Sand Country

Photographer

Jidai Matsumoto

Category

Fine Art Photography - Lifestyle

Company

Mauritania

Submission Group

Professional

Year

2025

Country / Region:

Japan

February 2025. I spent a month traveling around the western coast of the Sahara Desert. Through the window of beat up van, I saw many houses and mosques half buried in the sand, appearing and disappearing in the passing landscape. Life in the desert isn’t for the faint hearted. On one windy day, I walked through the desert alone towards the sea. It must have taken about 4 hours. I didn’t cross paths with anyone on my way. Nearby there was only sand, and wind. When on my way back I noticed that my footprints had almost entirely disappeared, returning to the original wave pattern, I decided to make ‘sand’ the focus of this project. I thought that by focusing on the overwhelming presence of sand rather than people, I would better portray the lives of the people living with the Sahara Desert. ※All pictures taken in Mauritania, Western Sahara.

Credits

Photographer
Jidai Matsumoto
More Gold Winners
Professional
2025

Photographer / Company

Steven Thoelen

Category

Special Category - Storytelling photography

Country / Region

Belgium

Professional
2025

Photographer / Company

anna aldighieri

Category

People Photography - Fine Art

Country / Region

Italy

Professional
2025

Photographer / Company

Nico Trinkhaus

Category

London Photography - Street

Country / Region

Portugal

Amateur
2025

Photographer / Company

Tomoniko Minagawa

Category

Fine Art Photography - Street

Country / Region

Japan