story by: rOTARY INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE

In March 2014, Thangavelu Saravanaraj, a member of the Rotary Club of Madurai ​North, India, accompanied Rotaractors volunteering at a tollbooth during a ​National Immunisation Day in his hometown. Each time a bus stopped, the eager ​Rotaractors would hop on to administer polio drops to children. As one of the ​buses was about to roar away, volunteers spotted an unvaccinated baby inside.

“They jumped to action,” recalls Saravanaraj. “As the mother brought the baby ​close to the window, one Rotaractor reached out to steady the child while ​another gave the drop.”

Saravanaraj, an avid photographer, captured the fleeting moment and submitted ​the photo for this magazine’s annual photography awards.

Nearly a decade later, we tracked down Saravanaraj, who now chairs the ​International Fellowship of Rotarian Photographers.

Founded in 2012, the fellowship includes as members more than 1,400 ​professional and amateur photographers and photo enthusiasts around the ​world. They connect and share work through a lively Facebook page. Local ​chapters organize photo contests, workshops, and photography outings.

We worked with Saravanaraj to invite four fellowship members to judge this ​year’s Rotary magazine Photo Awards. In total, we received 856 entries covering a ​broad range of genres, from landscape and nature to portraits, events, and food. ​After the judges evaluated the technical skill and aesthetics of our finalists’ work, ​we selected 14 of the best images to share with you in this issue.

They include a spectacular night photo of the Milky Way over a canyon in eastern ​Washington state, a novel campaign by Rotaractors in Nigeria to educate not just ​girls but their male peers about menstrual health, the tranquil birthplace of the ​Lord Buddha in Nepal, and an enchanting early morning scene in the holy city of ​Vrindavan in northern India pictured on the cover.

Saravanaraj says photography and Rotary have opened the world for fellowship ​members. “The Photo Awards enable us to share the work of Rotary members ​and learn from each other,” he says. “It is a new level of exposure.”

WINNER (FEATURE IMAGE ABOVE)

The Milky Way dazzles above Palouse Falls in eastern Washington state. The faint ​trails of three meteors appear in the upper center part of the image. The Palouse ​River carved this canyon more than 13,000 years ago, leaving behind a narrow ​cataract through which rushing water drops 200 feet.

By Keith Marsh

Rotary E-Club of Silicon Valley, California

Judges say: I love to shoot the night sky myself, and I know this shot is difficult ​from many perspectives. The meteors make it even more special. — Tami ​Phillippi

Friends paint the face of an excited Olga Alcaraz for Mexico’s Día de los Muertos ​festivities in the town of Cofradía de Suchitlán. The high schoolers receive ​scholarships and academic support from Project Amigo,

a nonprofit organization that began as a Rotary club project.

By Keith Marsh

Rotary E-Club of Silicon Valley, California

Judges say: The image beautifully conveys the traditions and communal ties that ​characterize this celebration of life and those who died. The monochromatic ​treatment enhances the emotional depth and texture of the moment.

— Shankar Subramanian

PEOPLE OF ACTION WINNER

Volunteer Ruth Ameh and members of the Rotaract Club of Abuja Wuse II ​educate students about menstruation at a school in Nigeria’s capital. Their ​primary audience was not girls but boys. The initiative is reshaping boys’ ​perceptions and behavior toward female classmates and fostering empathy.

By Joshua Uwagboi

Rotaract Club of Abuja Wuse II, Nigeria

Judges say: The woman’s expression is captivating. That is what attracted me ​most and that she is educating students on menstruation to build empathy ​among the boys. — Madhumita Bishnu

The Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, Nepal, is part of an ancient complex revered ​as the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha.

A place of pilgrimage since antiquity, the site includes a sacred pool and garden.

By Raquel D’Garay-Juncal

Rotary Club of Worldwide Impact, District 1550

Judges say: The peace, the quiet, and the way the photographer weaves ​together the complementary primary colors of red/green and blue/yellow make ​this image very strong. — Lára Stefánsdóttir

The dye-filled pits of the Chouara tannery burst with color in the ancient city of ​Fez, Morocco. In a process little changed for centuries, laborers prepare hides to ​be turned into leather goods in surrounding workshops.

By Larry Wilson

Rotary Club of Western Henrico County, Virginia

Judges say: Well framed and good structure. The circular form of the dye ​containers and the lines that control how the eye moves over the image are ​irresistible. — L.S.

