2010 National Geographic Photography Contest Galleries

Maldives

Photo and caption by Mohamed Shinaz Saeed

The image shows everything about Maldives. The climate, the underwater coral gardens, the beautiful islands and the beach.

Shaking off water

Photo and caption by Yaron Eini

Black Bear shaking off water. BC, Canada.

Tiger Shark Biting

Photo and caption by james Abernethy

Tiger Shark trying to play or bite my camera!

POISON BLUE JEANS

Photo and caption by Gerrit Bradley

This frog was spotted during a Costa Rican nature walk. This tiny inch-long creature is known as the blue jeans poison dart frog (Oophaga pumillo). It is also known as the strawberry poison arrow frog. Relatively numerous, our guide would show off by holding one, then explain how the poison needed to be swallowed or enter the blood stream to be dangerous.

La Festa

Photo and caption by zoe mcCarthy

Rapas das Bestas, Galicia, 2010

Family of giraffes

Photo and caption by Oleg Gaponuyk

Kenya, Amboseli

elephant silhouette

Photo and caption by jorn schakenraad

An elephants silhouette against the smoke curtain made to keep insects at a distance in Chitwan, Nepal.

Ice ants

Photo and caption by Daniele Pralong

Trekkers in the distance appear like tiny ants on the rugged icy surface of the Perito Moreno Glacier at Los Glaciares National Park (Patagonia, Argentina). While the Southern Patagonian icefield is following the global trend of accelerated melting the Perito Moreno Glacier is surprisingly still expanding. But for how long?

The Elephant's Tail

Photo and caption by Chad Cowan

This tornado touched down in North Dakota on August 7, 2010 and was crossing a river at this point into western Minnesota where it completely destroyed a farmstead, uprooted a beet field and threw a car one half mile. It was rated an EF-4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale of zero to five. Goes to show that size does not matter when it comes to tornadoes.

FISH FEAST

Photo and caption by Narendra Sharma Sharma

Fish Feast : At the bank of Chambal the priest of Karai Ke Balaji temple feeding the fish. The priest Dhirendra Shukla doesn’t allow fishing here and as he gets into the river every day all the surrounding fish jump to have their share.

Photo by : HABOO LAL SHARMA, Rajasthan Patrika Kota (India)
Mobile Number : 91-9829037623
Mail ID : habulal.sharma@epatrika.com

Splashing polar bear

Photo and caption by Vitaliy Matveev

Polar bear splashing in an attempt to escape the summer heat in Kaliningrad Zoo, Russia.

THE TREEHOPPER

Photo and caption by JR Manuel

No bigger then a fly, the treehopper is tough to spot. They are extremely shy and timid and will fly away when you get to close. They typically hide underneath leaves and branches so you have to be intentionally looking for them to find them. This one I found at a tree at Adelup in Agana, Guam.

Family

Photo and caption by Alexandr Pospech

I observed this family of ringed plovers for several weeks during the Summer 2010 in Svalbard, when I was a member of Arctic research team. I saw these young ones when they were eggs and two weeks later there were 4 of them running around and hiding under the parent wings each time when skua flew around or just to get warm. After couple of hours I spent lying in the mud on the ground i caught this short moment when the adult stand up and was leaving the young ones for a while.

VOLCAN DE PACAYA

Photo and caption by Carlos Sebastián

ERUPCION DEL VOLCAN DE PACAYA, MAYO DE 2010.

The Magic Of Onion Fields

Photo and caption by Sonya Kovacic

The Vojvodina countryside in northern Serbia is beautiful. And on my way to my cousin's house by the river we came across an Onion Field. I've never seen a more crazy, beautiful, interesting, strange looking plant in my life. They don't even look real.

Pipeline Vortices

Photo and caption by Kelly Cestari

Vortices form underwater on a wave ridden by a surfer at Hawaiis Pipeline. Going underwater brings a new world to life revealing the intricacies that go about unseen during surfing.

The Face of Survial

Photo and caption by Bogdan Oaida

A vulture, most likely of the Lappet-faced variety, in flight on the Serengeti plain. The full wingspan is about 3m wide.

Shot on a handheld Canon EOS XTi at f/7.1, 1/250sec, ISO 400 and 485mm focal length (35mm equivalent)

Thunderbird Rocks

Photo and caption by Grant Kaye

When the waters of Lake Tahoe are still, the colors of the sandy bottom along the East Shore come alive in conjunction with the soft, fiery light in the sky at the end of the day.

BEAUTIFULLY REEFS@JAILOLO

Photo and caption by tan kiki rustandar

THIS PLACE AT KARANG ISLAND, JAILOLO, HALMAHERA UTARA- MALUKU, INDONESIA. Usually many many divers came here to explore beautifully indonesia's reef.

Evenly Matched

Photo and caption by Pat Ulrich

The Tule elk rut in Point Reyes National Seashore is a wonderful experience every autumn. The day I took this photograph, we started the hike at sunrise and were serenaded by the sound of bugling males all morning. In this shot, two males were trying to figure out who is stronger. We watched both of these bulls get run out of a harem by a clearly larger male earlier in the day, and then after hanging around and feeding peacefully together on the edges of the group they eventually came to blows. To us, there was no clear winner of this battle, and it seemed to end as quickly as it started.

