The Year's Best Travelography

GRAND PRIZE WINNER! Sunrise at the Mountain village of Shicheng Category: Cityscapes by Xiaoyu Yu “Shicheng is a beautiful village on the mountain of Wuyuan County, every morning, the cooking smokes is covering the entire village, like a mist or fog.” Location: Wuyuan county, Jiangxi Province, China Equipment: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-70mm lens Xiaoyu Yu

Glacier Detail Tracy Arm Category: From Above by Mack Horton “With a telephoto from above, the glacier became abstract art, highlighted by the turquoise of two trapped ponds.” Location: Tracy Arm, Alaska Equipment: Nikon D700 Tamron 28-75 f2.8 Mack Horton

Tracy Arm Green Category: From Above by Mack Horton “Above a Tracy Arm fjord, Alaska, in July. The water really is this green, and there is still snow on the peaks.” Location: Tracy Arm Alaska Equipment: Nikon D700 Tamron 28-75 f2.8 Mack Horton

The View From Above Category: From Above by Erik Jepsen “A view from the top of the man made world, the burj khalifa in Dubai.” Location: Dubai Equipment: Nikon D700 and a Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 Erik Jepsen

High Arctic Category: From Above by Daniel Harri “View of the High Arctic from a helicopter traveling between Alert, Nunavut, the northernmost permanently inhabited place on the planet, and Ward Hunt Island.” Location: Nunavut, Canada Equipment: Nikon D3, 24-70mm Nikkor lens Daniel Harris

Ice Flow Category: From Above by Daniel Harris “View of an ice flow in the High Arctic from a helicopter traveling between Alert, Nunavut, the northernmost permanently inhabited place on the planet, and Ward Hunt Island.” Location: Nunavut, Canada Equipment: Nikon D3, 24-70mm Nikkor lens Daniel Harris

San Juan Aerial Category: From Above by Ken Holyfield “Photographed in the spring of 2009 from a Cessna 210. The San Juans were blanketed with a layer of red sand from high spring winds. The air still had a high level of haze from the previous day’s winds.” Location: San Juan Mountains, Colorado Equipment: Sigma SD14 with Sigma 105mm lens Ken Holyfield

Sky City Category: From Above by Carole Devillers “A city of clouds emerges in the sky as a nebulous layer drifts apart and the rising sun paints the sea with golden hues. Taken on a flight from Florida to Haiti at sunrise.” Location: Between Florida and Haiti Equipment: Nikon D300, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm Carole Devillers

Gaurd Towers Category: From Above by Donald Charlton “Words cannot express the feelings and emotions that we experienced at what was truly a residence of death.” Location: Poland Equipment: Canon 5D Canon lense (24-105) Donald Charlton

Chicago Tilt/shift Category: From Above by Kiron Roy f/ 5.6 1/125″ ISO 200 Location: Chicago, IL Equipment: Nikon D40 18-55 mm lens Kiron Roy

BUCKET LIST CATEGORY WINNER Defining Moment – Mighty Alaskan Humpback by Lawrence Weslowski Jr “A massive humpback whale breaches almost completely out of the water, rotating perfectly so as to offer a rare shot of a lifetime that in a single photograph defined our trip of a lifetime to Alaska.” Location: Auke Bay – Juneau, Alaska Equipment: Canon 50D, Canon 100-400mm IS “L” lens Lawrence Weslowski Jr

Llama at Machu Picchu Category: Bucket List by Toni Hill “Nearly run over by this llama and his friends running by on the path.” Location: Machu Picchu, Peru Equipment: Pentax K-x Toni Hill

Buried Gros Piton Category: Bucket List by Ryan Estes “As the trade winds were blowing in the clouds for the day, they carried this mammoth cloud right over the Gros Piton. It was a gorgeous sight and I would love to see it again!” Location: St. Lucia Equipment: Canon 50D, 18-200mm w/Tiffen Circular Polarizer Ryan Estes

