National Geographic Photo Contest 2011 by The Big Picture:
After the success of National Geographic Photo Contest 2011 many readers ask for more pictures so, here’s another pack of the best photos of 2011.
There’s still time! The deadline for entries for this year’s National Geographic Photo Contest is November 30. Photographers of all skill levels (last year more than 16,000 images submitted by photographers from 130 countries) enter photographs in three categories: Nature, People and Places. The photographs are judged on creativity and photographic quality by a panel of experts. There is one first place winner in each category and a grand prize winner as well. The following is a selection of 54 entries from each of the 3 categories. The caption information is provided and written by the individual photographer. –Paula Nelson (54 photos total)
LONE TREE YELLOWSTONE: A solitary tree surviving another harsh winter in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. (Photo and caption by Anita Erdmann/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest)
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IS HE STILL THERE?!: One morning while on the Big Island of Hawaii, i exploring my surroundings to see if i could find something to photograph. I almost went back inside when something on this huge palm tree leaf caught my eye. I stayed around and it was this little gecko, startled by my presence he was hidden between the ridges of the leaf. He would pop his head up periodically to check his surroundings, as soon as he saw i was still there he would hide again. We played this game for a while until i got the shot. Holualoa big Island, Hawaii. (Photo and caption by Lorenzo Menendez/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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LANDSCAPE IN THE RAIN: It was raining heavily when I took the photo, but the sun illuminated the landscape parochially. Bergueda, Catalonia, Spain. (Photo and caption by Mihaly Attila Kazsuba/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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NONI NECTAR FOR GREEN GECKO: Madagascar Gold Dust Day Gecko licking nectar from a young noni fruit in Kailua, Hawaii. These geckos were living all around the hale’ we were staying in, enjoying the noni and basking on the railing and sunny steps to our place. They were very shy mostly, except this one must have enjoyed the nectar so much as to let me get a shot of their favorite activity. They seemed to tend the noni very attentively throughout the day. August 2010, Chandra S Sherin. Kona Village Resort, Kailua – Kona, Hawaii. (Photo and Caption by Chandra Sherin/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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MOSAIC: Patterns of sea stars as exquisite mosaics, attractive, and each time is different. Cambodia (Photo and caption by Andrey Narchuk/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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DUNBAR: Two elements. Water and rock. Motion and tranquility. Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland. (Photo and caption by Tatana Vacovska/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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FLIGHT OF AN EAGLE OWL: A large adult eagle owl in flight. Lingfield, Surrey, UK. (Photo and caption by Mark Bridger/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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CONFRONTING: Cage divers confront a great white shark on the Isla de Guadalupe. (Photo and caption by David Litchfield/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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THE CLOUD: At safari not only animals can attract attention. South Africa, Western Cape, Aquila Safari park. (Photo and caption by Dmitry Gorilovskiy/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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FLESH AND BONES: In a world where no one understands the importance of nature, all that is left of our nature is just these flesh & bones. Toronto, Canada. (Photo and caption by Amirhassan Farokhpour/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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ATACAMA SUNSET: Setting sun lights up clouds over Salar de Atacama in north Chile. I took this photo in July 2011 and at that time clouds like this were worrying sign of more unusual snow fall which already blocked roads to Bolivia and Argentina. Thankfully this time it just served as spectacular canvas to a sunset and reminder how beautiful is the world we live in. Salar de Atacama, Chile. (Photo and caption by Magdalena Rakita/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest)#
