Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Pink Morning

Pink Morning

Photograph by David K ster

Long-exposure of a rock formation in Bardenas Reales at sunset

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Monday, December 30, 2013

Frosty Glance

Frosty Glance

Photograph by Sandor Csudai

Young lady looking out the window from a bus in Budapest

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Sunday, December 29, 2013

The White Cliffs of Iturup

The White Cliffs of Iturup

Photograph by Alexey Kharitonov

White rocks have stretched for miles alongside the shore of the Prostor Bay. They are formed of a very light and soft pumice as a result of the huge volcanic eruption. This pumice is being eroded by the storms of the Okhotsk Sea, by the rains and numerous small rivers that form the amazing shapes of the rocks. At the foot of these rocks lies an unusual black-and-white beach, consisting of chopped white pumice and black lava sand. And every morning that we camped there, fresh bear trails appeared on this sand. Iturup island.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Saturday, December 28, 2013

Burnt Trees, Yellowstone

Burnt Trees, Yellowstone

Photograph by Chaoying Zhao

At sunset, peaceful burnt woods just surround you quietly. Together with your heart beating, you can feel the smooth breeze and hear the sounds of emerging exuberance underneath. The perfect ending is in the endless. The picture was taken in Yellowstone National Park.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Friday, December 27, 2013

Street Colors

Street Colors

Photograph by Brian Yen

After a summer storm washes away the everyday grime, the true color of the city shines through.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Thursday, December 26, 2013

Shy Sea Lion

Shy Sea Lion

Photograph by Ron Watkins

The Midriff Islands in the Sea of Cortez are home to large colonies of sea lions. Typically they are quite playful in the water and like to interact with divers, but I spotted this little pup on the rocks sunning itself. I was attempting an over/under shot split below and above the water. After several attempts of going in and out of the water and adjusting my settings, I noticed the sea lion was curious enough to stick his head under the water and see what I was doing. It was one of those rare moments in nature where you feel you actually connect to the marine life.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Wednesday, December 25, 2013

A Shepherd's Flock

A Shepherd's Flock

Photograph by Juan Aguilar

Silence and light accompany sheep and shepherd, day in, day out, near Halabja, Iraq.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Wintry Wait

Wintry Wait

Photograph by Johnny Haglund

In February 2012, a few people wait for the bus as the temperature drops below minus 30 F (about minus 35 C) in the northeast Russian city of Susuman. In this area the winter can bring temperatures down to minus 58 F (minus 50 C).

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Monday, December 23, 2013

There's Always One

There's Always One

Photograph by Yashani Shantha

Elephants at the elephant orphanage in Pinnawala, Sri Lanka. The orphanage was originally founded in order to afford care and protection to the many orphaned elephants found in the jungle. As of 2003, there were 65 elephants. Since the captive breeding program was launched in 1982, over 20 elephants have been born. The aim of the orphanage is to simulate the natural world. However, there are some exceptions: The elephants are taken to the river twice daily for a bath, and all the babies under three years of age are still bottle fed by the mahouts and volunteers.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Sunday, December 22, 2013

Frosted Tamarack Swamp

Frosted Tamarack Swamp

Photograph by Adam Dorn

I had scouted out a few places for an early morning shoot in the tamarack swamps of Wisconsin. I searched and searched until I found this scene. With the sun barely breaking through the fog rising from the melting frost, the light lit up the tamarack in front of this ditch. The ditch faded into the mist, while the frost captured the early morning rays as everything glinted like it was covered in diamonds. I absolutely fell in love with the mood that this scene created. Just a few moments later, the sun rose high in the sky and melted all the frost, causing the scene to completely change.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Saturday, December 21, 2013