Rho Ophiuchus Category: Bucket List by Phillip Jones “On my bucket list was the idea that some day, I would be able to photograph the most colorful nebulosity in our galaxy visible from Earth: the Rho Ophiuchus region. It took 5 years of learning astrophotography, both capturing and processing skills, and waiting for excellent sky conditions to pull this off. Capturing the image data took place over two clear and dark nights. Image was captured from Fort Davis, TX. This region is spread across the Scorpius and Ophiuchus constellations.” Location: Fort Davis, TX Equipment: Takahashi FSQ-106ED telescope, Apogee U16M camera and filter wheel, Astrodon Gen2 LRGB filters, Astro-Physics 900 equatorial mount, and Maxim DL camera control software. Phillip Jones

A Sunrise Walk Category: Bucket List by Sue Wolfe “An early morning walk in the Sahara Desert dunes.” Location: Sahara Desert (Morocco) Equipment: Nikon D700, 70-200m f2.8 lens. Sue Wolfe

Gaze of the Reclining Buddha Category: Bucket List by Eric Decker “You can never truly comprehend the grander of the gigantic golden reclining Buddha until you stand in it’s presence. The sounds, smells, and imagery of Wat Pho must be experienced to fully appreciate.” Location: Wat Pho. Bangkok, Thailand Equipment: Nikon D90 Nikkor 18-105 Eric Decker

Rano Raraku, Easter Island Category: Bucket List by Everen Brown “Silent stone Sentinels keep watch over Easter Island.” Location: Rano Raraku, Easter Island, Chile Equipment: Globoscope 360° Camera Everen Brown

Iceberg for Sale, with pool Category: Bucket List by Laura Gatz “With our ship, the National Geographic Explorer in the background, this iceberg stands tall, proudly displaying an icy but inviting aqua pool.” Location: Vicinity of Useful Island, Antarctica Equipment: Canon 7D Canon 100-400mm lens Laura Gatz

Le Cathedral, Strausbourg Category: Cityscapes by Kyle Ford “These photographs were taken while backpacking through Europe with a buddy.” Location: Strausbourg, France Equipment: Canon 5d Mark II, 50mm 1.4 Kyle Ford

Fish (apparently) nibbling on napkin Category: Cityscapes by Durrell Hillis “View of interior of Aquarium Cafe with Fish in the tank in the background, some seemingly in mid air and one fish who appears to be nibbling on a napkin. Lucky shot-absolutely no post processing.” Location: Aquarium Cafe, Valencia, Spain Equipment: Nikon D90 with F2.8 17-55 mm lens Durrell Hillis

The Da Vinci Code Category: Cityscapes by Raji R Altabshi “I couldn’t resist the view when i arrived here, so i set up my tripod and took the shot. It was shot during my last visit to Paris at the Louvre Museum. I liked the symmetry of the gate, glass pyramids and the dome.” Location: Paris, France Equipment: Canon 5d Mark ii Canon 24-70mm L f/2,8 Giottos Tripod MT8361 Raji R Altabshi

The Bean Category: Cityscapes by Raji R Altabshi “This was shot during a two visit to Chicago. I couldn’t take good shots of the Bean during the day, so i had to get up early in the morning, leave my warm hotel room on a chilly Sunday morning. The shot was processed as an HDR using three different exposures due to the high dynamic of the scene.” Location: Chicago, Illinois Equipment: Canon xti Tamron 17-50mm Manfrotto 190xb pro Tripod Raji R Altabshi

Modern Art Category: Cityscapes by Fritz Eckert “This is a combination of 3 bracketed shots, looking down on the entrance area in orange and yellow.” Location: MOMA, New York City Equipment: Panasonic Lumix GF1, Leica 12-50mm zoom. Fritz Eckert

Urban Mountains Category: Cityscapes by Labib Haddad “I just could not resist the illusion of transparency that the building and clouds afforded me.” Location: Boston, MA USA Equipment: Panasonic Lumix GF1, Lumix G Vario 7-14, 1/1000 f/4.0 iso 100 Labib Haddad

