Starting January 2018, the Contest Committee headed by Chairman Garrick Ang added another award to the monthly competitions. This time, members get to choose a favorite photo (apart from their own entries). Known as the Members Choice Award, the photo with the highest votes wins.
Last January 8, Tony Cancio’s photo entitled ‘Lone Tree’ bested more than one hundred entries and become the first Member Choice Awardee. Shot in the Namib desert in Namibia, Tony narrates the story behind the photo.
“We rushed over this area to catch the shadows while the sun was still low in the horizon. Park rules dictated that we could only leave the park at the break of dawn so we had to drive quickly to get to the site early. The dunes are amazing this time of the day creating a play of light and shadows across the landscape. I chose this photo for its simplicity in its framing and for the vibrant color of the sand. I thought that people viewing the image would appreciate the simple but bold visual message.”