Photo Gallery: 2014–15 Harvard College International Photo Contest

May 6, 2015
“Gay Pride in the Middle East” — Vanessa Rodriguez (’16)

CMES awarded a first prize and three honorable mentions in the 2014–15 Harvard College International Photo Contest for photos taken in the Middle East region. Vanessa Rodriguez (’16), a sociology concentrator with a history secondary, received first prize for an image she captured while studying abroad last summer in Turkey. Her bright and energetic photo of a gay pride parade in Istanbul captured for her “the nation’s unique intersection of modern and traditional institutions.” Turkey was a popular photo opportunity this year: honorable mentions were awarded to government concentrator Caroline Silber (’17) for an atmospheric image of a ferry ride along the Bosphorus, and to applied math and computer science concentrator Tarek Moon (’15) for a grand interior shot of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque. Social studies concentrator Annika Nielsen (’15) received the third honorable mention for her photo of a colorful street scene taken in Asilah, Morocco.

 

“Gay Pride in the Middle East” — Vanessa Rodriguez (’16)

“Gay Pride in the Middle East” — Vanessa Rodriguez (’16)
“In the summer of 2014, I studied abroad in Turkey—I was based in Istanbul but the group traveled to all parts of Turkey—both on the European side and on the Asian side—such as Izmir, Ankara, Antalya, Ordu, Ercis, and Sanliurfa. I chose to study in Turkey because of the nation's unique intersection of modern and traditional institutions. I was able to travel to the urban and conservative areas, and I was fascinated by the fact that they could both exist in the same country. One particular manifestation of this intersection was at the Gay Pride parade—the only Gay Pride parade in all of the Middle East—that had a remarkably high turn out despite lingering fears of the police violence that occurred at protests earlier that year.”

 

“Prayer Time” — Tarek Moon (’15)

“Prayer Time” — Tarek Moon (’15)
“My travel was an interesting one. I was supposed to work in NYC, but my work visa did not get processed in time (I am international). So I just decided to go on a random tour and the first country that came to my mind was Turkey! I guess it is because of the diversity of culture of Turkey and I wanted to experience that along with some extraordinary places like Cappadocia (that's where I rode a air balloon). So it was just an impulsive decision!”

 

“Artbeat of Asilah” — Annika Nielsen (’15)

“Artbeat of Asilah” — Annika Nielsen (’15)
“I spent Spring 2014 in Seville, and took a weekend trip to Morocco, which was absolutely spectacular, but far too short. I am hoping to go back one day for a longer stay. I had not realized just how close the two countries were until I looked out the window of the bus in Tangier and could see the horizon of Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar.”

 

“Bosphorus Crossing” — Caroline Silber (’17)

“Bosphorus Crossing” — Caroline Silber (’17)
“I was in Istanbul doing the Harvard Summer Study Abroad program this past summer, taking classes about Turkish history and human rights. This photo was taken during one of my evening excursions along the Bosphorus, when I decided it would be interesting to take a ferry to the Asian side of the city and explore around there. Long story short: I got on the wrong ferry, and an hour and a half later it dropped me off in a completely unknown part of town (I don't even know if I was still in the city). There was initial panic once it became clear that the ferry wasn't going where I thought it was going, but once I realized there was nothing I could do about the situation until I got to the ferry's destination, I just pulled out my camera and spent the rest of the ride taking photos of people around the boat. This woman's pink scarf blowing in the wind caught my attention, and I spent a few minutes photographing her before she turned around and began posing for the camera, at which point the moment was over.”