One of the advantages of traveling, besides the time off, is the universal realization that being stuck to our laptops and smartphones is overly mundane, tedious and uninspiring. There is so much beauty all around us that the only reason we should ever really use technology is to capture the moments in a photograph or video clip. In fact, the [National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest][1] encourages all amateur shutterbugs to capture their best work and submit in the hopes that their photos will be selected amongst the very best in the world. What an honor to have an institution of such distinction, as it really is the standard of photographic excellence, highlight an amateur’s work. The annual contest highlights the natural and simple wonders found on each continent.
In its 27th year, the contest welcomes photography enthusiasts to share their globetrotting pictures. Entries can still be submitted until June 30, 2015. Take a look at some of the latest submissions. [1]: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/photo-contest-2015/A bird ́s view of tulip fields near Voorhout in the Netherlands, photographed with a drone in April 2015.
Small icebergs from the glaciers fronts in Isfjorden pays a visit to Longyearbyen on Svalbard. The ice slowly melts away in the sun and beautiful sculptures are created.
The magical arctic spring light adds its touch to the scene. Panorama made from two photos.
In April 2015 my dream come true and I have been able to visit the country of my dreams, Japan. This photo was taken while wondering the streets of Kyoto, it was raining a lot and all i could see was the sea of colourful umbrellas, until I spotted this girl. There was something about her that made me want to press the shutter.
I liked her grace and peacfull look. The moment after I made this photo, I knew that I had captured something special. It has become my faviorite from entire holiday..
Boys in Clifton Beach in Cape Town jumping into the Atlantic Ocean.
This little boy is chasing soap bubbles in the middle of Piazza Novena in Roma during Christmas season Dec 2014. Watching him brought back my wonderful childhood memories as I remembered how me too used to chase soap bubbles around.
How carefree those days were. Spontaneously catching this wonderful moment on camera is wonderful as it will always remind of happy times and a happy trip to Rome in Dec 2014.
This photo was taken during an afternoon safari in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. This huge male elephant was roaming around some bushes while we approached.
However, he passed by as if he did not perceive us and continued feeding from leaves and grass. Such a close encounter was surely breathtaking.
Mursi Tribe, Lower Omo Valley
The mountain road, Trollstigen, in western Norway.
I was lucky enough to live here for two months during summer and one evening I saw the valley filling with fog, so I drove up the road to watch the late summer midnight sun set as the fog swayed through the valley below.
This wave is situated right near the CBD of Sydney. Some describe it as the most dangerous wave in Australia, due to it breaking on barnacle covered rocks only a few feet deep and only ten metres from the cliff face.
If you fall off you could find yourself in a life and death situation. This photo was taken 300 feet directly above the wave from a helicopter, just as the surfer is pulling under the lip of the barrel.
Lucky timing. The oxpecker was originally sitting on hippo’s head.
I could see the hippo was going into a huge yawn (threat display?) and the oxpecker had to vacate it’s perch. When I snapped the pic, the oxpecker appeared on the verge of being inhaled and was perfectly positioned between the massive gaping jaws of the hippo. The oxpecker also appears to be screeching in terror and back-pedaling to avoid being a snack.
A rainbow arcs over the rainforest and mountains of Choiseul island in the Solomon Islands in front of an approaching storm.
A coconut palm casts a long shadow onto the sea.
Incredibly beautiful and extremely remote.
Koehn Lake, Mojave Desert, California. Aerial Image.
Pond de l’Archeveche – hundreds thousands of padlocks locked to a bridge by random couples, as a symbol of their eternal love.
After another iconic Pont des Arts bridge was cleared of the padlocks in 2010 (as a safety measure), people started to place their love symbols on this one. Today both of the bridges are full of love locks again.
As I was visiting with a Padong tribe, I looked out the window and saw this Burmese wedding procession.
I grabbed my camera and started shooting.
Beautiful view of Jalmahal during sunrise. I wanted to capture the palace and other two water structures also in the frame. Thats why I have used an ultra wide angle lens to capture this frame.
Not many tourists visit the place at dawn, so the location is bit peaceful early in the morning. And locals visit the lake in the morning and feed the pigeons and fish in pond. These pigeons keeps flying across the lake once in a while, which I used to fill my frame.
Giant waves converge and jump together along the napali coast of Kauai.
An early season northwest swell and the position of the autumn sun made this shot possible, but what really makes it special to me is the bird flying in the corner of the frame. This little moment of life adds balance to the image and reminds me that the mundane often make the spectacular.
We took this photo after swimming with the giant Manta Rays. As we boarded our boat, we noticed the magnificent rainbow that had just formed at the feet of Mount Otemanu in Bora Bora.
The locals that were with us had never seen a rainbow so low and so perfect. It was a magical experience.
The colorful place ( pink sky ) and the lake of stagnant salt would , by itself , a beautiful picture.
However , the junction of the beautiful countryside with some tourists (who were also there to record the color of the day) , meant that I found a very interesting and peculiar enquadramente.