Traveler Photo Contest 2013 – National Geographic

By
Adam East
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The 25th annual National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest is now accepting submissions. Harness the power of photography and share your stunning travel experiences from around the globe with us. 


Enter today for a chance to win a National Geographic Expedition to the Galápagos and have your photo published in National Geographic Traveler magazine.
NatGeoContest01 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)1. Reynisdrangar or basalt columns in the sea Reynisfyadl under a mountain near the village of Vik in southern Iceland. According to legend, these columns were once trolls, who was dragged to the shore three-masted ship, but turned to stone at dawn from sunlight and turned into a sharp rock. (© Florin Szoke / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)NatGeoContest02 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

2. People came out to swim on surfboards at dawn in the town of Byron Bay, Australia. (© Ming Nomchong / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest03 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

3. The monks begin service at a very young age. This monk was trying to “fly” out of the abundance of energy. (© Bonnie Stewart / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest04 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

4. Code, we have returned with an underwater excursion during their trip to the Great Barrier Reef, the wind died down, and the surface of the ocean looked like a mirror. The line between the sky and the water has worn off, and the only seaplane brings a sense of reality of the landscape. (© Christian Roth / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest05 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

5. At the foot of the active volcano Bromo in Java is a Hindu temple Pura Luhur Poten, which is often buried in the fog with the coming of dusk. On this day Bromo volcano threw a thick cloud of dust. (© Tim Jenka / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest06 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

6. The female spider Nephila pilipes pursues male. After mating, the females of most species of spiders eat the males. (© Chandana Gunasekara / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest07 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

7. Leo listens to the sounds in the distance, assessing the potential threat. (© Micky Robinson / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest08 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

8. I took this picture during his trip to California. I am from the Channel Islands and the journey made a strong impression on me. When you live on a small island, traveling to such a vast country like the U.S., there is something incredible. (© Alex Lacey / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest09 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

9. I have seven years of waiting for the right weather conditions to catch the moment. Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland. (© Frank Heumann / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest10 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

10. A fly sits on the head of a snake in the department of Choco, Colombia. (© Robin Moore / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest11 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

11. Mursi woman of the people standing near the hut in his village in the Omo Valley, Ethiopia. (© Jorge Fernandez / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest12 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

12. The eruption of the Chilean volcano Puyehue began June 4, 2011. A year later, people and animals are used to the constant emission of ash. This picture was taken on the second night after the eruption in Lago Ranco. (© Francisco Negroni / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest13 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

13. I took this picture from the top of 97-story John Hancock Center in Chicago, Illinois. Fog creeping into the city from Lake Michigan. (© Bob Gaudet / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest14 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

14. After a full day we climbed the mountains of the National Park Joshua Tree, a friend asked me, “Can we be photographed naked in a jump out on the stone? ‘. (© Tom James / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest15 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

15. I noticed the rings when the morning walking through the Taipei with his son. They were hanging outside the shop that sold bottled gas. (© Maarten Deurvorst / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest16 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

16. The sun illuminates the lonely standing tree in Paluze, Washington. (© Jesse Summers / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest17 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

17. Napali Coast on Kauai – one of the most beautiful places on Earth. (© Karen Lejeal / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest18 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

18. My girlfriend and I went to Mount Rogers, Virginia, to see the wild horses. This horse is thinking that I have a treat, and came up to me from behind while I stroked the other horse. (© John Brasher / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest19 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

19. I photographed this whirlpool in the ocean while trying to capture the largest I’ve seen of sea turtles off the coast of Whitehaven Beach, Australia. (© Vincent Archer / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest20 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

20. Sheikh Zayed Mosque is reflected in a fountain. Abu Dhabi, UAE. (© Dhafer Al shehri / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest21 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

21. As a reward for hosting the Grand Canyon rainy day stretches before me this beautiful view. (© Cathy Smart / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest22 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

22. This picture was taken on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Every day at sunset here are going cliff-divers. (© Josh Baker / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest23 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

23. A small island off the coast of luck in Miami Beach, Florida. (© Joao Santos / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest24 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

24. This picture was taken in the natural park Sierra de Grazalema in Spain, where a small eutrophic freshwater ponds grow algae. Algae live among herbaceous plants, and when the ponds are covered by a crust of ice, make beautiful patterns. (© Andres Miguel Dominguez / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest25 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

