Travel Photo Roulette–Round 16: Learning

Welcome to the 16th edition of Travel Photo Roulette!

The last round was hosted by 10timesOne. Round 15’s theme was Piousness, which I won with my photo from Turkmenistan:

In a small village in the mountains of Turkmenistan, Nokhur, is Qyz Bibi, a Muslim shrine, and one to which many women make a pilgrimage to in the hope that they will marry or fall pregnant. Each woman leaves behind a small piece of cloth, usually of great value to the woman.

For those of you who don’t know, Travel Photo Roulette was started last year by Jeremy of Living The Dream RTW and has become a popular harvester of great travel photos in a welcome forum.

This week’s theme: Learning

I’ve just come back from a long weekend in Boston, home to two of the world’s most famous and regarded educational institutions – Harvard and MIT. Walking through the city I thought a lot about education and learning, two things I have always been quite passionate about.

My travels have taken me to some of the famous institutions in the world – Oxford, Cambridge, now Harvard and MIT. I attended classes at the University of Sydney in a gorgeous building that was a former institute for the deaf, dumb and blind. I also love to visit libraries and think about the realm of ideas they contain.

But formal education is not the only learning experience in life, and travel is one of the best lessons. In this round of Travel Photo Roulette, I want to see photos showing learning or education – however you choose to interpret these terms.

My example is below: I saw this blackboard as I was entering Harvard University on my visit to Boston. To me it signified more than just a degree, but the combination of personal growth in an institute of formal education.

For students who want more than just a degree...

The winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered – my sincere apologies for the delay in announcing the winner – I’ve been down in Florida for work – training staff, though I believe I learned a lot myself – including lots about the Everglades ecosystem – coming up soon on this blog.

Congratulations to: Jason

I love the idea of doing my homework on the beach, and I also love the simplicity of the photograph, and the colours of the sand. Thanks for sharing that with us, Jason!

Honourable mentions go to Stephen for his great pic from the West Bank – the capture of the faces is fabulous

and to Wandering Trader for the lovely pic of a new family in Antarctica

Thanks to everyone for entering!

Previous Photo Roulette Hosts

The following is a list of erstwhile Photo Roulette hosts and a link to their contest pages. Check in to see the entrants and winners from their chosen theme, and also to support the blogs that have hosted in the past.

Thanks to all the previous hosts for making this game such a success!

1.    Nov 4–10, 2010 Living the Dream – “Animals”
2.    Nov 17–24, 2010 Skinny Backpacker – “Road Signs”
3.    Nov 29–Dec 6, 2010 Dream a Little Dream – “Street Art”
4.    Dec 8–Dec 15, 2010 Flashpacker HQ – “Festival”
5.    Dec 17–Dec 24, 2010 Over Yonderlust – “Landmarks”
6.    Dec 26–Jan 2, 2011 Don’t Ever Look Back – “Beaches”
7.    Jan 5–Jan 12, 2011 ThePlanetD – “Portraits”
8.    Jan 15–Jan 22, 2011 Travel with a Mate – “Motion”
9.    Jan 26–Feb 3, 2011 Johnny Vagabond – “Water”
10.  Feb 8–Feb 15, 2011 Ken Kaminesky – “Urban”
11.  Feb 21–Feb 27, 2011 Travels of Adam – “Friday Night”
12.  Mar 7 – Mar 13, 2011 Itchy Feet Chronicles – “The Journey”
13.  Mar 19 – Mar 25, 2011 Brendan’s Adventures – “Changing Seasons”
14.  Apr 4 – Apr 10, 2011 Shutterfeet – “Storytelling”
15.  Apr 13- Apr 21, 2011 10timesOne – “Piousness”

CONTEST RULES

Extra Criteria to Keep in Mind When Submitting a Photo:

1. One submission per Blog (so sites that have 2+ authors only get one entry).
2. No photoshopping allowed unless specifically called for! Cropping and correction for red-eye or camera flaws are ok, however.
   1. 1. Like most of those before me I’m happy to allow photoshopping. However, in judging, I prefer photos that look natural – so please stick to realistic edits.
3. Abstract submissions welcomed as long as it fits within the interpretation of the chosen phrase. Remember, the hosting blogger chooses the winner, so if they cannot understand the submission, you might not win!
4. Keep phrases general so that all bloggers can participate. Specific items like “Eiffel Tower” should be avoided but rather made open-ended like “monuments.” For variety, it is ok to say focused things such as “monuments at night” in which most of us have pictures of.
5. Abstract thoughts are appreciated, but keep it within the realm that all readers will understand. No “Kafka-esque”, but “Overlooking Creation” is able to be interpreted by all.
6. No obscene pictures or phrases allowed. Suggestive phrases and photography can be accepted, but please keep it within reason.
7. After a sufficient period of time, phrases can be reused, however new photos must be submitted.
8. Keep the ideas and photos fresh!
9. Pictures from your entire portfolio are fair to submit. You do not have to take the photo within the week of the contest period to submit it.
10. Most importantly, ALL PHOTOS MUST BE YOUR OWN.

To Submit An Image

To enter in the Photo Roulette competition simply leave a comment below with a link to the image (whether Flickr, Picasa or your own site) and I’ll upload it to this post. Don’t forget to provide a brief description or caption for the photo so the viewers can get a little background as to what’s happening.

Check back here through the week to see all the entries as they come in – feel free to comment on them. The contest runs for 7 days, with the submission date being now until Wednesday, May 4th, 2011 . I’ll announce the winner on Friday, May 6, and he or she will host round 17.

One last rule, since this is a competition for bloggers, we need you to be a blogger to be declared a winner. Sorry!

The entries!!!

From Brendan van Son of Brendan’s Adventures

Real Gabinete Library in Rio de Janerio

From Wandering Trader

“Learning how to love” Two Blue Eyed Shags in Antarctica caring for their young and teaching it how to love

Related posts:

1. My travel goals for 2011
2. How am I tracking–2011 travel goals update
3. Through my telephoto lens: what I’ve been reading
4. From Prague, with love…
5. What is beachedeskimo.com?