2014 National Geographic Photo Contest, Week 1

“Dreamscape”. A stunning sunset painted the sky over the Jokulsarlon Glacer Lagoon in South Iceland. It was a typical cloudy day in the Icelandic summer. The day was not hoping for a nice sunset, but I still decided to go on the spot, hoping to finally see the sun once the same had left behind the clouds. When the sun went down, in fact the sky burned out in an incredible vanilla tone. The scene was so peaceful and placid, so I decided to capture it with a long exposure, to bring out the amazing sense of oniric peace that this amazing sunset created. It has been like living in a dream. Photo location: Jokulsarlon Glaier Lagoon, Iceland. (Photo and caption by Francesco Riccardo Iacomino/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Man made cave”. In the Tigray mountains this incredible cave was hand carved to connect the villages on the other side of the mountain. I love how the shape of the cave resembles the shape of Africa. Photo location: Tigray Mountains, Ethiopia. (Photo and caption by Carey Nash/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“The market day”. In Ethiopia this road is filled with life as the villagers travel to the weekly market at sunrise. Photo location: Bahir Dar. (Photo and caption by Carey Nash/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Kleine Scheidegg”. We had one full day in the Berner Oberland during our trip through the Alps. Our one day happened to be very cloudy with a forecast of afternoon thunderstorms. We got onto the Panorama Trail early and we able to catch a few breaks in the clouds. To say that this view from near the Kleine Scheidegg train station was stunning would be a vast understatement. Photo location: Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland. (Photo and caption by Douglas Croft/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Mom’s Love”. The Mother Bird,feeding time. Photo location: Jakarta. (Photo and caption by Cherly Jong/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Electric Night”. This lightning storm had prolific lightning for a time during the monsoon in August. Photo location: Castle Rock, Colorado. (Photo and caption by Adam Adkins/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Hello”. Capturing this gentle giant’s inquisitive nature was rather easy as he swam right up to us and just stared for several long seconds. I love all the bubbles and his cute little face. Photo location: Point Defiance Zoo, Tacoma, WA, United States. (Photo and caption by Misty Gage/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Physalia Physalis”. Despite their potentially dangerous sting, the bluebottle cnidaria is an amazingly beautiful creature. I wanted to demonstrate this with careful lighting and composition. After strong NE winds hundreds of these cnidaria are blown into the bays around my home town and trapped overnight, enabling me to get my shots. Post processing is limited to colour temp and small amounts of burning. Also slightly cropped. Photo location: Shellharbour, NSW, Australia. (Photo and caption by Matthew Smith/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“King of the Zoo”. This photo of this giant majestic king of the beasts was captured at my local zoo summer of 2013. He was always so regal looking. This portrait of him captures his beautiful eyes and stunning mane. Photo location: Elmvale Zoo, Elmvale, Ontario, Canada. (Photo and caption by Cindy Rossit/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Rain is a gift”. Alone in the rain this strange to see Agalychnis Lemur pose for me and my camera… Click! Photo location: La fortuna, Costa Rica. (Photo and caption by Nicolas Reusens/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Mezmorized by Grace”. This Pink and brilliant colored Flamingo was caught taking a mid-day break as she nuzzled herself within her feathers amongst the other birds. The beauty is captivating and there’s a sense of piece and tranquility seen in her eyes. Photo location: Birminghan Zoo, Birmingham Alabama. (Photo and caption by Tylee Parvin/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Catch of the Decade”. Can you guess what happened next? Photo location: Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA. (Photo and caption by Aaron Baggenstos/National Geographic Photo Contest)