In November, Bradt Travel Guides, whose books I have used often, celebrated a Latin American Festival, which also coincided with the centenary of the iconic South American Handbook, of which I have accumulated many copies over the years. As part of the festival, the Bradt team organised a photography competition. I submitted three images and one, a Xingu wrestler in Afukuri, Brazil, won the prize. As a reward I took home Nori Jemil's excellent book 'The Travel Photographer's Way' and won a year's membership to the Royal Photographic Society.

I was delighted to win the prize. A week sleeping in a tent in the village of Afukuri (in Brazil's Mato Grosso) gave me the chance to observe both the Xingu's daily lives and their rituals - like the Javari festival. The wrestler in the image was one of many who'd spent the morning applying body paint for combat.

I've travelled in LatAm dozens of times and will be back early next year for a month in the Amazon - measuring caiman, counting endangered monkeys and visiting another ethnic group, the Matis. I hope the humidity doesn't wreck my lenses...

Linked In Article...

For more about my time with the Xingu, check out the Flickr set, starting with the winning photo: Xingu warrior on Flickr...