Rainbow waterfalls, Ethiopian body painting and colourful Mumbai slums: The amazing images vying for first place in National Geographic's photography competition
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It is one of the most prestigious photographic competitions in the world, celebrating the most breathtaking travel pictures captured around the globe - and this year's submissions are no exception.
National Geographic launched their annual traveller photo contest on April 7, and they have already been flooded with impressive images documenting everything from rainbow waterfalls and Indian temples to wild rhinos grazing in the bush.
The incredible entries are not only visually stunning, but also provide a new perspective or take on locations around the world.
Taken at a Karo Village in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia. The Karo are famous for their body-paint culture and skill. Away from the crowded village square, I found this 'make up artist' focused on applying make-up on a young woman. Using a q-tip as a brush he used a Georges Seurat like Pointillism technique! The calm focused look of the artist is contrasted by the nervous, perspiring client - perhaps unsure about the results (or my camera :-)
I was out in the Arches National Park, Utah, to take night pictures but the clouds moved in. I waited for about 2 hours in the car and finally the sky cleared and I got this image. This Selfie Image was shot at the windows section
The competition is running until June 30, with spectacular prizes on offer for the winner.
An eight-day National Geographic Photo Expedition to Costa Rica and the Panama Canal for two awaits the receiver of the sought-after award, with runners up getting trips of their own as well and seven merit prize winners receiving a $200 gift certificate to B&H Photo.
The renown travel magazine has been running the competition for 27 years, and in recent years has seen a staggering 18,000 entries annually.
Typically the judges are drawn to images that are both quirky and surprising, and pay special attention to the action and timing captured in the photo.
The winner could also be featured to an extensive audience on the magazine's social media accounts.
Impressively, the National Geographic's Instagram account, recently hit 17 million followers, and one billion likes, making it officially the top non-celebrity account on the social media platform.
Birdview of a surfer in the famous beach of Praia Mole located in Florianopolis, Brazil. This image has been made with the help of a drone
People who wish to enter can submit as many photographs as they like in the four categories: Travel Portraits; Outdoor Scenes; Sense of Place; and Spontaneous Moments.
The entry fee is £9.87 ($15) per photo, and there is no limit to the number of submissions per entrant.
Every week, the editor's hand-picked best submission will be displayed, along with all entries on the website for guests to view and share with friends.
I had a tripod set up on Godafoss waterfall in Iceland last month. I used a 10 stop ND filter to capture the movement of the water as the sun set in the distance
The night before this photo, we tried all day to get a good photo of the endangered white rhino. Skulking through the grass carefully trying to stay 30 feet away to be safe, didn't provide me the photo I was hoping for. In the morning however, I woke up to all three rhinos grazing infront of me
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
As technology shrinks the world around us, it becomes more and more difficult to find ourselves truly lost in the outdoors. This makes those particular moments and scenes that much more special. Getting to the Diving Board was quite a challenge, as there is no official trail. For anybody who is prepared, careful, and respectful of nature, the reward is one of the most breathtaking views in all of Yosemite, in my opinion
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
People in Dharavi slum in Mumbai work hard, producing mostly recycled articles and pottery. The posture of these two women at the local pottery store, taking a short break for conversation, express dignity, while the colours of their saris perfectly blend with the scenery
An ice cave at the Vatnajokull Glacier in Iceland shows up in magical blue and turquoise shades
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