2010 National Geographic Photography Contest Galleries

"T"

Photo and caption by Valentino Lumanto

an old harbour platform in Candidasa area, Bali.
the combination of clear blue sky, and grey platform stone just stunned me..

Breathless Success

Photo and caption by Madeline Tank

Volcán Cotopaxi - Jose Rivas Hiker Refuge (4800 meters -- 15,748 feet)
Summer 2010

Upper Church of Sint Benedictusberg Abbey

Photo and caption by Denis Janssen

The Sint Benedictusberg Abbey is an Benedictine abbey in Mamelis, Vaals, Limburg in The Netherlands. The Abbey belongs to the Congregation of Solesmes. The picture shows the upper church. The upper church was built in 1968, which is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God.

Faith

Photo and caption by Christopher michel

In, Lhasa, the spiritual heart of Tibet, the faithful perform morning Kora around Jokhang temple.

Frozen Lake of Campotosto

Photo and caption by vincenzo mazza

This is the lake of Campotosto in Abruzzi, Italy. The mountains in the background are part of the Gran Sasso d'Italia mountain range, the higest mountains in the center of Italy. This image would show the beautiful wilderness that surround the city of l'Aquila, shocked by a dramatic heart quake less than two years ago.
The image was captured in a really cold 2010 February sunset with a Canon Eos 5D mKII, EF 16-35L lens, B+W polarizer filter and two Lee NDG filters.

The Great Wall, Badaling

Photo and caption by Raymond Choi

I visited the Great Wall in winter 2009 at the Badaling section. While I was walking down slope to the exit, I saw this long shadows casting from a small group of tourists in front of me. Since my ultra wide angle lens is already mounted, I snapped this one shot of the tourists walking towards an endless road with the sun right in front to guide them. I especially like the effect in grayscale.

The Night View from Koyoen

Photo and caption by Soumei Baba

Koyoen (甲陽園), Kobe

The steamy back stage

Photo and caption by Brian Yen

This Chinese Opera troupe spends half of the year traveling from town to town putting on a traditional performance that's been handed down for centuries. They perform in temporary theater made of bamboo frames and sheet metal walls, at night they retire to the crawl spaces under the stage. The performance back stage at times was much more fascinating. Everything was done in the traditional way, which made the electric light and fan seems just a tad out of time and place.

Dormitories of the Buddhist Nuns

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.

Artistic Gecko

Photo and caption by Daniel Manivanh

This shot was taken at a delicious restaurant we found in the middle of Bangkok Thailand. Taken with Nikon D90

Zebra Morning

Photo and caption by Melanie Sinclair

During winter in South East Queensland, Australia, thick fog blankets the country regions. Getting up high to a local weather radar ensures that a view can be sought. It is tranquil and beautiful, especially when the sun pierces through it.

Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska

Photo and caption by Mark Meyer

About the size of Oregon, Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is one of the largest delta systems in the world. An almost entirely roadless area, it provides rich habitat for wildlife and is home to more than 25,000 people.

Glacier Walker

Photo and caption by Mark Meyer

A slow motion collision of ice and rock near the terminus of the Matanuska Glacier. At only 100 miles from Anchorage it is a popular destination for hikers and climber.

Ghostly

Photo and caption by Colleen Pinski

I stumbled upon this dimly lit street one night in Venice. Everyone was in a hurry to get where they were going, so I pulled out my camera and captured the ghostly essence of that night.

Safari Tornado

Photo and caption by Tiago Petinga

Mentors from US 10th Mountain Division, take cover from a sand dust tornado, while waiting by their soldiers from an ANA (Afghan National Army) battalion, on a instruction day on Camp Safari on the outskirts of Herat, Afghanistan, 17th may 2010.

small village with rice fields in Tibet

Photo and caption by victoria vellopoulou

a small village with his rice fields in Tibet. Behind the village, mountain range of the Himalayas

Illuminations

Photo and caption by philipp spalek

Places tell stories. Urban landscapes interlace, and histories meet. As stories can be set at different places, one place can tell different stories. As I walked through the Old City of Cairo, I felt, that it conserves the present and the past, and tells its stories side by side.