African Rhino

Photo and caption by Brett Baldridge

A rhino crosses the African plain looking for food.

The Look in Her Eye

Photo and caption by Shahriar Erfanian

I love giraffes. I was lucky to get close enough to one to capture the look in her eye as she gazed back at me. Check out those eyelashes!
Camera settings: f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 160

Moonlight Sonata

Photo and caption by Yoon Kyoung Soo

Moonlight Sonata in Wol-ak Mt. National Park in South Korea. It's hard time to waiting for this kind of scenery.
During last 15 yesars, as a mountain photographer I've never met this kind of landscape.

Hiding in the Crowd

Photo and caption by Josh Anon

There's a flock of penguins near Stanley in the Falkland Islands, and periodically you will hear juveniles calling out. However, these youngsters can be hard to spot! I heard one call and waited until the adults moved enough to reveal where he was hiding.

Jellyfish

Photo and caption by Julian Tempelsman

I noticed this Jellyfish during a shore dive at the Grain Jetty in Rockingham, Australia. Thought it was pretty amazing the way the light shone through yet also illuminated the jelly.

Feisty Little Guy

Photo and caption by Garry Revesz

We were in the wilderness in central British Columbia, Canada, quietly drifting down the lake and came around a bend when we saw this Grizzly cub in the water trying to catch his lunch while the mother sow was watching. He tried several times and finally got a salmon that was putting up a fight. Grizzly are terrible fisherbears.

Garry Revesz
Toronto, Canada

Baby Japanese Snow Monkey keeps warm

Photo and caption by Laurie Friedman

Winter in the Japanese alps is quite cold, and the Japanese Snow Monkeys are attracted to the natural hot springs for warmth. There was a group of Snow Monkeys huddling together to keep warm, but I think the baby had the best deal of all!

Masked weaver building its nest

Photo and caption by Rebecca Silverman

A masked weaver building its nest, in Johannesburg. In between weaving it, the bird would flirt with any female weavers around. I could just hear it saying, "Check out my sweet digs!"

Wombat by the beach

Photo and caption by Andrew Martin

Wombats are cute and approachable. The key is to get down on their level and move very slowly. This fellow is a little over half-grown. Photographed at the mouth of Tidal River, Wilson's Promontory National Park, Victoria, Australia

Wolf Stare

Photo and caption by Catherine Anthony

Beautiful female Alaskan Wolf checking out the visitor at the California Wolf Center, Julian, California.

The Contest

Photo and caption by Chase Pattillo

Losing a stare-down in Varanasi, India.

Fear God

Photo and caption by brian bielmann

Moments before the start of the 2010 quiksilver contest, a huge set nearly took out the entire pack of surfers.

Buffet Festival

Photo and caption by Piyaphon Sriphongngam

Lopburi is one of the provinces of the central region and home to several prominent artefacts and pre-historic monuments. Significant symbol of Lop Buri city are the monkeys. To its residents, the primates are descendants of Hanuman who, according to the epic Ramayana made Lop Buri his kingdom. These mischievous monkeys have taken over many attractions, especially San Phra Kan and Phra Prang Sam Yot. Accordingly, a grand feast held annually for them on the last Sunday of November is one of the most talked about events in the country.

Bongo

Photo and caption by Susan Roehl

I took this photo of a Bongo in Kenya when I was there in September of this year. This animal is very rare and on the endangered list. The face is quite striking in appearance with the large ears.

Black sea Urchin - Centrostephanus rodgersii

Photo and caption by Stephen Moore

Close up of a Black sea urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii) taken at the Poor Knights Marine Reserve in Northern New Zealand. Despite its common name, the Black sea urchin proves to be anything but when viewed up close.

Baboon and Fish Eagle Skirmish

Photo and caption by Mitchell Krog

One afternoon in the Maasai Mara I came across this Baboon who was eating a baby Impala he had caught earlier. Within a few minutes of us stopping, some Maribou storks started challenging the Baboon from all angles for the scraps that were left and the Baboon proceeded to chase them away to try and protect his food. Suddenly out of nowhere a Fish Eagle also decided to get in on the action and swooped right in front of the Baboon and I captured this image at that very moment. Shortly after this the Baboon lost the battle due to the sheer numbers of storks that had arrived for the scraps.

Polar bears sleeping

Photo and caption by Kevin McCarthy

Sleeping mother and cub

Controlled Chaos

Photo and caption by Jonatha Eger

My family and I were feeding the ducks in Collingwood, Ontario. Once in a while, if we got too close, the ducks would get scared and fly about 20 feet away, before slowly making their way back to the shore. This specific photograph was taken on the 2nd day of feeding. I took more than 250 photographs, and this was my favorite of the bunch. Taken from the waters edge, about 5 feet above water level.Taken with a Canon EOS-5D and Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS. Camera settings: ISO 800, f/8.0, 1/800, manual focus

Walk The Line

Photo and caption by Nicolas Lacoste-Garanger

A peacefull walk of the African Elephant in the Amakhala Game Reserve, South Africa.

