Breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and outright life-changing – these traits have become normalized and somewhat expected from photos in an age of social media demanding bigger and better, and digital cameras capable of rendering scenes in ridiculous clarity.
But when I look at the photo that recently won the One Shot Portrait category of the Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) 2025, I forget all about the mind-blowing, semi-unreal shots I saw this morning on Instagram and become instantly engrossed in the overwhelming normality of the scene.
The image shows old soldiers at a veterans club in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and was taken by Rahşan Firtina, a photographer and actress from Turkey. In the foreground, we see the subject, a man lost in thought, and in the background, retired colonels play table tennis.
It's a normal day, the room looks like somewhere we’ve all been, and the colors and contrast look as they should, nowhere near the cinematic levels which we’ve become accustomed to.
While I’ve never been to this place, it's a scene I recognize, and one I think we all recognize, which, for me, is the true power of the image. It evokes a warm feeling of familiarity, reminding us of just how good it is to spend time with those we care about in places that are seemingly unworthy of being photographed.
Firtina knew she was capturing an extraordinarily ordinary moment, and I believe it was this contradictory power of her image that won over the TPOTY judges. Speaking on winning the award, she told 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 way in which the image is edited is in stark contrast to the filter frenzy we so often see nowadays, further strengthening the ‘everyday’ narrative and the connection with the viewer. “My approach was minimal and rooted in documentary integrity,” Firtina said.
She explained: “My aim was not to dramatize the scene, but to make the existing emotion clearer and more readable.” Firtina achieved this by making basic adjustments to tone, contrast, and light balance, paying careful attention not to “compromise the natural character of the photo.”
I asked Firtina if she could take her winning photo again, would she change anything? She said no, adding: “The strength of this photograph lies precisely in its spontaneity and imperfect perfection.”
While I certainly think Firtina’s photo stands up next to the best of curated images, its power lies in how relatable it is, and the sense of contentment it creates for the unfiltered moments in life.
With her TPOTY-winning image, Rahşan Firtina has brought everyday life back to the forefront of photography, and ‘normal’ looks better than ever.
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