As we sift through the incredible submissions to the Penda Travel Photography Competition, our panel of expert judges brings not just technical expertise but distinct artistic visions. Their guidance helps illuminate what makes a photograph not just good – but award-worthy. Below, meet four of our judges and read in their own words what they hope to see through this year’s lens. (And we look forward to seeing your entries!)
17 November 2025 - Travel Photography Competition
What Our Judges Are Looking For
Alan Hewitt
Alan Hewitt is a UK-based freelance wildlife photographer, filmmaker, podcaster, writer and experienced safari leader. He’s also an official ambassador for FUJIFILM UK. Alan regularly guides our photography safaris, including the one in Botswana that the main winner of our competition gets to join.
“I’m delighted to be part of the judging panel again for Penda Photo Tours’ photography competition! In reviewing submissions, I’ll be looking for a blend of qualities, starting with technical excellence. Sharp focus, accurate exposure, strong composition, and natural, careful processing are all essential foundations. While rare species are always exciting, a beautifully executed image of a common subject will always stand out more than a poorly captured shot of a rarity.
Beyond the technicals, I’ll be looking for photographs that reveal behavioural insight or tell a story about the natural world, images that teach us something or spark curiosity. Creative use of light and thoughtful inclusion of surroundings often elevate a photograph even further.
Equally important are ethics and authenticity. I’ll be watching for images that show respect for wildlife and habitat, no signs of stress, disturbance, or artificial image manipulation.
Last year we had some incredible photographs and the bar is set! But let’s celebrate the beauty, resilience, and diversity of wildlife and culture through this competition, and may these images inspire us all to cherish and protect the natural world in all its forms.”
Emil von Maltitz
Emil von Maltitz is a multi-award-winning South African photographer and educator with a wide-ranging portfolio. He’s particularly specialised in landscape photography, and has led many landscape-focused photo tours around the world.
“Great photography is more than technically perfect images. It goes without saying that images need to be well exposed, sharp and corrected of things like dust-spots. What elevates the images after that are creative composition, mood and moment.
Creative composition refers to the way that the photographer has viewed the world through the lens. Sometimes looking at things in a new or intriguing way is going to make the viewer stop and contemplate the photograph rather than just scrolling past. William Thackeray is popularly known to have written that, “The two most engaging powers of a photograph are to make new things familiar and familiar things new.” A winning photograph photograph is one that engages the viewer to look at the subject in a new way, or at the very least interesting way.
Mood is equally important to an excellent photograph. This can be ascribed to the light that falls on the scene, the atmosphere around the subject, the weather that contributes to the sense of story within the frame.
Finally, moment is all-important as it is that slice of time that freezes the action and the subject. Whether it is a landscape of grand proportion or the briefest split second in a wildlife encounter, capturing the moment is the very epitome and definition of photography. That moment needs to tell a story so that the viewer can read and infer more into the scene than is simply captured within the frame.
Images that shine are those that are able to include the above three elements in their capture; Composition, Mood and Moment.”
Charlotte Arthun
Charlotte Arthun is an American wildlife photographer with a background in biology. She’s worked as a resident photographer in South Africa’s Sabi Sands, and led many international photographic safaris. Her imagery has been used in specialist publications and books (including contributions to conservation volumes).
“I will be looking for images that capture something rare or unique in the wild. I am drawn to images that show animal behavior, unusual perspectives, or wildlife rarely seen, rather than traditional portraits. I especially love shots that include an animal’s environment or landscape. And of course, I’ll be looking at the quality of light and how it is incorporated into the scene.”
Chris Allen
Chris Allan is an accomplished South African photographer and photo-journalist with a wealth of experience across travel, lifestyle, portrait and documentary commissions. His commercial and editorial work has been featured by leading regional publications.
“For my part, I enjoy images that not only display technical skill but also some element of a story. Something that raises the experience above the aesthetic and into the evocative.
Travel destinations can be flooded with photographers capturing beautiful scenes, but it is hard to capture something unique.
I would even suggest that it isn’t necessary to have all the filters, the most expensive camera, or the perfect weather conditions if the moment is powerful enough to cause the viewer to pause, reflect and consider.”
Show us your best work!
Our Penda Travel Photography Competition celebrates the power of visual storytelling across the themes of Wildlife, Landscape, and Culture & Communities. Photographers of all levels are invited to enter by submitting their best images through our competition page. The main winner gets to join us on our Botswana photo safari, and runners up get some great camera accessories by Vincov. Most importantly, the competition helps support Wild Shots Outreach, a nonprofit that provides photography training and career pathways to young people from disadvantaged communities in South Africa. Your entries directly contribute to their mission of fostering new voices in conservation storytelling – so by participating, you’re not just showcasing your work, but also making a meaningful impact.