25. Every year at the beginning of summer in the national park Great Smoky Mountains in a massive flight of fireflies. I put the camera on the half-hour exposure. I danced around the tens of thousands of fireflies, and I was the only spectator of this light show. (© Cheng Niu / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest26 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

26. I arrived in Nairobi to make a movie for the NGO. During the filming of slum Mathare, I went to school to hide from the heat, and saw these sleeping children. (© Joe Saade / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest27 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

27. This picture was taken in a very foggy night near Point Cabrillo, Mendocino, California. Old blacksmith’s house could be seen only when it is illuminated by the light of the lighthouse. (© Melissa Loeffler / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest28 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

28. I’ve always wanted to swim with humpback whales. When the whale swam past me, I felt that he was really looking at me. Amazing, unforgettable moment! Swimming with whales popular in Tonga. I will repeat it. (© Conni Weise / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest29 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

29. The representative of the Seychelles Renny Bijoux take part in the expedition “Greenpeace” to the North Pole. (© Christian Aslund / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest30 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

30. Chukotka has always survived on hunting sea mammals. The most important thing for them – to get a walrus. Even now, hunters are hand harpoons. For a foreigner it’s exhausting, but quite an interesting ride. (© Uno Johansson / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest31 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

31. Iranian Shiite Muslims in a trance mourn the feast of Ashura, a day of commemoration of the martyr Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the third Shia Imam. Smearing mud is an important part of the local ritual. The picture was taken in the city of Bijar, Iran. (© Guido Dingemans / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest32 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

32. I found this abandoned building in Iceland. The roof was gone, but the walls were still strong. (© Adrian Fiorino / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest33 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

33. Tokyo view from the lookout tower, “Tokyo Sky Tree”. In the picture can be seen of the Sumida River and Arakawa, different bridges, Tokyo Bay and Rainbow Bridge. (© Yoshiki Nakamura / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest34 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

34. In the rainy season the Kalahari desert is teeming with insects. Near my tent was hanging lantern, which attracted beetles. Took advantage of a gecko.(© Hannes Lochner / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest35 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

35. Rhino and two zebras under cloudy sky in the savanna in Kenya. (© Robin Moore / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest36 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

36. Swimming with jellyfish in Palau’s like a dream. (© CheanChong Lim / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest37 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

37. Taking a walk through the mountains in the Badlands National Park, we went on this path. What has she got, the more easily break down. I decided to stay here, but my husband wanted to continue their journey. He went on and fell near the place where he stands in this photo, but got up quickly. (© Jane Speleers / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest38 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

38. Unaware of the fact that each of us waited for his moment of glory: it is – mining for breakfast, and I – one of my best shots. (© Leopoldo Islas Flores / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest39 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

39. I took this picture during his first trip to Africa. Giraffe against the orange sky. (© Dave Young / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest40 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

40. Deserted subway platform in Stockholm, Sweden. (© Valentijn Tempels / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest41 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

41. Gushing geyser Old Faithful. (© Yang Li / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest42 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

42. In the plains of the Kalahari Desert eland sometimes debilitating hunger. This is good news for the Lions. Cannes comes to watering places and become easy prey. (© Hannes Lochner / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

NatGeoContest43 Contest of National Geographic Traveler magazine in 2013 (Part 3)

43. Sea instead of the sky. I took this picture from the top of the mountain on the island of Capri. (© Diako Mardanbeigi / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

Vincent Bourilhon’s Enchantingly Surreal Worlds

By
Adam East
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Based in the upper Normandy region of France, 21-year-old photographer Vincent Bourilhon first caught our eye earlier this year with his charming photography set in a surreal world. His passion for expressing his imaginative dreams is clear through his enchanting images. As he says, “I am passionate about the dream and magic that surround our thoughts. If we can express ourselves, we should do that.”

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Stunning 3D drawings on Flat Sheets of Paper

By
Adam East
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Dutch artist Ramon Bruin, aka JJK Airbrush online, makes amazing 3D drawings, often using nothing but a pencil. It’s hard to believe that his creations have been drawn on a flat sheet of paper. Can you tell what’s real and what’s not?

