In addition to the photo of Raglai’s mother, Vietnam has 3 other works in the top 50 of Agora’s best photos of the year.
Agora, a website that is also a mobile application that regularly organizes photo contests, has just announced the top 50 best photos in 2020 (# BestPhotoOf2020). This is a selection of more than 35,000 photos sent back by professional and amateur photographers from 135 countries. From this top 50, Agora held 5 more rounds to choose the top 5 announced on December 28. The highest prize for the work with the most votes is 25,000 USD.
In the top 50 most beautiful photos published by Agora, there are 4 works of Vietnamese authors.
“Mother’s smile” is one of those four works, photographed by photographer Vuong Manh Cuong of a Raglai ethnic mother in the mountains of Khanh Vinh, Khanh Hoa. The photo is part of a Help-Portrait portrait project, with the participation of photographers and volunteers from various places, the author said. The project is made by the photographer prints the photo and sends it back to the person being photographed with the desire to bring a little faith and joy in life. According to the author, the old lady in this photo was very happy to be photographed for the first time in her life, “what a special moment in her life”.
The photo “Shadows” by photographer Cao Ky Nhan was taken on the full moon day of January. From above, the photo covers the scenery of sand dunes and long shadows of people. Hon Ba, Vung Tau, is a small island with slight sprinting water in the morning so people can walk along the island.
The author shared that his hometown and other regions in Vietnam are suffering a lot of damage due to storms and floods over the past time, he wishes to spend 50% of the prize value to support the people.
Duy Sinh’s work “Ao Dai” shows a girl in traditional ao dai, wearing a conical hat walking among the soft green grasslands of Quang Nam. Photographer Duy Sinh said that ao dai is often taken in portrait style, but I experimented with high-angle, wide-angle shooting to give a different perspective.
“Harvesting sedge” is the work of Nguyen Ngoc Hoa (or Hoa Carol). The author captures farmers working during the rush season to make blinds, mats … in a rural area of Phu Yen province.
Here are some other excellent works selected in the top 50 best photos of the year by Agora:
Nika Pailodze’s “Lake Kelitsadi” was taken in a lake of the same name in the mountains of Kazbegi, northeastern Georgia. The author shares that he wants to give viewers a peace, find himself in a lonely time. The photo was taken at an altitude of 3,080 m above sea level, so the weather is very cold and difficult to access this volcanic lake.
Australian photographer, Luke Simpson, has a work in the top 50 with the name “I see a storm coming” taken in Fraser, island with the most stretch of sand in the world (120 km) located in Queensland, Australia.
“Winter road” by Katharina I, a German photographer, taken in the mountains of Allgau, Bavaria, Germany. The author said that this picture is very special to her not because it was taken on her birthday but because she herself wanted to take it here, where she used to live when she was a child. The picture was taken on a cold snowy day in January, so she had many difficulties, she almost dropped the drone (the drone is used to shoot, shoot overhead).
“Sparkling City” is the work of photographer John (Jsrpixel) Hong Kong. The photo captures the scene of skyscrapers rising like a dense forest but shimmering at night. The author’s creative perspective shows the viewer an exotic Hong Kong.
Bangladeshi photographer participated in the top 50 with the work “Door to belief” taken in Saudi Arabia. The scene of the closed gate at Holy Kaaba, Mecca, Saudi Arabia is also when believers are sending their beliefs and wishes to God. There was always a crowd surrounding the gate, so capturing the moment, keeping the camera in the middle of this scene is not easy.
Another impressive photo in the top 50 is “Riding a camel in the desert at sunset” by British author, Stephen Akpakwo. The author said he was in Dubai, bought a desert exploration tour and a safari to take pictures and experience the harsh weather here. Fortunately for him was the last rate of the trip, as soon as he got on the camel he took this photo because the timing and the light was very appropriate. It was also Stephen’s first time riding a camel.
Khánh Trần (theo Agora)