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STINGRAY: This image was captured to Sandbar, Grand Cayman during my last trip.This beautiful creature turn around you very close and you can touch it.This is a really amazing experience, you are surrounded by dozen of this friendly animal. Sandbar-Grand Cayman-Caribean (Photo and caption by Gazzaroli Claudio/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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LOVE OF PARENTS: The emperor penguins fight for survival and to protect their only baby in the frozen Antarctic ice desert. Antarctica: Atka Bay, Weddell Sea. (Photo and caption by Claus Possberg/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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WINTER LOLLIPOPS: Winter is extremely beautiful in Lithuania. It was an early morning and minus 25 degrees Celsius outside. This landscape feels out of this world, but in fact it’s in the outskirts of my home city, Kaunas—just a mile away from my house. Oftentimes beauty lies just a step away from our door. Kaunas, Lithuania (Photo and caption by Matas Juras/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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OXPECKER’S PUZZLE: I’ve always been intrigued by the markings of giraffes–how they vary between individuals and how they look like pieces of a puzzle, cracked mud or even tectonic plates in my scientific mind. I’ve tried many times to capture them but it was never right. Here, this oxpecker in a tight crop, lost on the abstract surface and framed by the legs of the larger animal finally seems to work. South Africa. (Photo and caption by Benjamin Bronselaer/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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NIGHT TIME HAMMERHEAD: Curious hammerhead at dusk. Cat Key, Bahamas. (Photo and caption by Raul Boesel/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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RHEA’S PORTRAIT: A different angle from an American Rhea (Rhea americana) seen in Pantanal, Brazil, on a cloudy day. Pantanal, Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. (Photo and caption by Simony Blanco/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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WILDEBEEST CROSSING: Beautiful mayhem. Masai Mara, Kenya. (Photo and caption by Samantha Gargour/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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SAND SPHERES: The food filtered 2-3mm sand ball creations of a tiny Sand Bubbler Crap. Done so that it knows which sand has been filtered for food. Daintree Rainforest region, Cairns, Austrailia. (Photo and caption by Baron Collocott/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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SUMMER AT GRANNY’S: This is a heart-shaped stawberry in the hand of my grandmother. Love is the message. Gyula, Hungary. (Photo and caption by Szabo Eszfer/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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GOOD MORNING: Jabulani the elephant greeting his caretaker, Stavros Chakoma, before heading out on safari. Kapama Game Reserve, Kruger region of South Africa. (Photo and caption by Paula Durham/Nature/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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CLASH OF CIVILISATIONS: Walking down a main street in Addis, I met this young character. We started talking and soon became friends. One day, he invited me to his home to try some famous Ethiopian coffee, prepared traditionally. As I drank cup after cup of exquisite, freshly roasted coffee, this scene emerged in front of me. In a way it described my experience of Ethiopia, and other African nations I had worked in: a rapidly changing, dynamic world where tradition and modernity struggle to coexist. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Photo and caption by Jason Benovoy/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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YUENGLING, 2011: This is the first photo that I took of my friend, Robert, when he got back from serving in Afghanistan for one year. He didn’t talk much. We just sat together, and he showed me what he was feeling when I put my camera in front of him. He was humble. He didn’t complain, but only filled the room with his experience of wearing combat boots, and carrying a gun to work everyday. He drinks a lot now, but I guess he always did. Douglasville, GA. (Photo and caption by Ashley Kauschinger/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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DUSK IN THE BALE MOUNTAINS: A kitten and an elderly woman stand outside their hut deep in the subalpine Bale Mountains of southeastern Ethiopia. Bale Mountains, Ethiopia. (Photo and caption by Benjamin Guez/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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THE PENITENTS: The day of Friday, there is the traditional procession of penitents through the village streets beating their backs with the discipline of rings and metal plates. San Lorenzo Maggiore, Benevento, Italy. (Photo and caption by Salvatore Picciuto/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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DAY OF YOUTH: Muslim girls at the day of the youth on the 11th of February. The girls are walking in a procession to the mayor of the village and are singing about the power of Cameroon. Lagdo, Cameroon. (Photo and caption by Ronnie Dankelman/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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SUNBATHING UNDERWATER: The sun gives us energy even underwater. This image was captured during freediving (diving on a single breath without scuba gear) in the Red Sea. Eel Garden, Dahab, Sinai, Egypt. (Photo and caption by Vaclav Krpelik/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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UNTITLED: Children filled with happiness playing in the water. Brazil. (Photo and caption by Seth Solo/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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WEATHERED