Photograph by Giacomo Baldi
A guard at a Medici villa in Poggio a Caiano, Italy, enjoys a cigarette at the end of the day.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Richard Wylie
The camouflage that weedy sea dragons use to hide in the temperate marine vegetation they derive their name from is so successful that once they reach adulthood they have no natural predators. Unfortunately they are still at risk due to habitat destruction. The males of the species carry the bright pink, fertilized eggs underneath their tails for about two months before the fully formed young hatch and are left to fend for themselves.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Jens Elste
Sunrise from the Bastei. It was the first sunny day in our country this year. The Bastei is a rock in our sandstone mountains in Saxony, Germany .
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Matthew Nelson
A Vietnamese lady waits for passengers for a journey on the Thu Bon River in Hoi An Ancient Town. Increasing competition from locals for the tourist dollar means many of the local tour guides are left to wait.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Scott Belt
This mother cheetah , with five cubs nearby, made it clear that her limits had been met (or exceeded).
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Mike Ricciardi
This is a photo of a "family" of pink anemonefish in and around their host anemone. If you look closely you can also see the small anemone shrimp (tiny white eyes) in and around the anemone.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by James Robertson
A young Afghan skier in the province of Bamyan takes to the slopes on homemade skis. The skis are made from wood and metal and fasten to his feet with string and chain. He has been inspired by seeing Western tourists who are traveling to the area in ever increasing numbers to take to the remote slopes of the Hindu Kush.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Sukru Mehmet Omur
During a lovely sunrise in autumn, the view from the sky was wonderful at Urgup, Cappadocia, Turkey . The colors are going from green to red in a spectacular moonlike landscape.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Douglas Croft
This yearling cub was "fishing" with his mom at Brooks Falls, Alaska . Mostly, he was getting in her way. Suddenly he became quite agitated and ran from the water and into a tree right next to the viewing platform where we were standing. It provided the best photo op of our trip.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Weimin Chu
When the dark falls and tourists rest, the town of Hallstatt comes back to peacefulness. As fog winds around the spire of the famous Parish Church, and the blue tint of the rainy night is decorated by warm light, the town really looks like a fairyland.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Michel Giaccaglia
This pheasant is proudly calling to mark its territory spotted with poppies, and seems to like to wear one of them as a mask the right face at the right place for the right shot.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Mikael Stiller
Oryx captured in Namib-Naukluft National Park in Namibia just after sunset. They are heading through the dunes in search of food and water.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Yuanqi Wu
These are tentacles from freshwater mollusks know as bryozoa, similar to soft coral in the sea. They are aquatic colonial animals that grow on the rocks, branches, and leaves under the water.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Baiju Patil
I was traveling in Mumbai. I noticed that there are lots and lots of photo subjects. There is a place called Pali Hills, where people who migrated from Goa live. Their lifestyle is similar to the Goan people, and the architecture of this area is very unique. Some children were learning to ride a cycle on a busy street turn by turn.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Fabien Bravin
A tiny mantis larva in an American poppy flower
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Gerald Vincent
Two swimmers enjoy a preternatural calm on a summer's day on Lake Winnipeg.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Steve Webb
During a heavy downpour in Florence, Italy , water enhances the aged character of a road, highlighting an array of monochromatic textures. The transient, colorful umbrellas pass through the scene, all uniting and forming a striking image. Two of them unite, suggesting a closer connection, in colorful, romantic Florence.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Lance McMillan
Daniel Buren s work, "Excentrique(s)," fills the Grand Palais in Paris , an absolutely beautiful work of art in its own right.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Ken Blye
Great horned owl in black and white. Well camouflaged, almost missed him.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Steffen Springstein
Wildflowers in the morning sun in the mountains of Abruzzo, Italy
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Toni Guetta
Macro shot of a butterfly with the sunset in the background
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Pascal Mannaerts
The Hamars are a people of East Africa living in southwestern Ethiopia in a fertile area of the Omo Valley. The gracious Hamar women, freeing pride and dignity even in the midst of the bustling weekly market, are easily spotted with their characteristic outfits. They take pride in their dress and accessories and win the prize as the most decorated of the Omo people. The traditional dress code for unmarried Hamar girls includes elegant cowrie-shell collars, seeded or glass-beaded necklaces, and decorated goatskin clothing.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Tony Williams
All that is required to surprise and delight is to go out early on a winter morning in Yosemite and keep your eyes open wide.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Justin Bowen
I was lucky enough to see these two fighting zebras while crossing the Masai Mara in Kenya . We stopped our vehicle and watched as the two zebras bit, kicked, and otherwise pestered each other. The two crossed our path and then started kicking violently. I followed the pair and was able to capture this moment just before they split up and went their separate ways.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Joshua Holko
Penguins adrift on an iceberg during a heavy snowstorm in Antarctica
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Andrew Abrahamson
Kocatepe Mosque, one of the largest in the world (holding up to 24,000 worshippers), is a modern building completed in 1987. I had been given permission to wander around and take photos during the service, although I only got up to the top balcony after it had finished and most people had gone.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Antero Topp
A flock of red-billed queleas coming to drink at the same time as an African elephant
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Jorgen Tharaldsen
In a world of a million water pictures, it's easy to dismiss this as "just another reflection shot." Still, this unedited image proves how unreal water can behave under certain circumstances.
Here I stand at the narrowest point of a small lake, and as usual I have thrown objects into the water to see how it behaves visually. Because the lake was so narrow, only a few meters, the circles started to recoil from land. The effect is called, to my knowledge, interference, but I have yet to see anything similar, even after all these years of throwing rocks into the water.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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Photograph by Teruo Araya
Night workers prepare to board a ferry in the Japanese port of Aomori. It feels sort of ominous, as if the workers are waiting for something to emerge from the depths of the boat.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)
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