STREET SCENES CATEGORY WINNER Fun in the Sun by David Scarbrough “Taken in Disneyland’s California Adventure park late in the day. A mist machine provided relief from the heat and the sun coming from behind created the lighting effect.” Location: Orange County, California Equipment: Panasonic Lumix LX3 David Scarbrough

Pop Culture Category: Street Scenes by Kristen Hanson “Local residence spray paint on the beach in Venice California while tourist marvel at their talent.” Location: Venice, California Equipment: Nikon D-300 Kristen Hanson

Bread Maker Category: Street Scenes by Kathleen Kravitz “While walking through a village, I came across this scene in a restaurant. As I am interested in cooking, I went inside to observe the cook.” Location: Chhattisgarh, India Equipment: Olympus E-510 with 12-60mm lens Kathleen Kravitz

Man going to church Category: Street Scenes by Clermens Loew “Man entering church at sun down. Near Santa Clara, Cuba.” Location: Cuba Equipment: Pentax, 50mm lens. Clermens Loew

Tie Kid Category: Street Scenes by Robert Drake “In Bangkok, a child is kept within proximity of his mother’s vendor with a rudimentary leash.” Location: Thailand Equipment: Canon 5D Robert Drake

El Niño en el Basurero Category: Street Scenes by Jason Powell “A boy living in the dump in Guatemala City peeks through a hole in a rusted tin wall while waiting in line for handouts of food.” Location: Guatemala City, Guatemala Equipment: Nikon D70s, Nikkor 18-70mm Jason Powell

Carsey’s Barber Shop: Series 1 Category: Street Scenes by Meg Roussos “Barber Shop located N. Court Street; Athens, Ohio is home to may regular customers. Handed down through multiple generations, this barbershop has lots of history. On February 23, 2010 Alan Trout trims a customer’s hair.” Location: Athens, Ohio Equipment: Nikon D300s, 17-35mm lens Meg Roussos

Child Labor Category: Street Scenes by Paul Fabsits “A dad working on an elevated rail construction site looks on proudly as his son, barely old enough to walk, helps carry debris.” Location: Mumbai, India Equipment: Nikon D300 Nikon 28-70mm F2.8D AF-S Paul Fabsits

The Art of Doing Nothing Category: Street Scenes by Iryna Andronova “Seen on street at lunch time.” Location: Manhattan, New York Equipment: Nikon D 70S Iryna Andronova

UNDERWATER CATEGORY WINNER Racing Pigs by Harold Shapiro “An agricultural fair favorite event.” Location: Chester, CT Equipment: Canon 5-D Mark 2, 100-400 Canon Harold Shapiro

Blue Grotto Category: Underwater by Matt Genuardi “Taken during my first dive at the Grotto in Ocala, FL. A couple other divers just descended.” Location: Ocala, FL Equipment: Canon G9 w/ Underwater Case Matt Genuardi

Amidst Seafans Category: Underwater by Adriana Basques Soares “Pristine corals and underwater diversity makes Raja Ampat one of these last frontier!” Location: Raja Ampat / Indonesia Equipment: Canon 5D markII Sigma 15mm fish eye lens Aquatica housing with glass dome 2 Ikelite 125 strobes Adriana Basques Soares

Underwater Window Category: Underwater by Cameron Nelson “This image was taken at Makena State Beach on Maui. What you are looking at is a wave breaking from underwater. Looking through the wave you can see the lip curling over as well as the beach and the red volcanic mountain in the background. Notice the cylinder of air created when the wave curls over the sand.” Location: Makena, Maui Equipment: Canon 5D Mark II Canon 15mm Fisheye Custom (self) made waterhousing Cameron Nelson

Anemone Category: Underwater by Adriana Basques Soares “The most popular and always cute anemone fish posing for one more picture.” Location: Komodo / Indonesia Equipment: Canon 5D markII Canon 100mm macro lens Aquatica housing 2 Ikelite 125 strobes Adriana Basques Soares

