Autumn in Germany – Best Nature Photos 2019  

Marlieke Kroon’s appealing post of Mosel Region foilage, plus more shots of beautiful places and people.

By Maryann Jones Thompson

There was no shortage of entries to the ROAM 2019 Photo Contest showcasing families plopped in Earth’s most awesome natural environments. Reviewing the surplus of worthy photos, we judges chose winners where the natural setting played a starring role equal to that of the people.

Marlieke Kroon, the Dutch mom behind kleineglobetrotter won ROAM 2019’s best Nature photo award for her transfixing post on the Geierlay Bridge in the Mosel Region of Germany. The understated fall color happened to mesh seamlessly with the mother and child, attracting the attention of all the judges.

kleineglobetrotter

Marlieke shared the backstory of her shot, taken when traveling with husband Ivo and four-year-old-twins:  “Our German ‘grandpa’ Airbnb host told us that we had to visit ‘Die Brücke’ – and he was right!” says Marlieke. “You have to hike 2.5 kilometers each way to get to the bridge but it’s totally worth it. We were there in the early morning and had the bridge all to ourselves.”

“Family travel is all about exploring together and trying new things and pushing boundaries, says Marlieke. “And that’s what we did that day when we stood on that bridge because that bridge is pretty scary LOL.”

ROAM recognized four additional photos as honorable mention winners in the Nature category:

• Amy Allen of theallensvstheworld for the shot of her kids in bright, worth-the-packing-hassle waterproof gear, having a blast in theSkógafoss Waterfall, Iceland. Her’s is a feed to scroll for a ton of fun action and travel shots.
• Joyce Mark, he Toronto mom behind oureverylife, framed a gorgeous shot of her husband and son in Laos. Joyce’s feed is filled with similarly dreamy, postcard-worthy shots.
• Erika Orozco, the Los Angeles photographer of erikaophoto, captured the mood and grandeur of her son and daughter floating down the Merced River in Yosemite.
• Marco Campitelli of Calgary and adventurecampitelli transports us to southern Thailand with this shot of his wife and kids on Hong Island.

Check out all the prize-winning photos in the gallery below (turn mobile devices to “landscape” to view complete photos and caption.) See ROAM 2019’s winning Nature shots, learn the backstory of each one and read the judges comments in the gallery below.