The Travel Photographer of the Year competition unveiled the 2024 winners, and photographer Piper Mackay won top honors for her incredible infrared images from Kenya.
Born in the United States and now living in Kenya, Mackay has been traveling and photographing in Africa for 20 years. During that time, Mackay has moved from vibrant color photography to subdued monochromatic work and, more recently, infrared photography.
“So many images today are over-saturated, over-processed and even AI-generated. A ‘less is more’ approach is often far more effective. It is therefore refreshing to judge images which demonstrate good camera craft and in-camera creativity — shot full-frame, or close to it, and with very little retouching. This year’s overall winner’s images are a good example,” says competition judge Chris Coe. “They were made with a camera converted to infrared (IR) — a technique is not as straightforward as it sounds. The detail and atmosphere captured is both eye-catching and highly engaging.”
Mackay’s photography has been featured at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C., the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, and The Art Wolfe Gallery. Her work has also been published in National Geographic, Outdoor Photographer, and more. She has also been honored in the Travel Photographer of the Year competition before, when she won “Highly Commended Portfolio” in the 2020 edition of the contest.
Young Travel Photographer of the Year
Alongside Travel Photographer of the Year, the competition also names a “Young Travel Photographer of the Year.” This time around, the winner is 14-year-old Chinese photographer Raymond Zhang.
Zhang became passionate about photography after his father gave him a camera as a 10th birthday gift. Zhang tested out his new camera by photographing birds and was instantly bitten by the photography bug.
When he learned that new development projects threatened the birds he loved photographing, Zhang began to use his camera to raise awareness and inspire change. His winning portfolio shows the lives of train drivers working at a coal mine and the demands of their jobs.
“Raymond has created an impressive collection of images that vividly showcase the hard work and camaraderie involved in running a steam train. Each image tells a unique story, from the sweat and focus of the engineers to the warm, inviting glow of the locomotive’s interior. They convey a sense of timeless dedication and the bond shared by those who work tirelessly behind the scenes,” says judge Angie Nicholson.
Although Zhang is very young, at just 14, the competition has additional categories for specific categories.
In the under-14 category, 12-year-old Australian photographer Leonardo Murray with his landscapes of the Namib desert.
Leonardo captured his winning photos when he went to Namibia with his father, who is a professional photographer. Photography skills must run in the family.
“Beautiful landscapes capturing the majesty of the Namib Desert. For someone so young to see and capture the near abstract shapes and rhythms in this set shows a sense of image perception that is remarkable. At 12 years old, these show a good creative eye and use of light balancing the natural light and in-camera technique,” comments judge Jeremy Hoare.
Polish photographer Maksymilian Paczkowski won the 15 to 18-year-old section for his vibrant bird photos. Paczkowski, a high school student, loves nature and wildlife photography.
“A great eye for an image and use of color in putting together a portfolio more skillfully than most older photographers manage. It’s great to see Maksymillian’s work and he has a bright future. This type of bird images aren’t easy to do,” the judges explain.
Individual Category Winners and Awards
Beyond the overarching “Photographer of the Year” winners above, the TPOTY awards photographers for individual photos and portfolios across numerous categories. Single image winners and selected portfolio winners are featured below.
Faces, People, Cultures
Planet Earth — Landscape, Climate, and Water
Travel in Monochrome
Wildlife, Nature, and Underwater
One Shot Winners
Selected Rising Talent Winners
People’s Choice
Photographers from more than 150 countries submitted over 20,000 images this year, and there are so many fantastic winners, including many runners-up, highly commended, and commended photos. All of these are available to view on the Travel Photographer of the Year 2024 website.
Image credits: Travel Photographer of the Year 2024 (tpoty.com). Each photographer is credited in the image captions.
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