National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

 

 

2013 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

May 17, 2013 |

The 25th annual National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest is under way, and entries will be accepted for another six weeks, until June 30, 2013. First prize winner will receive a 10-day Galapagos expedition for two. National Geographic was once more kind enough to allow me to share some of the early entries with you here, gathered from four categories: Travel Portraits, Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place, and Spontaneous Moments. Photos and captions by the photographers.

 

I love some, and warm to some, and many don't qualify for much. Sorry but my love to judge and critique other mortals on their selected image for judging has gotten the best of me, I must make some comments, and i would love to hear back particularly if you disagree with my perception.

A fennec fox walks against the wind in Morocco. The fennec, or desert fox, is a small nocturnal fox found in the Sahara Desert in North Africa. (© Francisco Mingorance/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
OK but nothing special. nice closeup, walkiNg so ears and tail back but WHAT ELSE? THE PRIzE IS TWO WEEKS IN THE GALAPAGOS FOR Pete's sake.

 

2

A raging sea dwarfs Seaham Lighthouse in County Durham in England, with 100 ft waves after a cold front moved down from the north bringing freezing temperatures to the North of England. (© Owen Humphreys/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

Powerful, spectacular, love to have been there--photographing.

3

A Sadu pilgrim from Varanasi, India. (© Craig Stevenson/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

powerful cropping, powerful expression. love choice of background amplifies stringy hair.

4

Crater lake Segara Anak located in Mount Rinjani, Lombok, Indonesia. (© Dodi Sandradi/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

 

So you went flyig in a small plane with a friend and you saw an island. so what?

 

 

5

A group of 12-14 hyenas were chasing a herd of 7-8 elephants. The elephant herd included 2 adult females, a few teenagers, and a baby that was a few days old (belonging to one of the adult females). The hyenas were trying to get at the baby. In this picture, the mother is kicking at the hyenas. (© Jayesh Mehta/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

 

a great closeup truely natural photograph of nature fighting with its preditors.

6

Sunset on top of Lao Zhai mountain at the bank of Li River, Xingping, Guangxi, China. (© James Bian/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

We all try to get a unique sunset. there are 4 moon photos in this first 20 images. this is a truely nice one and i love how the haze draws us into the photograph---deeper and deeper. i studied this one a long time i was sucked into the photograph by the maker---congratulations.

7

The late morning fall air was just cool enough that the sap weeping from the trees would solidify in mid flight... creating beautiful marbles of amber falling to the ground. Kingston Mills Water Locks - Kingston, Ontario, Canada. (© Jay Foulds/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

remember the prize is the Galapagos not an attempt at a creative image for your Christmas card. composition or something would have helped this ho hum photo.

8

Masters of disguise. The Eastern Screech Owl is seen here doing what they do best. You better have a sharp eye to spot these little birds of prey. (© Graham McGeorge/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

 

 WOW just finding an owl, then to have him in this tree, and probably at midnight so get your strobe to exposure. a very tough photo.

9

This tabular iceberg floats majestically in the Southern Ocean a few miles from South Georgia Island. Formerly a whaling station, the island is now an Antarctic research center. It was the ultimate destination of Ernest Shackelton's desperate rescue voyage in 1916. (© Sue Volek/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

 

an ok iceberg, nothing special, i'm sure the maker would argue for the difficult finding such a structure, BUT REALLY, are you underwehlmed with this image as I am.

10

I have been traveling around the world and parts of Asia for the last six months and this is a shot I took at Tiger Palace in Bangkok, this is one of just a few tiger sanctuaries in Thailand that do not drug the animals, and because of this they sometimes get incredibly playful, here the tigers are having a play fight in some water. What was truly amazing was the speed at which they move, one minute they are 200 yards away, the next, they are right next to you staring down like they are deciding how you taste! (© Daniel Sakal/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) 

 

duplicate comments to the elephant, but I think this playful behavior ocurs more often with young tigers. thephotographer probably had 30 exposure to choice from.

 

11

A very hungry humming bird drinking from the mouth of a person in Wyoming during an extreme drought in 2012. (© Sundell Larsen/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

 

i almost pulled this image because I felt its so mediocre, but it is National Geographic's images not mine. before you write me on this image---I know how seldom we see a humming bird. so 1 point for the photographer.

12

What you see, may not be what you think. this landscape must be colored with photo shop. Or is it? What do you think? Why is that evening sunset so unusual?

You can be shocked as I was with this explanation. Give me your reactions.

This picture is not a photo of painting, landscape nor I have used any Photoshop except minor cropping, rotation and converting from raw to jpeg. It is colored threads/wool hanging from the wall in an amazing way with a nail head coming out in between. I tried to create a feeling of moon and sea. (© Aditya Vardhan Tibrewala/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #
 

13

King of the Hill: An American Bison on the National Bison Range, Moiese, Montana. (© Mark Mesenko/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

Capital number1, it is the photographers gross respnsibility to give this majestic buffalo some privacy that he would give any human being. i would give this an f and i am suprised that the National Geographic would even publish this picture. FFF AND I MEAN an F!!!

14

The view from our hotel room in the San Blas district of Cusco. This area of town overlooked the rest of the city and gave us a breathtaking view as the sun and rain mixed one evening. (© Blake Burton/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

So what---its raining and the suns out, I've seen that before and you have also.

15

I have seen alligators and turtles together in ponds before, but never like this! I was at Bluebill Pond in Harris Neck NWR when I saw what I thought was an alligator sunning itself on a stump. As I got closer I realized that it was actually perched on the back of a turtle! I wish I had been there to witness how this surprising esprit de corps had came to pass! (© Mary Ellen Urbanski/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

right place at the right time.---so?

16

Imagine yourself as this lone tree, standing in the snow waves. Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. (© Victor Liu/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

I can not get beyond 9 young girls laying on there tummies on the bright sunny beach. GREAT PICTURE.

17

Living in Seattle I am spoiled by its beautiful skyline and the iconic Space Needle. This was not my first attempt capturing the moon with the Space Needle. After one failed attempt, I went back the next day for a second attempt and was treated with perfect conditions. As the moon rose above the horizon I was in disbelief as to how big it was, dwarfing the entire Space Needle observation deck. (© Hai Nguyen/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

 

Wonderful colors, great placement of restaurant with the moon, love the contrasts of moon with clouds, a very good picture.

18

This picture was taken at the majestic Iguazu Falls, Misiones, Argentina. The flight of this flock of swifts across the huge waterfalls portrays the sense of freedom and wildness that belongs to this fantastic world wonder. (© Francesco Filippo Pellegrini/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

So what is interesting with this photograph, maybe the falls ine first third, the sun in the second third, interesting colors,  oh I see those birds, are they pretty, interesting pattern, an exciting pattern, WELL----NO, well then what?

19

Tearing down a super tanker on a shoe-string budget. A gas torch, a tow line and human labor force, Sitakunda, Chittagong, Bangladesh. (© Lee Chong Kuang/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #

 

Powerful image, exciting composition, nice monochromatic image, person in the perfect position, but is it enough to make it a wonderful image for a national competition.

20

While on safari in Kruger National Park we watched a coalition of four male cheetahs crossing the plain. This one got distracted and fell behind. Once he noticed the others were gone, he sprinted to catch up. I caught him nicely with a slow shutter pan. (© Douglas Croft/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #
 

I have saved the best for last. yes, yes, and YES.  Color, motion , and bluring, and sharp in ALL the right places, and an other YES. Look at the motion , panning of this image. How about that circle of motion on the tiger? May last indorsement for a n image in judging is a 'feel good' response of I wish I had took THAT picture. andyes---I do wish I took this photograph.