HANDS: The Kara women collect the water, cook for family, harvest the fields, make the clothing, and are the backbone of the tribe. This elderly woman was the only white-haired person I came in contact with. I tried desperately to get a pleasing portrait and caught her hands in my peripheries; the perfect symbol of the woman’s role in tribal society in the Omo River Valley. Her bracelets are made from salvaged AK-47 shell casings, a symbol in itself for the cyclic theme of war and revenge between the Kara and the neighboring tribe, the Nyangatom. Omo River Valley, Ethiopia. (Photo and caption by Nicholas Wiesnet/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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WORSHIPPER, HOLY SEPULCHRE: A worshipper in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during Holy Week. Old City, Jerusalem. (Photo and caption by Matthew Goddard-Jones/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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CHILDHOOD: When does childhood become adulthood? When does snack time become lunch at your desk? When did safety shift from blankies to insurance? When did magic turn into illusion? Childhood. When the whole world is magic. Portland, Oregon. (Photo and caption by Mei Ratz/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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THE UNTOLD STORY: A young Afghan refugee girl living, with her family, in a village named Bhaun near district Chakwal in Punjab, Pakistan. Village Bhaun, Punjab, Pakistan. (Photo and caption by Mohsin Khawar/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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WRESTLER’S HANDS: A wrestler at the US Olympic Training facility in Colorado Springs, CO, stops to rest and catch his breath after a hard training session. Colorado Springs, CO. (Photo and caption by Stephanie Zollshan/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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TERENCE STAMP: The actor at my home in Ojai, California, during a casual photoshoot in my living room. Ojai, CA. (Photo and caption by Betina La Plante/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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MY OWN LIGHT: Pinki Kundu, a 13 yrs old girl is suffering from a chronic disease & is being treated in Mother Teresa TB Hospital in Kolkata.She is under CAT 1 drug therapy & is doing well.The day I photographed her she was very hopeful mood that she would be returning back to her parent soon. Kolkata, West Bengal, India. (Photo and caption by Saibal Gupta/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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PAPA: This a portrait that I took of my Grandfather. He was a photographer and I wanted to show all his wonderful old cameras and his life in an editorial styled portrait. He just turned 95 years old and still remembers how all his old camera’s work. I really love this picture and hope you like it as well. Hillside, IL. (Photo and caption by Christopher Bellezza/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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SALOME RAMOS: Salome Ramos is 64 years old and lives in Quibdo, a town with a 95 percent Black population derived from African slaves imported to Pacific coast of Colombia by the conquistadors. She is presently out of work, but her previous Jobs include everything from maid to miner. The economics of Quibdo are almost entirely supported by the wages of mining or fishing and the towns atmosphere has a raw vibrance, I felt like an alien as everyone stared at me- in a curious rather than un-welcoming way. Quibdo, Colombia. (Photo and caption by Carlos Manuel Saavedra/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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AUBURN PRIDE: Young men driving into a patch of reflected light along Auburn Rd. Part of a larger personal project documenting the western Sydney suburb of Auburn. The series provides a glimpse into the life of the next generation of Australians living in Auburn, peering behind the veil of this little-known side of society. Auburn is a small suburb in Sydney’s west, a landing point for many migrants and refugees when they first arrive in Australia. Sydney, Australia. (Photo and caption by George Voulgaropoulos/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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ROSA: My 89-year-old Great Aunt sits in the living room of her second floor apartment. Philadelphia, PA. (Photo and caption by Amber Verbas/People/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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PLATFORM 2: Early morning commuter walks the tracks. New Delhi Railway Station, India. (Photo and caption by Danny Griffin/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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NEW ORLEANS STREETCAR: This is a streetcar in New Orleans traveling back towards The Quarter on St. Charles Ave. I held the camera against the window sill, making sure to divide the image equally between the inside and the outside. New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo and caption by Don Chamblee/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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PRAYING ON THE LAND OF BLACK JERUSALEM – I: Black Jerusalem is the name given to Lalibela, the