Small round tower on a rocky islet
Pick a Word,  Themed galleries

Gallery: pick a word (August 2023)

September 2, 2023 / 26 Comments

Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.

Don McCullin

I suspect I may have used that quote before but it’s so appropriate to this challenge that I could resist repeating it. To focus on a single word and bring it to life in an image; it sounds simple, but …

The photos I’ve chosen for this month’s Pick a Word challenge come from Botswana, China, Oman, Guatemala and Peru. Whatever else they make you feel, you could well be dizzy travelling so far so quickly! But hopefully you’ll also feel a little playful, and perhaps even fortified.

As always I haven’t stuck only to Paula’s five words, as I like to tell you a little bit about each photo. However I do try to be more succinct for this challenge than for most of my posts!

DISTINCTIVE

Close up of a zebra's stripes

Zebra, Chobe National Park, Botswana

The unmistakeable stripes of a zebra, instantly recognisable even when so close that no body features are visible.

FLOATING

Family in a boat shaped like a duck on a lake

Duck boat in Beijing’s Bei Hai Park

These fun boats can be rented by the hour and are popular with local families.

FORTIFIED

Small round tower on a rocky islet

Portuguese watchtower, Quriyat, Oman

These watchtowers dot the Omani landscape, some in ruins but many restored by the government to act as landmarks and appeal to tourists. Back in 1508 Quriyat was one of the first towns in Oman to come under attack from the Portuguese fleet as that country set about colonising the coastal area.

PLAYFUL

Two small boys, one holding a puppy

In Panajachel, Guatemala

I spotted these two small boys playing with their puppy on the streets of Panajachel, on the shores of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. They were very happy to pose and show off their pet.

SADDLE

Man sitting on a slope next to his horse

Rano Raraku, Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

As we explored the ‘moai quarry’ of Rano Raraku on Rapa Nui I noticed this ranger keeping an eye on everyone. It was the only place on the island where I was aware of any security protecting the moai.

26 Comments

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