Winner of Photo Challenge - Leading Lines
This week was very exciting, so many gorgeous submissions and so many beautiful and visually stunning photos, making it incredibly difficult to pick a winner! It's never easy, but this week was tough!
This was a really exciting challenge to watch and judge. I love leading lines photos, you can use them however you want to bring focus on whatever you want and I love to experiment with it. However, as always it was not easy to pick a winner, and once again it literally came down to the wire.
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 4.
The Winner -
Kristi took a very gorgeous photo here. I love how the leading lines lead all the way up to the pagoda. I honestly don’t know if it’s a pagoda or not, but either way, I love how perfectly lined up this photo is.
Choosing between the one above and another one that Kristi submitted was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to do for as long as I’ve done these challenges. You should really check her submissions out.
Absolutely stunning work, Kristi!
Kristi is an award winning destination blogger and travel writer, that also specializes in taking care of your backend for Substack.
Which I believe is a fantastic idea as it allows those who doesn’t have time or knowledge to write an About page or customizing the look and feel of their Substack, to get it done while focusing on what they do best, writing their newsletters.
If you want to know what else Kristi can do for you, check out her website Unstack Substack below.
Make sure to check out Kristi’s Substack, Wildhood Wanted. If you’re into funny and interesting, and downright … creepy and hilarious posts, like my personal favorite from Kristi - We're All Brave Until We Realize The Cockroach Has Wings, you’ll love her content.
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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’s submission has a touch of gorgeous art and gorgeous leading lines. It’s fantastic in every way and I’m loving every single thing about this photo.
Stunning!
According to Maia; she has a degree in literature and have worked with ISIS victims in Iraq, which is amazing! I know a lot of people from Iraq and they are all amazing people, always so welcoming and warm.
Currently though, Maia’s working on uncovering fraud in US spending in Afghanistan. Which, in my opinion, must be a lot of work considering how many years the US have been there and especially considering what they’ve done there.
She’s also very into poetry and have a book you can purchase. So make sure to check out her poetry collection book, And My Blood Sang.
Do not forget to subscribe to Maia and her Substack - Maia writes, while you’re at it. You’ll love her publication if you’re into poetry and magical realism.
’s photo is incredible, it has depth, leading lines, a mood and it is simply stunning to look at. This is definitely a photo I’d love to hang on my wall, that’s how much I love it.
Absolutely incredible photo!
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!
’s photo has movement, shape, leading lines and subtle colo(u)rs that are barely noticeable unless you look for them. It’s a fantastic photo in every way.
Easily one of my favorite shots this week!
Claire has been called the Queen of Substack for a reason. She’s extremely well versed in how the platform works and operates, but not only that, her posts are very valuable to anyone getting started on this platform, even if you’re established already for that matter.
Have a look at her Substack Growth Tips if you don’t believe me. Guarantee you won’t regret it.
Do not forget to subscribe to Claire, she deserves it. She’s multitalented and a great human overall, and a very helpful person, you’ll love her!
came in with this amazing photo which not only confuse your eyes, but it has so many leading lines it’s hard to know what to focus on. Which is exactly why I love it!
I love every detail about this photo.
According to Kerry, she’s just a regular Midwest gal. Personally, I’d say she’s an up and coming photographer and a fantastic writer as well. Not everyone would recognize the potential of the photo above, let alone snap it in the way she has. Clearly Kerry has talent.
Do not forget to subscribe to Kerry and her Substack - Midwest State of Mind, while you’re at it. There’s not a whole lot available yet, but I recommend you read Kerry’s post “Why We Need to Beat Children” it’s a great read and makes you think.
’s submission is stunning, full of life, beautiful and powerful leading lines. I love Torii gates, not just because of how visually beautiful they are, but also because it’s almost as you can feel the power from them as you walk through them.
I love everything about this!
Flavio is a travel photographer who has visited 39 countries so far! He’s an Italian living in Budapest, Hungary where he is a chemist. Flavio likes to combine volunteering, photography and traveling, his Substack, I only take pics is about that.
I highly recommend you toss his Instagram a follow, he’s got a beautiful grid and if I had personally had an Instagram, I’d be spending far too much time browsing Flavio’s grid.
Make sure to check out Flavio’s Substack, I only take pics. You won’t regret it if you’re a fan of a lot more beautiful photos from around the world. Flavio is a travel blogger and photographer so I guarantee you’ll find some awesome photos on his Substack.
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 only six of my favorite submissions this week. That’s not to say that everyone else’s aren’t good or beautiful, it’s merely to make the post more readable and honestly, due to minor time constraints.
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!
Here are all the other submissions I received this week, in no particular order, so make sure to check them out, leave a like and a comment, and who knows, maybe you’ll find someone to follow or subscribe to while you’re at it!
Next Challenge - August 4
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Perspective is the way to go!
👀😳🗣️Fantastic work!!!