Global Encounters Photo & Video Contests

Emily Drennan ’23
Category: Cultural Oppositions
Location of Images: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Christmas Day in Edinburgh is more buzzing than you might expect. Along Princes Street is a string of brightly lit, vividly colored fair rides and merchandise booths. The fair forms a surreal, bedazzled crown surrounding the Scott Monument, a moody spire tower dedicated to the 18th century writer Walter Scott. The stark contrast between cheap thrills and this weathered landmark is a reflection of the ever present tension in Edinburgh (and the world) between old and new.

Cameron Findlay ’23
Category: Learning Moments
Location of Images: Cruden Bay Scotland

During my last visit to Scotland to see family before the pandemic cut travel short, I visited a castle on a hilltop by the sea. Tragically, years before, a boy had fallen from the crags— pictured here is his makeshift memorial. The use of Americanized images like Mickey Mouse and Sesame Street, incongruously paired with the Scottish landscape, connected me to this boy in a way I couldn’t have expected. Across time and culture, I still think of him.

Cameron Findlay ’23
Category: Up Close
Location of Images: Islay, Scotland

Standing with my family on the boardwalk, seagulls cried out from all directions. On a whim, I took out my camera and took a snapshot of the setting sun, hoping to capture the beauty of the light on the sea. To my delight, however, I was photobombed by one of our vocal companions—resulting in a picture that I couldn’t have planned for if I tried.

Camila Maldonado Franco ’24
Category: Daily Life
Location of Images: Islands Brygge, Copenhagen, Denmark

"The Danish Bodega"
More than a place where people primarily gather to drink beer, these places have served throughout time as hygge-friendly home to a diverse group of people. While I was reading my book and having a coffee, this man was sitting both reading a newspaper and checking up on his emails. Bodegas in Denmark allow anyone to find that sense of peace at any time of the day, whether that's alone or with some friends. A well-kept secret that only the simplicity and uniqueness of these spots can provide.

Naomi Giancola ’23
Category: Cultural Oppositions
Location of Images: Pristina, Kosovo

While studying humanitarian law and armed conflict in Denmark I learned one main thing: to learn the history of Kosovo is to learn of the American involvement. Nothing makes the impact of America more apparent than the massive statue of Bill Clinton in the center of the capital on the street named after the former American president himself: “Bulevardi Bill Clinton." Everywhere in Kosovo, the friendship between these two nations was made clear. My classmates and I were welcomed with open arms (and free food) while American flags littered every skyline.

Isobel Hamilton ’26
Category: Up Close
Location of Images: Ethiopia

Man branding a camel at a camel market south of Harar, Ethiopia. Number 7 is painted on the highest quality camels, indicating that they are for export.

Peris Mwangi ’23
Category: Learning Moments
Location of Images: Cartagena, Colombia

This photo was a moment of my immersion in Afro-Colombian culture in Cartagena. Originally from Palenque, a village of the descendants of runaway African slaves brought over during Spanish colonial rule, these women come to Cartagena to sell tropical fruit on the streets and occasionally take a photo moment with visitors. Despite their freedom, hard economic times forced the women to trek to Cartagena to sell their fruits for a living. To me, the Palenquera women in their brightly-hued ruffled dresses are an outward, visual embodiment of a much deeper Palenque history of freedom and resilience. As a black traveler, this was an affirmation of the resilience and joy of my people, despite our global and individual struggles against systems of domination.

Margaret Parks ’24
Category: From Afar
Location of Images: Heimaey Island, Iceland

This is an image overlooking the town at the base of this ruby red and galaxy black colored volcano. After hiking the volcano where one could see breathtaking views of the town below and the ocean surrounding the island, learning about the volcano when it was active was equally breathtaking. The last time this volcano was active was in the 70’s and affected the entire island’s community. This landscape shows how humans have inhabited earth, how natural occurrences can take back control, and how rebuilding is a community effort. The dynamic between civilization and nature is evident in this piece.