Dune Leap in Dubai – Best Portraits 2019

Global_adventuress’ squad hits next-gen family snap.

By Maryann Jones Thompson

Nothing says “We went on vacation!” like the classic family snapshot. Scanning the entries to the ROAM 2019 Photo Contest, we loved seeing so many smiling faces in so many cool places. But how to choose the best Portaits of 2019?

Do we need to see faces? Do we need to see all family members? Does everyone need to have a happy face?

After looking at more than 300 photos, we decided we had to award the Portraits that jumped out at us as 21st Century updates on the classic family vacation photo.

ROAM’s Portrait winner was California-based global_adventuress’ perfectly timed photo of six family members leaping from the sands of Dubai. No one’s mouth is contorted. No one’s hand is in front of another’s face. No one is slacking on their jump. It’s the kind of shot that could only be successfully taken with the endless film of a digital camera – and even then, not an easy one to get. global_adventuress nailed it.

global_adventuress

The following photographers were awarded honorable mentions in the Portrait category:

ROAM recognized four more fun group shots as honorable mention winners in the Portrait category:

• Olga Lavrenova, the Russian mom behind lavolgas for her appealing family shot in a bus in a Thai botanical garden – but we could have chosen any number of family selfies from her global travel feed.  Olga could teach a class in creative, next-gen portraits from the road.
• Cyrus Krohn of cyruskrohn for a quirky shot of his Seattle family at the CNN HQ on a layover in Atlanta.
• Lissa, the Detroit mom behind rootswingsandtravelthings, for her larger-than-life shot of her husband and twin sons in Dumbo, Brooklyn.
• Felicia Johnson of fivehesandashe for the authentic and mysteriously appealing shot of her boys on her youngest son’s first trip to Sea World.

See ROAM 2019’s winning Portraits, learn the backstory of each one and read the judges comments in the gallery below.