My #7SuperShots from a year of travel!

I was nominated by my good friend Giulia at Travel Reportage & Norbert at GloboTreks to take part in the Hostelbookers 7 super shots game (click here for the rules & click here for hers & click here for his). I couldn’t help but get excited and immediately started going through all my photos to find one for each of the categories. Since I recently celebrated my one year on the road I thought why not look at only photos during my 1st year of travel. Part of the game is also to nominate 5 bloggers I would like to see some super shots from and well here are my picks:

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Ali’s Adventures, The Wanderlust Project, Wandering Earl, Tourist 2 Townie & No Vacation Required

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Picking one photo for each category wasn’t easy, but here are some of the my best shots. Hope they make you think or feel the same way!

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1 – A photo that… takes my breath away.

This may not be a normal shot that take peoples breath away, but for me it does every time. I remember this moment vividly in my mind and will never forget it. It was my 2nd sunrise in the Sahara Desert in Morocco and it just blew my mind away. It was during this expedition to the Sahara Desert that I fell in love with her. What I love about this photo is the silhouettes of the sand dunes and the 5 camels along with the leader leading them through the desert.

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2 – A photo that… makes me laugh or smile.

I call them the children of Elephantine Island. It’s an Island I have mentioned several times that I have fallen in love with. It is one of the most beautiful Islands in the world. This photo makes me laugh & smile every time I see it because I spent an entire afternoon hanging out with them and then when they asked me to take photos of them they all went wild and got so excited. I love the faces each of them made in this photo. Their smiles are contagious. Such an amazing moment of my trip. I hope when I am back in Egypt and visit Elephantine Island again I see them again.

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3 – A photo that… makes me dream.

Anyone that knows me knows I am a sucker for sunsets… I fucking love them like nothing else in the world. For some reason when I see a sunset I can’t help, but dream about my current life and about the future. It’s such a calming feeling just watching the sunset into the ocean, sea, desert or whatever it is it’s setting into. This photo was taken while I was in Ibiza, Spain and have to say it’s one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen.

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4 – A photo that… makes me think.

I took this photo during my Sahara Desert expedition in Morocco I was sitting in the van waiting for everyone to get in and as they were getting comfortable and chatting I raised my camera snapped and couldn’t help but look at her and think. I kept thinking… what is such a beautiful women like her doing on the streets? Is that her baby? What is she thinking? Does she have a home? Does she know she is beautiful? I wonder what her story is?

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5 – A photo that…makes my mouth water.

I know this is supposed to be a shot of food, but in reality even though I have thousands of photos of amazing foods I have ate around the world this is the only shot I can think about for this category. This is a shot I never planned on getting, but got it by chance at a gay club in Playa del Carmen. He came out and started performing and I thought why not take a few shots… he is so hot. So I did and when I got back I saw this and damn does it make my mouth water every time I see it. He is just so yummy!!!

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6 – A photo that… tells a story.

I’ve taken thousands of photos, but for some reason this is the one I think has the most story. I remember wandering around a little village in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala and these two children came along asking me to buy a bracelet. I normally don’t buy things from kids, but I couldn’t help, but spend a few minutes with them chatting away with them. I asked them several questions and they asked me a few too and I finally just broke and bought one. The two of them are brothers and I could never figure out why the older one was so happy and smiles but the younger didn’t smile once. For some reason I still think the lil brother understands that what he is doing is not what he wants to do forever and hopes to one day get out. I’d love to know, but will never know.

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7 – A photo that… I am most proud of (aka my worthy of National Geographic shot).

I am no photographer, but I know this is an amazing shot. I took this on January 27, 2012 in Tahrir Square, Cairo. It was 2 days after the one year anniversary of the start of the revolution. What I witnessed that day is something I will never be able to forget. It I witnessed humanity come together for one cause in the most peaceful way possible, prayer! I spent the day snapping photos away and was able to capture many amazing moments, but this one is by far my favorite. I could have put this under the photo that makes me think too, because it really does. I wonder… Why is he standing up? Is he Christian? What is he thinking?

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So what do you think? Do these images make you feel what they make me feel?

Which is your favorite? Should I become a photographer?

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If you enjoyed these photos you may also enjoy:

PHOTO ROUND UP – a series that comes out every Friday where I share the best 5 photos I took during that week that shows what I saw or did.
IN PHOTOS – a series I use to share many of the photos I have taken during my travels. Each post is about a certain subject, or theme.

