By Josie von Jascheroff
Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Away from the crowds of tourists posing in front of mesmerizing Angkor Wat, there is a little cluster of smaller temples. Some are partially in ruin while others allows sweltering Europeans to seek shelter in the shade. Amongst these, there is a construction of four ginormous Buddha heads called Angkor Thom. Each head faces in a different direction and together, they form a temple. I donÔÇÖt think I will ever forget staring up at the larger than life stone Buddha. He seemed to look beyond the enchanted tourists below and at something far more important somewhere far, far away. It was as if him looking beyond us was a reminder to look beyond the little, trivial problems of the everyday and move into a deeper, more spiritual realm. Later, I learned that the Buddha faces of this temple symbolize simplicity, compassion, equanimity and wisdom. It was at one of the entrances to Angkor Thom that I snapped a picture, just as a school of monks exited. They more or less walked into my picture. But in doing so, they captured a moment for me that I will never forget. For in their faces, I saw all four sides of Buddha:┬ásimplicity, compassion, equanimity and wisdom.
By Sarah Harris
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.
My family are huge fans of nature documentaries and instead of spending our summer watching David Attenborough documentaries, we decided to take a trip to Tanzania and visit some Safari Parks. This picture was taken at one of the worldÔÇÖs most coveted natural wonders, The Serengeti. The trip involved spending many hours a day in a jeep looking through our binoculars trying to spot various animals. Thankfully, we were lucky and saw everything from ZebraÔÇÖs to Elephants. My camera broke just a few days in to the trip but luckily before it did, I was able to capture this image of a lion and lioness feeding on the carcass of a wilder beast. Whilst we were there, our guide told us that although Lionesses are the ones who do the hunting in the packs, whilst the Lions stay back to watch over the cubs, the Lions still have first dibs on the food the Lionesses bring back. Once they are done eating, the Lionesses can have the remains. When I took this picture, the Lion had already had his turn, hence the blood surrounding his paws and face. You can see the Lioness in the back feeding over what was left.
By Rachel Nurse
Iceland.
Five years ago, I had spent four nights venturing from 10pm till 3am to find the northern lights with not even a trace. However, on my last night in Iceland I captured the most beautiful photo I have ever taken. This picture is special to me as seeing the northern lights was number one on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. The moment was shared with my mother and father, a sight like nothing we had ever seen before. IcelandÔÇÖs aurora borealis is one of the main natural attractions along with volcanoes, ice caves and glaciers. If you want to see the Northern Lights in Iceland, tours are run between September and April.
By Megan Evans
Dunn’s River Falls, Jamaica.
JamaicaÔÇÖs world famous DunnÔÇÖs River Falls are up on my list of most beautiful places that I have ever visited! ThereÔÇÖs a hidden beach where the seawater is that perfect clear blue-green colour, surrounded by immense greenery and lagoon pools. It is situated in Ocho Rios, a port town on the north coast of Jamaica. The waterfalls reach to 180 ft and from the picture; you can see the layering of tiers so tourists can climb up and get an up close experience with such a beautiful natural landform.┬á The river falls are one of few that empty directly into the sea, and as a flowing platform, the thrill of climbing is intense as you are plastered with cold water the moment you step on the rocks! I love this location because the people are so friendly, as a natural landscape it crafts such a vivid dreamlike image in my mind and somewhere, I canÔÇÖt compare with anywhere else that IÔÇÖve been! It is such an exotic location, and paints Jamaica as a diverse area that is incredibly scenic. Even though it attracts a vast amount of tourism, the atmosphere is welcoming and relaxing.