Travel Photo Roulette #73: CROWDS

Published On January 9, 2014 | By Dan | Contests, Recent
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UPDATE:  Sorry for the delay in picking the winner.  Our overland truck got stuck in the mud yesterday and we spent an unplanned day in a remote Mozambique campsite with no WIFI.  Anyways, on to the important part:

This was the first time we’ve won this competition, and I always assumed bloggers must struggle to pick the winners each round.  I was right.  Picking this winner was very difficult, but after a nice discussion, Alissa and I have settled on one.  I don’t know if the first photo submitted in a round has ever won, but this round that is exactly what happened.

WINNING PHOTO:

Tom from Travel Past 50 submitted the photo above within the first day, and I absolutely loved the photo right away.  The reason I picked crowds for this theme is that I love a photo of people, animals, or things where each individual person or thing looks different and is unique.  The crowd outside the Mona Lisa is always a zoo, but Tom’s photo does an amazing job of capturing about 20 people all doing something different within the chaos.  Even the people who are taking photos are all doing it just a bit differently.  My favorite two people in the photo are the white-haired guy on the far left and the younger guy with headphones.  They don’t need a camera to enjoy the Mona Lisa!    I also love the lady squatting down to sneak a picture below the barrier.  Congratulations Tom!

Honorable mention to: Charli and Debbie for two amazing under water photos, as well Kathryn from Travel with Kat for a crazy cool African festival photo.

Look for Tom to host round #74 in the next week or two on TravelPast50.com!

 —–

Every two or three weeks, travel bloggers from all over the world participate in what is called Travel Photo Roulette.  It’s an ongoing contest that allows travel bloggers to feature their best photos in a wide range of categories.  I’ve entered the contest a number of times, and I’m excited to say that last week we won!  Winning the contest means you get to host the next round hence why you are seeing this unusual post on our site.

Last week, Calli and Travis of Have Blog Will Travel hosted the 72nd round of the competition with the theme “Light”.  Below is our winning photograph of the Sea Music Festival in Busan, South Korea.

late-for-concert-busan-629

So now it’s time for round #73!

Round #73: CROWDS

This round we have chosen a theme that has constantly been popping up in our photographs: CROWDS.  Crowds of people, crowds of vehicles, crowds of animals, crowds of basically anything you’ve ever captured on camera.  This round is about submitting photos that depict crowded places, organized chaos, and beauty in numbers.  I want to keep the interpretation of this theme as open as possible, so if you have a photo you think lines up with the word CROWD, go ahead and submit it!

Crowded street in Mumbai, India

Crowded street in Mumbai, India

Crowds of Zebras and Wildebeests in the Serengeti

Crowds of Zebras and Wildebeests in the Serengeti

About Travel Photo Roulette:

Travel Photo Roulette is a competition started by Jeremy at Living the Dream way back in November 2010 as away for travel bloggers to connect and share their photos. Last week, Calli and Travis of Have Blog Will Travel hosted the 72nd round of the competition with the theme “Light”.

The Competition

The contest is pretty straightforward. The winner of the previous round chooses a new theme and hosts the competition on their blog, inviting others to share their photos over the course of a week. As the end of the week, the host selects a winner and the process repeats itself.

The Rules

1. One submission per blog please

2. Unfortunately you will need a personal blog or website to participate (in order to host should you win!)

3. Post processing, cropping, correcting for red eyes and other flaws is fine for this round.

4. Abstract submissions are welcome. But if you want to win, it’s probably best that the judge understands your interpretation

5. Hosts should keep themes general so all bloggers can participate. Avoid specifics like ‘Eiffel Tower’; instead choose a more open theme, like ‘monuments’ or ‘monuments at night’

6. Abstract themes can be fun, as long as everyone can understand. ‘Overlooking creation’ is good, ‘Kafkaesque’ is not

7. No obscene photos or themes allowed. Suggestive themes and photography might be accepted, but be careful. Remember, the host is all-powerful

8. Themes may be reused after a period of time; however new photos must be submitted. Keep it fresh!

9. You do not have to take the photo within the week of the contest period to submit it

10. Most importantly: ALL PHOTOS MUST BE YOUR OWN.

11 . Spread the word about Travel Photo Roulette and use the hashtag #PhotoRoulette

12. Last, but not least: It’s a game, so have fun with it.

How to Enter

To enter the competition, simply leave a comment below with a link to your photo and it will be added into the post (or send us an email using the “Contact” tab above). A brief description of the picture is always welcome to provide some background and context. Also, please don’t forget to include your name, link to your blog, and any pertinent social media information so everyone can come see what you’re all about (and we can contact the winner!).

