[BITList] Selected photos from NatGeo_International Photography Contest 2009

Sat Feb 20 13:49:01 GMT 2010

National Geographic's International Photography Contest2009 attracts  
thousands of entries from photographers of all skill level
  around the world every year. Collected below are 25 images from the  
three categories of People, Places and Nature.
Captions given by photographers themselves.

Nazroo, a mahout (elephant driver), poses for a portrait while taking  
his elephant, Rajan, out for a swim in front of Radha Nagar Beach in  
Havelock, Andaman Islands. Rajan is one of the few elephants in  
Havelock that can swim, so when he is not dragging timber in the  
forest he is used as a tourist attraction. The relationship between  
the mahout and his elephant usually lasts for their entire lives,  
creating an extremely strong tie between the animal and the human  
being. (Photo and caption by Cesare Naldi)

2
On the final leg of a six-week United States of America road trip, I  
was driving east across Interstate 40 when a spot storm with golf ball- 
sized hail struck. A sign near Groom, Texas, announcing the "largest  
cross in the western hemisphere" explained the large crucifix I'd been  
wondering about for miles on the highway; it seemed like an OK place  
to wait out the storm. On my way to getting stuck in the mud and a  
giant double rainbow, I saw this silhouetted view of the cross,  
splitting the sunny sky from the stormy plains. (Photo and caption by  
Brad Maule)

3
This picture was taken during the Rinjani volcano trek on Lombok  
Island in Indonesia at sunrise. (Photo and caption by David Bismuth)

4
An example of photo luminescence in coral in West Papua (Photo and  
caption by Stephen Martin)

5
A male gelada baboon on the Guassa Plateau of the Ethiopian Highlands  
enjoys a good grooming. (Photo and caption by Robin Moore)

6
I was in the front car of the short subway between Pudong and the  
Bund, and was treated to the wonderful spectacle of an oncoming train  
in the tunnel's changing light show. I put my camera up to the window  
and shot as fast as possible to get this image. (Photo and caption by  
Gail von Bergen Ryan)

7
A stone's-eye- view of two tracks made by the sailing stones of Death  
Valley's Racetrack playa. The dried clay surface has a beautiful  
texture, and there is a palpable aura of mystery over the entire three- 
square- mile playa. The Racetrack was not entirely free of human  
influence though: several weeks before this taken many of the stones  
were stolen, leaving long trails without a traveler at the end. (Photo  
and caption by Tucker Sylvestro)

8
On my second day visiting the astounding Iguazu falls on the Brazilian  
side I was forced to change to my telephoto lens as my wide angle had  
been damaged by the water vapour. In had rained solid for 10 days  
prior to my arrival and so the falls were at their most spectacular.  
Standing on the elevated viewing platform I was able to shoot this  
school group who stood transfixed, emphasizing the incredible size of  
the falls. (Photo and caption by Ian Kelsall)

9
I took this picture on a sunny fall afternoon on a prairie near  
Chicago, Illinois. To improve the color saturation, I blocked the  
sunlight with my body. The blue background came straight from the  
camera. The image was not altered with any editor. (Photo and caption  
by Richard Susanto)

10
My grandfather was born and raised on our New Zealand farm. He and my  
grandmother were married nearly 60 years. Preparing for a photo in the  
barley, my grandmother lovingly reached up to adjust his hat. This was  
his last harvest. (Photo and caption by Gemma Collier)

11
During a rainy, cloudy morning at the Wild Goose scenic overlook on  
St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana, the sun peeped from  
under the cloud cover long enough to paint a golden-yellow swath  
across the face of the mountain for maybe 15 minutes before  
disappearing again. (Photo and caption by Rebecca Latson)

12
A young orangutan swings from tree to tree in Tanjung Puting National  
Park in Indonesian Borneo. (Photo and caption by Sean Crane)

13
This is about one hour of firefly activity near my home in rural  
Ontario. The precision of the background star trails is an interesting  
contrast to the chaotic pattern of the firefly flashes. (Photo and  
caption by Steve Irvine)

14
The edge of an iceberg floating just off the coast of Antarctica.  
(Photo and caption by Mike Matas)

15
While visiting Kruger National Park with my son, we came across two  
male hippos battling for dominance as we crossed a bridge over the  
Sabie River. The bellowing from the animals as they fought their  
bloody battle was incredible. They first fought in the shallows near  
the bank and then moved into the deeper part of the river. We don't  
know how it turned out but we were so glad to see the spectacle.  
(Photo and caption by Steve Mandel)

16
Andrew and his friend, a young sperm whale named Scar, were swimming  
together off the west coast of Dominica. The two of them became  
"friends" after Andrew saved Scar's life. (Photo and caption by Peter  
Allinson)

17
The Darvaza natural gas crater is located in the center of the Karakum  
Desert in the central Asian country of Turkmenistan. The crater  
resulted after a Soviet natural gas exploration accident in the 1950s  
and has been burning ever since. The crater is approximately 60 meters  
in diameter and its depth is approximately 20 meters. (Photo and  
caption by Natalja Silver)

18
When the wave conditions are right a wave appears, infrequently, as a  
result of the splash back off the cliff connecting with an incoming  
wave. This causes the incoming wave to pop up, creating fan-like  
shapes. On this particular day, over the two hours I spent on the  
rocks, this wave only appeared once. This is that shot. (Photo and  
caption by Aaron Feinberg)

19
David Hanson crosses a fallen log beneath soaring trees and a  
lingering fog in Washington's Olympic National Park. (Photo and  
caption by Michael Hanson)

20
Even during the Arirang Mass Games in North Korea, the ultimate  
expression of the state ideology, an individual can still sometimes  
stand out from the crowd and break free of the collective. If only  
just for a moment. (Photo and caption by Brendyn Zachary)

21
Cary stands on a deserted road in Central Ohio, at sunset. (Photo and  
caption by Lisa Roberts)

22
This bee was unfortunate enough to land in my pool, but he made some  
amazing patterns buzzing around in the water. He later escaped. (Photo  
and caption by Michael Johnson)

23
Taken at Kwena Croc Farm in South Africa (Photo and caption by Wayne  
Holloway)

24
This is one view of many dunes found in Jordan. Two steps forward and  
one step back made for a challenging ascent. (Photo and caption by  
Andrew Cwiklewich)

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