Julius the bald eagle II

Photo and caption by Marte Visser

Julius was the biggest bald eagle on the farm. When he flew towards me he looked magnificent and landed gracefully but with massive force on my gloved arm. His claws locked around my wrist and he ate the prey I held in my hand. He was very heavy and when he started shrieking, I thought It must be a terrifying last sight for a prey...

Faith, hope and love

Photo and caption by Nikolai Zinoviev

Two year old sister and brother cubs are waiting alone for their mom to return from salmon fishing.

Mojave Rattlesnake

Photo and caption by Marisa Ishimatsu

Rattlesnakes have a very negative reputation. Though they can be lethal, they do not tend to strike without being thoroughly provoked. This little Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) never struck at me while I laid in the dirt photographing him. Mojaves have a more dangerous bite than most other species of rattlesnakes; their venom is mostly neurotoxic whereas other species or rattlesnake have cytotoxic venom.
Photo was taken in Cochise County, Arizona.

Nature at its best

Photo and caption by RAJESH SOMASUNDARAM

One wonderful day in Prekistolen mimicked the path to heaven

Rest in Peace

Photo and caption by Roger Larsson

A horse named Ålé takes a cool, restful drink after it unexpectedly wandered into an outdoor art installation by artist David Hewitt entitled “Rest in Peace” outside Venige, Sweden.

Hey Buddy!

Photo and caption by Tang Xiao Wen

Found this adorable little buddy in an early morning at CBD area of singapore. It was curiously looking at me while I were pointing my lens on it.

Hippo Pool

Photo and caption by Michelle Valberg

Our first sighting in the Masai Mara was a hippo pool of 80 hippos sleeping closely together. It was a moment I will never forget. I especially loved photographing the babies curled up to their mothers.

Four Of A Kind

Photo and caption by Ken Conger

Coastal Brown Bear sow with unusual 4 spring cubs captured in Katmai National Park, Alaska.

Pilgrimage to Pure Nature

Photo and caption by CheKim Chhuor

Everyday, thousands of pilgrims from all around the world come to Nepal, choosing a trekking route that fits their desired level of difficulty, surmounting physical hardship much greater than the hardest day at work, religiously
following the never ending mountain road, step by step, meter by meter, with a singular goal in mind: get to see Pure Nature.

Admire our environment for what is remained, breath it, smell it, feel it, dive in it, memorize it, and capture the moment. Our great grand children may only admire it through virtual rendering.

Pelicans crossing

Photo and caption by Donald Wade

The Entrance, Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Every day at 3pm, there is an organised feed for the local pelicans at the coastal town of The Entrance. Seeing a flock of up to a hundred of these huge birds is a true spectacle. You can feel the anticipation bristle through the ranks as they wait for the next sardine to be thrown their way.

Toucano-Graphics with a Droplet of Apple Juice

Photo and caption by Mike Reyfman

This Toco Toucan was so attracted by the apple, my friend shared with it, that micro photography became available.
Iguazu Falls, Brazil

Firefly Bioluminescence

Photo and caption by Radim Schreiber

I was very lucky to find firefly sitting on a leave that was still enough for me to take photos. Perhaps the wings were damaged and he couldn’t fly freely to attract female fireflies. I have not used flash in this photograph because it would overshadow natural glow of the firefly. Human made lights are also reason for irregular light patterns of fireflies that may be one of the causes for disappearing firefly population.

The Grump

Photo and caption by Sung Shin

A prairie dog not too happy about having a camera trained on him.

Everest & Lhotse with Circumzenithal Arc

Photo and caption by Anselm Murphy

Climber on his way to Camp 2 (6400m) on Mount Everest. He is in the large valley known as the Western Cwm, with the gigantic south west face of Everest on the left and Lhotse directly ahead (the 4th highest mountain in the world). There is a circumzenithal arc above Lhotse.

Patient Egret

Photo and caption by David Chua

Egret waiting for fish at the foot of Rheinfalls Switzerland

White rhinos

Photo and caption by Robin Moore

White rhinos kick up dust on the plains of Solio, Kenya

The Peacock

Photo and caption by Bryan Toh

Captured this peacock portrait in Malaysia; August 2009.

Stallion Fight

Photo and caption by vedran vidak

The dominant stallion fights off one of the frequent and aggressive thrusts of a colt which irrevocably tries to take over stallion's natural position in their herd. This depicts internal conflict between stallions and colts where the latter tries to win the primacy in the herd of all the mares. In a word, this gives us an impression of the survival of species and their internal conflicts which result in a perfect harmony of natural hierarchy. Those horses allow us to see their strength which is necessary for survival in a dangerous coexistence with wild animals and their frequent attacks.

Eikesdalen

Photo and caption by Svetlana Rubinshtein

This shot was made in a small vilage Eikesdal in Norway last summer. To me it's one of the most beautiful places in the world.