2010 National Geographic Photography Contest Galleries

freediving

Photo and caption by nanna kreutzmann

The danish Freediver Jakob Hansen dives to 85 meters depth in the blue hole in Dahab, Egypt. The freediver does not only face the challenge of the lack of air - but also the huge change of pressure during the dive.

Passing by

Photo and caption by Ingetje Tadros

Young Bozo girl passing by on the Niger river, Mali

A ghost

Photo and caption by Julien Legrand

Taken in the train station of Bergamo in Italy.
The pannel on the left seems to say "Don't walk".

Holy men, Saddhus.

Photo and caption by Alain van Hille

Shaiva sadhus are known as "sannyasis", those who have renounced and chosen to live a life apart from or on the edges of society in order to focus on their own spiritual practice.
They gather in holy places like Patchupatinath near Kathmandu one of the holiest place on the indian subcontinent.

A Woman Dyeing cloth

Photo and caption by Hai Yang

Every July, August and September, every Dong nationality family dye cloth, dry cloth in the sun and beat cloth In Guizhou, China. This age-old cloth-making method is very complicated, which needs a lot of time and is difficult to succeed. However, it is still preserved. The unique cloth-making aircraft and the cloth texture has become a special brand of Guizhou.

Dormitories

Photo and caption by Wu Jianjiang

Sprawled across the side of an entire mountainside in the North-Eastern regions of Tibet are the dormitories of Buddhist nuns. As can be seen, some are returning from their daily classes to their living quarters.

No Time to Play

Photo and caption by Edgardo Melendres

Children Transporting charcoal for a living in Wawa Dam, Philippines

Little Red Riding Dood

Photo and caption by Daniel Gueorguiev

One can often find very interesting things in the most mundane places. I walk past this underpass almost daily. One day, I decided to stay a little and challenge myself to take home an interesting photograph from this rather bland location. This cyclist was one of the first things to pass by. Having visualized this shot in my head, I set the shutter speed to 1/13 sec and panned the rider to get the blur. It worked out beautifully. The shot is part of my photo project called "A City In Motion".

Old Style Cooking

Photo and caption by Suyog Deshpande

Cooking the old way in a remote village in Southern India. The house is over a 100 years old and still functions mostly of natural light; Firewood burners are still used for cooking. When it gets little smoky, you can see the vertical bands of light shining down the room, creating a very surreal effect.

Namaste

Photo and caption by Isabela Lyrio

Namaste! During Gorakhnath Festival, in Gorkha, Nepal, a girl comes with the hand full of hindu red powder and bless me.

Spiritual Introspection

Photo and caption by daniel diamond

This homeless man stood in this position for over an hour, with his eyes closed, immersed in deep prayer and spiritual introspection at the Western Wall in Israel. Despite his calm exterior, his level of concentration exuded the feeling that he was burning with emotion on the inside.

Great-grandmother

Photo and caption by Guillermo Hauschildt

Great-grandmother, grandmother, mother & daughter.
La bisabuela y su bisnieta miran a cámara, la madre mira a su hija mientras la abuela ríe...

The mud pool

Photo and caption by Frederico Colarejo

Kids playing in the mood pool near Sadhana Forest, Pondicherry, India. While the kids were playing in the muddy water, this girl was only looking from outside. When she went to adjust her scarf the wind blew it and made it go on her face which has created this moment where the pink colour contrast with the muddy orange water in the background.

Game Face On

Photo and caption by cheryl stanion

McKayla Sanborn, center, 8, of Dover, has her game face on before the start of The 2nd Little/Junior Miss Hampton Beach Pageant at Hampton Beach Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009.

Man's best friend

Photo and caption by Levy Mota Hosoume

A beggar sleeping at Santo Amaro Avenue, one of the most movemented Avenues of São Paulo - Brazil. With his only friend, a dog warming him up, lying under a coconut-tree shade. The face of loneliness and abandonment.

Tanners' Tea Break

Photo and caption by philipp spalek

A short glimpse of daylight. Tea lets the tanners escape from hard labour between skin and chemicals.

The Fix

Photo and caption by Karl Randay

Between gaps in the clouds and subsequent downpours, we decided to make a dash for it and get the family portraits taken outside, with brollies at the ready. The bride had an amazing sense of humour, so when it came time for her entourage to check her hair and make-up, her perfect sense of timing helped create this wonderful expression and make such a fantastic moment in time.

