Double win for Merton student photographer
Graduate student Vinesh Rajpaul, currently reading for a DPhil in Astrophysics, has achieved success in two major photographic competitions recently:
Vinesh was named the Nikon UK Citizen Photographer of the Year at the UK Picture Editors' Guild Awards ceremony in London on 5 February, for a portfolio which included three pictures of Merton; and at the end of January he was runner-up in the Icon category of the Wanderlust magazine/Independent newspaper’s annual Travel Photo of the Year competition with his image of Bo-Kaap houses in Cape Town, South Africa.
Vinesh said:
"I devote a lot of time and energy to photography, and so winning these awards has elated me, renewing my commitment to pursue this passion. I was first inspired to take photographs in my last year of high school, on a trip to Italy; and today, my travels and photography still go hand-in-hand. My quest for interesting images often leads me to unexpected experiences, and gives me a deeper appreciation for a destination's visual beauty. So I was extremely gratified to be recognised (in the Travel Photo of the Year competition) for my travel photography, and to be able to show off my beautiful home town (Cape Town, South Africa).
"As for the Citizen Photographer of the Year award: many of the images in the portfolio I submitted were captured in Oxford - indeed, the photograph that the Picture Editors' Guild chose to exhibit [see above] was taken under the Fitzjames Arch at Merton College. I felt honoured that they decided to showcase my perspective on life in this beautiful and occasionally esoteric university, and I hope to have more such opportunities in future."