 

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Photo & Retouch by Erik Johansson

By
Adam East
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“My name is Erik Johansson, I was born in 1985 outside a small town called Götene in the middle of Sweden. I grew up on a farm with my parents and two younger sisters. For as long as I can remember I have liked drawing. Probably because of my grandmother who was a painter. Early I also got interested in computers, escaping to other worlds in computer games. At the age of 15 I got my first digital camera which opened up a new world. Being used to drawing it felt quite strange to be done after capturing a photo, it wasn’t the process of creating something in the same way. Having an interest in computers made it a quite natural step to start playing around with the photos and creating something that you couldn’t capture with the camera. It was a great way of learning, learning by trying. But I didn’t considered it as a profession until years later.

In 2005 I moved to Gothenburg to study Computer engineering at Chalmers University of Technology. During my time studying I took up my interest for retouch once again. I had a lot of ideas that I wanted to realize and I saw it as problem solving trying to make it as realistic as possible. After publishing some of my images online I started to get requests about commissioned work from some local advertisement agencies. I started out freelancing in parallel with my studies while still working on personal projects. I got more and more jobs and at the time I finished my studies with a master in Interaction Design I felt like I rather wanted to try out the photography path. I moved to Norrköping in the eastern part of Sweden to start working full time as a freelance. I made new friends and got to work on interesting projects, both local and abroad. In early 2012 it was time for something new as I moved to Berlin, Germany. A very artistic city with lots of inspiration.

Today I work with both personal and commissioned projects, in 2011 I also started doing photography street illusions and in 2013 I plans to start working on the film side. In November 2011 I spoke at the TED conference in London about my images. I’ve been working with clients such as Google and Microsoft. But the personal work and concepts will always be what’s most important. Growing up on the Swedish countryside had a big impact on my visual style. A lot of the environments in my photos are captured near places I know, around my parents’ home with wide open landscapes and small red houses. Inspiration is everywhere and this is just the beginning.

Cut & Fold

Cut along the dotted line. See behind the scenes video below.

Breaking up

Breaking up, drifting apart.


Cutting the light

Cutting light, the strongest light bulb there is. Cutting through wood, concrete and stone in just moments.


Electric guitar



Set them free

Do the right thing, set them free!


Aqua Custodia

Deep impact


Lazy dog

Downside of the upside


Fishy islandp


Arms break, vases don’t

Go your own road


Why Do We Fall – Motivational Video

By
Adam East
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When your day seems like it couldn’t get any worse — you spilled coffee on yourself, you were late to work AND had a giant coffee stain on your pant leg — instead of losing your mind at the first person you see, switch on your computer and take 10 minutes to watch this amazing video.
While some days can go by in the blink of an eye, I hope these videos inspire you to appreciate the simple moments of happiness in your own life and learn from the incredible stories of others. Enjoy! 🙂


The 10 Wildest Roller Coasters in the World

By
Adam East
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YouTube Tour of the World’s Wildest Roller Coasters

  • Kingda Ka

    Kingda Ka is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., a town almost equidistant to New York City and Philadelphia. When it opened in 2004, Kingda Ka broke several records, and to this day it remains the world’s tallest coaster — standing at a mind-blowing 456 feet — as well as the coaster with the longest drop. It is rumored that the skylines of both New York City and Philadelphia can be seen from atop its hill on very clear days.

  • Colossus

    If the ride up and down the many hills of the Colossus roller coaster looks familiar, you aren’t imagining things. The coaster, located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif., has appeared in several popular movies and television shows. It is the roller coaster that Chevy Chase, John Candy and family ride in the closing scenes of National Lampoon’s Vacation and it also appears in the opening credits sequence of the ’90s ABC sitcom Step by Step. The coaster has been operating since 1978.

  • Jet Star

    Most of the roller coasters featured on YouTube are ones you can actually ride. The Jet Star coaster, however, is an exception. The roller coaster, which was located on the edge of the Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, N.J., was swept into the Atlantic Ocean during Hurricane Sandy. Pictures of the coaster sitting upright in the waves became iconic images of the storm’s force and, this May, the ride was completely demolished and removed. Today, it survives only in video format — its proximity to the water a frightening foreshadowing of its eventual fate.

  • Formula Rossa

    Let’s travel internationally for a moment and visit the United Arab Emirates. The Middle Eastern country is home to Ferrari World, which boasts the Formula Rossa roller coaster. The ride holds the world record as the fastest roller coaster, clocking in at 149 mph.

  • Takabisha

    Our next international stop will take us to Fuji-Q Highland in Fujiyoshida, Japan. There, we will be riding Takabisha, which holds the world record for steepest roller coaster. It drops riders from its 141-foot initial hill at an angle of 121 degrees.

