2010 National Geographic Photography Contest Galleries

Boatsman on the Yamuna River, India

Photo and caption by David Haltom

Sunrise behind the Taj Mahal, in Agra, India, one January morning. As the fog lifted, a boatsman appeared out of the mist. He guided his craft silently across the calm waters of the Yamuna River. The fog still clung to the banks of the river, blending the waters into the mist and into the sky, in a seamless, cottony gray. No one else was around. The whole world felt smaller.

Little Boy, Chicken, and Cross of Straw

Photo and caption by David Haltom

I had attended my friend's wedding in Nanchang, central China. The next day, a friend and I ventured into the countryside, and after riding a series of ever-smaller buses, we wound up in a village called Luotiancun, where the locals were harvesting rice and burning the fields.

As his family worked, this young boy watched me silently and earnestly. A chicken wandered past, disinterested.

The rice fields were burning just beyond us, thick with white smoke.

The dawn of life

Photo and caption by Grzegorz Wełnicki

In the State of Chhattisgarh, in the south of Abhanpur, in 1969, polish pollottine priest and medical doctor Adam Wiśniewski, together with Barbara Birczyńska established The Social and Leprosy Rehabilitation Centre Jeevodaya. They began they work and life in Jeevodaya by building three tents in which they set up the house, church, and clinic. For lepers the Centre is an exceptional place, they say there is no other like this.

Lepers are a part of the Clinics staff, you can see how they keep themselves at distance from their illness. They derive joy from life and from helping to the others.

The Heritage

Photo and caption by Jolanta Peleckienė-Klietkutė

What does bond us with generations of the past? What is this strand upholding us during challenging times?

Teamwork

Photo and caption by Josh Edelson

Silhouetted against the headlights of their engine, Firemen attempt to put out a blaze caused by a gigantic natural gas line explosion near San Francisco in September of 2010. The fire destroyed 37 homes, and resulted in seven fatalities.

Captain

Photo and caption by Christian Aslund

Atlantic Ocean, Mauritania.
Captain Vlad Votiacov, onboard Greenpeace vessel the Arctic Sunrise, during a fisheries campaign in West Africa.

Children, Jaipur.

Photo and caption by David Moore

Children pose for the camera in a backstreet in Jaipur, India.

Old Day Long

Photo and caption by misbachul munir

Indonesian Old lady sitting on her kitchen just waiting for nothing in her daily empty life, since her son & daughter are living in other city.

In The Neighborhood

Photo and caption by Lola Akerstrom

I ran into Dracula on the way to the Writer's Museum in Dublin. He was marching alongside Ireland's police force, the Garda, the Taxi Drivers' association, and special needs children. Waiting for the parade to start, I caught this offbeat moment between Dracula and a police officer while the masters of ceremony seemed oblivious and a bus of bewildered passengers sped by.

Body Perfection

Photo and caption by Ximena Etchart

Bodybuilding tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is an amateur sport in Argentina.

Freestyle Motocross.

Photo and caption by Matthew Goddard-Jones

Freestyle Motocross and spectators at 'The Big Day Out". Perth, Western Australia

watermelon war

Photo and caption by quinn wharton

We were having a going away party for a couple leaving our company. Some friends and I decided to have a food fight and photograph it all. The whole food fight lasted a total of maybe 15 minutes, with me running around trying not to get hit and snapping away frantically. I managed to grab this moment of stillness amidst it all. I love how serious they are, and am reminded of how quickly men can become boys given the right messy foods.

Painterly Firefighters

Photo and caption by Josh Edelson

Firemen take on a painterly appearance as they're seen through intense heat as they fight a forest fire near the town of Twain Harte, off Highway 108 in Tuolumne County on Aug. 1, 2009.

Superstar

Photo and caption by Josua Alesssandro

An unknown tourist attracts more attention that the thousand years old Borobudur temple

Unsafe Journey

Photo and caption by Amy Helene Johansson

A woman is riding between the railway carriages of a local train heading north from Dhaka, the Bangladesh capitol. Her luggage is tucked under the carriage in front of her.

It is the month of Ramadan, a fast which culminates in Eid-ul-Fitr, a three-day celebration. Tens of thousands of people leave the city to go to their home village and celebrate with their families.

Trains are packed and many who fail to get tickets before they sell out or can’t afford buying them at the black market ride on the roof of the train or, like this woman, finds a quiet spot between the carriages.

3 Buddy...

Photo and caption by Ogun Caglayan Turkay

Photo taken at front of the Cifteminareler (a symbol of the city of Erzurum / Turkey - 12 May 2009)... They did not see me. Because I used 30-40 persons group for hiding... Thank you. Best regards...

Moment at Play

Photo and caption by Brandon Wood

I was reminded of my grandfather describing the games that he played growing up. One in particular was the "hoop and stick". Obviously the playful heart of a child is something that is timeless anywhere in the world.

It was good fortune to catch this candid moment as the boy in the foreground bounced his tire down the dirt road. I was amazed when I opened the photo to see the children finding the camera as if the boy were standing still. This may be my favorite of my shots to this point.