Malanadata

Photo and caption by CAMILLE BOOSTROM

While driving through the Afar region of Ethiopia, our Landrover got stuck in a river. We were stranded there for a couple of days, and I spent a lot of time playing with the Afar kids. This girl, Malanadata, was so vibrant and full of curiosity. She taught me words in Afarinya, I braided her hair and she braided mine, I taught her how to do cartwheels, and in spite of a few tough falls on the riverbank she persisted and finally succeeded joyfully.

bride in a car - number 2

Photo and caption by alessandra diamanti

The moment when a bride arrives at the church is the most intensive of all day

Inside of Hot Air Balloon

Photo and caption by Bob Rasulev

From Natchez's Balloon Race Competition, 2010.
Up to one hundred balloons start every year a race in Natchez, MS. The size of this giant "monster" can be estimated by looking at the size of pilot's shadow, who is preparing the balloon for the race.

American Influence in Japan

Photo and caption by Akif Hakan Celebi

Japanese kids influenced by the American culture mixing modern contemporary hip-hop style with classic American cars and creating their own unique style .

Ponta Malongane Kids

Photo and caption by Stephen Earle

I sat in the road while some local kids were playing with kids on holiday. They were running around everywhere and before I new it, I was part of the action.

The Gang

Photo and caption by Craig Thomson

All the kids on our street play together and were eager to see our new baby daughter. As they were all sitting on the steps I grabbed my camera and took a group photograph.

Self-portrait, Tahiti

Photo and caption by Maiko Mou

I really had a good time unwinding all alone in the waves and I wanted to express all this happiness, just like a surfer coming out of the barrel.
Making a self-portrait in Papenoo, Tahiti.

Cremation of a child in a Dani Tribe, Papua

Photo and caption by Bradut Florescu

One finger cut out. This is how daddy mourns the loss of his son.

shower time

Photo and caption by nelly putnam

buffalo in the rice field in village in Indonesia

Yossi

Photo and caption by Agnieszka Traczewska

In Lelow, small town in Silesian Voivodiship in Poland, before the Second World War lived approx. 700 Jews.German soldiers started their occupation of the town in September 1939, destroyed the synagogue an Jewish cemetery. In 1942 all Jews were send to concentration camp in Treblinka. Survived only a few who after the War, have emigrated to Israel or US.
On every anniversary of Tzaddik David Biderman's (spiritual leader of Lelov Hassid community) death, the Hassidim return to Lelov to gather at the Tzaddik’s grave unite in a fervent prayer.

proud to be Indonesian

Photo and caption by nelly putnam

There are many celebrations in the village during independence day of indonesia. Kids play with flag, try to jump to touch it...

Studying Reef Fishes

Photo and caption by Dieter Lotze

Lifestyle at Wakatobi or How to study reef fishes the Wakatobi way.

Qat Market

Photo and caption by Abubakir Balfaqih

Taken in Aden, Yemen in " Sooq Al Gat" Qat Market

Child's Play

Photo and caption by Carl Bertram

Lijiang old town market, China, October 2010

Migrant Worker's Daughter

Photo and caption by Yu Shi

As China rapid developing its cities, millions of village migrant workers move into cities to look for jobs. Some of their kids are tagged along with they parents to the cities. However there are no government agency and infrastructure to take care of those children. Sometimes those kids are wandering in the streets, playing and taking care themselves while their parents are working at the factories or construction sides. The picture was taken in a small city in Xinjiang Province of China. The little girl was playing stones with her sibling in the corner of her family makeshift home.

Just before the thunder storm

Photo and caption by Federico Picciani

This shot shows a street kid using a carton box to repair
from the incomg storm. In this town rubbbish dump tens of
kids and adult live permanently. Lilongwe, Malawi 19th November 2010

Childbirth's labour pains...

Photo and caption by Federico Picciani

The expression of pain during labour, shall soon be replaced by the joy of birth. This pictures was shot in a small village near Nanjere, Malawi in a traditional midwife's clinic.
These small traditional midwife clinics apperantly assist more women in childbirth than the government hospital in the
townships. They are quite well organised although they lack
sometimes in Hygiene items, and transport means to reach the
nearest hospital in case of emergencies. 17th November 2010

Boy covered in black color

Photo and caption by Anirudha (Robi) Chakraborty

This boy played the Holi Festival of Colors with gusto at the birth place of Lord Krishna.

