Beautiful morning clouds from 25,000ft
Photograph by Ifunanya Agoziem Francesco
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
“This photo makes me want to hop onto a plane and fly off into the sunset to some exotic destination. That can never be a bad feeling.“- Paul Bruins
“Ambience (typefied by the dark grey colour feel) while the talent glides through life (clouds of chaos ) with the hope of a successful future – landing at destination – gliding through the storms of life. An excellent composition – I Love it.” – Omoyemi Ajanaku
Ushafa Crushed Rock, Bwari, Abuja, Nigeria
Photograph by Fatima Yusuf
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
“Although the rock cliff and reflections are perfectly composed and exposed, it’s the guy in the white shirt that makes this shot a winner for me. Nice!”- Paul Bruins
“It is a good shot of a good environment as captured by the photographer’s lens. But it is not a very sharp picture due to the resolution.“- Mature Tanko
“Shot could have been much more impactful if it was a tighter shot. The extreme wide shot seems to water down the shot driving away it’s potential impact. This photographer should try a much more tighter shot with the rock in the back ground and body of water in the midground and feel the impact of the visual more with the gentleman in white, in the foreground.” – Omoyemi Ajanaku
The SunSet
Photograph by Boluwatiwi Adenuga
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
“The gorgeous golden tones and strong composition makes this one a feast for the eyes. Pity about the slightly skewed horizon, although that’s easy to fix.”- Paul Bruins
“It is a superb shot of a lovely captured seascape. The body of water that is rolled like a carpet and the shore that is lit by a bright sun make this shot a photographers’ delight.“- Mature Tanko
“VERY HOPEFUL – An excellent composition – the rows on the seas, the sunset, the sand bed in the foreground, and the reflection from the sunset to the sea reflections, possibly even the freeze frame from the photographer, simple but classy.” – Omoyemi Ajanaku
May You Never Walk in Darkness
Photograph by Uwem Umana
May You never walk in darkness. If the sun is on a recess, may the moon light your pathway.
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
“A perfectly exposed photo with two obvious primary subjects. I wish there was a bit more space below the person though. Tilting the camera downwards slightly would have achieved that.”- Paul Bruins
“A shot that captures a plain blue sky caressed from both sides by silhouetted trees with two striking bulbs that highlights the lower part of the photograph.”- Mature Tanko
“An Excellent Composition in Portrait – A judicial use of the rule of thirds composition – with an amazing colour contrast.” – Omoyemi Ajanaku
Serenity
Photograph by Ruth Joshua
Captured on an early morning hike up a mountain in Ile Ife Nigeria.
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
“The grasses and flowers make for a perfect foreground, and the whispy clouds help to balance the composition vertically. Unfortunately the dull light and haze weren’t the best weather conditions to capture this scene.“- Paul Bruins
“PEACEFUL , SO REASSURING.” – Omoyemi Ajanaku
Sunset is a collusion of skyburst reds and yellows into the calm of the night
Photograph by Faith Olawale
Everyday I watch the sky change colours as the sun begins to set. I forever remain that girl that gets excited as the sun changes colours into something beautiful. The creation of nature is so perfect, copasetic and dulcet. I love nature.
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
“I love abstract images of immediately recognisable subjects with muted colour tones. This photo definitely fits into that category.”- Paul Bruins
“A shot of a tree with the sun piercing from within it. It is a good shot..” – Mature Tanko
Photo taken in Succoth Gardens, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
Photograph by Taiwo Awoniyi
“All my life I’ve been chasing setting suns
See me running up the hill when the evening comes
They get further away the faster that I run
I’m getting old and tired of chasing setting suns“
~ Michael Rosenberg (Passenger), Setting Suns
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
“This photo looks very natural to my eyes, and I can’t find any technical flaws. However, I strongly believe that the sun should only ever illuminate interesting things, and never be the primary subject in our landscape photos.“- Paul Bruins
Dawn at Miango, Jos, Plateau state, Nigeria.
