Travel Photography Competition Yeilds Striking Pictures From Around the World Helen Collis - Daily Mail UK
go to original August 27, 2012

Winning picture: A man covered in car oil and dressed as a devil for the Lent Festival in San Martin Tilcajete, Mexico. (Leslie Granda-Hill)

This striking image of a man dressed as a devil while covered in car oil captivated judges in a worldwide travel photography competition.

The man was among dozens of Mexican villagers who cover themselves in motor oil during Lent each year and run through the streets with cow bells tied to their waists.

Stunned photographer Leslie Granda-Hill, who was holidaying in San Martin Tilcajete, Mexico at the time, caught the bizarre moment.

Little did she know, she was lucky not to be charged by the oily devil in an attempt to also cover her in the greasy mess.

The annual Lent carnival attracts flocks of visitors every year to the otherwise non-assuming, sleepy town, in a spectacle that involves the noisy, greasy men chasing people in the streets and generally causing havoc.

The aim is to eventually tarnish everyone in the town with their oil, which is usually mixed with dark die for extra effect.

At the beginning of the week the mischievous devils will usually be cheeky and take opportune moments to stripe an oily finger across someone's cheek.

But by the end of the week, the group are working together to chase people, giving them group bear hugs to make them as filthy as possible.

Leslie was one of thousands of people worldwide who entered pictures into the annual Intrepid Travel Photography Contest with judges awarding her the overall first prize.

Leslie, 40, from New Jersey, US, said: 'The villagers spend the whole day celebrating and all gather for a meal and dancing at the end. I spent time with them and took tonnes of photos.

'It is such a wonderful unique experience and I hope to go again next year.'



Children laughing in a field of marigold flowers in Panskura, West Bengal, India. (Sudipto Das)

A beautiful photograph by Sudipto Das of children laughing in a field of flowers in India won the Families category. The vibrant yellow flowers a stark contrast to the subdued, hazy backdrop on a summer's day in rural India.



This incredible shot of a sunset at the Grand Canyon, in the US, gives the viewer an insight into the vastness of this world-famous natural phenomenon. (Timothy Faust)

And in the Landscapes category, a photo of the sun setting over the Grand Canyon by Timothy Faust came first.

Timothy's ability to capture the sheer scale of the canyon, the light reflecting off the water thousands of feet below and the pink hue from the disappearing sun give the spectacular rugged landscape a warm, soft appearance.



A fire eater in Kohima, Nagaland, India, tenses up as he bites into a burning stick. (Deba Prasad Roy)

There were also prizes for a picture by Deba Prasad Roy of a man fire eating in India for the Real Life Experiences theme while Andrew Coleman won the Icons category for his breathtaking photo of zebras and wildebeests crowding together in Tanzania.



Zebras and wildebeest crowd together in the dusty Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. (Andrew Coleman)

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