National Geographic's photo contest winners

[Smokey]

The winning photos in the 2012 National Geographic Photography Contest.

Not in any particular order:

The Matterhorn, 4478 meters high, under a full moon.
http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/1F/934F18BD226CE62B8DD3F2D3FBC53C_h316_w628_m5_cOthty zKH.jpg

A tender moment between a cheetah mother, Malaika, and her cub.
http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/9A/C535C96D2CE179121DCCD146F28FD7_h316_w628_m5_cvGxQM ruz.jpg

A red fox hunting through two feet of crusted snow, location unknown.
http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/FD/F4EAFB3EE1F49A0C0E1EB9488B7_h316_w628_m5_cVEDtaikH .jpg

Men working a dragon boat in China.
http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/58/858B06CC6D539F5AF2E410F8CE1F_h316_w628_m5_cwKWRzWZ I.jpg

A wild Alaskan brown bear digging on a game trail.
http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/4C/1E29982AACDDD11396A9CFAD51E37_h316_w628_m5_crDisrl PB.jpg

Glacial ice washing ashore on Iceland's eastern coast.
http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/A1/9496698049FE182596E8859BED4594_h316_w628_m5_cMjbhq fLS.jpg

Scavenger women picking through a dumpsite.
http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/CC/962EA5759D5E7D1646233DDD5A929_h316_w628_m5_cvrHQPF yX.jpg

Busaba, an Indochinese tigress, shaking off after a bath at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand.
http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/57/B898AB91E5F6A2E80DD4CDBF47CF5_h316_w628_m5_cEHDFPo fo.jpg

A gloomy winter view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/1A/2A2EBE7AC812E6C5E9375FCC1A2E_h316_w628_m5_cgTztwJr N.jpg

Stilt fishermen at work in Sri Lanka.
http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/F4/BFB8D4CC1B8133EF20AA5D351177C_h316_w628_m5_cRiNFCG Jg.jpg

National Geographic 2012 photo contest winners (http://now.msn.com/national-geographic-2012-photo-contest-winners)

[StevenSurprenant]

These are very good. I've seen many photo submissions to National Geographic that I find extremely good. It's amazing what some people can do with a camera.

Here's a sample from a new camera I bought. It's not note worthy, but fun to do. The second one is a little brighter just in case your monitor is different than mine.

The last one is where I turned my dog pink. Just for fun!

[Smokey]

Thanks for photos Steven. You can clearly see the crators on the surface of Moon. Cool shot :)

[StevenSurprenant]

9101
Thanks for photos Steven. You can clearly see the crators on the surface of Moon. Cool shot :)

Thanks, I appreciate that.

I wish more people would post photo's like you did and some of their own too. I really enjoy that.

I'm not very good at photography but I like it and so often I am amazed at what people can do with a camera. It's such a diverse hobby. Even something as simple as a photo of a leaf can result in a beautiful picture when taken at the right moment.

National geographic...

The photo of the Matterhorn is fascinating because it was taken at night (you can see the stars).

The Alaskan bear was amazing because again it was taken at night (or perhaps at a high f-stop during the day). Where did the lighting on the bears face come from? This also had to be taken with a telephoto lens for practical reasons. Simply amazing!

The Glacial ice might be just a small chunk of ice that most people would have just walked past without notice, but the person who took this shot turned it into artwork.

The Eiffel tower has a very unique perspective. It seems to me they perhaps they used a ND filter for this shot.

The photo in Sri Lanka has an interesting quality because of the blueness of the photo. Had this been done in natural colors, I don't think it would be as interesting.

The photo of the men on the dragon boat is good because the photographer slowed the shutter speed down just enough to convey the motion of the water.

The other photos reflect the reality of life which most of us don't see in our daily lives, but is always a great subject.

I realize that this is an audio site, but there are similarities. A camera can be compared to audio gear, photo's to music, and photographers to musicians, but the biggest difference is that even a cheap camera can produce art in the right hands.

Anyway, check out this site... Thomas Shahan! (http://www.thomasshahan.com/#photos)

[StevenSurprenant]

Here'a another person who does great work... Goldpaint Photography Portfolio | All Photographs (http://portfolio.goldpaintphotography.com/f57362835)