Mysteries of the Deep Category: Underwater by Rodney Paavola “A Leafy Dragon Sea Horse silhouette with reef background.” Location: Florida Equipment: Canon MKII 1Ds & Canon 24-70mm Rodney Paavola

Space Jelly Category: Underwater by Brandi Mueller “A moon jellyfish at the surface appears to be from outer space.” Location: Fiji Equipment: Nikon D90 Brandi Mueller

GREAT OUTDOORS CATEGORY WINNER The Forest for the Trees by David Scarbrough “Birch trees planted in formation in an orchard near Sens, France.” Location: Sens, France Equipment: Canon 5D mkII, EF 24-105 F4L David Scarbrough

Hikers on the Great Sand Dunes Category: Great Outdoors by Paul Wasserman “Hikers ascend the Dunes at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, against the backdrop of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. It had rained the night before, giving the dunes a surreal sheen.” Location: Great Sand Dunes NP, Colorado Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod Paul Wasserman

Avalanche Lily Trail Category: Great Outdoors by Joseph Knoll “A spectacular meadow on a cold, spring, August day.” Location: Mount Rainier Equipment: Canon EOS 1D Mark III & EF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM lens Joseph Knoll

Birch Trees Category: Great Outdoors by Penny Steiner “Painted these birch trees in the back roads of New Hampshire.” Location: New Hampshire Equipment: Canon 40D, 18-200IS Penny Steiner

The Gossips Category: Great Outdoors by Barry Cronin “Every evening, these birds gather on the telephone wires…to have a chat?” Location: Marion, MA Equipment: Olympus 510 Barry Cronin

Landing Motion Category: Great Outdoors by Gary Singer “This image was taken late in the afternoon (3:59PM to be precise!) at 1/25 second, not knowing what I would capture. What I got was a photograph with a distinct painterly quality, which is what I wanted. And on canvas it looks more like an oil than a photograph.” Location: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, NM Equipment: Canon EOS 40D w/ 100-400mm f4.5-506L IS USM lens. Gary Singer

Passing Through Category: Great Outdoors by Daniel Novak “A gentle stream passing through a deep rocky gorge.” Location: Watkins Glen State Park, New York Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor 18-200 mm Daniel Novak

Help!! Category: Great Outdoors by Massimo Strazzer “When the first round of the storm dumped a ton of rain on me and then the sun came out, I was pretty much sure that I would have a pretty good rainbow 180 degrees away from the setting sun. So I decided to stick some more in this place. Then the second round of the storm approached and the rainbow intensified 10 times more.” Location: Petrified national Forest, AZ, USA Equipment: Nikon D3 Massimo Strazzer

The Rolling Hills Of The Palouse Category: Great Outdoors by Kevin McNeal “This was an image from my recent outings to the Palouse – while over there got to see some great light and photograph. We chased light all day and whenever we could we pulled off the road at a split second and shot away. Everytime I go there I have got lucky with the stormy clouds…” Location: Steptoe Butte State Park Palouse Equipment: Canon G10 Kevin McNeal

Reflections on Glacier Category: Great Outdoors by Everen Brown “Reflections on Glacier, Glacier Natl Park, Montana.” Location: Many Glacier, Glacier Natl Park, Montana Equipment: Globuscope 360° Camera Everen Brown

Sunset Great Smoky Mountains Category: Great Outdoors by Barry Hovland “Sunsets from Newfound Gap Road in The Great Smoky Mountains.” Location: Great Smoky Mountains Equipment: Nikon D300, 50-500mm, tripod Barry Hovland

Bass Harbor Category: Great Outdoors by Brett Cohen “Last light hitting the famous lighthouse of Bass harbor in Maine.” Location: Maine Equipment: Canon 17-40 Brett Cohen

Bass Harbor Category: Great Outdoors by Brett Cohen “Last light hitting the famous lighthouse of Bass harbor in Maine.” Location: Maine Equipment: Canon 17-40 Brett Cohen