Friends in Morocco – Best Culture Photos 2019

Heather Edwards’ winning Sahara shot, plus more great pics of local encounters.

by Maryann Jones Thompson

So many travel photos place kids in iconic environments – at the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower or Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland.

When judging the ROAM 2019 Photo Contest, we wanted to choose photos that placed families in new places with local beings, buildings, or situations that we’ve encountered traveling with our own kids – even though these might not be the “hero” image typically posted on social media.

The ROAM 2019 winning “Culture” photographer is Heather Edwards of we3edwards_exploring. The American Navy wife has moved five times in the last six years and currently lives outside of Naples, Italy. The free-spirit and former international flight attendant has always loved traveling, and now enjoys it even more with her husband and son. The trio has visited 3 continents, 20 countries and 10 states so far.

we3edwards_exploring

“In February 2018, we took the adventure of a lifetime all over Morocco, including time in Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Erfoud, an overnight in The Erg Chebbi Dunes (where this photo was taken), Rissani, Midelt, Fes, Chefchaouen, Casablanca and back to Marrakech,” says Heather. “The camel ride was great fun and a top experience for our family.”

Her son was so pleased with himself after riding the camel solo to the overnight campsite in the dunes, he asked his mom to snap this photo with his camel.   “Snap a picture, mom! I was so brave, wasn’t I?” I have to say, the boy’s cuteness is kinda overwhelming – and I look at family vacation photos for a living 😉

ROAM recognized four more extraordinary entries as honorable mention winners in the Culture category:

• Angie, the Indonesian mom behind vacationinfashion, for their family shot in Wae Rebo, Flores, Indonesia. (Her blog specializes in coordinated outfits for family travel photos!)
• Laura of frugalforluxury’s photo of meeting local kids in Ponta do Sol on Santo Antão, Cape Verde – a heartwarming and understated beauty.
• Aafje de Laat, the Dutch mom behind  kidslovetravel for a precious shot of her husband and daughter in a rooftop pool in Bangkok.
• Jose DeCos of traveler_papa_jose for capturing a gaggle of giggling Filipina paparazzi adoring his daughter.

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 Culture shots, learn the backstory of each one and read the judges comments in the gallery below.

Best CULTURE Photos

ROAM 2019 Photo Contest CULTURE Winner & Honorable Mentions 

Culture Winner: we3edwards_exploring

Photographer: Heather Edwards, a Chicago native living near Naples, Italy with her husband and five-year-old son

Photo: Taken on an iPhone 7 Plus through Camera Plus in the Erg Chebbi Sahara, Morocco, during February 2018

Backstory: “On our adventure-of-a-lifetime trip all over Morocco,  we completed a camel trek to our traditional Berber camp. My son was so proud of himself for riding solo that after our guide tied up the camel, he said “Snap a picture, mom! I was so brave, wasn’t I?”

Judge: “I love the color in this photo. The boy is adorable and he is so genuinely happy that he’s making me happy just looking at him.” - Crystal

Culture Honorable Mention: vacationinfashion

Photographer: Oscar Gomulia, a friend, shot Angie, her husband and two kids from Jakarta

Photo: Taken with an iPhone 7 in Wae Rebo, Flores, Indonesia, July 2017

Backstory: “It took a six-hour van ride and then a three-hour, six-kilometer hike through rainforest, hills, river and fog to get to this Unesco Heritage village. We were able to stay there overnight and go back down the next morning.”

Judge: “I love the primitive, foreign-ness of the village huts against the pose of the family.” - Maryann

Culture Honorable Mention: frugalforluxury

Photographer:  Laura, originally from France now based in Florida, traveling with husband and three kids

Photo: Taken in Ponta do Sol on Santo Antão, Cape Verde

Backstory: “We loved meeting these children. They decided to follow us while we were trekking. It must have been one of the first times they saw a tourist baby and they just couldn’t get enough of her. Interacting with the people of Cape Verde was one of the highlights of our trip.”

Judge: “Okay, if you saw frugalforluxury’s other amazing photos, you might say ‘Whaaa?’ to my insistence on recognizing this shot. But when you look closer at the sincerity of the encounter - the smiles on the kids’ faces, the warmth of the mom’s demeanor, the clothesline, the dog, the cliffside setting on a remote African island - it is as good as real travel gets.” - Maryann

Culture Honorable Mention: kidslovetravel

Photographer:  Aafje de Laat traveling with her husband, Kevin and two young children from home on the coast near Amsterdam

Photo: Taken with a Canon EOS 5000D atop the Shama Sukumvit hotel in Bangkok, February 2016

Backstory: “Being diehard backpackers and loving Thailand, we wanted to travel there with our babies (7 months and 2 years). Everyone said ‘You are crazy to take them on a 12-hour flight!’ but they behaved perfectly on the plane. When we landed, we were overwhelmed by the heat, however, so we cooled off in the hotel’s rooftop pool - what views! And we had an amazing time in Thailand!”

Judge: “Look at the love on the dad’s face and the sweet baby looking up at her daddy. Bangkok is buzzing around them but they are in their own world.” - Crystal

Culture Honorable Mention: traveler_papa_jose

Photographer:  Jose deCos, originally from Delaware, now traveling with his wife and two girls from home bases in Finland and Spain

Photo: Taken with a Sony NEX5 in Tarsier & Wildlife Sanctuary, Bohol, Philippines, February 2016

Backstory: “We were surrounded by tarsiers, the smallest, cutest primates in the world, but our little girl attracted all the attention. From Iran to the Philippines, traveling with kids anywhere in southern Asia brings so much attention that you often become more of an attraction than the attraction you are visiting. While not often photographed, the phenomenon is a big part of family traveling in this part of the world. On this day, the excitement level was so high with these girls that we were especially happy to play the part of celebrities.”

Judge:  “A selfie stick? The perfect cultural moment. It unites people no matter where you are.” - Didrik

ROAM 2019 Photo Contest -Winners!

• ROAM’s Best Family Travel Photos of 2019: See the best of the best
• Grand Prize Winner: Meet Liliia Sokotun, her family & her work
• Nature Winners: Beautiful families in naturally beautiful spots
• Action Winners: Jump straight into the excitement
• Culture Winners: Encounters with locals & locales
• Portrait Winners: Updates on the classic vacation snapshot
• How ROAM Chose the Winning Photos
• Winners’ Tips for Taking Better Photos
• Meet the Contest Judges & Get the FAQs

 Maryann Jones Thompson  – January 2019

ROAM Founder & Editor in Chief   

After a thousand years in publishing as a business journalist and content strategist, Maryann brings her experience traveling as a backpacker, businessperson, expat and mom to writing and editing for ROAM. After traveling with her husband and kids to uncommon spots across six continents, she’s currently focused on finding ANY trip that’ll interest teens, hitting epic scuba spots, and expanding family-travel horizons in her native California and beyond.

© ROAM Family Travel 2019 – All rights reserved