The Independence Day — “While on storm chasing expeditions in Tornado Alley, I have encountered many photogenic supercell storms. This photograph was taken while we were approaching the storm near Julesburg, Colorado, on May 28, 2013. The storm was tornado warned for more than one hour, but stayed an LP storm through all its cycles and never produced a tornado, just occasional brief funnels, large hail and some rain.”
Marko Korošec / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
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First Time — “Mea Shearim, ultra Orthodox district of Jerusalem. Newly married, Aaron and Rivkeh after the wedding ceremony are to stay together for the very first time alone. Their marriage was arranged by families. 18-year-old candidates confirmed the choice in result of the one meeting only. Since then until the wedding day, they were prohibited to meet or even talk.”
Agnieszka Traczewska, National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
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Diver in Magic Kingdom — “Green Lake (Grüner See) is located Tragöss, Austria. In spring, snowmelt raises the lake level about 10 meters. This phenomenon, which lasts only a few weeks, covering the hiking trails, meadows, trees. The result is magical to watch diving landscapes.”
Marc Henauer, National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
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Foggy Small Town (Český Krumlov, South Bohemian, Czech Republic) — “This photo was captured at noon, Dec. 25, 2013, from the castle, which is located on the edge of the small town and is the perfect viewpoint for the panorama of the almost intact historical town. The fog and mist suffused and gave the town a sense of mystery.”
Duowen Chen, National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
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End of the World — “This photo, taken at the ‘end of the world’ swing in Banos, Ecuador, captures a man on the swing overlooking an erupting Mt. Tungurahua. The eruption took place on Feb. 1, 2014. Minutes after the photo was taken, we had to evacuate the area because of an incoming ash cloud.”
Sean Hacker Teper, National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
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Ladies in Waiting — “While exploring Borough Market in London, I was delighted to come across four lovely young women dressed in vintage white dresses, eating ice cream as the local shopkeeper looked on. Are they brides? Or bridesmaids? I don’t know, but they are obviously enjoying a very special day.”
Susie Stern, National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
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A well earned rest in the Sahara — “This photo, of Moussa Macher, our Touareg guide, was taken at the summit of Tin-Merzouga, the largest dune (or erg) in the Tadrat region of the Sahara desert in southern Algeria. Moussa rested while waiting for us to finish our 45 minute struggle to the top. It only took 10 minutes of rolling, running and jumping to get to get back down. The Tadrat is part of the Tassili N’Ajjer National Park World Heritage Area, famous for its red sand, and engravings and rock paintings of cattle, elephants, giraffes and rhinos that lived there when the climate was milder.”
Evan Cole, National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
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Divine Makeover — “Taken during ‘The Mayana Soora Thiruvizha’ festival [that] takes place every March in the small village of Kaveripattinam, India, the day after Mahashivarathiri (the great night of Shiva). The festival is devoted to Angalamman, a fierce guardian deity worshiped widely in Southern India.”
Mahesh Balasubramanian, National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
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“Khotso” Peace at Devil’s Knuckles — “On arrival at Jonathan’s Lodge, our horses took to celebrating liberation from their heavy burdens. With the backdrop of ‘The Devil’s Knuckles’ and the afternoon’s glow, how could I not take advantage of these magnificent creatures rejoicing in the afternoon’s glow? This was the end of the first of a three day horseback ride through Bushman’s Nek, up the Drakensberg escarpment and into Lesotho’s Sehlabathebe National Park.”
Byron Inggs, National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
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Light Source — “A young monk finds a perfect light source to read his book inside of his pagoda in Old Bagan, Burma.”
Marcelo Castro, National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