  • Space Mountain

    Back in the United States, we will visit perhaps one of its most beloved amusement parks that does not need a half-dozen flags to mark its territory. Space Mountain, located at Disney World in Orlando, Florida and also at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, is renowned for being an indoor roller coaster. Riders speed through the darkness, rounding a series of unexpected turns while being entertained by the occasional flash of light.

  • Spongebob Squarepants Rock Bottom

    We’ll stay indoors for the time being and travel to a place that is just as heavily commercialized as any given Disney theme park: a shopping mall. The Spongebob Squarepants Rock Bottom Plunge is one of two coasters inside the massive Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. Roller coaster riders are used to seeing other rides, the sun and the insides of their eyelids while making their way through the many twists, turns, and drops. The Spongebob Squarepants Rock Bottom Plunge is also the only coaster we know of that offers a view of a mall food court.

  • Zoomerang

    Zoomerang, located at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Conn., is just one of many “boomerang”-style coasters scattered around the country’s amusement parks. The unique layout of such attractions causes riders to be pulled backwards up to the top of a hill. They are released and sent through a series of inversions, including a perfect loop. They again ascend the hill, reach the top and are released. This time, they travel backwards — through the inversions again — before completing the ride.

  • The Smiler

    Next, let’s take a ride on the Smiler, a brand-new coaster located at Alton Towers in Stafford, UK. The roller coaster holds the record for the biggest number of inversions and is the world’s second-leading inducer of vomit (Justin Bieber’s music still holds the top ranking in that category). YouTube lets you ride through the Smiler’s 14 inversions without having to stumble off to the nearest restroom line afterwards.

  • The Zipper

    Finally, we will disembark from our harnesses and crawl into the cage of the Zipper ride. A staple of many traveling carnivals, the Zipper is basically a ferris wheel driven to the brink of insanity. Its cages are flipped, flopped, and otherwise spun, leaving you with an intense dizziness and many inverted views of hastily-assembled amusements.


Sicily – Mediterranean Jewel

By
Adam East
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There’s no place like Sicily. From the amazing art and Roman architecture of Palermo… To the beautiful beaches… Oh and of course Mt. Etna, the greatest natural wonder in Europe.
This beautiful island has been called “God’s Kitchen” in honor of it’s fantastic wine and delicious Sicilian food. The Mediterranean people love to romance food and it’s exquisite restaurants are among it’s greatest attractions.

Of all the places I have been, this Mediterranean paradise is my favorite. It’s an enchanting place for a wedding or honeymoon. Strolling through it’s cobblestone streets you truly feel like you’ve left the cares of the world behind. And that’s what a vacation is supposed to be, right?

When you plan your holiday, you are going to be pleasantly surprised at how much fun you will have. Sicily is one place you will find more to do and so little time to do it in while visiting the country. You can spend a few days on the beach or even enjoy a spa for relaxation, but you do not want to miss the attractions of the area. By the way check out these beautiful photographs…

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Top 15 Power of Positive Thinking Quotes

By
Adam East
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…And how a change in thoughts can lead to a change in life.

15.“The day is what you make it! So why not make it a great one?” ~ Steve Schulte

14.“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

13.“There is nothing good or bad, only thinking makes it so.” ~ Hamlet

12.“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.” ~ Og Mandino

11.“You cannot tailor-make the situations in life but you can tailor-make the attitudes to fit those situations.” ~ Zig Ziglar

10.“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.” ~ Sun Tzu

9.“We can’t escape pain; we can’t escape the essential nature of our lives. But we do have a choice. We can give in and relent, or we can fight, persevere, and crete a life worth living, a noble life. Pain is a fact; our evaluation of it is a choice.” ~ Jacob Held

8.“Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem and turned it into an opportunity.” ~ Joseph Sugarman

7.“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

6.“Optimism is the most important human trait, because it allows us to evolve our ideas, to improve our situation, and to hope for a better tomorrow.” ~ Seth Godin

5.“Nothing truly stops you.  Nothing truly holds you back.  For your own will is always within your control.  Sickness may challenge your body. But are you merely your body? Lameness may impede your legs. But you are not merely your legs. Your will is bigger than your legs. Your will needn’t be affected by an incident unless you let it.” ~ Epictetus

4.“Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.” ~ Anthony Robbins

3.“Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” ~ Groucho Marx

2.“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

1.“Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.” ~ Og Mandino

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