To show off the best in travel photography, thisannual National Geographic competitionhas collected some of the best images from all over the world.
Photographers from all skill levels have been submitting images to a number of categories to be judge and whittled down to the winners. As you can imagine, the finalist’s photographs are breathtaking, so we’ve collected a sample of them for you to enjoy.
Pat Riddell, the editor of National Geographic Traveller (UK), spoke about the submissions:
“We might have spent 18 months in a global pandemic, but that hasn’t diminished the consistent quality in our annual competition. Whether shot in the UK, or abroad during windows in which people could travel, this year’s winners remind of us how photographers see the world around us and the magic of capturing a once-in-a-lifetime moment."
Stallholders (and brothers) preparing the morning’s catch ready for market
This is the winning image from theFood and Travel categoryof the competition. Entries to this category are required to tell a story about food and its creation.
And Nic Crilly-Hargrave’s image just does that in a messy way:
“I took this image early one morning in a warehouse behind Veracruz market – it’s where animals are butchered and deliveries are unloaded, so it’s a pretty hectic place to shoot. I have a Nikon D850, with a 24-70mm f2.8 lens, which allows me to get close to my subject in low light without being in the way. It’s a race against time to get everything ready before shoppers arrive, so everyone’s pretty focused – but I spotted this moment of companionship between two men as they gutted fish, knives flashing, scales flying everywhere. When they saw I’d taken their picture, one pointed to the other, uttering one word: ‘brother’.”
Cooks crafting dim sum
Ian Douglas Scott’s photo of cooks crafting dim sum in Shanghai’s Yu Garden district is one of the runner-up images in the Food and Travel category.
“The roadside stall framed the scene naturally. It is so good to see people enjoying themselves as they work quickly and skillfully to create such beautiful delicacies. They seemed so immersed in their happy conversation that they didn’t notice the camera. Little did we or they know that behind this joyful scene a virus was already spreading right here in this city and things would soon change so much for all of us the world over. The picture captures for me that last moment of pre-pandemic innocence.”
The daily food market in Urubamba
Another incredible view from a traveller’s perspective and another close contender for the prize in the Foot and Travel category.
Karolina Wiercigroch spoke about their photo snapped in the heart of the Peruvian Sacred Valley.
“I came by to get some snacks for a hike in the Andes and ended up spending a good hour watching the market life. This is where locals shop for their daily groceries, carefully choosing fragrant mangoes while chatting to vendors, picking purple corn and red quinoa for lunch, exchanging smiles, food and sols. Three storeys high, the market offers any produce imaginable: Andean cheese, pink trout from the Urubamba river, aromatic leaves of Peruvian huacatay. I climbed the stairs to eye the market from above. This particular scene caught my attention because of the combination of shapes and colours, perfectly depicting the variety of Peruvian ingredients, while offering harmony amongst the chaos. "
Marble Hill before sunrise
This striking image comes fromthe Landscape categoryand shows the winning photo for 2021.
An awesome view of the Marble Hill beach in Ireland, with a serene look at the landscape.
“Ever since I moved to Ireland, I always wanted to do a sea-related activity, but I was too shy to try anything because of the cold. I then tried surfing and fell in love with it. This is the beach that I frequently go surfing and I have experienced so many beautiful moments here. I was planning this shot for a couple of months but couldn’t find a proper calm early morning. On this November day, my friends and I’ve decided to meet at the beach right after sunrise but after checking the forecast and realizing that I’ll have perfect conditions for my long-waited shot, I arrived at the beach an hour before sunrise. It was another stunning scenery; I walked the beach taking my time then I set up my drone, ascended enough to capture the shot, it was beautiful.”
Emerald Lake, Mangya
This runner-up comes from China and features a wonderful view of Emerald Lake. It’s easy to see where it gets its name.
