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Breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and outright life-changing – these traits have turn into normalized and considerably anticipated from photographs in an age of social media demanding larger and higher, and digital cameras able to rendering scenes in ridiculous readability.
But once I take a look at the picture that not too long ago received the One Shot Portrait category of the Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) 2025, I neglect all concerning the mind-blowing, semi-unreal photographs I noticed this morning on Instagram and turn into immediately engrossed within the overwhelming normality of the scene.
The picture reveals outdated troopers at a veterans membership in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and was taken by Rahşan Firtina, a photographer and actress from Turkey. In the foreground, we see the topic, a person misplaced in thought, and within the background, retired colonels play desk tennis.
It’s a traditional day, the room seems like someplace we’ve all been, and the colours and distinction look as they need to, nowhere close to the cinematic ranges which we’ve turn into accustomed to.
While I’ve by no means been to this place, it is a scene I acknowledge, and one I feel all of us acknowledge, which, for me, is the true energy of the picture. It evokes a heat feeling of familiarity, reminding us of simply how good it’s to spend time with these we care about in locations which might be seemingly unworthy of being photographed.
Firtina knew she was capturing a very strange second, and I imagine it was this contradictory energy of her picture that received over the TPOTY judges. Speaking on successful the award, she informed me: “It wasn’t just a personal achievement, but a reminder that seemingly ordinary moments can carry universal stories”.
The way Firtina created her image was equally everyday, employing just a camera and a lens – a Sony A7R V and FE 24–70mm f/2.8 GM II – but required a professional approach.
Having met the old veterans entirely coincidentally while exploring Hanoi, she chose her subject “not because they were posing or aware of the camera, but because their presence felt deeply genuine and unfiltered.”
Firtina felt an “instinctive connection” with the scene – perhaps reminded of similar moments in her life – and went about photographing it “quickly and quietly,” taking care not to “disturb the balance of the environment.” I wonder if the soldier pondering thought even knew she was there; I dare say no.
Her swift decision-making and eye for layering enabled her to capture not only her subject, but the two other men in the background enjoying another of life’s simple yet, for some, best moments: a game of ping pong.
The approach during which the picture is edited is in stark distinction to the filter frenzy we so typically see these days, additional strengthening the ‘everyday’ narrative and the reference to the viewer. “My approach was minimal and rooted in documentary integrity,” Firtina stated.
She defined: “My aim was not to dramatize the scene, but to make the existing emotion clearer and more readable.” Firtina achieved this by making primary changes to tone, distinction, and lightweight stability, paying cautious consideration to not “compromise the natural character of the photo.”
I requested Firtina if she might take her successful picture once more, would she change something? She stated no, including: “The strength of this photograph lies precisely in its spontaneity and imperfect perfection.”
While I definitely suppose Firtina’s picture stands up subsequent to the very best of curated photographs, its energy lies in how relatable it’s, and the sense of contentment it creates for the unfiltered moments in life.
With her TPOTY-winning picture, Rahşan Firtina has introduced on a regular basis life again to the forefront of pictures, and ‘normal’ seems higher than ever.
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