Winner of Photo Challenge Week 2 - Illuminate
Second challenge of the year went above and beyond any expectations I had. This community continue to surprise me and I couldn't be happier about it.
This week was incredible, so many amazing and beautiful submissions that trickled through all the way until there were no more than minutes remaining.
Thank you everyone who’s participated, you’re all amazing and I’m very happy to have each and every one of you in this community.
Having to pick a winner this week was the hardest choice I’ve had to make in a long time. So many worthy winners and runner-ups, but unfortunately I can only pick one winner.
*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 January 31.
The Winner -
Mark submitted this incredible photo that just screams “illuminate” to me. It was an extremely close call, as you can see from the amazing runner-ups, but Mark nails it with this one.
It’s a stunning photo that is intense yet calming and atmospheric at the same time. Truly, it's a gorgeous photo that clearly emphasizes the talent we have in this community.
While you're at it, head on over to the Note itself, leave a like and a comment, and make sure to give Mark a follow and a subscription.
Go check out Mark’s Vero while you’re here. You’ll find many more beautiful photos from Mark there.
Make sure to visit Mark’s Substack while you’re at it. Give him a subscribe if you like what you see, and make sure to follow him!
Honorable Mentions
As if choosing a winner wasn’t hard enough this week, I also had to pick out some equally worthy runner-ups. As I stated, there were so many wonderful and deserving entries that I’d love to feature, but if I want to keep this post readable I’m forced to limit myself.
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;
, , , ,Daniel O'Shea came in with this beautiful photo of his son. It’s such a candid and stunning moment that captures both family life and professionalism simultaneously. It’s a beautiful balance to achieve, and Daniel nailed it.
Daniel launched his Substack last year and doesn’t have much content for now, but I hope to see many more posts this year.
So make sure to subscribe to Daniel and his The Legacy Files newsletter. You’ll get to see more of his beautiful work and hopefully even more soon!
Truly a stunning photo, Emily! You nailed this challenge perfectly.
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.
Judy Ann is a photographer based out of South Carolina, a very talented one at that. You can find much more of her beautiful photos on her website, where you can also hire her.
Do not forget to subscribe to Judy Ann and her Substack - Southern Glow Gallery, while you’re at it. She’s brand new here on Substack so make sure to give her a subscription and follow!
It’s a beautiful moment captured in an equally beautiful photo.
If you’re on Instagram, toss Natasha a follow, her work there is just as beautiful and stunning as the one’s she submitted for this challenge.
Don’t forget to subscribe to Natasha and her newsletter - casual simplicity - while you’re at it. Natasha is also the first person featured in my new series, Behind the Lens, so make sure to check that out as well!
It has movement without movement and I love that. Stunning work Gary!
Gary is a photographer based out of Austin, Texas. He does not seem to have a Substack, but you can find and follow him on Instagram.
I also highly recommend you check out his website where you can find a lot more beautiful and stunning photographs. I guarantee you won’t regret having a look, there’s some truly beautiful work you’d like to see.
Don’t forget to subscribe to Gary and his newsletter while you’re at it. He’s not posted anything, yet, but I suspect we’ll be seeing some bits and bobs from him moving forward so give him a subscribe and a follow!
As I said in my rebranding post, I’ll be featuring up to five runner-ups plus a winner from now on. But, as there’s so may absolutely fantastic photos, I want to give a quick shout-out to as many as I possibly can.
However, I’ve decided to restructure these posts a bit to keep them as readable as possible.
Each week, I'll 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, again, I’ll showcase my Top 12 for this challenge! These 12 were by no means easy to pick, but they absolutely deserve the recognition!
I hope to see all of you and many more in future challenges!
Photos show up in this order:
Again this is my top 12 for this first challenge of the year, but as Substack only allow up to 9 in a single gallery, I decided to split them into two galleries of six photos for easier browsing.
Photos show up in this order:
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!
Every single person who submitted and entered deserves at least a like and comment on their submission, and if you like their content, give them a subscription or a follow!
PS: If I have somehow missed someone, I do apologize, but going through all these wonderful submissions took hours so if I did somehow miss your submission (though I believe I got everyone). Please let me know so I can rectify that ASAP!
Thank you everyone who’s subscribed, followed, participated or just engaged in any way, you’re all awesome!
Next Challenge January 31
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So many spectatcular images in this week's challenge. Worthy winner but I think Gary's photo is my personal favourite.
Wow so many beautiful photographs. Thankyou for the challenge and spending all the time organising it and sharing the results with us all. I think the winning photograph has a different edge, it is a great composition.