Photography enthusiast Kunal Gupta usually plans his travels based on how he wants the photos to turn out. He would not just take into consideration the season, but the kind of lighting a particular period provides too.
That practice paid off when he took home the grand prize in the #MyAirAsiaStory photography contest, a collaboration between AirAsia and Star Media Group Berhad.
Kunal, an Indian national working in Malaysia, won for a photo he shot in a field of blooming lupins taken with his wife two years ago during a trip to Auckland, New Zealand.
“It was in the evening when my wife and I were driving past this beautiful field. We just had to stop, and I got my camera out, ” he reveals during the recent prize presentation ceremony at Menara Star in Petaling Jaya.
After taking some photos of his wife, he set up the camera on a tripod, positioned himself within the frame, waited for the right timing – and voila!, a gorgeous picture.
“In a way, it was actually a selfie, ” he admits with a laugh. A good photo, according to the marketing professional, goes beyond angles and aesthetics.
“I try to capture the emotion I feel when I see something on my travels – whether it’s a scenery, building or person. Whenever something moves me, I take a photo. To me, that is the real essence of photography, ” he offers.
As part of his prize, Kunal received two round-trip economy class flight tickets from Kuala Lumpur to the Gold Coast, Australia, as well as 30,000 BIG Points.
Held between Sept 26 and Oct 25, the #MyAirAsiaStory contest attracted close to 2,000 entries. The contest mechanics is relatively simple: Submit a photo, along with caption, that captured your best holiday experience.
For first runner-up Satyaseelan Sivam, the best holiday was a trip he took last year to the Phi Phi islands in Thailand.
“It was my very first solo trip and I got to meet some really cool travellers during a boat trip around the islands, ” he reveals.
The student’s photo depicts him sitting on a swing, against a beautiful backdrop of the clear azure sea.
“I came to this place on my last day in Phi Phi. It was hands down the best spot on the whole trip and having lunch here was on another level. The swing was really amazing to enjoy the view, ” he writes in his winning entry.
The second runner-up prize went to Chong Ying Fang, who submitted a photo of a majestic tree at the Angkot Wat temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Both Satyaseelan and Chong won economy class flight tickets to Cambodia’s Sinahoukville and Langkawi, respectively.
Five consolation prizes went to Cheah Zu Wen, Lee Pui Leng, Ranjini Pushparaja, Vicky Chin and Nur Amelia Mohd Nadzrin. They won 8,000 BIG points each.
AirAsia Group brand head Rudy Khaw, says in a statement that the carrier is proud to be part of all the winners’ travel stories.
“We are proud to receive close to 2,000 entries from The Star readers across the country which showcased their journeys behind the lens with AirAsia.
“We would also like to extend our gratitude to Star Media Group for this fantastic collaboration and positive responses from their readers. The Star has grown with Malaysians just as we have, so thank you for taking on this journey with us, ” he concludes.
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Gallery: #MyAirAsiaStory winning submissions
Kunal Gupta won the grand prize for a photo he shot in a field of blooming lupins during a trip to Auckland, New Zealand.
1st Runner Up: Satyaseelan Sivam “I came to this place on my last day in Phi Phi Islands. Came here on a long boat with a few other people and we had our lunch here. It was hands down the best spot on the whole trip and having lunch here was on another level. Spent around an hour here and the swing was really amazing to enjoy the view.”
2nd Runner Up: Chong Ying Fang “It was not the ruined temples of Angkor which fascinates me the most, but the centuries-old trees evident from their monstrous root formation. Just look how tiny I am standing underneath the tree! The French archaeologists have purposely left the Ta Prohm complex (also known as Kingdom of Trees) untouched except for minimal path clearings to reflect its natural state, allowing visitors to experience the same awe and wonder of the explorers, when these ethereal ruins were first discovered in mid-19th century. My visit to this Unesco World Heritage site is truly a unique and other-worldly experience, all thanks to AirAsia.”
Consolation prize: Cheah Zu Wen “I’ve always been fascinated by how we have such different cultures all over the world even though we are living on the same planet. Asia especially has some of the most diverse cultures and traditions in the world. Thanks to AirAsia, I get to travel to any Asean country cheaply and meet the different cultures and people such as this lovely lady on the streets of Hoi An in Vietnam as well as her beautiful dogs. Her smile can make anyone melt, no? Thanks to her photogenic dog for posing as well.”
Consolation prize: Vicky Chin “I visited Koh Tao, Thailand earlier this year. It’s not as famous as Phi Phi or Phuket, but I personally think it has more to offer. This was taken at John Suwan Viewpoint and we had to make a little hike in our sandals (was planning to go to the beach, but made a detour). I’d say ‘climbing’ is more like it because there are just big rocks and some ropes hanging here and there. It’s actually a private property so we had to pay to get up there, but it’s definitely a hidden gem! To get to Koh Tao, AirAsia’s ticket includes the ferry and van transfer right from the airport which helped a lot especially in outskirt places like Koh Tao.”
Consolation prize: Ranjini Pushparaja “As if climbing up a ladder was not stressful enough, I went and signed up for a skydiving experience. Little did I know that it would be one of the most exhilarating things that I would ever do. From taking that free fall out off the Cessna at a staggering 4,300m to feeling the chills passing through the clouds and finally being awed by the beauty of the aerial view of the city of Wollongong in New South Wales (Australia). My cheeky tandem instructor even asked me ‘what would you do if both parachutes fail to open?’ right before our jump!”
Consolation prize: Nur Amelia Mohd Nadzrin “Life is too short to worry about anything. You had better enjoy it because the next day promises nothing, they said. So, can we just skip to the part of my life where I travel and seize the globe, please? I have faith in AirAsia, my birdie travel hero, in joining me to seize the globe.”
Consolation prize: Lee Pui Leng “How powerful is Vitamin Sea? It could make you feel high and easily triggered to laugh after being soaked by the waves. It could make you stay cool despite the waves behind that seem to engulf you. It could make you sit still without answering to the photographer’s instructions to pose differently... because in that moment, the beauty of nature was beyond everything.”