Photograph by Tamani Sale
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
“What a great landscape! Shooting directly into the sun while still correctly exposing the foreground is never easy. I would have cropped/cloned out that tree on the extreme left though. It feels a bit too distracting to me.“- Paul Bruins
“Dawn is a work that depicts nature at its best. A field of varied shades of green and yellow is given life by a bright sky plane at dawn. It is not too sharp.” – Mature Tanko
Lost in Nature’s Embrace
Photograph by Tijay Webster
This captivating landscape photo captures the breathtaking beauty of the Jos Plateau in Bassa, a local government area in Plateau State, Nigeria. The majestic mountain, dominating the scene, stands tall against the clear blue sky, casting a mesmerizing shadow over the surrounding valleys. The lush green vegetation at the foot of the mountain adds a vibrant touch to the picture, contrasting with the rocky terrain. The serene atmosphere and the untouched natural beauty of this location make it a true paradise for nature lovers and a perfect spot for adventurers seeking tranquility and awe-inspiring views.
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
“Amazing landscape and clouds! I would not have included that euphorbia (and the strange-looking black box) in my composition though. That just makes everything feel a bit too left-heavy and visually unbalanced.”- Paul Bruins
“A painterly shot that shows a blue riotous sky plane, green and yellow shades of background and a foreground. On the left hand side is a plant that juxtaposes the aforementioned to make a clear lovely shot.” – Mature Tanko
These are the stunning photographs of Honourable Mentions in Teambooktu’s first Nature Photochallenge. The six photo finalists were featured in our Short-listers post.
Ifunanya Agoziem
An aviator by profession Ifunanya Francesco Agoziem submitted a magnificent shot of the heavens for this competition! His hobbies are singing, cooking,
Fatima Yusuf
Fatima Yusuf is a freelance photojournalist based in Lafia, Nasarawa state, North Central Nigeria. She is a Microbiology graduate from the University of Abuja but has been passionate about photography for a very long time having been inspired by the work of her dad who was a prolific photographer in his youthful years. Fatima loves to capture cultural, social and political issues affecting individuals or societies. She loves to capture the everyday lives of ordinary Nigerians and their quest to earn a living.
Fatima wants to make the world a better place through storytelling. She believes that storytelling is a powerful tool to create awareness and possibly change the society to a better place for all.
Boluwatiwi Adenuga
Boluwatiwi Adenuga is a visual artist based in the City of Lagos, Nigeria, presently using photography and videos & film as a medium of storytelling. With a background training in Architecture and Landscape Architecture, he became a full time artist in 2019 exploring everyday simple lives through Photography .
Uwem Umana
Uwem is an educational consultant, learning expert, business analyst, youth leader, coach and mentor. He has taught in three continents – Africa, Europe and Asia. He is a story teller, poet, essayist and critique. His passion is to instill confidence in people through stories to enable them succeed in life. Photography is also one of his favourite hobbies. He has published three collection of short stories I Can’t Lie to Myself and Other Stories(2023), Son of The Soil and Other Stories(2021) and Dead and Other Stories(2021); anthology of poems Awakening the Troubadours (A new anthology, 2003) edited by Taye Anavhe and a collection of poems Drums and Blues(1999). His new novel, The Travel Tales of My Father Mr. Jones & Other Stories, from which this story is culled. is available in our Bookshop.
Ruth Joshua
Ruth is a devout lover of nature with a keen eye for beauty, balance and perfection. Creating photographs of nature is my ikigai.
Faith Bolutife Olawale
Faith Bolutife Olawale is a Biochemistry student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Oyo, Nigeria. She loves taking shots of the sky, trees, plants, sunsets etc. Faith is a great lover of nature and likes to take perspectives shots. She also loves writing poems.
Taiwo Awoniyi
Taiwo Awoniyi is a writer and an accountant by profession. He enjoys poetry, fiction and classical music. He also enjoys photography and hiking.
Tamani Tatiana Sale
Tamani Tatiana Sale is an undergraduate student of biochemistry. She was drawn to photography and writing due to her love for creativity and art. She love tech gadgets and when she’s not writing, you’ll catch her listening to music especially Afro-pop, binging movies, reading novels and series or reading books related to psychology and self-help.
Tamani Tatiana Sale writes from Jos. She writes about everything that trembles and softens her heart. She is a writer, a poet and a biochemist. She was shortlisted for 2023 Koffi Addo Writivism non friction prize.
Tijay Webster
Tijay Webster is a multi-talented individual, skilled in various creative fields such as 3D animation, graphic design, and songwriting. From a young age, Tijay faced difficulties expressing himself verbally, struggling to find the right words to convey his thoughts and emotions. However, he discovered a profound solace and means of communication through the world of art. Art became his voice, his language, and his tool for self-expression.
These are stunning images of nature. More so, the depth of meaning they convey is outstanding. Well done to all the participants.