A selection from the amazing finalists of the Smithsonian.com’s 12th annual photo contest.
1. This pulse-pounding picture of cheetah cubs hunting a fawn in Tanzania that has you rooting for the cats one moment and the fawn the next:
Eng Siong Yeo / Via smithsonianmag.com
2. This awe-inspiring photograph of the Manhattan Bridge in fog that finds tranquility in the city that never sleeps:
Az Jackson / Via smithsonianmag.com
3. This astonishing shot of a snake swallowing a frog in the rain in Costa Rica that displays beauty can even be found in death:
Nicolas Reusens / Via smithsonianmag.com
4. This bright, cheery shot of Palouse, Washington that proves you don’t always need a rain jacket in the Pacific Northwest:
Ernest Wright / Via smithsonianmag.com
5. This truly insane shot capturing a wave breaking off the coast of Sydney, Australia that makes you feel smaller than you ever have:
Ray Collins / Via smithsonianmag.com
6. This astounding shot of the Ba Na Cable Car emerging from the fog in Vietnam displaying how the interaction of mankind and Mother Earth can be astonishing:
Trang Nguyen / Via smithsonianmag.com
7. This black and white shot that conveys the solitude of the White House:
Olivier Douliery / Abaca/Tribune News Service / Via smithsonianmag.com
8. This impressive photo that captures the intense geography of the National Library of China in Beijing:
Yilang Peng / Via smithsonianmag.com
9. This powerful shot of a young Mursi tribe member holding an AK-47 in Ethiopia:
Jorge Fernandez Garces / Via smithsonianmag.com
10. This eerie shot of mobula rays swimming off the coast of Baja California, proving that nothing is the same under water:
Michel Labrecque / Via smithsonianmag.com
11. This breathtaking picture of hikers behind the Hollywood Sign in California that will remind you of the power of the human eye:
Az Jackson / Via smithsonianmag.com
12. This tranquil shot of a man canoeing on a lake in Minnesota, which will make you want to be alone this very instant:
Dawn M. Lapointe / Via smithsonianmag.com
13. This vivid picture of two Vietnamese women sewing a fishing net, conveying the amazing things people can do with their hands:
Pham Ty / Via smithsonianmag.com
14. This eye-catching photograph of a female golden silk orb-weaver on her web in Hong Kong that proves the stuff of nightmares also can be striking in their beauty:
Ramesh Chandar / Via smithsonianmag.com
15. And finally, this spectacular shot of the Titcomb Basin in Wyoming that will make you want to quit your job to go hiking RIGHT NOW:
Nico Debarmore / Via smithsonianmag.com