The bow and arrow

Photo and caption by Michael Irvine

Traveling across India on motorcycles we found ourselves in Khajuraho, a tourist destination known for its meticulously sexually explicit carved temples. Wanting an escape from the hype and hassle of bus loads of tourists I took a walk in the opposite direction of town. Armed with an old Mamiya 645 from the late 70's I found something a bit more true to the possible intention of the carvings.

Young survivors

Photo and caption by Oleg Lukyanov

Children of a small village near Ukrainian-Russian border, Kurk region, Russia. In situation of totally ruined economy most of families live by subsistence farming depending upon their owns only.

Moto

Photo and caption by james heil

In Vietnam scooters seem to take on more of a life the joust a form of transport.

ex-Mujahideen

Photo and caption by shin yahiro

They are ex-Mujahideen who fought toward to Taliban with Ahmed Shah Massoud　who is national hero of Afghanistan.
They lost their foot from civil war.
Also they are no money no job no indemnity.
They trusted being peace and happy after war.
But their wish not come.

Playing super mario

Photo and caption by mark victor

The impact of high tech on our modern day kids

Girl in Lake Nicaragua

Photo and caption by Jennifer Harnish

A girl plays in the water while her father catches fish for dinner off the Island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua.

Coal Miner, Bleantillery Mine, Coity mountain, South Wales

Photo and caption by Luigi Ventimiglia

The Blaentillery is about 160m long, the average height of each section is 0.65m and the colliery produces on average 40-45 tonnes a week.

These miners continue to work using the tools of their ancestors. The extractive characteristic lives on to the present day near the Coity Mountain at Blaentillery Drift Mine No. 2.

Meto ECD school

Photo and caption by Stephen DeVries

While shooting for a ministry in Meto, Kenya with the Maasai I visited the local ECD school one morning. I found out that the kids re-used their paper pads and shared pencils because of lack of funds. I took this shot as the students patiently waited on their instructor who was teaching a second class outside at the same time.

Burma

Photo and caption by pisati beniamino

Inhabitants of the Inle Lake moving on canoes, Myanmar.

Old Couple

Photo and caption by Paul Borhaug

A couple is seen standing outside their little mud house, located in the barren desert landscape of Burkina Faso sahel.

A Killer on the streets

Photo and caption by Erez Ben Simon

Sterrt of NYC, August 13, 2010

Bago, Myanmar

Photo and caption by SCOTT WELLER

A Burmese girl on the train from Yangon to Bago, Myanmar, 2010.

Uttar Pradesh, India

Photo and caption by SCOTT WELLER

A newlywed Hindu in Uttar Pradesh, India, 2010.

Khorog, Tajikistan

Photo and caption by SCOTT WELLER

Daughter and mother await departure in Khorog, Tajikistan, 2010.

Connaught Hospital

Photo and caption by Noah Goodrich

A four year old girl lies under a mosquito net in Connaught Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone. The government has recently introduced a new healthcare initiative which allows all children under the age of 5 and pregnant women free universal healthcare. Although the system has saved the lives of many needy and impoverished children, it still has a long way to go.

Mursi Girl

Photo and caption by Alberto Alletto

Shot in the Omo River Valley in a Mursi village. The orange background is a foulard taken by a friend

Portrait Of A Beard

Photo and caption by Aaron Feinberg

A self-portrait taken just prior to shaving off the beard. I used a 10 second timer and focused on my hand prior to releasing the shutter to make sure my eyes were sharp.

Chinese Opera Man

Photo and caption by Lim Kui Onn

The performer powdering up for his pending performance.

Grass carriers

Photo and caption by Matthew Goddard-Jones

Grass carriers. Pushkar Camel Fair, India.

The Ant Man

Photo and caption by Mariana Perches

In the famous Caminito, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, you can find this man, who calls himself: "El hombre hormiguita" (the ant man).

David Cameron PM enjoys a joke

Photo and caption by stephen lawrence

British Prime Minister David Cameron enjoys a laugh and a joke with Cancer survivor Georgia during a candid moment in Downing Street, London.

Taking a break

Photo and caption by Jonathan González

A worker taking a break, drinking one black label, in M´Zoliz restaurant. Gugulethu twonship, Cape Town 2010.