The photography competition – Alan’s shortlist

Over the coming days we’ll be bringing you the shortlisted images from our photography competition, as selected by the three judges: myself, Steve Ellaway and Allegra Boverman. I’ll be the first as I’ve been watching them as they come in. I have to say that it’s not been easy, the standard has been very high and I have agonised in narrowing my selection down to only six.

Anyway, here they are…

Edgaras Vaicikevcius

There were a fair number of sunsets and sunrises entered as you might imagine. A few stood out, this one in particular for me, because of the play of the light and the suggested rift (one for the Dr Who fans). But what really did it for me was the perfect placement of the boat at the bottom right.

Bernabe Della Mattia

If anyone had suggested to me when we set out on this that I’d have been including a flamenco related image I’d have laughed.

Personal taste I know, but I find them such a cliché. Almost all remind me of that awful picture everyone’s grandmother had hanging next to the one with the boy with a tear in his eye decades ago.

But I’ve been proven wrong. Take the swirling ladies out of a bar or off the stage; treat it more like a fashion project and this is what you get.

 Richard Walker

I have to admit I struggled with this one, but found myself coming back to it again and again. Set up against so many finely crafted and classically composed images we have received it may just look like a lucky family snapshot. Perhaps it is. But what’s not to like? Children, movement, joy and a crazy dog.

We can all be a bit too serious about our photography at times, I know I am. Perhaps the greatest of uses for the medium is just keeping those family memories? This brought back happy memories for me of the first time my kids came out to visit us shortly after we moved to Lanzarote.

Anca Cernoschi

I loved this photograph the moment I saw it, it’s the only one of this set that has stayed in my selection from the outset.

Any image that can turn a building so recognizable, and so often the main feature in a photograph in its own right, into nothing more than a backdrop to an intimate, private and beautiful moment between two ordinary people has got my vote..

Jose Gadea

According to Wikipedia Almeria ‘is the driest region of Europe, with the continent’s only true desert climate’. Living down here it’s very easy to forget the diversity of the landscapes of Spain. The green of the trees and moss and the running water remind me that there are places not all that far away without dust and tumbleweeds. Places that were, if I a bit weird, might think could harbour fairies and goblins.

The photograph itself is a reminder to get off the beaten track. Great landscape photography doesn’t have to be big expanses of the same scenes everyone else chases.  Great landscapes are often found in the places few people go.

Miguel Lamiel

Not your average photograph of Gran Via. Put very simply the reason I like this is that it is an example of a principle I’ve long been an advocate of. If you are photographing an event (lets say for example a football match) turn around because the interesting subjects are going to be in the crowd, that’s where the real drama is.

The same principle applies to tourists. What really makes this for me is the staff with their backs to the outside world.

Do leave a comment below and tell us which are your favourites and why!

It’s now time for an unashamed plug for Exclusive City Breaks the sponsors of this competition, if you enjoyed entering or following this competition do please take a moment to ‘like’ their Facebook page. And please, next time you are travelling or looking for hotels anywhere in the world do please give them a try. You won’t regret it, click here to find out why!

About Alan

Alan Gandy is the co-owner of this site, a professional photographer and former lecturer with a fine art photography degree from much longer ago than he cares to talk about. Alan isn’t what you think of as a ‘normal’ photographer. He describes himself as opinionated, arrogant, cantankerous and argumentative, especially when discussing the subject of photography. Alan has had his work published, exhibited, and sold to collectors and through libraries.

Link to Allegra’s shortlist

Link to Steve’s shortlist

Alan Gandy

Alan, along with Elle, is the owner of Spain Buddy. He was born in the North of England (Lancashire) and travelled extensively before eventually settling in Almería. Alan has 3 sons from the first of his 18 marriages, (Sam, Joe & Ben) who are all now adults. You can read more articles by Alan on his personal blog at AlanGandy.com and see more of his photography on his photography website as well as on Flickr and Instagram. Also, for less than the price of a cup of coffee each month you can help support Alan's photography (and get some freebies into the bargain). Click here to visit his Patreon page to find out more.