Magazine

My time in Oslo was an opportunity to be personally reflective. It’s appropriate that the most beautiful photo I took while on the trip gives a visual representation of reflection. The day I took this photo, it had been raining — I was quite literally under the weather. Right before sunset, the rain clouds parted and the sky lit up. Without the rain earlier that day, the small puddle wouldn’t have been there to reflect the sunset’s beauty. This image is actually upside down. It’s a statement of how I felt while I was in Oslo. Photo by Kari Garnett ’21

Although the pandemic has temporarily halted international and off-campus programs due to travel restrictions and health concerns, the 2019–20 academic year saw dozens of St. Olaf students taking advantage of opportunities to study abroad, which is fundamental to understanding other cultures and achieving a global perspective. These students, as countless Oles have done before them, documented their experiences of exploration and self-discovery through the art of photography and personal reflection. Many submitted their photography for the annual Gimse International and Off-Campus Studies Photo Contest, now in its 37th year.

The image above, “Refleks” by Kari Garnett ’21, is one of two dozen award-winning photographs taken by Oles while they were participating in an international or domestic year-long, semester-long, or Interim program. These compelling images were captured in India, Germany, Norway, Ecuador, Iceland, the United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Tanzania, Peru, Spain, Hungary, Russia, Ireland, and New York City.

Everyone knows what the Taj Mahal looks like. With this shot, I tried to show this incredible wonder of the world from a unique perspective.  It’s all about the details with the Taj, and I hoped to capture the massiveness of the structure while also showing the different curves and colors of every section of stone. Photo by Johnny Goodson ’20

Ecuador is rich in its number of hummingbird species, with 133 total species. To put this number into perspective, Minnesota only has one species of hummingbird. Hummingbirds don’t sit for long, so the posing of this bird was very rare to see, let alone capture. They can flap their wings an average of 60 times every second, so capturing their wings mid-flight, or mid-takeoff in this picture, was a great challenge to me as a photographer. The contrast of the golden-colored feathers with the light gray background and hint of flowers makes for a beautiful picture! Photo by Alex Oberg ’21

Dublin’s oldest building, Christ Church, was founded in 1030 by King Sitric Silkenbeard, the Hiberno-Norse king of Dublin. Notably, Christ Church is the largest known excavation site of Norwegian artifacts outside of Norway. Photo by Alyssa Moore ’21

My beautiful friend Aml Mohamad ’21 spins under the entrance gate to Humayun’s Tomb, the first substantial example of Mughal architecture in India. The size of the gate alone indicates the sheer size of this beautiful garden and tomb. Photo by Solveig Gordon ’21

Fastnacht (also known as Karneval) is a medieval celebration in southern Germany and Switzerland, and grounded in Alemannic lore. In this celebration, people put on costumes and use noisemakers to “scare” off the spirits of winter. Photo by Jacob Schimetz ’21

Before our hike up the Volcán Sierra Negra, there was a serene mist that enveloped the volcano. Photo by Bradley Eppinger ’22

A single iceberg sits atop the surface at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon in Iceland. Photo by Patricia Davila ’20

Sometimes nightly strolls along the London streets turned into beautiful memories. Photo by Maggie Wilson ’21

When approached by predators, Sally Lightfoot crabs can literally shed a leg to get away. This Sally Lightfoot on Genovesa Island in the Galápagos peered out at me from a crack in the rock, assessing the threat I posed, then scurried away. *No crab appendages were lost in the taking of this photograph. Photo by Anna Mulhern ’22

Resting on the red lava rock shores of Rábida Island in the Galápagos Islands was a Galápagos Sea Lion. Photo by Gunnar Bodvarsson ’22

Sitting near Prince Philip’s Steps on Genovesa Island, this Nazca Booby cared for its young. Photo by Gunnar Bodvarsson ’22

This photograph, taken on Santiago Island in the volcanically formed Galápagos Islands, shows some of the mesmerizing natural patterns formed by lava as it cools and hardens. Although it looks like it would be malleable or even still liquid, this pahoehoe lava is totally solidified into the rope-like formation. Photo by Sophia Rice ’22

Odda is a small town on the southern end of the Hardangerfjord, known for being the launching point of the famous Trolltunga hike. Photo by Jacob Schimetz ’21

A sunset ride on the sandy dunes of the Sahara Desert in southern Morocco. Photo by Liv Gossard ’21

Pigeons flying above the palace at Tsarskoye Selo on an autumn day. Photo by Emily Ziegler ’22

Amidst the commotion of London appears a puddle reflecting brick and hanging plants and strings of lights, with spires reaching to the sky and touching the clouds. Photo by Annika Hustad ’22

We traveled from Manhattan to Brooklyn almost every day. One day, I decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge rather than taking a subway, and I captured this picture. Photo by Rida Ali ’21

When I visited the Statue of Liberty, I was eager to see her from all different kinds of angles because, not having been to New York City before, nearly all of the pictures I had seen of her depicted the front side of the statue and her face. I love this perspective because it shows Lady Liberty leading the way through whatever may come, fierce and strong. Photo by Megan Vikla ’21

In just about every narrow, winding street in Chefchaouen, you can find kittens roaming. They often come up to greet tourists and have gotten pretty accustomed to posing for pictures! The cats are just one of the many beautiful things the city has to offer. Photo by Morghan Park ’21

This was taken in a city slightly north of Budapest, right next to the third-largest church in Europe. Photo by Josh Kugel ’22

Fishing boats docked in the Indian Ocean after a morning rain shower in Zanzibar. Photo by Mei Yi Chen ’20

At a homestay with members of the Runa Tupari indigenous community in Ecuador, we assisted with the everyday chores and tasks of the Quichua people who live there. One memorable and frequent task was the harvest of alfalfa and grasses to feed the guinea pigs. Despite their small size, about 30 or so guinea pigs require a bushel of grasses, as big as this woman is carrying on her back, twice a day. Photo by Eliana R. Reichoff ’21

The Salineras de Maras (Salt Mines of Maras) are composed of thousands of frosty-white salt ponds spread out on multi-level terraces with a maze of tiny walls separating them. Due to tectonic plate movement, salt deposits can be found deep beneath the Andes mountains. At 11,000 feet above sea level, there is a natural salt spring that bubbles up in the valley. The water makes its way downhill from the highest terraced pool to the lowest in order to fill the shallow ponds. Following Incan traditions, nearby communities cooperate to maintain and harvest the salt from the ponds through a solar evaporation process. Photo by Amy Lao ’20

We waited in line for over an hour to get a glimpse of one of the most famous paintings in the world, only to get a glimpse of her for 15 seconds before being rushed on by security. Most spent this short time taking photos of the painting, myself included. What is the line between living in the moment and taking a picture that will help us savor that moment forever? We really do live in a society. Photo by Johnny Goodson ’20