As we're still finding our feet in the new year, the sense of a new beginning is still present in most of our lives. We thought we'd use this sense as motivation for our challenge theme. New beginnings come in all shapes and sizes, and can be witnessed in different ways. 

What does 'new beginnings' mean to you? We're looking forward to seeing the theme from your perspective. 
 
We continue to be thrilled seeing how our themes are interpreted. Please feel free to be as funky and/abstract as you'd like. 

There are some rules to follow for your submission to be considered:  
1) your photograph must express 'new beginnings' in some way 
2) your photograph must be verifiably yours
3) you must submit a single image (no composites allowed) 
4) your photograph cannot be generated or manipulated using any form of AI
 
Our challenges are about shining a spotlight on beautiful, skillful and creative photography. They're about uplifting, inspiring and sharing with the photographic community. So go ahead and give it your best shot!
 
This challenge is free to enter.

New beginnings in life for a father and his baby.

Farmer putting fertilizers on his rice field at the early morning.

The first greenery appears just a few weeks after a devastating forest fire in Bohemian Switzerland.

Japanese traditional visiting deity "Namahage" march through the streets during a blizzard in Oga Peninsula. Each New Year’s Eve, men from each village dressed as the Namahage deities visit homes to admonish laziness, also to bring happiness and rich harvests for the coming year. 

Namahage events have continued on the Oga Peninsula for more than 200 years. Each of the 90 or so districts on the peninsula have kept a local namahage tradition seen on New Year's Eve (when namahage played by young men make the rounds of houses). Each had masks varying in material and shape handed down for generations. 

The mask in this photo is known as "Sugoroku masks," from the area's name. And this mask was rebuilt for the first time in almost 30 years before New Year's Eve 2021. 

A blizzard hit the area on the night of New Year's Eve. "Aah! The namahage are here," a pair in the new guises growled as they marked fresh footprints on the white earth. They had opened a new page of the folklore's history.

Maserati MC20 GT2 in pista a Misano al tramonto

Children plays in a field on a misty morning.

Urban

Foreign kids are seen under the Thai flag on the ferry heading to Koh Chang Island where they are moving with their entire family.

Countless chilli peppers surround labourers in the Bogra district in the north of Bangladesh. More than 2,000 people work in almost 100 chilli farms in Bogra in Bangladesh to supply local spice companies with chillies for use in their recipes. Chilli peppers are a major part of the Bengali cuisine popular in Bangladesh and are used as part of a combination of spices for various meat dishes, including chicken and beef.

Red chilies pickers

Malaysian and Palestian gathered to protect in solidarity for the conflict between Israel and Hamas October 22,2023 in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

Kiyosumi Teien Garden was the site of the residence of the Edo Period business magnate, Kinokuniya Bunzaemon. Later it became the residence of the Edo of the Lord of Sekiyado castle, Shimofusa-no-kuni the period when the basic form of the garden came into existence.  In 1878,  Iwasaki Yataro, chose this property to use a garden for the entertainment of important guests. After the design and construction phases ended, the garden opened in 1880 under the name of "Fukagawa Shimbokuen". In later years, the waters of the Sumida River were brought into the grounds to make the pond. Hills and waterless waterfalls were constructed and famous rocks from all over Japan were brought in to embellish the garden. The garden was completed in the Meiji Period and developed into a famous strolling garden centered around a large pond.

Japanese gardens, sometimes confused with Zen gardens, are one of Japan's most illustrious and ancient creations.  Although the origins are from China, in Japan gardening was perfected into an art form.  Originally gardening was the domain of Zen Buddhist monks, and garden design and maintenance was a form of meditation.  Today, Japanese gardens may still be mostly located at Zen Buddhist temples, though it is rare for the monks to participate in their maintenance. 

Strolling past manicured shrubs, a freshly-lashed bamboo fence indicates the route toward an obscure entrance. Leaving your shoes at the entry, you walk down a polished wooden walkway leading to a tatami room overlooking the tableau: a Japanese garden. Everywhere you look something interesting catches your eye: the curve of a bridge, the natural sculpture of an upright stone, moss growing on an ancient lantern. But no single view allows us to make sense of the whole, the garden reveals itself only bit by bit, rock by rock. The aesthetic of Japanese gardening was raised to an art form as early as the 12th century, where refinement meant everything down to the last detail. Photographer John Lander wandered in some of the country’s best-loved gardens.

In a Japanese Garden

New, green leaves begin to appear after a fire in a teak forest in northwest Thailand.

The title of the photo? “Everyone has a cross to carry”.

The reason why I thought about the title is because of the devastating situation in the Middle East, not to mention in Sudan, the Ukraine and in other conflict-zones of the world (my own uncle Mario was shot dead at the age of 22 by the SS during WWII). 

The photo itself was taken in March, 2023 on a weekend trip to the small Italian town of Alatri (it’s located about 100 km from Rome).  It wasn’t in any way, shape or form “staged”: We were just going for a nice walk around the small town when all of a sudden I saw this priest coming towards us and carrying the cross as he was about to enter the church.  I also liked the way he gingerly held the cross and making sure of not banging it on the sides of the door.  What also caught my eye was that tiny element in the picture, his left foot (I always try to have in mind when I take photos THE greatest “photographer” of them all, Caravaggio).  The photo wasn’t Photoshopped.  I only used the saturation button on my iPhotos (iMac) PC program.

A cyclist carrying on his shoulders his broken bicycle, starting a new and painful beginning in his journey

Toronto, ON - December 8, 2018: A model walks the runway at the Love Candice collection fashion show by Candice Pirali during the first annual Toronto Kids Fashion Week on December 08, 2018 in Toronto, Canada.

Love Candice - Toronto Kids Fashion Week 2018

New Beginnings

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New Beginnings

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First Prize

Dominique Sauquet

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Runner Up

Gregorio Dantes Jr.

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Runner Up

Frank Bienewald

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