International Photography Contest

Paris - Places of a Lifetime

 

"The famously imposing Arc de Triomphe memorializes military victory and marks the crossroads of 12 streets."

 "In Paris, artful store displays, like this one on Rue de Ménilmontant, can be as entertaining as museum exhibits. "

"Just north of the Place des Vosges, sunny Chez Janou brings a taste of Provence to Paris."

"The extensive Métro network, many with art nouveau station signs, is your magic carpet to daily neighborhood life. "

 "The serene Canal St-Martin stretches three miles (4.8 kilometers) from the Seine to Parc de la Villette in the tenth district."

"Along the Seine, the green metal stalls of the bouquinistes display books, magazines, and postcards for sale."

"A visitor strolls past “The Thinker” in perpetual thought at the Musée Rodin."

Chicago

Joy Yee’s Asian-fusion menu offers a tasty break from the more traditional restaurants in Chinatown.

Built as a motion picture palace in 1921, the Chicago Theatre was restored in 1986 and now hosts a mix of entertainment

The view north from the Hancock Observatory takes in the Gold Coast and Lincoln Park areas plus a slice of Lake Michigan.

Club Lucky serves up Italian fare in a retro-cool setting in the Wicker Park/Bucktown neighborhood.

The Chicago Water Tower, built in 1869, survived the great fire of 1871.

Quimby’s bookstore, located on North Avenue, comes packed with personality.

An artist copies Goya’s “Boy on a Ram” painting at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Seductive French flair and fare make the Sofitél’s Café des Architectes a hot spot among Chicagoans.

Los Angeles Landmarks

A rain-slick boardwalk winds toward the bright lights of the Santa Monica Pier’s famous amusement park.

A year-round street fair, the town of Venice Beach boasts tranquil parks, artsy enclaves, and raucous beach bars.
A ’62 Cadillac ragtop is the perfect set of wheels from which to take in a movie at the Drive-In Theatre in West L.A.

A long-time Los Angeles icon, the recently renovated Griffith Observatory has introduced millions to astronomy.

At Union Station, metro commuters have replaced the Hollywood stars who once arrived in the city by train

At the Walk of Fame, on Hollywood Boulevard, Tinseltown celebrities from Gene Autry to Lassie are celebrated.

Jerusalem

A street scene in the Old City.

Shoppers congregate in the Muslim Quarter.

A priest prays in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, said to be built over the site of Jesus’ burial.

A view of the Western Wall, with the Dome of the Rock visible nearby.

Jews gather at the Western Wall to read the Torah during a bar mitzvah celebration

The Mount of Olives, site of many important biblical events, offers expansive views of the city.

Fathers

"A man and child enjoy Pacific Beach State Park. The 10-acre (4.05-hectare) camping park offers 2,300 feet (701 meters) of shoreline."

"A Chipaya Indian helps his daughter with her math homework inside their patuca, a sod shelter used by Chipaya when they are out tending their sheep."

"Father and daughter navigate a narrow waterway in the Kashmir region, trapped between conflicting countries India and Pakistan. "

"Grandfather supervises the October rice harvest, drawing slowly on a water pipe, while a teenager prepares tea for their weary kin near Srinagar. Family farms and orchards support some 80 percent of Kashmir's population."

"For musician Kurt Kipapa, father of ten, baby love is a number one hit."

Delhi Street Life

A Border Security Force guard takes part in the Beating of the Retreat ceremony on Shanti Path, where most foreign embassies are located.

A folk dance troupe from Bastar, the tribal heartland located between the states of Orissa and Maharashtra, performs in New Delhi.

With Parliament House behind them at right, folk dancers parade with a tableau showing Mysore Palace on India’s Republic Day.

Bharati Shivaji and her dance troupe perform mohini attam, a classical dance, in Purana Qila, one of the seven old cities of Delhi.

Wearing traditional Rajasthani dress, vintage car buffs attend the famous Statesman Vintage Car Rally at the National Stadium.