Comments

Ali says:

March 6, 2012 at 2:54 am

As always awesome photos Jaime! I especially like the one in the Sahara & the one with the guy standing up inthe middle of the crowd of people kneeling down praying. Thanks for tagging me!
Ali recently posted..Milford Sound Overnight Cruise

- Jaime says:
  
  March 6, 2012 at 8:45 am
  
  Thanks Ali! I love them all but yet the guy standing up is just wow. I love it so damn much. I showed my Egyptian friends and they said he must be Christian and is just protecting the Muslims while they pray.
  
  - Ali says:
    
    March 7, 2012 at 4:50 am
    
    Which is so awesome. We hear so much about religious intolerance, but I think we’re hearing about such a small percentage.
    Ali recently posted..Milford Sound Overnight Cruise
    
    - Jaime says:
      
      March 9, 2012 at 4:37 am
      
      Ahhh that is so true… only if the news would share the other 99% that happens in the world. That other 99% is the good!
      
The Time-Crunched Traveler (Ellen) says:

March 6, 2012 at 12:47 pm

Great photos, Jaime! The first one of the Sahara is my absolute favorite. I think you have more than one National Geographic-worthy shots there!
The Time-Crunched Traveler (Ellen) recently posted..Lake Placid’s Ubu Ale: The best beer ever?

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  March 6, 2012 at 1:01 pm
  
  Thanks Ellen, yes it’s one of my favs too… Only if NatGeo knew what they were missing out on! On day I’ll get there… one day.
  
Yezenia says:

March 6, 2012 at 7:12 pm

All of your photos are amazing! Totally National Geographic quality with the exception of photo 5..lol

- Jaime says:
  
  March 6, 2012 at 9:36 pm
  
  Thank you so much Yezenia!
  
Patricia GW says:

March 7, 2012 at 7:39 am

#4 really makes me think too – I wonder what her story is? She looks very pretty but why is still in the street with a baby? These are really cool shots – I could see #7 in National Geographic 🙂
Patricia GW recently posted..What is Mythology?

- Jaime says:
  
  March 9, 2012 at 4:41 am
  
  Yes Pat I would love to know too… I really wish I could find her again one day and hand her this photo. Oh & I wish… #7 made it in Nat Geo… I would love it too, but ahh I can dream.
  
Giulia says:

March 7, 2012 at 3:26 pm

Love all the shots, I knew you were going to post some great photos!!! 🙂
Photo #5 makes me drool too, LOL
And of course I love the last picture about the prayer in Tahrir… I really miss it. Sometimes I think I am hearing the Adhan (the prayer chant) but then it’s just an illusion. Aw. 🙁
Giulia recently posted..Living in Breuil-Cervinia, part 1: Village, Home

- Jaime says:
  
  March 9, 2012 at 4:43 am
  
  Thanks Giulia for nominating me… I loved this lil project.
  
  Glad #5 makes a few of us drool… it’s just a hot steamy photo.
  
  I know what you mean about the prayer… & well Tahrir. I’ve been away Cairo a few days and miss it already.
  
Waegook Tom says:

March 7, 2012 at 8:11 pm

HAHAHAHA trust you to interpret photo number five that way, Jaime! LOL!

Photo number 5 is my favourite – obviously – with photo number 4 a close second. Some great shots here 🙂
Waegook Tom recently posted..Big Bang in Seoul

- Jaime says:
  
  March 9, 2012 at 4:45 am
  
  I know I know I know… WT only I would ever interpret photo #5 like this, but ummmm I had no choice! Glad you liked it & #4… ahh love that photo, thanks!
  
Kent @ No Vacation Required says:

March 13, 2012 at 8:48 am

A range of photos as diverse as you are. The muted color if number 4 makes you “feel” the setting.
Kent @ No Vacation Required recently posted..The Power of a Passport

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  March 13, 2012 at 10:39 pm
  
  Thanks Kent & yes agree with you about #4!
  
flipnomad says:

April 5, 2012 at 4:11 am

the last one gave me goosebumps… amazing photo… tells a great story as well

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  April 6, 2012 at 3:01 am
  
  Thanks Flip… it’s my all time fav.