Tjörvafell, Hnausapollur - Iceland

Photo and caption by Rasmus Hartikainen

Looking down from the top of a hill one can see the harsh, yet surprisingly lush, volcanic landscape of Iceland.

Memorial Union Terrace Swimmers Pier at Sunrise

Photo and caption by Cassius Callender

This photo was taken from the Memorial Union Terrace Swimmers Pier (Lake Mendota, Madison, WI) on May 26, 2010, at 5:24 AM. Right at sunrise. This was one of the rare occasions in which the sky reflected on the lake like a mirror.

Inside Safdarjung Tomb

Photo and caption by Mujeer Shaikh

This picture is taken inside a rare tourist attraction spot in New Delhi known as Safdarjung Tomb. It is taken while the sun sets diagonally to the structure which gives a gateway to light entering from the two of four doors of the tomb.

View from a boat

Photo and caption by Julia Gunther

While working on a photo project about hunting for Isabella Rozendaal in Louisiana and Texas, USA, I met Ray, the alligator hunter.
Ray took us on one of his hunts through 2 o'clock bayou, Louisiana, where I took this picture.

Julia Gunther
23rd November 2010

Auckland Skyline through a Birds Eye View

Photo and caption by Vinit Pathak

One Day I'll be there - We All have Dreams and we Work Really Hard to bring them to Reality, for this Lonely Seagull who was sitting at this particular place for quite a long time and just looking at the city, it seems even it has a dream which till now hasn't been a reality, just Like us.

Places Winner

Photo and caption by Jana Asenbrennerova

In "Ship Breakers of Chittagong," workers expose a ship's innards in Chittagong, Bangladesh, one of the world's biggest ship graveyards.

Despite its unsafe work practices and pollution, the city is "one of the biggest industry and job opportunities for many Bangladeshis," noted photographer Jana Asenbrennerova of San Francisco.

The unusual perspective of the winning photograph impressed judges.

"It's basically an industrial landscape photo, but done in an interesting way, with humans for scale, that we couldn't stop looking at it," said judge Joel Sartore, a freelance photographer.

"I've seen a lot of shipbreaking photos, but never seen this one before," said freelance photographer and judge Stephen Alvarez. "You know at once where you are and what is going on."

Judge Sadie Quarrier, a National Geographic magazine senior photo editor, said she liked "how the photographer decided to shoot this quite tight so we only see portions of the ship."

"This allows the eye to wander around and inspect all of the various pipes, parts, and people."

Girl With A View

Photo and caption by Sam Miller

A young girl looks west over Chicago from the Skydeck on Willis Tower.

Frozen Lake

Photo and caption by Renato de Paula Cardoso

After the arrival of an intense cold front in Amsterdam, Netherlands, residents leave their homes to have fun playing and skating on the frozen lake. Adults and children are distinguished only by height.

Gas Flare

Photo and caption by Jussi Hellsten

On the way home I saw sky on fire. Had to go closer to find out what it was. There was over -20°C and my fingers had some frost bites but managed to capture this.

limbo

Photo and caption by marco moretti

trapped between the sharp reef of the Indonesian coast and the powerful swell from the Indian Ocean, a surfer surrender and leaves his surfboard behind, duck diving under a consecutive set of waves.

we both share a moment of tranquillity, in a Limbo state, until the lack of oxygen requires us to get back in the storm of waves above us.

Awaiting.

Photo and caption by Federico Picciani

The two women are in admittance at the Bwaila Martenity Unit, Lilongwe and are awaiting to give childbirth. 1st November 2010

Pilgrim's Way to Holy Island, Northumberland, UK

Photo and caption by Arnaud Bataille

Wooden poles mark the 11th century Pilgrim's Way through the sands to Holy Island, also known as Lindisfarne (Northumberland, UK). This island was one of the principle centres of Christianity during the Dark Ages. Accessible only during low tide, the path was followed by pilgrims inspired by the life and teaching of St Cuthbert, one of the most important medieval saint of England.

Cordillera Blanca at night

Photo and caption by Zoltan Serfozo

I was a member of a trekking group in Peru. We have walked along on the 4 days Santa Cruz trek. This photo taken by the last night of the trek.

