National Geographic Best Mountain Photos
Saturday 29 Sep 07 | Category: Photo Competitions
The photo above was taken three years ago on the descent from Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal. I’ve posted it here to introduce the 2007 National Geographic Best Mountain Photos competition, the winners of which were announced this month.
The seven photos you can see on the National Geographic site were all taken in the Americas, six in North America and one in Bolivia. I’m not sure if entries were restricted to that continent but it seems strange to me that there were no winners from the Alps or the Himalayas or any of the other mountain ranges across the globe. Perhaps it’s just another example of an American institution being America-centric. Nonetheless, the photos are interesting. I’m not sure about the photo of the plane dropping fire retardant, it seems more than a little artificial to me, but the picture of the grizzly bear holding the head of a caribou in its mouth is fascinating.
The photo above might not win any prizes and yet it’s a favourite of mine as it was taken by a Dutch friend as we walked down from Annapurna Base Camp. I had been up before dawn that day to watch the sun come up over the Annapurna range. It was bloody freezing but one of the most memorable things I’ve done.
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Lonely Planet Images Newsletter
Wednesday 19 Sep 07 | Category: Stock Photography
I recommend a quick look at the Lonely Planet Images Newsletter for September. I’ve recently started contributing to Lonely Planet and their images have long been a source of inspiration, not only in photographic terms but also in terms of destinations.
I think the six pictures in the “Habitat” gallery sum up what the typical Lonely Planet image looks like: bags of colour, great composition, masses of impact and something that leaves you asking “where is that?” and “how can I get there?”.
The “Living” gallery is great too of course and the first picture in the sequence is one that any travel photographer would be proud of. Well, this travel photographer would be.
If you have time, take a look through some of the older editions of the newsletter, there are some great images on display.