The images of the multicultural manger, the fire of the Festa del Pi and the maternal light of Sant Pau have been chosen as the best photographs of the month of December in La Vanguardia's Readers' Photos.
Exceptionally, as already happened in the month of April, three snapshots have been chosen, because, in this case, all three show positive values of communion and hope in uncertain times in the world on the verge of 2024, with many changes and, also , conflicts.
In this sense, the photograph published by Oriol Admetlla stands out first, who had the success and vision of capturing a multicultural image of the nativity scene in Plaza Sant Jaume in Barcelona. "Beyond the manger, in transcendental moments in history, the communion between religious beliefs," he noted, without losing reference to the war in Gaza.
The photograph of the color backlight captured by Mònica Planellas during one of the stages of the show Els Llums de Sant Pau, in the modernist venue of Barcelona, also stands out. The image shows a maternal scene full of magic.
Another photograph that has been able to convey the message of communion, in this case, also supported by the most deeply rooted traditions, is the photograph of the fire at the Festa del Pi de Centelles that Carme Molist has taken.
The photographer has captured the moment when the flames of one of the bonfires seem to literally merge with the body of two of the people who are participating in this Heritage Festival of National Interest of Catalonia.
The month of November was once again a reflection of climate change, with a persistent drought in Catalonia and unusually high temperatures, beyond the traditional Summer of San Martín.
The summer autumn photograph published by Lina Aguasca showed a summery, almost tropical image, on the Cristall beach in Badalona in the middle of autumn and already on the way to winter. The snapshot was La Vanguardia's Best Reader Photo for the month of November.
The main photograph of the report The Roots of Hope, prepared by the group of readers who participated in the social portrait master class in the La Vanguardia editorial office, was distinguished as the best reader photo of the month of October.
The image, by Miguel Torres, captured the spontaneous hug between a user of the La Troballa workshop of the Fundació Arrels, which works with homeless people, and photographer Juan Lemus, one of the entity's employees. The snapshot shows gratitude for the performance in the fight against homelessness in Barcelona.
Drought has continued to be a topical issue. Despite the devastating effects of the lack of water, Gerard Cos knew how to extract and capture the beauty of the phenomenon of water stress in two photographic reports in the fields of Tarròs, in the Urgell region, chosen as the best reader photo of September.
The drops of drought, emanating from the bare branches of the crop trees, are the protagonists of the images, chosen as the best of the month of September. In one of the snapshots, the sun is framed in the drop and in the other, a star.
The couple kissing under the rising sun of Gavà beach, in Baix Llobregat, in the torrid summer dawn, was chosen as the best reader photo of the month for August.
The snapshot, the work of Xavi Cabo, captures the summer atmosphere with the hot sun, the fog and the waves, at the same time that it shows a romantic feeling of love.
The image of the Supermoon of the deer captured by Mari Cortés in Mijas (Málaga) was part of a large photo gallery about this astronomical phenomenon, but it stood out to the point of having been chosen as the best photograph of July. The composition of the image stands out, with the framing of the Supermoon just above the flower and with the butterfly that seems to be observing it.
This 2023, in many places the tradition of Ou com balla has had to be celebrated without water due to drought restrictions, such as in the Pedralbes monastery in Barcelona, where Carles Roura took the photograph that was chosen as the best of the month of June.
The series of photographs of the city of Barcelona covered by low fog, especially the image of the ship and the flying cranes captured by the Fabra Observatory meteorologist, Alfons Puertas, was chosen as the best photo of the month of May.
The lame chamois, discovered by Iván Villarejo in the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park; Cuaca, the sad little duck, portrayed by Isaura Marcos in the Pedralbes monastery after failing again in her attempt to have offspring, and the kiss of the Berguedà marmots, by Emili Vilamala, were chosen as the best photographs of the month of April. It was appreciated that all three collect emotional stories featuring animals.
During the month of March (and also in April) many photographs could be seen published on the topic of drought in the swamps, which is very topical. But, the image that Carme Molist captured, in which she summarized in the same snapshot the problem (lack of water) and the solution (rain), was chosen as the best by combining both elements in the same landscape.
In this case, we can see the meander of the dry Ter river, on which the Romanesque sanctuary of Sant Pere de Casserres rises, and observing the scene of a woman holding the umbrella on a day when it was raining, but very little, not enough to help improve the flow of the Sau reservoir. The report was titled: Sau, the already empty swamp that wants to be emptied.
"With the cold of dawn, Tibidabo woke up covered in snow, giving us a beautiful landscape." This is how Jane Maciel defined the snapshot that portrayed this emblematic mountain in Barcelona after the last snowfall, a photograph that was chosen as the best photo of the month of February.
The image was part of the thematic photo gallery about the snowfall in the Barcelona area recorded in the last days of February. In the case of Jane Maciel's snapshot, the white beauty of the landscape stands out, creating a picture that is unusual in the Catalan capital and reminiscent of a Christmas card.
Emili Vilamala captured the movement of a Rodalies convoy as it passed through the Plana de Vic, generating a play of lights and colors at dawn in the town of Malla, an image that was chosen as the best of January.
"At that moment it was about to become clear, when the sky loses its blackness and you begin to see blue where the train light has not illuminated. Pure fantasy!" explained Vilamala.