ancient capital of Abyssinia and monastic city of northern Ethiopian mountains. Its 11 rocky churches hidden in the volcanic rock are still venerated as the Mecca of the Ethiopian Coptic Christianity. Every believer is required to make at least once in his or her life a pilgrimage. Inside the rock-carved church Debra Sina, a female pilgrim draped in her robe is reading the bible. In the background a corridor communicates with the church Golgotha whose access is denied to women. Lalibela – Ethiopia. (Photo and caption by Sophie Picavet/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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FLAT OCEAN: Just before a huge monsoon downpour, the ocean became flat as I have never seen before. It was drizzling a bit, people were on their way to their house, when I walked up this pier. The light rain made the pier mirror-like, and the ocean was so calm. On the horizon are the islands just in front of Makassar, part of that special islands of Sulawesi. Makassar, Indonesia. (Photo and caption by Erik Kievit/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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LIGHT’S TRYST WITH DARKNESS IN SEMI-URBAN INDIA: Image shot at 11:45pm, where a windstorm caused complete blackout on a newly constructed bridge in Lucknow,India. The pic is taken in a newly urbanized area, however cheaper modes of transport-autorickshaws and 2 wheelers still rule the streets at any hour. The pic shows various contrasting features – Some folks sitting, some walking, some driving without lights (autorickshaw), some navigating with ‘high beam lights’ to also give the missing illumination of installed street lights. The contrasting movements/features are depicted by the contrast of lightness and darkness, in the semi-urban city. Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. (Photo and caption by Taran Bedi/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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THE TEMPLE OF TRANSITION: Morning light breaking through the windows of the ‘Temple of Transition’ during the Burning Man event 2011. Black Rock City, Nevada (Burning Man event). (Photo and caption by Lars Tiemann/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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THE PIGEON FEEDERS: Photographs taken at the entrance to the New Mosque in Eminonu districkt of Istanbul. After strolling through the streets of this ancient city, I have stopped there to relax watching the hordes flying from one feeder to the other. Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo and caption by Wojciech Ryzinski/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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FALLING LEAVES: This photo was taken in Bruges, Belgium in September in 2011. Bruges, Belgium (Brugge). (Photo and caption by Mandy Michels/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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NATURAL LANDSCAPE PAINTING: The Landmannalaugar is probably one of the most impressive place in Iceland, a popular tourist destination. Located near the volcano Hekla in southern section of Iceland’s highlands. The area displays a number of unusual geological elements, like the multicolored rhyolite mountains. When I took this picture, it was raining and it became worse after. I waited a bit for have people into my composition, in such a landscape to have a notion of scale is important, hence you will find a group of people at the bottom left. Iceland, Landmannalaugar. (Photo and caption by Romain Chassagne/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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BY THE WIND OF CHANCE: I was doing my touristic duties to photograph the Pyramids, and I hear my professor shouting. Next thing you know my entire class and some police officers were running to catch my professors hat. It actually wasn’t until later that night when scrolling through my photos that I realized I captured this gem. Great Pyramid of Giza. (Photo and caption by John Head/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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BLOW’N IN THE WIND: A warm blustery Labor Day 2011, Chicago. Oak Street Beach, Chicago, IL. (Photo and caption by Alison Wishart/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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THE GOLDEN GATE: A very different perspective of the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco, CA, USA. (Photo and caption by Reuben Cornel/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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FISHING ON THE CLOUD: Anglers fishing in the mist rising from the reservoir by dawn look like fishing on cloud. Gosam reservoir, Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, Korea. (Photo and caption by Sungjin Kim/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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BLUE LAGOON: Blue lagoon, Iceland. (Photo and caption by Maroesjka Lavigne/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
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TIME: An image with beautiful natural colours i was surveying for work when i found this moment and only got the one single shot due to the meeting with my client, the car and the climber was removed one week after the image was taken… UK. (Photo and caption by Simon Belham/Places/National Geographic Photo Contest) #
