Henri Cartier-Bresson is widely considered the father of modern photojournalism. If you read his brief biography on Wikipedia, you’ll learn that his philosophy on photography is that focused on capturing the precise moment in time that represents the experience. Obviously he came in a day and age long before DSLR Cameras could snap off five pictures in a second, yet even with the evolution of the technology of photography, the principle remains the same. Rather than attempt to redefine it, we’ll turn to his words; “To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms that give that event its proper expression.”
A photo by Henri Cartier Bresson – Armenia 1972
All of us have them – photos that somehow captured the moment in a way that approaches doing it justice. While the bulk of them never fully recreate the experience, I have a few which bring me instantly back in time and space, almost even summoning smells and sensations which had long since slipped my mind.
One of mine is the header piece for this blog. I took it on the second night of my trek up Mount Kilimanjaro. It had been a long, arduous day, and the sunset was two things to me: 1) It was a reward – nature’s recompense and a capitulation to my extreme efforts. It gave me intense satisfaction, and 2) It was a threat – a reminder of how little I am, and how much more there is beyond me. It was intimidating. In the few brief moments that light, time, and nature collided to create it, I happened to be there – feasting on both emotions, and immortalizing it both digitally and in my mind. No matter how many times I look at it, I love it. I love the feeling it arouses.
Now… that’s precisely what we want for you. We’ve shared with you our mission – we’re recruiting an army of wanderlusters – men and women young and old who’ll shrug off the impediments and embrace life and its gifts today, tomorrow, and forever. We’re tired of the naysayers. For us, travel is a passion and we can’t stand to hear people say they can’t afford it. We’ve stumbled upon a legitimate means to see our wanderlust to wandering fruition, and we’re not content to keep it to ourselves.
My brother, Tyler, at El Calafate in Argentina
Enter Our Travel Photo Contest
We’re hoping you’ll come along and that you’ll seize the opportunity to provoke the same in other people as well, and here’s a way to start: Send us your awe-inspiring travel photos to enter in our travel photo contest. Tell us about your moment and make us feel it, too. We’ll share it with our readers and together we’ll create an oxy-moronic pleasurable discontentment. Not only will you benefit from the euphoria of sharing, but you’ll also have a chance to win the grand prize in our contest – a $100 American Express giftcard.
How it Works
Email your photo to: worldwanderlusting@gmail.com along with your name and the location of the photo. If you have a brief story about getting the shot, please share it!
We’ll accept your photo entries until June 5th, and then we’ll pick the 12 best photos (only one per photographer).
We’ll post the photos on June 6th and send the link to each participant. Voting will go on for 14 days – until June 20th. WorldWanderlusting visitors will vote for their favorite photo. The number of votes will factor into the winning decision, but we (Brad and Sheldon) will also rank the photos on a “Does it make me crave the experience” scale.
On June 21st, we’ll announce the winner of the travel photo contest.
The Prize
The winner will receive a $100 American Express Giftcard, but everyone who enters will also get a prize.
Win Just by Entering
If you take the time to share your photos with us, we’ll reward you with your choice of an iPhone Credit Card case (4 or 5) or a Universal Travel Adapter.
The Fine Print
Terms: You will retain all rights your photographs, but by submitting them to WorldWanderlusting, you grant us rights to your image on the internet in our blogging efforts and mission to inspire others to travel. We will keep the files provided, and may or may not credit you when we display the photos.
You know where to go with a doubt – make a comment below and we’ll hear you out.