The Blessed Man

The Blessed Man

Photograph by Yosuke Kashiwakura

The Saidai-ji Eyo festival, considered one of the three strangest festivals in Japan, is a Buddhist ritual in which 9,000 men compete to grab just a pair of sacred wooden batons to decide who will be the "blessed man" for the year. The over 500-year-old tradition of Eyo is based on an underlying understanding of the state of human life, greater than the ideals and trends of a single generation, and this idea has been cherished and passed down through the centuries.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Friday, December 20, 2013

Imperiled Rhino

Imperiled Rhino

Photograph by Richard Young

Zimbabwe's Matopos National Park had 86 white and 36 black rhinos ten years ago. Poachers have reduced these numbers to only 9 white 17 black rhinos today. These numbers say it all. The park's oldest white rhino, Gumboot, was killed by poachers just two weeks before I took this picture of Swazi 2, his horn cut off to help protect him from poaching. If we do not act now to save them from poaching, we will be the generation responsible for the extinction of the rhino in the wild.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Thursday, December 19, 2013

Aflutter Along the Iguazu

Aflutter Along the Iguazu

Photograph by Daniel Pinheiro

Large gatherings of butterflies are common alongside the Iguazu River on the Brazil-Argentina border. When the river flow gets lower, the rocky riverbanks become exposed, retaining water in small ponds very rich in salts. This attracts butterflies of several species, mainly of the Pieridae family. Butterflies absorb and concentrate the salts in their bodies, pumping out the excess water.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Monastery in Mandalay

Monastery in Mandalay

Photograph by Marcelo Salvador

A young monk crosses the patio inside a monastery in Mandalay, Myanmar, where he lives.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Above the Namib Desert

Above the Namib Desert

Photograph by Chris Schmid

Aerial view of the Namib Desert, Namibia, Africa

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Monday, December 16, 2013

Sunbathing Cows, Andalusia

Sunbathing Cows, Andalusia

Photograph by Andrew Lever

I was driving along the beach highway when I noticed the bulls sunbathing on the empty beach. I initially thought I was seeing things, but no, it really was sunbathing cows! I had to park my car a fair distance away, and that meant a long walk along the beach in 35 [degrees Celsius] heat. It did not matter because I had to get the shot. When I got closer to them I was careful not to spook them so I crawled on my stomach on the hot sand to get a good picture of them. Mission accomplished! It was worth the effort. Tarifa Beach, Andalusia, Spain.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Sunbathing Cows, Andalusia

Sunbathing Cows, Andalusia

Photograph by Andrew Lever

I was driving along the beach highway when I noticed the bulls sunbathing on the empty beach. I initially thought I was seeing things, but no, it really was sunbathing cows! I had to park my car a fair distance away, and that meant a long walk along the beach in 35 [degrees Celsius] heat. It did not matter because I had to get the shot. When I got closer to them I was careful not to spook them so I crawled on my stomach on the hot sand to get a good picture of them. Mission accomplished! It was worth the effort. Tarifa Beach, Andalusia, Spain.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Sunday, December 15, 2013

Sk gafoss, Iceland

Sk  gafoss, Iceland

Photograph by Jorunn Sjofn Gudlaugsdottir

Sk gafoss, one of the largest waterfalls in Iceland

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Saturday, December 14, 2013

Bride, Kosovo

Bride, Kosovo

Photograph by Nita Zeqiri

A tradition a thousand years old, passed on to generations in today's remote Donje Ljubinje in the Zhupa area in south Kosovo. Today, this tradition is at the verge of extinction, as only a 65-year-old lady continues preparing young brides according to their traditions. The bride's face is painted in many beautiful layers of color. Three golden circles symbolizing the cycles of life are tied to one another by the golden roads that one crosses over their lifetime. The inner red circles are symbols of fertility, where red and blue dots are born from, and the whole face is covered by them, wishing her a healthy and happy family.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Friday, December 13, 2013

Tree Canopy, Berlin

Tree Canopy, Berlin

Photograph by Kevin Connolly

While studying in Florence, Italy, I went on a trip throughout Europe. The first stop was in Berlin, Germany, where we rented bikes and rode throughout the city. While visiting the Jewish Museum I stood under a group of trees and noticed the great interaction of handlike branches with the light coming through the canopy of leaves.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Thursday, December 12, 2013