Women shop in Old Delhi’s bustling Chawri Bazaar, a commercial center specializing in brass, copper, and paper products.

Bangkok

Saffron-robed monks enter Wat Benchamabophit, the Marble Temple, one of Bangkok’s less touristed wats.
A devotee prays at the 25-foot-tall (7.62-meter) gilded Buddha statue at Bangkok’s Wat Intharavihara.
Buddha’s head is covered with gold leaves glued on by worshippers at a temple.

Vendors set up early to sell roses and other flowers as well as fresh produce at Pak Khlong market, in central Bangkok.

Flowers surround a young Bangkok girl at around-the-clock Pak Khlong market, where you can also pick up fruits and vegetables.

A royal statue stands on the grounds of Wat Pho temple, Bangkok’s largest and oldest wat.

Santorini...

A church on Thera overlooks the lava island of Nea Kameni, in the center of the caldera. Only two Santorini islands are habitable: Thera, larger and busier, and Thirasia.

Day-trippers explore the raw lava of Nea Kameni. Eruptions began building this island in A.D. 1570 long after ash from the Bronze Age explosion entombed a wealthy city at Akrotiri, on what is now the island Thera.
Guests at the Katikies villa-hotel relax in a high-flying pool hundreds of feet above Santorini's flooded caldera, created by a huge Bronze Age eruption.

Fishers tend their nets after a day on the bountiful seas surrounding Santorini.
Drying in the Mediterranean sun and much desired by this curious cat, these fish were harvested by traditional fishers in small wooden boats.
At Franco's bar in Fira, cocktails and classical music enhance a popular island ritual: sunset watching
Santorini's flooded volcanic caldera was created by a huge Bronze Age eruption. Here, a stairway snakes down russet layers of ash to link the cliff-top town of Oia with its port.

Rocks - For your Desktop

Cooled lava lies in icing-like ripples in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. This image shows ropy pahoehoe, a type of basaltic lava that forms when solidifying lava meets an obstruction. Hot lava underneath the hardening crust continues to move it along, forming wrinkles in the process.
Photograph by Jeff Gnass

Stepping stones into the sea, these basaltic columns of the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland formed from volcanic activity some 50 million to 60 million years ago. Rock formed from molten matter is known as igneous, and geologists classify igneous rock by its texture. You would need a microscope to see the grains in the 40,000-some basalt columns that form the Giant's Causeway.
Photograph by Jim Richardson

Oozing lava acts as a seal over fractured ground in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Once the lava from Kilauea Crater cools, it becomes known as igneous rock, since it formed from molten material. Geologists would also call it extrusive rock because it solidified on the Earth's surface.
Photograph by Frans Lanting

Italy's Mount Etna provides a vivid image of one of the birthplaces of igneous rock during a night eruption. Igneous rock forms when magma cools and solidifies. (Lava is magma that has reached the Earth's surface.) Etna also shows off the etymology of igneous, from the Latin word for fire.
Photograph by Carsten Peter

Visions of Earth

Solomon Islands—Like a pale brooch atop royal velvet, a brittle star—barely as big as a nickel— crawls across the arm of an 18-inch-wide blue sea star. The smaller creature took just seconds to traverse the larger.Greenland—An iceberg reveals a glimpse of the southern Greenland town of Narsaq. A nearby glacier births a steady supply of bergs that jostle off the settlement's shores year-round.

Bhutan—Novices at the Dechen Phodrang monastic school in Thimphu hear the dinner bell and come running. More than 400 boys attend the academy, where a typical day of study stretches from 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m

South Africa—Green tree pythons coil when comfortable. Though this snake is a pet in Pretoria, the species is native to northern Australia and New Guinea. In the wild its coloration lends cover for a life spent mostly in trees.

My Life in Forbidden Lhasa

"A Tibetan greets one of higher position with a protruding tongue and hissing intake of breath. Here the extended tongue shows respect; sucking gasps indicate a desire not to defile air. The youngster's cropped hair denotes monkhood."

