Petar Sabol, Croatia
Photographer Petar Sabol captured this incredible shot of a kingfisher near his home in Gorican, Croatia while he was out fishing in a local canal. The photographer tells that he spent many hours before finding this incredible photo opportunity.
Petar Sabol, Croatia
Danny Yen Sin Wong, Malaysia
Malaysian travel photographer Danny Yen Sin Wong captured this incredible moment while visiting Ethiopia. This little boy is a member of the Suri tribe, who live in the Omo valley in Ethiopia. The tribe’s women wear these long traditional copper bracelets. Despite their traditional attire, we can still see that this little boy maintains the innocence of childhood in his melancholy gaze.
Danny Yen Sin Wong, Malaysia
Roie Galitz, Israel
Israeli photographer Roie Galitz travelled to Svalbard, Norway in order to explore the marvelous sights that the wintery natural habitat has to offer. There, he was able to take this perfectly timed photo of a polar bear family as they migrate north. The mother ushers her cubs, an almost concerned look on her face. Perhaps she really is worried as the sea ice has been melting more rapidly than in previous years.
Roie Galitz, Israel
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
This stunning photograph was captured in the enchantingly beautiful holy temples of Bagan, located in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. The ancient city is home to many Buddhist temples. Here we see a young girl stopping at the temple on the way to school in order to fit in some prayer time beforehand.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Ignacio Palacios, Spain
Ignacio Palacious, an internationally known Spanish photographer, has spent a significant amount of his career capturing images of travel and landscapes in particular. His work has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Australian Geographic and Lonely Planet guides. This image he took of a chameleon is a great example of the incredible detail he captures in his work.
Ignacio Palacios, Spain
Zhenzheng Hu, China
Located in the Hunan Province of China, the city of Zixing was photographed by the talented Zhenzheng Hu. Here, Hu eloquently captured the way the light filters through the fog over the river against the backdrop of a lush forest. The fisherman in the foreground is contrasted against the soft light behind him.
Zhenzheng Hu, China
Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands
Marsel Van Oosten, a photographer from the Netherlands, summarized his work: “The Grand Tsingys are a rare geological phenomena. The rocks are razor sharp. I climbed up during the night to be able to photograph this climber in the early morning.” It’s clear that Van Oosten is completely dedicated to his craft, taking such a risk in order to capture the perfect photo.
Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands
Stephen King, Hong Kong
No, this is not the same Stephen King who is known for his horror tales, but photographer Stephen King of Hong Kong is just as talented as we can see in his image below. He captured the Kilauea Volcano as molten lava spews out into the nearby waters. The Hawaiian Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Hawaii.
Stephen King, Hong Kong
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Italian photographer Mauro Di Bettio travelled to Verges, a small town located in Catalunya in northeastern Spain, and captured this vibrant photo. Every holy Thursday in Verges a celebration is held and features the famous “Dansa de la Mort” dance. It is one of the oldest dances of the kind in Europe, which has been performed consistently ever since the Middle Ages.
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Edward Graham, United States
American photographer Edward Graham went to great lengths in order to shoot this fantastically beautiful photo of an ice block bathed in golden sunlight. He said: “to capture this image, I laid prone on the surface, aligning my camera with the ice block and setting sun in the distance. The ice block lit up with golden hues, emitting a visual warmth that belied the cold of this wonderful place.”
Edward Graham, United States
Florent Mamelle, France
French photographer Florent Mamelle captured this incredible photo that features several interesting components. First, the Fuego volcano is illuminated against the starry sky, the lava spewing out glows brightly in the night. Next, the stars in the sky shine brightly and serve as a stunning backdrop to the volcano, almost like a glittery velvet blanket. Even the Milky Way is visible in the top left corner.
Florent Mamelle, France
Fuyang Zhou, China
Photographer Fuyang Zhou considers photography a hobby as opposed to her profession. Despite this, her photographs are dazzling and certainly qualify as professional. She began taking photos in 2010 and has won many prestigious photography awards since then. Here she captured a tender moment in which a bird feeds a worm to another. The way Zhou captured the birds’ grace is truly commendable.
Fuyang Zhou, China
Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands
Marsel Van Oosten captured the elusive and uniquely beautiful Qinling golden snub-nosed monkey despite the fact that few people have ever encountered the species. Only about 3,800 of the monkeys exist and unfortunately they are classified as endangered. The elegant mammals feature a rainbow of colors on their fur and faces. The photo Van Oosten captured is so beautiful, we could see these monkeys landing a high fashion contract!
Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands
Fardin Oyan, Bangladesh
Fardin Oyan is a teenager from Bangladesh who has always been fascinated with technological gadgets, particularly favoring cameras. He convinced his father to buy him a camera when he was in 7th grade and says: “I was so happy that I can’t describe that moment in words. The camera felt like a magical box to me. After that moment, I decided to take the path of photography seriously and now photography has become the part and parcel of my life.”
Fardin Oyan, Bangladesh
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Slovenian photographer Matjaz Krivic travelled to a small town in Yemen, located in the Haraz mountains to capture this photo. The area is known for being the stronghold of the Sulaihid dynasty in the 11th century, of which many of its buildings still stand today. Krivic captured the mist that forms in the valley in the morning time, creating a mysterious atmosphere around the town.
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Krivic prides himself in being a documentary photographer who recounts the stories of people and places around the world. He has been traveling and documenting sights for over 25 years and has won numerous awards throughout the years. Here he has captured teenager Onno, who is a member of the Arbore tribe, a group from southern Ethiopia.