Hemu

Photo and caption by Peng Jiang

Voted as one of the most beautiful villages in China, Hemu is now one of the most photographed places.

On Edge

Photo and caption by Cordelia Bailey

Such imagination it took to build this house in such a precarious place!

Abandoned Bus

Photo and caption by keith weaver

I captured this photo during a 5-day road trip around Iceland in the summer of 2010. Found the bus just south of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in the northwestern part of the island.

The Grandstand

Photo and caption by Alison Domzalski

Joshua trees and jackrabbits were encountered on the 4x4 adventures to the Panamint region of Death Valley National Park. To catch a swiftly setting sun on the Racetrack playa, we ran to its outer edges. Looking back towards Ubehebe peak, I was then transported to an unearthly planet. My eyes were drawn to that strange rock island in the middle of the dry and cracked lakebed--behold, the Grandstand.

First snow of the year on the Great Wall

Photo and caption by MATTHEW FEE

For this, our first trip to the Great Wall of China, we had hoped to be able to avoid the tourist trails and hike a section that had escaped the reconstruction that the more popular parts have seen. Our guide (pictured) took us to an area where we wouldn't see a soul all day, and where getting caught in an unexpected snow storm was an added bonus that we hadn't anticipated.

Town in Dawn

Photo and caption by Wei Sun

Taken on Nov 11, 2010. It was in early morning with light fog and frost. Captured by Canon 20D in raw format, minimal touch-up with Lightroom.

Brussels shadows dance

Photo and caption by H S

The marble and concrete city brought to life by a lone skater in the last rays of the day.

SAND STRIPES

Photo and caption by Gail von Bergen-Ryan

Sand blown into layers of rooms in this abandoned diamond-mining town.

Louvre rest

Photo and caption by Eugene Zhulkov

Hot sun, cold water in the heart of the most romantic city in Europe

Wake up

Photo and caption by Oleg Lukyanov

Drunken man sleeps on the ground early in the morning.
Moscow, Russia.

Castillo San Felipe del Morro

Photo and caption by steve bruno

A worker crossing the plaza at Fortress San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Dusk on Mentamani River

Photo and caption by George Tahija

Our company is developing a sustainable agriculture project in an isolated area of West Papua, Indonesia. One afternoon, the project team came to our boat for a meeting. A local was left to mind their wooden speed boat. The shape and colour of the boat, contrasted against the black peat soaked water, made for a delightful photo. I took a few shots from different angles using a Nikon D700.

The Wedding Night

Photo and caption by Brian Wilson

A bride and groom share a moment at the end of their wedding day in a local bar. The tables have been cleared, the guests have left and they are briefly alone.

Orphanage

Photo and caption by Karl Schoemaker

I captured this at an AIDs orphanage in Geita Town, Tanzania.
There are about 75 children at this orphanage, all of them have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS. The kids range from around three years old to 14 years old. On arrival I was greeted enforce, where all the childrem upon taking my hand bowed almost to the ground; it was a very emotional experience.

Cloud Factory

Photo and caption by Aaron Feinberg

The Kalalau Overlook can offer spectacular views when not socked in with clouds. On this day there was some of both. Waiting for the view to clear I was watching the clouds form below and wanted to capture their creation. To do so I used a 10 stop filter to extend my exposure to 90 seconds showing the development and movement of these clouds as the valley becomes exposed below.

Solitude

Photo and caption by Dhurjati Chatterjee

Situated in the Changthang Plateau region of Ladakh,India at a height of 4595 meters above sea level, the lake of Tso Moriri is the largest high altitude lake to be situated entirely within the country.Guarded by myths and mountains,the lake of Tso Moriri gave me a feeling of being in an enormously beautiful, secret location. It almost gives a feeling of being in your own private heaven.On the bank of the lake is a wide stretch of lush green and yellow grass like you would see nowhere else in the desiccated Ladakh.

St. Christophe Chapel, Verbier, Switzerland

Photo and caption by Alexandra Janus

Clouds in the valley passing an overlook on an overcast day in Verbier, Switzerland. This photo was taken at St. Christophe chapel - a 20 minute hike from Verbier.