Winner of Photo Challenge - Street
This week's challenge led to some of the best, if not the best, submissions in all challenges combined. Everyone in this community is so talented and I'm constantly amazed by your raw talents!
I can confidently say that this week was nothing short of spectacular and one of, if not, the best submissions of all time of all NordicLens challenges combined. Choosing a winner this time was the hardest decision yet, even had to take the help of two friends to decide on a winner. That’s how hard it was, but I’m confident the right photo won, if even with a fractional margin.
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 -
It’s very evident with this incredible photo that Samantha is insanely talented. Not just with the composition, the lighting, the mood, the colors and balance, but also that she’s an amazing photo editor.
Choosing between all her incredible photos was not easy to say the least, but this one instantly stood out to me due to its very evident mood. Go check out her Note, you will Not be disappointed.
Samantha, you are a pro and, as you put it, “went in with this one” is the understatement of the year and I’m honored to have you as a part of this community.
Thank you for submitting this piece of art!
Samantha is a writer, distributed by Simon & Schuster, which is nothing short of impressive to me and I highly recommend you check out her books. I guarantee you’ll find at least one book you’ll most likely love.
Don’t forget to subscribe to Samantha and her Substack, Turn the Page. If you’re into poetry and, potentially even photography, yes this is a push for Samantha to start publishing her photos here on Substack because YES please!!
I’d personally love to see a photo series called “The Way I See New York” or something similar.
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 photo was the one I had to get my friends in on to decide on the winner. That’s how close it was and I definitely consider Lisa a winner this week, because wow!
This photo is incredible, everything from the composition, object, lighting and balance all the way to the editing.
Spectacular in every way!
Thank you for submitting this artwork of a photograph!
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!
is a constant top-contender and deserves extra recognition for his frequent participation in these challenges and always submit top-notch photos.
I want to extend a personal special Thank You, to Alexander for always submitting such high quality work.
This week Alexander proved why he’s a top-contender and top-photographer so often, I mean, just look at this stunning photo! It’s so good it deserves a spot in a book, that’s how good it is and you can feel there’s a story inside of this photo that’s waiting to be told.
Incredible work as always, Alexander!
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.
clearly shows that he’s got a pendant for photography this week and that he’s got hidden talents we’d love to see more of. Harry submitted this absolutely stunning photo this week and I’m so happy to see him back to submitting for these challenges.
Stunning work, Harry!
Harry is retired or, as he prefer, in the renaissance period of his life. Harry is a fantastic writer who’ve I’ve had the pleasure of engaging with on several occasions here on Substack and it’s always been a great pleasure.
You’d have a hard time finding a more responsive and humble writer than Harry.
Do not forget to subscribe to Harry, he deserves it. He’s a great writer and story teller, not to mention a very creative person. There’s always a new great story to read and I honestly think a lot of you would appreciate his eclectic mix of offerings.
came in with this gorgeous symmetrical photo and I’m loving every detail of this photo. The symmetry, the movement, the stillness and everyday life blends perfectly together.
I love everything about this photo.
Kris & Mark are from Minnesota. Their passion is finding unique places and experiences all over the world, and I have to say, with their gorgeous photo I can tell there’s many more like it just waiting to be shown. Which is very evident with their Substack and Instagram.
Do not forget to subscribe to Kris & Mark and their Substack - Coffee Cups and Wanderlust, while you’re at it. There’s plenty of stunning photographs from all over the world to look at and many stories with them. I highly recommend you toss them a subscription.
’s submission is vibrant, beautiful and stunning in a gorgeous night time cityscape photo. I love the combination of the rainbow sky and the lights from the shops and windows in this photo, such vibrancy and mood.
Seriously stunning photo in every way!
John is a USAF Vet, a husband, a cat and dog dad along with photographer and poet and so much more. Including an unpublished novelist. If you want to see more of John’s work, I highly recommend you check out his Pixel Store below.
Make sure to check out John’s Substack, THE ENDLESS SCRAMBLE. You won’t regret it if you’re into poems and various lyrics. There’s quite a few poems and lyrics to read and I’m certain you’ll find something you like.
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 18
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I'm pretty speechless at the winner and all the runners-up. Clearly we have some incredible photographers here. This theme was by far one of my favorites. Congrats to everyone!!!
I just had a look through all the submissions before reading this and that rainy one stood out to me too. Stunning photo and deserves to be the winner for sure! 👏🏻