“Reaching this lake was undoubtedly difficult, and it took us eight hours to drive there from the nearby city, which is hidden like a jewel in the northwest of China. When my friends and I arrived at the Emerald Lake, we were stunned, and our previous exhaustion was swept away. When we pulled up at the lake, I was still preparing my drone for take-off when my friend excitedly dashed into the lake, which I then filmed with my drone. My friend’s red jacket contrasted with the green surface of the lake, and their careful walk through the lake’s shallows added movement to the scene.”
Diamond Beach, Iceland
On the beaches of Iceland, Jordan Banks caught this view of ice strewn over Diamond Beach. A fitting image for the runner-up position for this category.
“I travelled to Iceland during winter on assignment in search of unique locations and perspectives of a well photographed country. I found myself on Diamond beach in Southern Iceland surrounded by these ginormous pieces of ice and was struggling to really highlight the wildness of the location and magnitude of the ice blocks from the ground. I used a DJI Mavic 2 drone with 28mm Hasselblad lens to take to the sky to achieve a new perspective on the location. This particular frame really spoke to me in the way it combined multiple elements in a powerful and wild image whilst at the same time being a very calming abstract photograph.”
Ice fishing on the frozen sea
Just like photography, ice fishing takes time and patience to master and that’s nicely summed up by this winner from thePeople category.
“We drove down the Notsuke Peninsula, a sand bar protruding into the Nemuro Strait on the east coast of Hokkaido. Our primary aim was to photograph the elegant red-crowned cranes, huge Steller’s sea eagles and other wildlife. The sea was frozen and several ice fishermen were out on the bay, fishing for wakasagi, small fish which gather in large shoals beneath the ice. A fisherman makes a hole with an auger and drops down a line carrying coloured lures and bait. Several fishermen had erected small tents for protection but this man was braving the weather. With his gear on a small sled, he just sat – and waited – looking very cold. I lay down on the ice to get the shot of an activity I had never seen before. "
Vietnamese woman in traditional clothing
Walter Monticelli’s photo was chosen as a runner-up for the People category. It was taken in the Hue Imperial City’s palace, Vietnam and shows a Vietnamese woman in traditional clothing.
“Whilst walking between Chinese inspired temples in the Hue Imperial City’s palace in Vietnam I heard a faint melody playing in the distance. Following the sound, I reached a room in which a group of women wearing traditional clothing were playing local music with traditional Vietnamese instruments. I stood there for a while taking in the sound when I noticed that this lady was sitting next to the entrance enjoying the music that her friends were playing. She was very elegant in her posture which beautifully complemented the tune that reverberated in the air.”
The Boatman
This sort of photo gives a taste of local life and is one of many awesome photos seen by the judges for this year’s competition.
Here a local boatman is seen in the area of remote northern Myanmar, tackling a challenging water channel filled with rocks and rapids.
“I was in Putao, a remote region in the far north of Myanmar, attempting to reach an island where monks pilgrimage to a Buddhist shrine. There was a powerful spirituality surrounding the area and a realisation the journey would be an adventure. A boatman was found who could get me there. I was amazed by his skill, navigating through rapids and rocks protruding from shallow waters. He appeared cool and calm, even though I had concern we may capsize. I wanted to take a photo of him focused on manoeuvring the boat, conveying his ease in the turbulence using only rudimentary equipment, an old small motor and worn wooden boat. He was engaging intuition and experience. The photo was a real challenge for me since the boat was swaying and turning through the water. I captured him by leaning low to steady myself and reveal his regal poise.”
The portfolio winner
Andro Loria was selected as the winner for thePortfolio category. This category required a collection of images with up to 10 photos showing a destination and teasing the highlights of the area.
“The images were all taken in Iceland from a small airplane on my trips during last year’s summer and autumn. Iceland is unique, as it has a great variety of landscape types within a relatively short range of distance. You can see deserts, volcanos, glaciers, mountains, braided rivers and lakes, sea coast and highlands all in one flight. It is like a continent in miniature. And what an amazing ‘continent’ it is.”
