The Image Flow is proud to present the results of our Photo of the Month – Uncommon Places contest!
We evaluated over 228 submissions on composition, color, contrast, and overall quality when making their selections. In addition to technical components, we considered the subject of interest, point of view, and whether the image tells a story.
Under the monthly theme of Uncommon Places, inspired by the photographer Stephen Shore, the competition was open to professional and amateur photographers globally.
Shot on Fujifilm X100
1/80 sec – f/2 – ISO 200
“Amid the waters of the South China Sea, just off the coast of Sai Kung (Hong Kong), nature started to take over a tiny piece of an island called Yim Tin Tsai, the Ghost Island or 鹽田仔 in Chinese, which literally means “Little Salt Field” as the community of this place used to thrived on salt manufacturing. When approaching the island by a small boat, one can see its landmark at the peak: the St. Joseph’s Chapel, which was built in 1890. I went to explore the place 3 times, after having read that in 2005, the village was given the UNESCO award for its protection and preservation of cultural heritage.
The short walk towards the chapel seems the most natural way of approaching this intriguing place, where unexpected connections between nature, objects and colors are being exposed. One of the sights was a basketball field, which seemed abandoned for a while. The tonality of paint, numerous chairs and closeness of greenery gave away a sense of deepening nostalgia. I took several shots at the scene to come up with this composition of strong vertical and diagonal lines together with a dark presence of nature.”
–Kinga Owczennikow
