who has written 20+ books. Which blows my mind. Alexander is clearly a very talented individual and I highly recommend you check out his books.
Do not forget to subscribe to Alexander and his Substack - Lighthouse, while you’re at it. I guarantee you’ll find something you will absolutely love.
’s photo both looks and feels like a set from a movie, only thing missing is a crowd of small children and an older gentleman with grey hair and a long beard reading them a story. It’s both beautiful and magical.
Stunning work, Sara!
Make sure to toss Sara a follow on Instagram, I guarantee you’ll find quite a bit of beautiful photos there and she deserves a larger audience than she currently has.
Do not forget to subscribe to Sara and her Substack - Sara’s Lenses, while you’re at it. You’ll love her publication if you’re into photography and there’s a lot of stunning photos to view.
participates frequently and it always brings a smile to my lips seeing her wonderful photos. She’s been so close to being a runner-up countless times already and this time she crushes it with her submission.
There’s something beautiful and inviting with this photo and it makes me actually want to visit this particular bookstore, Faqir Chand Bookstore, which happens to be the oldest shop in Khan Market of South Delhi.
Thank you for participating so often and with such beautiful photos every time, Saumya.
In Saumya’s own words, she’s a Graphic designer, Content creator, Photographer, Reader, Writer and even a Listener. All these things are something that I can relate to in one way or another as I come from graphic and web design, content creation and photography myself.
Saumya has also published a poetry book that you can buy on Amazon. If you’re into poetry and you like her poetry content, you’ll love her book.
Do not forget to subscribe to Saumya and her Substack - Expressions, while you’re at it. There’s plenty of wonderful poetry and lovely pieces to read. I highly recommend you toss her a subscription.
submitted this beautiful and wondrous magical tiny world. The amount of details in this tiny wonderland is astounding, everything from book titles to intricate wallpaper.
I highly recommend you check out her note to see the other photos from this tiny book nook.
Magical in every way!
Emily is an illustrator, accountant and now photographer to boot! I highly recommend you visit her website where you’ll find a lot of her beautiful illustrations.
Do not forget to subscribe to Emily and her Substack - While I Was Drawing, you really won’t regret it if you’re into art and illustrations.
continues to show what a talented photographer she is. This photo displays so many stories in one without explicitly showing any, it’s beautiful.
Your son knows how to arrange his toys beautifully to tell a story with each individual piece, even if it’s possibly unintentional.
I love it.
Lisa is a photographer and blogger/writer from the Pacific Northwest whose been photographing and writing about the Pacific Northwest for over a decade. It’s clear that she is a very talented photographer, which is very evident if you look at her Instagram.
Do not forget to subscribe to Lisa’s Substack, Northwest Frame of Mind, especially if you’re into gorgeous photography and fantastic writing. You won’t regret subscribing to her, so if you’re looking for a talented photographer to subscribe to, Lisa’s the one I recommend!
As always, I feature up to five runner-ups plus a winner. But, as there’s so many absolutely fantastic photos, I want to give a quick shout-out to as many as I possibly can.
Each week, I select my absolute favorite submissions for feature, accompanied by a well-deserved shout-out. For everyone else, a link to their submission will be provided. This way, I can showcase the best while ensuring all contributors receive the recognition they deserve.
This week I’ll showcase and shout out all seven remaining submissions this week.
I hope to see all of you and many more in future challenges!
Photos show up in this order:
Thank you everyone who’s subscribed, followed, participated or just engaged in any way, you’re all awesome!
Next Challenge - September 1
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A stunning selection, a worthy winner, and all round woo for this challenge. Great work, everyone!
I adore this photo of Kerani’s as I do all her work, and awesome photo! So pleased to have an honorable mention for this challenge with my tiny book nook and I love all the other photos. A perfect challenge for Substack. I could lose myself in each of these quite happily! 💛✨