In case you haven't heard, there is a new contest called "Capture the Colour" with great travel prizes. We have the link hosted on our sister site at Free Travel Contests, but for this one we are actually going to participate! We tend to not enter the make-a-blog-post style contests due to our limited time, but since the judges are fellow travel bloggers, and the prize is rather epic (2,000 GBP grand prize and iPads for five runners-up), we thought this would be a fun one to enter.The contest itself is simple, you have to share five (5) photos that match a color theme. One photo for each color: Blue, Green, Yellow, White, and Red. Each color has it's own judge, and each judge has what they are looking for from the photos on the contest entry page. But to make my entry extra unique, I gave myself the added challenge of finding photos from the farthest corners of the world that I have visited. Yes, this entry will not stay in one region, but rather take you on a trip to a unique selection of the amazing places that I have seen so far!
Blue Entry - Devil's Den near Gainesville, Florida
When thinking of the color blue, it is a bit hard to avoid picking a photo that the blue is featured as the sky, beach, or under the water while diving. In fact, all of the photos I have where blue is a major highlight are of such a common scene, like the Reed Flute Caves in Guilin, China, I just couldn't bring myself to use it as an entry for fear that someone else would have the exact same photo. Instead I picked this photo of the dive site Devils Den near Gainesville, Florida. I think this image is a perfect example of blue because the dark cave only has small pockets of light, each of which shines brightly on the blue of the water; inviting you to jump in.
For more on my adventures scuba diving around the world, with tons of great dive photos, check out these posts.
Green Entry - Middleham Falls, Dominica
I wanted to go a little off-the-beaten track for my green entry because, lets face it, its far to easy to grab a picture of a lush rainforest and submit it to represent the color green. It is true, this photo does have lots of rainforest peeking in around the corners, but Middleham Falls in Dominica gets my entry for green for the emerald pool of water that collects at the base of the falls. The color just invites you in, and getting there with your private group before the cruise tours arrive makes it all the more enjoyable with absolutely no one around. Just to point out - that little alcove above the pool to the left of the waterfall makes for a great jumping spot, something our group mates did several times before we left, just as the cruise groups were arriving. There is a reason Dominica is our favorite Caribbean island, and this picture shows it beautifully.
For more on our hiking adventures in Dominica, I recommend checking out this post.
Yellow Entry - Paragliding in Hopfgarten, Austria
The first instance of yellow that pops out at me in this photo is of the nylon parachute as my friend comes in for a landing in Hopfgarten, Austria. I had just landed from my paragliding adventure of quite literally jumping off a mountain, and my friend was right behind me where I could capture this great shot. The added splash of yellow from the dandelions really adds to the scene as you can see them for as far as the field goes in the frame. For those who haven't been paragliding before, I highly recommend it.
For more on my adventures paragliding in Austria, I recommend checking out this post.
White Entry
One of the only ways I feel you can highlight white in a photo is by sharply contrasting it with darker colors such that it gets an added pop on the background. This photo, taken in Las Vegas at around midnight, is a prime example of that theory. When on long exposure, car headlights make a beautiful white trail in the frame and the busy streets of Las Vegas have enough cars going at all hours to make numerous white streaks stand out in front of the Vegas strip!
For more on our numerous trips to Las Vegas, I recommend checking out these posts.
Red Entry - Nikko, Japan
For the color red, nothing stands out more than the Shinkyo bridge in Nikko, Japan. Legend has it that the Shinkyo bridge first came about in the 8th century when a priest named Shodo wanted to climb Mount Nantai to pray. He was blocked by the river shown above, and the god Jinja-Daiou helped him cross by releasing two snakes that transformed into a bridge for his passing. Although the bridge has been rebuilt several times over the years, it was only open for visitors to cross (~350 Yen) in the last forty years. Before that only representatives of the Imperial court could step foot on the sacred bridge, adding an extra sense of allure to the scene.
This photo is one of my favorites from Japan because I spent three days in Nikko exploring the scenery while most visitors only stop for a day-trip from Tokyo. Unfortunately for everyone else, the thick fog rolled out of the entire temple grounds just as the first batch of day trippers were arriving to the shrines, missing the perfect ambiance altogether.
For more information about the temples of Nikko, I recommend checking out this post.
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As a part of the entry criteria, you are supposed to nominate 5 bloggers to enter. My five nominations are:
No Place to Be
Travels of Adam
The Traveller World Guide
Lash World Tour
Don't Ever Look Back
Like our entries into this contest? Comment below to let the judges know why we should win and what your favorite photo is!
