In love with Miyajima by Ali Berrada

Captured on the serene island of Miyajima, located just 30 kilometers from Hiroshima, this photograph highlights the iconic torii gate standing majestically amidst the sea. The photographer was drawn to the island's raw, wild beauty and the profound simplicity of the temple's placement within the water. By focusing on the interplay between the ancient structure and the vast, tranquil environment, the image captures a timeless moment of stillness. This work is award-worthy for its evocative composition and the photographer's ability to distill the essence of Japanese landscape photography into a single, meditative frame.

In love with Miyajima by Ali Berrada
Copyright Β© Ali Berrada
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Ali Berrada

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Based in Casablanca, Morocco, Ali Berrada is a dedicated freelance photographer who views the world through a lens of passion and creative discovery. A self-described citizen of the world, he travels extensively in search of the perfect light, aiming to capture fleeting moments that endure through time. His photographic philosophy centers on finding simplicity within beauty and creativity within the void, reflecting his deep commitment to documenting the earth as a unified landscape.

Profile View Full Profile
13.0/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
270/500
SHARE
SUBMISSION
Award Reach | Reviews
18,221 views | 6 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date October 20, 2011
64.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 12.0
Clarity 12.0
Composition 15.0
Style 13.0
Skill 12.0
Photograph Location
Miyajima, Japan

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Ali Berrada Photography
Travel Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (12.7/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,785/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
18,221/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.0/5 points
0/100 Review
Submissions
2.7/5 points
270/500 Submission
Jury Score: 64.0/80
Resonance Score: 12.7/20
Total Award Score: 76.7/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 6

Dmitri Kasakov Contrast, Shadow Drama & the Metaphysics of Light Expert Review
Miyajima’s gate doesn't merely sit in the water; it anchors the void. Berrada understands that light is a shallow vanity, but here, the shadows beneath the torii feel heavy, like ink bleeding into the tide. It’s a haunting, silent confrontation with the infinite. I’ve stared at these dark reflections until my own pulse slowed to match the stillness. It doesn’t invite us in. Instead, it demands we acknowledge the abyss that sustains all beauty.
Clara Whitfield Award Criteria, Legacy & What Makes an Image Endure Expert Review
Of the thousands of travel shots I’ve reviewed, most drown in the postcard clichΓ© of that torii gate. What saves this is the deliberate, low-slung horizon that forces the viewer to confront the tide’s weight against the wood. It’s a quiet, heavy stillness that actually makes me hold my breath. It doesn’t just document a landmark; it captures the exact moment the sea claims the structure. That’s why it’ll still matter in thirty years.
Thomas Hargreaves Earned Photographs, Craft Discipline & the Long Wait Expert Review
Miyajima’s gate is a well-trodden path for the casual tourist, yet here, the tide has been allowed to do the heavy lifting. One suspects Berrada didn’t just stumble upon this stillness; he likely sat until his boots grew damp and the crowds evaporated. It’s a quiet, disciplined frame. I’ve spent enough miserable hours waiting for a tide to turn to recognize the patience required here. It’s a rare, earned silence. Well played.
Yusuf Al-Hamdan Landscape, Light as Presence & the Spiritual Dimension Expert Review
The tide has retreated, leaving the gate to breathe in the salt-heavy air. Ali waited for that precise, hushed transition where the water mirrors the sky’s soft exhaustion. It’s a quiet ache, watching the wood anchor itself against the vast, indifferent sea. I’ve stood in such places, feeling the world grow small and holy. He didn’t rush the light; he let it settle until the silence became visible. It’s a beautiful, patient surrender to the landscape.
Eleanor Voss Composition & Visual Structure Expert Review
The torii gate anchors the frame with necessary gravity. It’s a study in vertical assertion against the horizontal expanse of the tide. The negative space surrounding the structure doesn't collapse; it breathes. I’m genuinely unsettled by how the horizon line bisects the frame with such clinical indifference. It’s a rigid geometry that demands total submission from the viewer. The composition holds because it refuses to soften its edges. It’s a rare, disciplined architecture of light.
Isabelle Fontenay Colour Harmony, Tone & Atmospheric Light Expert Review
The vermilion of that gate bleeds into the grey-blue of shallow tidal water at dusk, a chromatic tension reminiscent of Turner’s most melancholic seascapes. It’s a quiet, aching harmony that pulls at one’s chest, doesn't it? I’ve found myself lost in the way the muted, slate-toned atmosphere swallows the structure, turning the horizon into a soft, bruised veil. It’s truly breathtaking, a rare, hushed dialogue between ancient pigment and the infinite, cooling light of Japan.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Sven Lindqvist

The Gate Between Tides

The tide comes in, and the world is erased. The tide goes out, and the world returns, changed. We build structures to mark our place in the shifting water, hoping to anchor ourselves to something that does not move.

Read the reflection →
By Clara Menezes

The Threshold of Tides

We spend our lives building fences against the tide, convinced that if we mark a boundary, we can claim a piece of the earth as our own. We stack stones and carve lines into the sand, forgetting that the sea has no memory of our ownership. It only knows the rhythm of the return.

Read the reflection →

Reviews & Comments

Share your thoughts about this award-winning photograph. Your reviews contribute to the community engagement score.

6 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Persistence of WhiteSpringtime Daisies in Paris, by Louise Fahy - Nature Photography, Spring Photography, Paris Photography, Photo of the Day, Photography AwardsRocks at the Gate by Joe Azure - Landscape Photography, Nature Photography, Photography Awards, Photo of the Day, Light & Composition UniversityRocks at the Gate, by Joe AzureThe Salt on My Skin