The contest will run until January 26th, 2014, after which time we will select the winner – the results of which will be shared right in this very post.

Spread the Word

Tweet about this contest using the hashtag #PhotoRoulette and feel free to share this page with your friends on social media – the more the merrier! We love seeing your comments so please don’t feel bashful about sharing your thoughts and opinions.

Previous Winners

Finally, here are the past winners of the contest – as you can see it’s been running for a while! Click on the link to take you to some great travel blogs and wonderful themed photos.

1. Nov, 2010 – Living the Dream – “Animals” 2. Nov, 2010 – Skinny Backpacker – “Road Signs”
3. Nov, 2010 – Dream a Little Dream – “Street Art” 4. Nov, 2010 – Flashpacker HQ – “Festival”
5. Dec, 2010 – Over Yonderlust – “Landmarks” 6. Jan, 2011 – Don’t Ever Look Back – “Beaches”
7. Jan, 2011 – ThePlanetD – “Portraits” 8. Jan, 2011 – Travel with a Mate – “Motion”
9. Feb, 2011 – Johnny Vagabond – “Water” 10. Feb, 2011 – Ken Kaminesky – “Urban”
11. Feb, 2011 – Travels of Adam – “Friday Night” 12. Mar, 2011 – Itchy Feet Chronicles – “The Journey”
13. Mar – Brendan’s Adventures – “Changing Seasons” 14. Apr, 2011 – Shutterfeet – “Storytelling”
15. Apr, 2011 – 10 Times One – “Piousness” 16. Apr, 2011 – Beached Eskimo – “Learning”
17. May, 2011 – Travel Junkies – “Architecture” 18. Jun, 2011 – Destination World – “Transportation”
19. Jun, 2011 – Living the Dream – “Paradise” 20. Jun, 2011 – Vagabond Quest – “Clothes”
21. Jul, 2011 – The Unframed World – “Symmetry” 22. Jul, 2011 – Beached Eskimo – “Home”
23. Jul, 2011 – BackPackerBanter – “Inspiration” 24. Aug, 2011 – WanderingTrader – “Darkness”
25. Aug, 2011 – Finding the Universe – “Tranquillity” 26. Sep, 2011 – Fearful Adventurer – “Food”
27. Sep, 2011 – Adventures of a GoodMan – “City” 28. Oct, 2011 – Globe-Trekking.com – “Reflections”
29. Oct, 2011 – Scene With A Hart – ”Framing” 30. Nov, 2011 – Vagabond Quest – “Silhouettes”
31. Nov, 2011 – Hecktic Travels – “Music” 32. Dec, 2011 – Globetrotter Girls – “Love”
33. Jan, 2012– Man on the lam – “Humor” 34. Jan, 2012 – My Walkabout – “Winter”
35. Jan, 2012 – The Art of Slow Travel – “Blue” 36. Feb, 2012 – Ten Times One – “Depth of Field”
37. Feb – Runaway Juno – “My Digital Nomad Moment” 38. Mar, 2012 – Nomadbiba – “Sunshine”
39. Mar, 2012 – Travel With Kat – “Local Character” 40. Apr, 2012 – The Travel Bunny – “Street Scene”
41. Apr – Adventure Crow – “Spirit of the Country” 42. May, 2012 – Food Travel Bliss – “Evening”
43. May, 2012 – Matt Gibson – “Adventure” 44. June, 2012– Flashpacker HQ – “Once In A Lifetime”
45. July, 2012– Skinny Backpacker – “Surreal” 46. August, 2012 – 2away – “Smile”
47. Aug – Bridges & Balloons-”Splendour of the Universe” 48. Sept, 2012 – The GypsyNester – “What the ?!”
49. Oct, 2012 – Runaway Juno – “Sweet” 50. Nov, 2012 – GQ Trippin – “Play”
51. Dec, 2012 – Breakaway Backpacker – “Face” 52. Jan, 2013 – Fly, Icarus, Fly – “Serendipity
53. Feb – Travel Transmissions – “Lost in Thought” 54. Feb, 2013 – Wanderlusters – “The Natural World”
55. Mar, 2013 – Travel Junkies – “Patterns” 56. April, 2013 – Living the Dream – “Your First Time”
57. May – Getting Stamped “As The Sun Goes Down” 58. Jun, 2013 – The GypsyNester -”Cheesy Tourist Diversions”
60. June, 2013 – Boomeresque – “Revolution” 61. July,2013 –Breakaway Backpacker – “Colorful”
62. Aug, 2013 – Around This World– “Mountains” 63. Aug – Passports & Pamplemousse – “Hands at Work”
64. Sept, 2013: TurtlesTravel – “Dance” 65. Sept, 2013: Keep calm and travel – “The sea”
66. Sept, – Travel Photo Discovery – “The Market” 67. Oct, – Am I Nearly There Yet? – “Travel Fails”
68. Oct, – The GypsyNester – “Weird Regional Foods” 69. Nov, – Sophie’s World – “Trees”
70. Nov 2013, – SHOuTography – “Party” 71. Dec 2013, – Adventures of a Goodman – “Ruin”
72. Dec 2013, – Have Blog Will Travel – “Light” 73. Jan, 2014, – This World Rocks – “Crowds”

