Photo story
Second National Geographic Win
After last year's win (archive) in the 2022 National Geographic photo competition, I was convinced it could not happen again this year. Surely someone else has to get a chance, right?
CERKNIŠKO POLJE
Lake Cerknica is an exceptional example of an intermittent karst lake, since water does not usually remain on the karst surface. Valvasor began studying its intermittent behaviour and imagined a system of underground lakes. Like good science fiction, his explanation is seasoned with grains of truth.
But when, just before the announcement, I received an email from the organiser asking me to submit the original (RAW) version of my photograph, I suspected that I was apparently shortlisted again. Then, a few days before the announcement itself, another email surprised me by saying that my photograph ENLIGHTENED (All Milky Ways Lead to Rakov Škocjan) had won the Landscape category. At that point I stopped reading the email, grinned mischievously to myself and told my wife about the achievement. A few hours later I opened the email again and carefully reread the following sentence several times.
Again? Unbelievable!
At the ceremony I simply had to find out how the jury had judged the entries. And the honest answer did not disappoint. Alongside each photograph, the jury received only its title and description. There were no names attached. Each juror voted for the winning photograph in their category, then they jointly selected the overall competition winner from those works. They learnt the names only after reporting their decisions to the organiser.
All Milky Ways Lead to Rakov Škocjan
The photograph was made one August night, when I decided to photograph the scene beneath the Small Natural Bridge in Rakov Škocjan at night, but, as I already wrote on Instagram, with two aims. I wanted to create plenty of "drama" in the photograph, and I wanted the Milky Way to be visible in the sky. Thanks to Ana's patience—she had to pose completely still for 30 seconds for every attempt—we made several different versions, and I submitted one of them to the competition. The others are below.
And a few photographs from the ceremony, where the hall at Smelt was so packed that we had nowhere left to sit. Before the awards, we were also treated to excellent talks featuring superb photography. The speakers were Ami Vitale, Arne Hodalič, Davorin Tome and Ivan Šprajc.
The media wrote…
- https://www.rtvslo.si/rtv365/arhiv/174997943?s=tv
- https://www.rtvslo.si/kultura/ce-si-amater-se-ne-pomeni-da-si-slab-meni-veckrat-nagrajeni-fotograf-zan-kafol/689184
- https://n1info.si/novice/slovenija/ze-drugic-slabil-na-natecaju-national-geographica-ce-si-amater-se-nisi-slab/
- https://primorske.svet24.si/primorska/srednja-primorska/zan-kafol-pometel-s-konkurenco
- https://www.sta.si/3238639/zan-kafol-pometel-s-konkurenco-na-dveh-fotonatecajih-national-geographica
- https://english.sta.si/3238772/photographer-zan-kafol-wins-two-national-geographic-competitions
- https://www.delo.si/nedelo/ce-se-hoces-umakniti-gres-gor-ali-pa-dol/
- https://notranjskoprimorske.si/2023/10/postojncan-ze-drugic-zmagal-na-natecaju-national-geographica/
- https://www.radio94.si/zanu-kafolu-se-je-v-poletni-noci-vse-poklopilo/
- https://primorske.svet24.si/primorska/srednja-primorska/postojncan-zmagovalec-priznanega-natecaja
- https://www.postojna.si/objava/826315
- https://foto.sta.si/#!a/117019
- https://notranjska.si/postojncan-zmagovalec-priznanega-fotografskega-natecaja-foto/
- https://youtu.be/PE-eHr3zWnk
- https://www.postojna.si/Files/eMagazine/105/849517/Prepih%20November%2020e-11-23%20web.pdf
And again next year???