Sunday, September 8, 2013

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.



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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Southern Louisiana


"This land is your land....."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGKU8awk7Vg

I don't think anyone has said it better than Old Woody. That is Woody Guthrie if you are wandering. Thanks to the vision of our earlier presidents, we now can motor to these sacred grounds to visit, photograph and just sit and reflect on all that God has given us. Just think our lives are better for these gifts we have been given. We should all shout with one voice on one day, loudly, "I am lucky, thankful, PROUD to be an American!" You choose the day, and I'll join you.

This Land Is Your Land
Words and Music by Woody Guthrie

This land is your land This land is my land
From California to the New York island;
From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and Me.

As I was walking that ribbon of highway,
I saw above me that endless skyway:
I saw below me that golden valley:
This land was made for you and me.

I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts;
And all around me a voice was sounding:
This land was made for you and me.

When the sun came shining, and I was strolling,
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me.

I was sent a wonderful collection of Southern Louisiana images that expands "this land was made for you and me." by my friend Twila here at Redstone. Ain't the internet something. Looking at these national treasures, I can appreciate why Denis Reggie is proud of his heritage and why Ralph Romeguera is celebrating his home town at every ppa activity he speaks at.
 

 

Bienvenue en Louisiane!

The photos on this page were all taken in south Louisiana. From the Acadian
culture of southwestern Louisiana, to the Creole culture of metropolitan New
Orleans in southeastern Louisiana, the southern portion of the state is rich in
its history and heritage, unique in its customs, and lush in its scenic beauty.


 


 

Some have said that south Louisiana is "a country within a country." And,
as though to note this distinction, the state's bright blue highway welcome
signs supply their warm greeting in both the English and French languages:
Bienvenue en Louisiane! ~ Welcome to Louisiana!
-- Nancy

 
Joseph Jefferson home, Rip Van Winkle Gardens, New Iberia, LA
The Gardens take their name from the character in the Washington Irving
story, in honor of Mr. Jefferson, who played the role 4,500 times, all over the
world. The actor built the home in 1870 and spent all of his winters here.

 

San Francisco Plantation, Great River Road, Garyville, LA
This distinctive home was constructed in 1853. A few years later, the son who
inherited it, along with a huge debt, is said to have given it its name by proclaiming
he was "sans fruscins" (without a penny). The name evolved to "San Francisco."
 
It was in danger of being demolished in 1932, when the Mississippi River levee system

was constructed. But there was such an outcry to save as many of the River Road
plantations as possible, that the legislature passed a measure to do so, and the levee
was curved around San Francisco, taking the front gardens, but leaving the house



Shrimp boat on Bayou Barataria, Jefferson Parish, LA

 
A church at the Vermillionville Living History Museum & Folklife Park, Lafayette, LA
Vermillionville is a representation of a Cajun village, in the years between 1765-1890.

 
Houmas House, Great River Road, Darrow, LA
Named after the land's first inhabitants, the Houmas Indians, the home was built
by Revolutionary War hero, Gen. Wade Hampton, beginning in 1810 (the original,
smaller home, constructed in the mid-1700's, still stands on the grounds).
 
At one time, Houmas House was the largest producer of sugar in the nation,
actively working a sugar cane crop on 98,000 acres, producing 20 million pounds of
sugar per year. The home was spared from the river flood of 1927, but slowly fell into
disrepair. It was saved by Dr. George Crozat, who purchased and renovated it in 1940.

 
Sun's coming up on the bayou, Lord,
So bright in the clean, cool air,
As I kneel in my Cajun cabin, Lord,
To offer my morning prayer.

 
Shrimp boat on a bayou passes by a cemetery at sunrise.
 
What can I ask of you, Bon Dieu?
What more could a Cajun wish?
I've got black coffee on my stove,
And this grand bayou to fish.
My nets are full and heavy, Lord,
Filled with the bounty you yield;
I harvest so many riches, Lord,
From your bayou, gulf and field.
 
When my exiled Cajun fathers, Lord,
Sought refuge in this land,
I know the force that led them on
Was le Bon Dieu's unseen hand.
So, what more could a Cajun ask
Than what I have today?
Bon sante, bons amis et ma famille,
And le Bon Dieu, who hears me pray.
 
Then, this is my simple prayer, Lord,
A Cajun's humble plea:
May all of those who love you, Lord,
Have all you've given me.
-- Bob Hamm
 
shrimp boat on a bayou passes by a cemetery at sunrise.

 
Vermillionville Living History Museum & Folklife Park, Lafayette, LA

 
Shadows-on-the-Teche House and Gardens, New Iberia, LA
Constructed in 1831, the g-grandson of the original owner bequeathed the property
to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1958. But he did much more than
that, he meticulously archived over 17,000 family papers, making this historic
house museum one of only a very few to be documented in such minute detail.



 
Ancient Live Oaks, New Orleans, LA

 
Ignatius House - Formerly the President's home of Jefferson College - Convent, LA
Jefferson College was chartered in 1831, the home above built in 1836. In 1927, the
college was sold to the Jesuit Fathers and turned into a spiritual retreat, still open today.

 
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie," was published in 1847 and
became one of his most famous poems. It's the tale of a young girl searching for her lost
love after the Acadians were expelled from Nova Scotia and rejected in New England.
 
The statue of Evangeline above was donated to the town of St. Martinville in 1929 by the
cast and crew of the movie adapted from the poem. There is, also, an Evangeline statue
in Nova Scotia. in the courtyard of a reconstructed French church.
 
"Evangeline" - St. Martinville, LA
 
Emmeline LaBiche is buried in the cemetery of the church shown below. It's said
that the fictionalized Evangeline was based on the true story of Emmeline.

 
St. Martin de Tours Church, St. Martinville, LA

 
Looks like Ralph photographing The Bald Cypress tree that is Louisiana's state tree?


 
 

 

Isn't 'our land" wonderful?





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Please don't use the "Send Page" feature of your computer to send this entire
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separates the page from its source. If you'd like to share it, please just send the
link. The link to this page is: http://www.thepastwhispers.com/Bayou.html

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