Cabin, Croatia

Cabin, Croatia

Photograph by Marin Su li

Kozji Vrh is a village in Gorski Kotar, Croatia, along the border with Slovenia. Because of the isolation and the unpolluted sky, the view is spectacular.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Deer, Richmond Park

Deer, Richmond Park

Photograph by Prashant Meswani

This was taken in early morning at Richmond Park in late October.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Landscape, Latvia

Landscape, Latvia

Photograph by Mihails Ignats

This image was taken in Lielv rde, Latvia.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Monday, December 9, 2013

Festival Performers, Japan

Festival Performers, Japan

Photograph by Benoit Hardy-Chartrand

Gion Matsuri is one of Japan's oldest and most famous festivals. On special occasions during the festival, geisha and maiko come out to perform traditional dances on the grounds of some of the city's shrines. In this photo, the maiko greet a geisha as they exit the stage after a performance.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Sunday, December 8, 2013

Reflection, Hungary

Reflection, Hungary

Photograph by Zsolt Szabo

Misty summer photo, Nagykanizsa, Hungary

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Saturday, December 7, 2013

Seaside Park, Japan

Seaside Park, Japan

Photograph by Hideyuki Katagiri

This hill is filled with kokia every autumn. It is planted in summer and grows red in autumn. On this day, the sunlight was shining on the kokia at dusk. It looks like a burning hill. Seaside Park, Hitachinaka.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Friday, December 6, 2013

Skateboarders, San Francisco

Skateboarders, San Francisco

Photograph by Matthieu Moors

The short length of a two-day stop in San Francisco motivated me to visit the city by foot only, trying to get a higher chance of capturing street instants. I came across these two skaters while walking through the Mission District.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Thursday, December 5, 2013

Lighthouse, Portugal

Lighthouse, Portugal

Photograph by Veselin Malinov

A huge ocean storm, Porto, Portugal, January 2013

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Eastern Screech Owlets

Eastern Screech Owlets

Photograph by Graham McGeorge

Eastern screech owls like to take over woodpecker nests that have been dug out over the years in pine trees, which are the main species of tree at this swamp. The Fish and Wildlife Service also paints a white ring around the base of a tree that has active nests so they will be avoided when conducting controlled burns. Screech owls can range in height anywhere from eight to ten inches, so you have to have a sharp eye to find these little birds of prey.

I spent the first few weeks of April this year photographing the gray morph screech owl that was living in the nest and had no idea there were three owlets inside.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Lake Carezza, Italy

Lake Carezza, Italy

Photograph by Antonio Chiumenti

Lake Carezza is a pearl of the Dolomites. Nestled between an ancient forest of grand firs and Latemar mountain, it's a place of legends and beauty a nymph lives under its emerald waters. I threw a little stone in the water to add a little mystery to the scene.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Monday, December 2, 2013

Seagulls, Alaska

Seagulls, Alaska

Photograph by Court Leve

This image was taken while flying in a helicopter from Juneau, Alaska, to Cordova, Alaska. The four-hour flight routes through some of the most desolate areas of Alaska, including what is known as the Lost Coast. We were flying at elevations up to 15,000 feet near the Fairweather Range when my pilot wanted to then follow the coastline. As we turned the corner, the beach below was filled with what seemed to be millions of seagulls. The noise from the helicopter spooked the birds and wave after wave of gulls took flight below us. It was somewhat mesmerizing.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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Sunday, December 1, 2013

Gothic Quarter, Barcelona

Gothic Quarter, Barcelona

Photograph by Jordi Boixareu

Devils run amidst the pyrotechnics during the celebration of a correfoc for the Sant Roc Festival in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. Correfocs are an old Catalan tradition where people dressed as devils blow up firecrackers and flares.

(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest .)

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