"The Dalai Lama's mother and sister defy convention with Western glasses. Dekyi Tshering (right), once a humble farm wife, rose to an awesome position as Tibet's "Great Mother" when her son became Dalai Lama in 1940. She and her daughter wear brocade hats fringed with silk. Eyeglasses were taboo in the god-king's presence."

Penniless on reaching Lhasa, Mr. Harrer soon found employment. He built a cinema for the Dalai Lama and a dike to stem Kyi River floods. He drew maps, landscaped gardens, gilded images, and monitored radio broadcasts. The Tibetan Government rewarded him with a salaried post in its hierarchy. The Austrian mountain climber and skier preferred surplus U.S. Army clothing, though his rank entitled him to Tibetan silks. Here, dressed in parka and pants bought in a Lhasa bazaar, he sits on the flank of 23,900-foot Chomo Lhari, a sacred peak on the Tibet-Bhutan border. Binoculars fascinate his servant.

The Potala, fortress of Tibet's god-king, broods over the flooded Kyi Valley. Nearing Tibet's capital, Mr. Harrer passed these groves of poplars and willows, transplanted like all other trees in the deforested Kyi Valley. Above him loomed the Dalai Lama's 300-year-old palace that Tibetans believe was created by spirits. Fearfully the author approached an archway in the center tomb. He felt sure guards would seize him or turn him back; instead he found only beggars standing vigil at the sacred portal.

One World, One Tribe - Reza

"This boy became the symbol of Aïna, the humanitarian association I founded in 2001 in a Taliban-free Afghanistan."

"As he is about to leave the orphanage Chang tells his roommates that he has to avenge his father. Chang is twelve. A little soldier from an armed squadron, he stops people, checks them out and questions them. Sometimes he kills without any qualms. 'I was ten, I was following my dad, a soldier, near the front that separated the zone controlled by Pol Pot’s Red Khmers, between the Thai border and the city of Poipet. I led the same life as his troop. One day I was walking behind him, my head bowed down. I heard a very loud noise. The ground was lifted up into thousands of particles. When the smoke cleared I saw my father. I sat down next to him, close to his torn up body, his earth-stained body. I stayed there for a very long time, motionless, and promised to avenge him. I have been a soldier since.'

"With eyes that seem older than her years, this Afghan girl lives near Tora Bora, once home to Osama bin Laden. High in the mountains, the Pashtun tribal region offers many trails that lead to Pakistan. The Pashtun have never recognized the formal border cut through their territory, the 'Durand line' drawn by the British diplomat Sir Henry Mortimer Durand in 1893 to separate British India from Afghanistan, and later used as the basis for the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan."

Patterns in Nature: Scales and Feathers

A fan of black-chinned sparrow (Spizella atrogularis) feathers captures the light. When birds pull their feathers apart to clean them, the barb filaments simply zip back together by themselves.

The feathers of a wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax) form a gauzy screen in Alice Springs Desert Park in Australia's Northern Territory. From a central feather vane sprout hundreds of filaments called barbs. The barbs in turn sprout other, smaller filaments, some with grooves and some with hooks that clasp the barbs together like Velcro, allowing the bird to fly.

Found in Southeast Asia, the male great argus pheasant (Argusianus argus) displays these dots on its feathers during courtship. Its plumage radiates around its head, like a peacock's. Beyond attracting a mate, feathers are used for insulation, flight, and, in some cases, to help a bird hunt and evade predators.

Orange spots mark the fin of fish photographed in Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia.

A wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) contracts its wings during a mating ritual on South Georgia Island, Antarctica. This arduous traveler has one of the greatest known wingspans of any bird, measuring up to 11.5 feet (3.5 meters), and has been recorded flying 500 miles (805 kilometers) in a single day.

The crest of a Victoria crowned pigeon (Goura victoria) creates a bouquet of gray and white. Found in tropical regions and related to the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus), the Victoria crowned pigeon features a crest fringed in white. The males display their feathery headdresses to attract a mate.