The rising sun illuminates weathered sandstone hoodoos, the slender spires

of rock at Bryce Canyon National Park in southwestern Utah.

By Leigh Ann Wilson

Rotary Club of York, Pennsylvania

Judges say: This photograph captures a serene moment, showcasing the beauty ​and solitude of nature. The composition balances the canyon’s rugged textures ​with the soft early morning light. — S.S.

A formation of T-34 Mentor aircraft tears across the sky during a practice run for ​the annual EAA AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

By Eric Strand

Rotary Club of Fergus Falls Sunrise, Minnesota

Judges say: The photographer demonstrates skill in timing and composition, and ​this perspective invites the viewer into the cockpit. We can almost feel the rush ​of air. — S.S.

Midday mystery: A shaft of sunlight illuminates a camper van improbably parked ​at the bottom of a cooling tower at a decommissioned power station in Meppen, ​Germany.

By Claus Muchow

Rotary Club of Steinfurt, Germany

Judges say: I love the abstract nature of this image. I want to know where the ​photographer is and how he got that camper inside a power plant. — T.P.

Captured on a cold, misty spring morning, the enchanted Yarrein Creek runs ​through a rural section of New South Wales, Australia. River red gum trees loom ​over the creek, seen here near the town of Moulamein.

By David Redfearn

Rotary Club of Moreland, Australia

Judges say: This image is almost surreal. I love the reflections, and I’m drawn to ​the hazy fogginess. I can feel the cool, damp air. — T.P.

A cyclone of silverside fish in Indonesia’s Misool Marine Reserve mimics a starry ​sky behind a colorful collage of other marine life: fusiliers, butterflyfish, anthias, ​cardinalfish, feather stars, and corals. The 300,000-acre conservation area ​includes no-take zones that prohibit all extractive practices, such as fishing and ​collecting turtle eggs.

By Bonnie Wong

Rotary Club of Wanchai, Hong Kong

Judges say: This image captures the expression in the eyes of the fish in the ​foreground so well. Very clear and sharp. The small fish give the impression of ​lights. — M.B.

A duo of traditional Dunhuang dancers depict the flying apsaras, celestial beings ​in the Buddhist religion, during a performance in Hsinchu County, Taiwan. Each ​performer is carrying a pipa, an ancient Chinese stringed instrument resembling ​a lute.

By Tin Yu Yu, Spouse of Yi-Cheng Chen

Rotary Club of Taipei Asia Link, Taiwan

Judges say: The light illuminating the dancers gives this photo a dreamlike feel. It ​captures a sense of happiness. — M.B.

Otto Dollinger, an ophthalmologist and a member of the German Rotary ​Volunteer Doctors, examines a child’s eyes at the Holy Family Hospital in ​Techiman, Ghana. The volunteers are part of a multidistrict association that has ​been working for 25 years to improve health care in Ghana; it also works in India ​and Nepal.

By Florian Quanz

Rotary Club of Hamburg-International, Germany

Judges say: The image nicely captures the light emitted through the doctor’s ​glass instrument, which signifies to me the gift of a doctor bringing light to his ​young patient. — T.P.

The first warmth of summer becomes an irresistible invitation for residents of ​the island of Favignana, off the coast of Sicily, to head to the water. Calamoni ​Beach comes alive with color as people bask in the sun, relax under umbrellas, ​have fun on the sand, and enjoy their first swim of the season.

By Luca Venturi

Rotary Club of Siena Est, Italy

Judges say: The spirit of community pervades this photograph. There are many ​stories within the image, which evokes some impressionist paintings, where you ​find something happening in different corners of the canvas. — L.S.

THE JUDGES

Madhumita Bishnu - Has been involved in wildlife photography for more than ​15 years, which has taken her around the world. She is a member of the Rotary ​International Fellowship of Birdwatching and Fellowship of Wildlifers for ​Conservation.

Tami Phillippi - Is the owner of a picture framing business in Minnesota. Her ​passion is landscape and nature photography and is a member of Rotary Club of ​Eagan.

Lara Stefansdottir - Holds an MFA in art photography and enjoys photographing ​all forms of nature. She is a member of Rotary Club of Olafsfjordur in Icleland.

Shankar Subramanian - Has pursued photography for 20 years and won several ​international awards. He is passionate about travel photography and has worked ​on assignments documenting self-help groups for minority women.