NOTE:  We are currently in Africa on an overland trip with really spotty internet access.  Please be patient with us as we add all entries onto the page, as well as giving us time to pick a winner and update this page.  Thanks!!!  – Dan and Alissa

This round’s entries:

1. Tom Bartel from Travel Past 50

It’s inevitable when you visit Paris’s Louvre that you’ll eventually be drawn to Leonardo’s Mona Lisa. You won’t actually be able to get close enough and linger long enough to get a good look at it, though. The room is full of tourists with cameras, and for some reason they prefer to look at a digital image later than the original now.

From Tom: It’s inevitable when you visit Paris’s Louvre that you’ll eventually be drawn to Leonardo’s Mona Lisa. You won’t actually be able to get close enough and linger long enough to get a good look at it, though. The room is full of tourists with cameras, and for some reason they prefer to look at a digital image later than the original now.

2. Charli from Wanderlusters

From Charli: I hate crowds. They make me feel like a drone. as though I’m not individual but just one of the masses standing in line. This however, is my kind of crowd! Deep beneath the Coral Sea the Great Barrier Reef is teeming with life and crowds of brightly colored fish wizz about amongst the coral. Diving there is like being transported to an alien world full of color and form.

From Charli: I hate crowds. They make me feel like a drone. as though I’m not individual but just one of the masses standing in line. This however, is my kind of crowd! Deep beneath the Coral Sea the Great Barrier Reef is teeming with life and crowds of brightly colored fish wizz about amongst the coral. Diving there is like being transported to an alien world full of color and form.

3. Jeremy from Living the Dream RTW

From Jeremy: On a busy day, the skies of Cappadocia can have over 100 balloons floating around. Our guide started us out at a distance to get away from it all, and our reward was a stunning view of this very crowded scene. How many can you count?

From Jeremy: On a busy day, the skies of Cappadocia can have over 100 balloons floating around. Our guide started us out at a distance to get away from it all, and our reward was a stunning view of this very crowded scene. How many can you count?

4. James from Fly, Icarus, Fly

From James: My submission was taken at Shibuya Crossing (Tokyo), the busiest crosswalk in the world. Somehow these two managed to stand out in a big way in the sea of faces. Some people just have “it”.

From James: My submission was taken at Shibuya Crossing (Tokyo), the busiest crosswalk in the world. Somehow these two managed to stand out in a big way in the sea of faces. Some people just have “it”.

5. Jacomijn from Jacomijn’s Travel Blog

From Jacomijns: In the city of Essaouira, Morocco I saw these boats in the harbour. There were so much of them!! What a great picture they give!!

From Jacomijns: In the city of Essaouira, Morocco I saw these boats in the harbour.
There were so much of them!! What a great picture they give!!

6. Lisa from Around the World Food

From Lisa: Clowns eating lunch in Times Square

From Lisa: Clowns eating lunch in Times Square

7. Jennifer from Sidewalk Safari

From Jennifer: For me, Crowds = India. Here’s my entry: The crowds in Hyderabad, India observed by getting above the fray at the Charminar.

From Jennifer: For me, Crowds = India. Here’s my entry: The crowds in Hyderabad, India observed by getting above the fray at the Charminar.