"Sleeping Beauty"

"She's one of the world's best-preserved bodies: Rosalia Lombardo, a two-year-old Sicilian girl who died of pneumonia in 1920. "Sleeping Beauty," as she's known, appears to be merely dozing beneath the glass front of her coffin in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Italy. (...)"

Black and White

Photograph by Michael Nichols

A child runs through a bleak village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Conservationist J. Michael Fay trekked some 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) across central Africa as part of a yearlong survey of the continent's remaining wild places. Fay designed the route of his Megatransect to skirt towns and villages by as wide a margin as possible, but he occasionally passed through one to survey its impact on surrounding wildlife populations.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Megatransect," October 2000, National Geographic magazine)

Photograph by Michael Nichols

A ribbon of water spills down a cliff in Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
The canyon's rock strata, laid bare over the past six million years by the rushing Colorado River, details nearly two billion years of North America's geologic history. At 277 miles (446 kilometers) long, 18 miles (29 kilometers) across at its widest, and 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) down at its deepest, it is one of Earth's largest canyon systems.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Unexpected Canyon," January 2006, National Geographic magazine)

Photograph by W. Robert Moore

A photograph from the 1930s highlights the dramatic angles and steep streets of Portugal's capital city. Perched between seven hills, Lisbon was built by seafarers where the Tagus River empties into the Atlantic Ocean and was once Europe's wealthiest capital and the center of world exploration.
(Text adapted from "The Soul of Lisbon," January/February 2002, National Geographic Traveler magazine)

Photograph by Lynn Johnson

"Framing a view that inspired van Gogh, a window lights an art therapy studio newly opened in the asylum to which the artist retreated, shaken by his illness." —From "Vincent van Gogh: Lullaby in Color," October 1997, National Geographic magazine

"The spin of Earth..."

"...not the movement of stars, puts tracks on a time exposure over New Mexico, where an amateur astronomer keeps watch. To examine far distant worlds, even to the first ages of creation, new space-based and ground-based instruments search across the electromagnetic spectrum to assay the relatively small part of the universe that can be seen—and the far larger part that cannot."

As Caraibas!

Sunlight filters over the forested seaside cliffs of Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean islands, which lie just beyond the tail end of the Windward Antilles, are a study in contrasts. Densely populated Trinidad is an industrial giant with a thriving nightlife; a two-hour ferry ride away, Tobago is a relatively undeveloped, easygoing island that specializes in relaxation.
Baseball may be America's game, but passion for the sport could be strongest in Cuba. Here, children play in the colonial heart of Trinidad. "Cubans are just fanatical about baseball, and every evening men gather to talk about it," said photographer David Alan Harvey. "The first time I saw them talking baseball, I thought a fight was going on—and there they were debating something that Mickey Mantle did in 1953."
Volcanic activity on the tiny island of Dominica yields natural gems like boiling pools, geysers, and black-sand beaches. Here, Caribbean water turns to steam as lava meets ocean.
Stormy waters breaking over the Malecón, Havana, Cuba's famed seaside avenue, don't slow the flow of rickshaws and antique U.S. automobiles. Like its classic cars, Havana's seawall—built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—is another relic of a bygone age.
Crabbers hunt for their quarry by torchlight on the Bahamas' Samana Cay. Many historians think that the island's Lucayan Indians, using the same hunting technique, may have been the lights "like a small wax candle" that Christopher Columbus wrote about in his diary before his fleet landed here in October 1492.
A rooster skips past a fishing boat beached on the rocky shore of Dominica's Scott's Head. All along the Caribbean side of the island, the warm, placid waters provide pristine coral gardens for snorkelers and an abundance of fish for the local fishermen.
A visitor savors a twilight run along a beach on the island of Tobago. Tobago's pristine beaches and reefs are beginning to pay off. They have been discovered by international travelers who've had enough of the Caribbean's more developed islands.
The oldest church still standing in Trinidad, Cuba—Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de la Popa, built in the early 1700s—needs restoration and is closed to the public. Yet it still attracts townspeople who gather at the hilltop site to watch the sun set.
Haiti, poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, is trying to distance itself from years of violence and political unrest. Here, two girls in the resort city of Cap-Haïtien run from a photographer as he tries to take their picture in 1987.
On the island of Grenada, Carnival is celebrated in mid-August to avoid a conflict with the anniversary of its independence from Great Britain on February 7. Here, revelers with greased bodies and dead snakes play jab-jab, patois for Satan. The Evil One must be appeased before one can gain entry to heaven, says the street-theater script.
The rusted hulk of the Gallant Lady leans against a rocky shore on North Bimini in the Bahamas. This local landmark's days are numbered. Her resting place is on the planned site of a controversial casino-and-condominiums development.
In the narrow streets at the historic heart of Havana, Cuba, stand rows of apartment buildings suffering from poverty, yet brimming with historic charm.
A rainbow arcs over trees blooming on a hillside in the West Indies island of Dominica. The country's interior can receive some 300 inches (760 centimeters) of rain each year, yielding hundreds of square miles of mountainous, densely forested wilderness, much of it protected as state land.
Weathered formations like Mushroom Rock dot the white-sand beaches of Bathsheba on the rugged east coast of Barbados. Normally thought of as a highbrow vacation spot, Barbados is nurturing a reputation as a surfer's paradise, with some of the best waves in the Caribbean.
Boats sit huddled in the shade of a palm on Tobago. This Caribbean island, little sister to Trinidad, offers more than uncrowded beaches, pristine reefs, thriving birdlife, and uncut rain forests. Tobago is "Old Caribbean," meaning there are no high-rise hotels or shopping malls.

