2010 World in Focus Contest Winners by National Geography

These are some of the pictures among the top 10!!
Uber fantastic, surely despicts beauty around the world.
Enjoy everyone!!

First Prize

Photograph by Larry Louie

“Temples of Kathmandu”

Seven-day/six-night stay for two in Waikiki, Hawaii, courtesy of Aqua Hotels & Resorts.
Larry Louie photographed the Tripureshwar Mahadev Mandir Temple in the slums of Nepal’s capital city, steps away from where people lived under bridges. “Most foreign tourists are warned away from Kathmandu, told this is a chaotic city falling apart,” he says. “This photo shows there’s still old beauty here, even in the slums.” He was drawn to the scene by the flying birds, backlit by the sunrise burning through the fog. “The scene was such a contrast to its surroundings.” (Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, 24-105mm lens at 24mm, exposure at 1/125 second, f/11, ISO 400)

For the fifth year, Traveler paired its photo contest with that of Photo District News, an award-winning magazine for professional photographers. More than 3,700 avid amateur photographers entered nearly 11,000 images in the 2010 World in Focus competition—our 22nd annual contest. The pictures captured an assortment of the places, wildlife, and people that make our travels memorable, evoking a sense of delight or discovery—or both.

Second Prize

Photograph by Robin Moore

“Connection”
Intensive, 2½-day photography course at Santa Fe Workshops.
Robin Moore visited a small Samburu village in Kenya’s Rift Valley. “There were a half dozen huts made of sticks and mud,” he says. “I was captivated by this girl’s body language.” The child, who was partially hiding her face, looked back at Moore, transfixed. “As I raised my camera and gestured to ask if I could take her photo, her gaze didn’t falter,” says the photographer. “This image captures that moment of mutual curiosity between me, a foreigner, and a world so very different from my own.” (Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, 17-40mm lens at 17mm, exposure at 1/5000 second, f/4, ISO 400)

 

Merit Prize

Photograph by Marjorie Lang

"Happy Girl"

Nikon L100 Coolpix camera or equivalent, $100 B&H gift card, and a $100 certificate for Canson Infinity media.
Marjorie Lang was en route to a festival in Udaipur, India, when she saw this happy girl in motion, delightfully backlit. “She was just there, singing and dancing barefoot in a narrow blue street with her orange dress,” Lang says. “There’s nothing spectacular or unusual about the photograph, but I believed in the beauty of the simple moment.” (Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, 24-70mm lens at 70mm, exposure at 1/125 second, f/4, ISO 100)

Merit Prize

Photograph by Weixin Shen

"Wall of Books"

Nikon L100 Coolpix camera or equivalent, $100 B&H gift card, and a $100 certificate for Canson Infinity media.
Weixin Shen and his wife were looking for a place to have dinner in Delhi, India, when they came upon a secondhand bookstore. “The owner was trying to make room for his new arrivals,” Shen says. Although initially attracted to the wall of books, Shen decided that including the people on the periphery of the scene added layers to the composition and gave the feeling that “you were right there.” (Nikon D200 digital camera, 12-24mm lens at 13mm, exposure at 1/100 second, f/4, ISO 400)

Merit Prize

Photograph by Robin Moore

"Zebra Up Close"
Nikon L100 Coolpix camera or equivalent, $100 B&H gift card, and a $100 certificate for Canson Infinity media.
Robin Mooregot this close-up of a zebra glancing at him in Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park. “The early afternoon sun created a dramatic contrast,” he says, “and allowed me to blow out the background and render a black-and-white image that highlights the zebra’s striking markings without distraction.” (Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, 100-400mm lens at 400mm, exposure at 1/3200 second, f/5.6, ISO 320)