Ifugao rice terraces

THIRD PRIZE 2010

Mario Pereda, Spain
Category: External
Image name: ‘Ifugao rice terraces’

Madrid-based Mario has worked occasionally as a professional photographer. In March 2009, he accompanied his partner to the Philippines, where she was working for 3 months. While reading about the country, his became interested in visiting the amazing rice terraces of Ifugao.

"Of all the places I visited, I think the most interesting was [the village of] Batad," says Mario. "That is where I took this photograph – it was this type of farming community that I was thinking of when asked to reflect Syngenta’s purpose: ‘Bringing plant potential to life’."

Mario Pereda
How did you come to take
this particular image?

"I was looking for a good place from which to take pictures of the terraces and I decided to climb up to the highest point above the valley. But these paths are tougher than they seem and I was already really tired when I was only half way up. I stopped to rest and it was then that I saw this man walking fast a few meters lower down. I just had enough time to take out my camera, aim and take a quick sequence of three photos."