Lugares do Mundo - Sicilia

Lugares do Mundo - Nova Zelandia

"New Zealand is a fertile and mountainous group of islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. "It is a land uplifted high," wrote Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator who was the first European to sight New Zealand, in 1642. Snowy peaks, fjord-scarred shores, and pastures dotted with sheep define this country."

Lugares do Mundo - Singapura!

"Singapore is the great success story of modern Asia. Since gaining its independence from Malaysia in 1965, the tiny city-state has gone from a poor trading port to one of the wealthiest states in the world. And it shows: high-rise condos and skyscrapers dominate the landscape, and shoppers peruse the latest designer goods in a seemingly endless lineup of malls and boutiques along Orchard Road. Once known for its strict fines and uptight demeanor, Singapore is loosening up, transforming into what former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew hopes will soon be, “a tropical version” of New York, Paris, and London all in one."

Lugares do Mundo - Paris!

"Romantic, vain, convivial, petty—defining Paris is a favorite pastime of the Parisians themselves. “[Paris] changes faster, alas, than a mortal’s heart,” wrote Baudelaire.
France’s capital is home to haute couture, masterpieces of art and architecture, and temples of fine dining, but also cozy bistros, vibrant ethnic enclaves, and bohemian cafés. One of the most visited destinations in the world, the City of Light glitters brighter than ever."

Lugares do Mundo - Barcelona!

"Long pegged as a mere “smokestack city,”Barcelona has come into its own since the 1992 Olympics, and today is one of the liveliest tourist destinations in Europe. Cradled between the Mediterranean and the Serra de Collserola hills, Spain’s second largest metropolis arguably eclipses Madrid as a showcase for the arts, music, and cutting-edge design. A morning’s walk can take you from the original Roman settlement, much of it still intact under the narrow streets of the medieval Barri Gòtic, to the palaces and churches of the city’s 12th- and 13th-century golden age and on to the 19th-century L’Eixample neighborhood, where every avenue seems to be lined with flights of architectural fancy in stained glass and wrought iron, ornamental brick, and ceramic tile."

Lugares do Mundo - Atenas!