8. Sam from Indefinite Adventure

From Sam: When I was travelling in South America with my partner, I always had a habit of personifying the cacti we saw. Here, it looked to me just like this crowd of cacti were gathering around to watch the sunrise with us, as though they hadn’t been standing there all night in exactly the same position. I imagined them sighing as the first rays began to warm them, their spikes prickling with appreciation of the new day’s light.

From Sam: When I was travelling in South America with my partner, I always had a habit of personifying the cacti we saw. Here, it looked to me just like this crowd of cacti were gathering around to watch the sunrise with us, as though they hadn’t been standing there all night in exactly the same position. I imagined them sighing as the first rays began to warm them, their spikes prickling with appreciation of the new day’s light.

9. Travis from Have Blog Will Travel

From Travis:  Our shot is from Istiklal Street, the main shopping and pedestrian street running from Taksim Square in Istanbul. This wasn't even the busiest we saw it! The funniest thing is how fast you move down the street - you'd expect that it'd take ages, but it's surprisingly efficient! Here is our link...can't wait to see the rest of the submissions! Thanks again for hosting, especially where you are in the world! Safe travels.

From Travis: Our shot is from Istiklal Street, the main shopping and pedestrian street running from Taksim Square in Istanbul. This wasn’t even the busiest we saw it! The funniest thing is how fast you move down the street – you’d expect that it’d take ages, but it’s surprisingly efficient! Here is our link…can’t wait to see the rest of the submissions! Thanks again for hosting, especially where you are in the world! Safe travels.

10. Suzanne from The Travel Bunny

From Suzanne: One close to home here and a crowd of poppies on the South Downs in East Sussex.

From Suzanne: One close to home here and a crowd of poppies on the South Downs in East Sussex.

11. Tash from joulet gallery

From Tash: Sitting in the crowd at an Indian Test Match in Delhi, cheering the Aussie team, there was nothing quite like watching the locals cheer and squeal their affection for Sachin Tendulkar - The Little Master. A bucket list item, for sure, as a cricket fan!

From Tash: Sitting in the crowd at an Indian Test Match in Delhi, cheering the Aussie team, there was nothing quite like watching the locals cheer and squeal their affection for Sachin Tendulkar – The Little Master. A bucket list item, for sure, as a cricket fan!

12. Gianni from Nomad is Beautiful

From Gianni: This was taken recently in Chiang Mai. Every year 10,000 monks from all over Thailand come to the city for a spectacular ceremony where they collect offerings from the crowd. The ceremony starts early in the morning. In this picture the monks are waiting for the ceremony to start.

From Gianni: This was taken recently in Chiang Mai. Every year 10,000 monks from all over Thailand come to the city for a spectacular ceremony where they collect offerings from the crowd. The ceremony starts early in the morning. In this picture the monks are waiting for the ceremony to start.

13.  Kathryn from Travel with Kat

From Kat: It was taken at a festival of the Jola Tribe in West Africa. They are famous for their displays of courage and strike themselves with everything from cutlasses to razor blades without every leaving a scratch! Anyone who would be interested in reading more about it, I’ve just posted about it on my blog (click the photo to read)

From Kat: It was taken at a festival of the Jola Tribe in West Africa. They are famous for their displays of courage and strike themselves with everything from cutlasses to razor blades without every leaving a scratch! Anyone who would be interested in reading more about it, I’ve just posted about it on my blog (click the photo to read)

14. Zara at Backpack ME

From Zara: Chawri Bazar in Old Delhi is a feast for the senses. You’ve got the crazy crowds passing by walking, in rickshaws, the animals, the vibrant colors of the clothing and the products being sold. They sights mix with intense smells of sweat, urine, spices or even samosas getting fried somewhere nearby. This is the kind of place no photo or description makes justice to. Only once you’re part of the crazy rhythm, you can feel the energy that I’m talking about.

From Zara: Chawri Bazar in Old Delhi is a feast for the senses. You’ve got the crazy crowds passing by walking, in rickshaws, the animals, the vibrant colors of the clothing and the products being sold. They sights mix with intense smells of sweat, urine, spices or even samosas getting fried somewhere nearby. This is the kind of place no photo or description makes justice to. Only once you’re part of the crazy rhythm, you can feel the energy that I’m talking about.

15. Shane at The Working Traveller

From Shane: My submission here is a bit better though, I hope. During Songkran the whole of Chiang Mai goes bonkers. I literally had to fight my way through the crowds for three hours to get to this spot and take this shot.

