Photographers capture their meaningful place

From bustling swimming pools in South Africa to the wilds of Kyrgyzstan and the Faroe Islands, photographers from around the world have revealed where their 'meaningful places' would be.

In a bid to win the 2017 Zeiss Photography Award, the artists played with the given theme and traversed the globe to find their special spots.

Kevin Faingnaert from Ghent, Belgium, was crowned the winner with his photography project Foroyar, which investigates the peace of life on the remote and sparsely populated Faroe Islands.

He said the area became a 'meaningful place' for him because of the 'small, simple comforts of life... listening to stories told in the welcoming warmth of Faroese homes, the sound of songs against the roaring backdrop of the sea, and my memorable encounter with a message-in-a-bottle collector on the beach'.

Claire Richardson, the picture editor of Lonely Planet Traveller and one of the judges on the Zeiss Photography Award panel, praised Faingnaert for his 'tenderly composed portraits which immediately draw you in'.

The judges also recognised the work of nine further photographers, with all of their work set to be exhibited in London at Somerset House from April 20 to May 7.  

In February 2016, Kevin Faingnaert immersed himself in the community of the remote Faroe Islands. He couch-surfed and hitch-hiked his way across the islands, finding doors opening everywhere he went

Dressed to impress: Christopher Roche from the UK was shortlisted for this image in Tibet, taken as part of his Devotion series of photographs, which explores different faith traditions across the world. He says the images reveal a 'shared thirst for spiritual fulfillment'

Super seven: Fabian Muir from Australia wanted to depict North Korea in a different way, in 'an attempt to go past the cliché and open unexpected perspectives to the viewer' (above, a septet of children pose in matching outfits on a sofa)

Crowd-pleaser: British photographer Christopher Roche captures the burning Ghats of India  

Water baby: South African photographer Nicky Newman says whenever she is stressed or sad she heads to the ocean or pool

Childhood memories: Newman says she has an 'ongoing love affair' with The Pavilion, a special public pool in Cape Town, separated from the ocean by a single wall

My meaningful place: Ben Bond Obiri Asamoah from Ghana works as a fashion and portrait photographer. Although he lives in a city environment he travelled to a rural community to experience 'raw uncut, everyday, unpolished beauties'

Girl power: Sonja Hamad from Germany focused her work on the woman of Western Kurdistan

Contrast of cultures: Sonja Hamad said the women she encountered 'muster up the courage to face the heavily armed IS in Syria' (left) while photo contest winner Kevin Faignaert found the people on the remote Faroe Islands fascinating (right)

Say a prayer for me: Mario Adario from Italy ventured to Ethiopia in January 2015 to document various rituals in the area. He says 'pilgrims from all over the country flock to the sacred city of Lalibela to pray in the famous rock-hewn churches'

Taking time out: Nicholas White from the UK headed out into the countryside to find his special spot 

The Brit focused his work on capturing mountain bothies, which provide a refuge from the vast terrain that surrounds them 

Ray of sunshine: Fabian Muir says 'life in North Korea is by no means one of constant singing, visits to the beach or fun fairs. But nor is it a constant military parade or weapon's test'

A world away: Bulgarian photographer Anna Filipova visited Ny-Alesund. It's situated on the 79°N parallel on Svalbard Archipelago, which makes it the most northerly civilian settlement in the world

Filipova says Ny-Ålesund is 'unique and one of the most peculiar places on earth, housing the largest laboratory for modern Arctic research in existence, alongside a predominant population of research scientists'

Snow-swept: Frederik Buyckx from Belgium says 'Kyrgyzstan has always been a nation of horsemen and has rich nomadic heritage and traditions that have been woven into the identity of the Kyrgyz people'

Crowd control: In winter, Buyckx says the shepherds and their livestock have to deal with incredibly harsh weather conditions in the mostly mountainous terrain. He traversed Kyrgyzstan to capture these stunning black-and-white shots 

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