"Birthplace of drama, democracy, and philosophy, Athens today is synonymous with smog, cement, and aesthetic anarchy. But after a radical revamp for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, Athens is enjoying a renaissance. The clash between myth and modern-day grit is an Athenian trademark: marble busts adorn souvlaki joints, Byzantine churches nestle beside bouzouki clubs, the Parthenon reigns serene above a ragged expanse of apartment blocks. More than three million people are crammed into this loud, laid-back city. With 300 days of sunshine a year, a 75-mile (120-kilometer) coastline, and 3 a.m. traffic jams, irrepressible Athens is a muse for beach bums and barflies, as much as classical scholars and art lovers."

Lugares do Mundo - Amesterdão!

"Lights, canal, reflection! At the close of the day, Keizersgracht canal becomes the sort of picture-postcard beauty spot that lures travelers to Amsterdam"

Life in Color: Brown

"Robed in brown, Buddhist elders pray for peace in wartime Vietnam. During the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s war pitted the divided Vietnamese people against one another and against foreign troops from France and the United States. "

Life in Color: Purple

"A cloth-draped Bushman community building supported by an antelope-shaped structure in Welkom, South Africa, reflects the culture's strong connection with nature. Changing times have pushed the San people to the fringes of the new Africa, where they often struggle to survive."

Life in Color: Blue

"A veiled Nepali woman, covered head-to-toe in shades of blue, pauses to rest in a colorful doorway in one of the small Himalayan hill towns found in Nepal's Anapurna region."

"These distinctive webbed feet belong to a blue-footed booby of the Galápagos Islands. The bluer, the better: Courting males show off with a high-stepping strut—and those with brighter feet are more attractive to potential mates."

"A homey-looking igloo lights up the stark landscape on a cold night in the Canadian Arctic. These temporary shelters were commonly used by indigenous peoples in the frigid North American Arctic."

Life in Color: Green

"The northern lights, or aurora borealis, produce a brilliant display in the skies near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. The phenomenon is produced by the action of solar wind on the atmosphere at Earth's Poles."

Life in Color: Yellow

"Encouraged to bloom by rare rainstorms, a sea of wildflowers blankets the sand dunes of Australia's Simpson Desert National Park. The area averages fewer than 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain per year."

Life in Color: Red

" A solitary red maple leaf lies on the trunk of a downed tree in Maine's Acadia National Park. The United States is home to some 90 different species of maple trees. "

Life in Color: Yellow

A blanket of fallen maple leaves covers the ground with gold during autumn in Washington, D.C. The visual "quality" of each fall's foliage is determined by weather conditions such as moisture and temperature.

Palau Islands

"Located in the western Pacific, Palau is made up of more than 250 islands, such as these forested, sand-ringed gems studding sapphire seas. Tourism is the country's main industry; its rich marine environment invites snorkeling, diving, and lounging."

Blue Hole

"Approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Belize City, the almost perfectly circular Blue Hole is more than 1,000 feet (300 meters) across and some 400 feet (120 meters) deep. The hole is the opening to what was a dry cave system during the Ice Age. When the ice melted and the sea level rose, the caves were flooded, creating what is now a magnet for intrepid divers." National Geographic

European Traditions

"Photographer: Robert Devian
Portuguese singer Mariza brings a dramatic new flair to her country's venerable fado tradition." National Geographic

Geisha's Lips

"A geisha in Kyoto, Japan, applies the blood-red lipstick that completes her traditional makeup. Modern geisha carry on an ancient profession; they privately entertain Japan's rich and powerful men and maintain total confidentiality. "Photograph by Jodi Cobb National Geographic

Chiru Expedition, Chang Tang, Tibet, 2002

"An expedition member hauls a custom-built ricksha laden with supplies across the desolate Chang Tang alpine steppe in northern Tibet. A group of elite mountaineers put together the expedition to witness births at the remote calving grounds of the elusive chiru, or Tibetan antelope.

The expeditioners chose to use lightweight rickshas instead of four-wheel-drive vehicles, which would get stuck in the mud and spook the chiru with engine noise.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Walking the Chang Tang," April 2003, National Geographic magazine)"