From Shane: My submission here is a bit better though, I hope. During Songkran the whole of Chiang Mai goes bonkers. I literally had to fight my way through the crowds for three hours to get to this spot and take this shot.

16. Lina from Divergent Travelers

 

From Lina: This shot was taken at an Acrobatic show in Beijing, China. There were many acts with just a few people on the stage, but the plate spinners started off small and got more chaotic as their act went on.

From Lina: This shot was taken at an Acrobatic show in Beijing, China. There were many acts with just a few people on the stage, but the plate spinners started off small and got more chaotic as their act went on.

17. Jade from Our Oyster

From Jade: The most crowded place I have ever been definitely has to be HCMC in Vietnam. Crossing the street was a death defying adventure amongst the millions of scooters that wizz down the streets.

From Jade: The most crowded place I have ever been definitely has to be HCMC in Vietnam. Crossing the street was a death defying adventure amongst the millions of scooters that wizz down the streets.

18. Debbie from Round the World with Deb

From Debbie: If this giant trevally had lips, he’d be licking them as he watched this school (crowd?) of fusiliers, patiently deciding which one would be his lunch. Raja Ampat, Indonesia.

From Debbie: If this giant trevally had lips, he’d be licking them as he watched this school (crowd?) of fusiliers, patiently deciding which one would be his lunch. Raja Ampat, Indonesia.

19. Donny from Turtles Travel

From Donny: We took this photo while on an overland safari in Africa. The Cape Cross Fur Seal Colony is located along Namibia’s Skeleton Coast. Here a lone jackal searches the seal “crowd” for an easy lunch.

From Donny: We took this photo while on an overland safari in Africa. The Cape Cross Fur Seal Colony is located along Namibia’s Skeleton Coast. Here a lone jackal searches the seal “crowd” for an easy lunch.

20. Cassie from Ever in Transit

From Cassie: I came upon this rather surprising crowd in Mexico City back in 2007. A group of nude, male farmers from the State of Veracruz were blocking traffic to protest a land-use decision made by a corrupt local politician. They were wearing the elected official’s face as a loincloth. Just another morning in Mexico City!

From Cassie: I came upon this rather surprising crowd in Mexico City back in 2007. A group of nude, male farmers from the State of Veracruz were blocking traffic to protest a land-use decision made by a corrupt local politician. They were wearing the elected official’s face as a loincloth. Just another morning in Mexico City!

21. Kathryn from RTW Travel Guide

From Kathryn: Gannet colony near Auckland, New Zealand.

From Kathryn: Gannet colony near Auckland, New Zealand.

22. Anil from Travellers Footprint

From Anil:  I took this photo in my last visit to MongKok, one of the densest shopping districts.

From Anil: I took this photo in my last visit to MongKok, one of the densest shopping districts.

23.  Tony from 20 Years Hence

From Tony: I took this shot in Pingyao, China. This scene was pretty much par for the course in this world heritage site. Pingyao is a massively popular destination for Chinese tourists, which means the crowds were ubiquitous and oppressive.

From Tony: I took this shot in Pingyao, China. This scene was pretty much par for the course in this world heritage site. Pingyao is a massively popular destination for Chinese tourists, which means the crowds were ubiquitous and oppressive.

24. Brandon from The Yoga Nomads

From Brandon: First Touchdown in Memorial Stadium…. Minnesota Gophers vs Nebraska Corn Huskers. 91,000 filled the stadium and after the first touchdown everyone lets a balloon fly away.

25. Adam from Getting Stamped

From Adam: This beautiful church in Lima, Peru has more than a few pigeons on its grounds and as naughty little boys wait to enter the church they like to scare this mass of birds up into the air. For whatever reason they all fly in a flock around the small square as locals and tourist a like cover their heads and hope they don’t get pooped on!

From Adam: This beautiful church in Lima, Peru has more than a few pigeons on its grounds and as naughty little boys wait to enter the church they like to scare this mass of birds up into the air. For whatever reason they all fly in a flock around the small square as locals and tourist a like cover their heads and hope they don’t get pooped on!

 

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About The Author

is the founding traveler of This World Rocks. He enjoys writing in the present tense, is an avid sports fan, former NBA dunk team member, aspiring videographer, and a WWII & Civil War history nerd.

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