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November 2, 2010
Capture—and share—your visions of adventure: OAT’s 2010 Photo Contest
The American photographer Paul Strand—whose modernist work helped legitimize photography as an art form—once said, “It is one thing to photograph people. It is another to make others care about them by revealing the core of their humanness.” Strand’s sentiment rang especially true for me as I looked through some photos taken by Meredith Gausch, OAT’s Photo Department Manager, during her recent Morocco Sahara Odyssey adventure.
Meredith’s photo of a mother and her young daughter—taken when her group stopped at a nomad family’s roadside egg stand near Fez, Morocco—was definitely my favorite. The little girl’s joy is simply contagious!
As Meredith told me more about this encounter, she explained, “This little girl thought I was so funny, and burst into giggles every time I took a photo.” She went on to say that, even though the family spoke no English, they really enjoyed seeing their photos on Meredith’s digital camera. And then she said something that I’ve often found true during my own travels: “The scenery in this area was amazing, but I most enjoyed the interactions with people and the unexpected moments like this.” I couldn’t have described the spirit of traveling with OAT better myself.
If Meredith’s image inspires you to share your own photos, I hope you’ll forward your entries—in the categories of Local People, Nature, Landmarks, and Fellow Travelers—to our annual OAT Photo Contest by November 30, 2010.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be spotlighting India and Nepal, our Small Ship adventures, and Central America. If you’ve explored any of these destinations with OAT, I hope you’ll send your stories and pictures to me at harriet@oattravel.com.
Harriet Lewis