2013 National Geographic Photo Contest, Part 1: “Places”, Weeks 1-3

National Geographic invites photographers from around the world to enter the 2013 National Geographic Photography Contest. The grand-prize winner will receive $10,000 (USD) and a trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual National Geographic Photography Seminar in January 2014.

“Hikers, Skogar to Thorsmork trail, Iceland”. Every summer solstice, locals in Iceland hike the Skogar to Thorsmork trail. Taking nearly 8 hours to complete, you can approach Thorsmork right as the sun starts to “rise” again. A few fellow hikers up ahead navigate the steep terrain. Photo location: Thorsmork, Iceland. (Photo and caption by Amanda Rust/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Carezza Lake”. Carezza lake is a pearl of the Dolomiti. Nestled between an ancient forest of grand firs and the Latemar mountain is place of legends and beauty… a nymph lives under its emerald waters. I threw a little stone in the water to add a little mystery to the scene. Photo location: Carezza, Bolzano, Italy. (Photo and caption by Antonio Chiumenti/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Cows And Kites”. I was driving along the beach highway when i noticed the bulls sunbathing on the empty beach. I initially thought i was seeing things,but no it really was sunbathing cows!! I had to park my car a fair distance away and that meant a long walk along the beach in 35 degree heat. It did not matter because i had to get the shot! When i got closer to them i was careful not to spook them so i crawled on my stomach on the hot sand to get a good picture of them. Mission Accomplished! It was worth the effort! Photo location: Tarifa Beach, Andalucia, Spain. (Photo and caption by Andrew Lever/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Rorschach”. The image was taken this late autumn in the Highlands of Scotland. Photo location: Highlands, Scotland, Great Britain. (Photo and caption by Sorin Rechitan/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Surreal Bay of Bengal”. This evening it rained a bit in Pondicherry, India. Later, the rain subsided, but there was persistent lightning over the sea. I wanted to make a dream-like frame where the rough sea will smooth out and I’ll be able to show the drama happening in the vast sky. I set the camera at f/16 aperture and shot a few long exposure frames at 16mm. Since, I was making a single exposure shot, I had to balance between the manual exposure duration and the amount of lightning that I wanted in the frame. The orange glow is from nearby street lights. Photo location: Pondicherry, Pondicherry Union Territory, India. (Photo and caption by Sandip Dey/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Stargazing on the Dock”. I had to hold pretty still for this shot, but thankfully the water stayed calm and the sky gave me quite a light show. Photo location: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. (Photo and caption by Ben Leshchinsky/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Frosted Tamarack Swamp”. I had scouted out a few places for an early morning shoot in the tamarack swamps. I searched and searched until I found this scene. With the sun barely breaking through the fog rising from the melting frost, the light lit up the tamarack in front of this ditch. The ditch faded into the mist, while the frost captured the early morning rays as everything glinted like it was covered in diamonds. I absolutely fell in love with the mood that this scene created. Just a few moments later, the sun rose high in the sky and melted all the frost, causing the scene to completely change. Photo location: Mather, Wisconsin. (Photo and caption by Adam Dorn/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Namib Desert, Namibia”. Aerial view of the Namib Desert, Namibia, Africa. Photo location: Namib Desert, Namibia. (Photo and caption by Chris Schmid/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“How to make sun dried tomato”. After collecting all tomatoes from the field, all need to be cut by half and leave under the sun to get dry. And than when they get dried, send them to the other cities that tomato does not grove… Photo location: Turkey İzmir Bergama. (Photo and caption by Melih Sular/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Admiral’s Arch”. Most visitors make a fuss about trying to capture this South Australian Landmark at sunset. But if you stay a little longer, the Arch reveals it’s true self. A dark and mysterious formation, carved from ions of crashing waves and howling wind. You’ll also notice a rugged beauty which I think epitomizes the underrated South Australian coastline. Photo location: Kangaroo Island, South Australia. (Photo and caption by Josh Wood/National Geographic Photo Contest)