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Philip Lee Harvey, United Kingdom
Philip Lee Harvey, a photographer from the UK, travelled to West Africa and documented the lives of sand divers. The divers free dive into the Niger river in order to collect sand from the bottom of the river for the local building industry. He learned that this is one of the most extremely dangerous jobs, and sadly many of the divers do not make it back safely.
Philip Lee Harvey, United Kingdom
Andrew James, United Kingdom
This incredibly adorable photo, captured by Andrew James of the United Kingdom, looks like it could be the poster for the next Pixar animated film. However, sometimes life is stranger than fiction and James was able to capture this snowy meeting between a Gentoo penguin and an elephant seal. We wonder how the rest of the encounter went.
Andrew James, United Kingdom
He Jian, China
This stunning photograph, captured by Chinese photographer He Jian, is so powerful in its storytelling that it almost looks like an ancient painting. Jian perfectly captured villagers dressed in traditional garb making their way on a snowy pilgrimage despite the bitter cold. Jian’s photo expresses the pious nature of the people, making the difficult journey ahead.
He Jian, China
Philip Lee Harvey, United Kingdom
Philip Lee Harvey, photographer from the UK, doesn’t stray far from home for this fun and beautiful photo. Here Harvey captured a snowy day in London, with Big Ben barely visible in the distance due to the hazy and snowy conditions. But the weather didn’t let everyone lose their sense of whimsy, as someone has built a merry snowman beside the Thames.
Philip Lee Harvey, United Kingdom
Yingting Shih, Taiwan
Yingting Shih’s incredible photo captures a red crane while its cleaning its feathers. Amazingly, its body resembles a taijitu, which is the symbol that reprsents Taiji, the Supreme Ultimate – a concept that originates in Daoism in the Dao De Jing – which envelops that yin and yang symmetry pattern.
Yingting Shih, Taiwan
Scott Portelli, Australia
Australian photographer Scott Portelli amazingly captures a moment of tranquility in the depths of the Kaikoura canyons found in the South Island of New Zealand. Portelli immortalizes the graceful movement of a dusky dolphin as it travels the waters in search of food for sustenance.
Scott Portelli, Australia
Ben McRae, Australia
Australian photographer Ben McRae is originally from the South Coast of New South Wales, but has travelled far and wide in search of stunning locations to capture through his photography. He favors traveling to Africa in particular, but also photographs his home country whenever he can. In this understated but beautiful photo, McRae has captured a small shop that sells beer and soft drinks in the middle of the desert.
Ben McRae, Australia
Isabella Smith, United States
Isabella Smith is 14 year-old budding photographer from Tennesse, whose photo has won her much acclaim despite her age. Isabella Smith lives in Collierville, a small town in Tennessee. Smith has always struggled with focusing in school, and was recently diagnosed with ADHD. However, once she discovered photography, she found a passion that she was able to focus all her attention on. On this photo she said: “This really grabbed my attention! I thought this local boy using oranges as balls, was the opposite of kids in my country playing with expensive toys.”
Isabella Smith, United States
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Italian photographer Mauro Di Bettio has travelled far and wide in order to document the lives of people around the world. In this photo, he was able to capture the pain of the daily struggle that these young boys go through in order to survive. He shared, “Taj and Akash travel every day from station to station with their mother, begging to make a living.”
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Slovenian photographer Krivic captured a photo that is brilliant due to the fact that it captures the universal moment of children at play but in an extremely specific “playground” that will not be relatable for many children around the world. Here, Krivic has photographed children playing a (quite dangerous) game while climbing on the minaret of the Grand Masjid in Bani, Burkina Faso, a small country in Africa that borders Mali and Niger.
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Sylvia Michel, Switzerland
Swiss photographer Sylvia Michel is behind this absolutely stunning image that captures so many elements at once. On the photo, she says: “When I created this picture – a lot of people asking me if this is a wolf. And of course a Swiss white shepherd has a lot of wolf in it. It was the reason for me to buy me a dog like this. He’s not a typical pet, he has the majesty of a wolf and of course he has a lot of it’s character!”
Sylvia Michel, Switzerland
Magdaléna Straková, Czech Republic
Magdalena Strakova, of the Czech Republic, has captured this incredible photo that depicts a young mahout. A mahout is an elephant trainer or keeper, who typically is assigned to an elephant from its infancy and usually stays with it its whole life. Here, we see the mahout shielding himself from the heat under the shade of his elephant named Shanti.
Magdaléna Straková, Czech Republic
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Italian photographer Stefano Pensotti captures a moment between men playing a relaxing game of chess in the Széchenyi Baths, located in Budapest, Hungary. The baths, which were built in 1913, are one of the most popular in Budapest and are a popular tourist attraction. People from around the world come to the baths to relax in the thermal baths, which are a huge stress reliever.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Matjaz Krivis of Slovenia is known for his stunning photography that captures the story of humanity in different locations around the world. He artistically captures moments of every day life, creating a magnificent piece of art out of these seemingly mundane moments. Here we see a group of shepherds with their cattle, trotting on despite the blazing heat and dusty conditions.
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Paul Sansome, United Kingdom
Paul Sansome captured a scene from the incredible landscapes that Iceland has to offer. Iceland’s landscape variety ranges from waterfalls, volcanic landscapes, and vast beaches. Not only that, the birds are the signature animal of the Icelandic wildlife. The people of Iceland pride themselves in their respectful relationship with nature and their valiant attempts to protect wildlife and their habitats.
Paul Sansome, United Kingdom
Frans Lanting, The Netherlands
Dutch photographer Frans Lanting captured this gorgeous shot while spending time in Botswana. He said: “I waded into a water hole to capture a shimmering reflection of a gathering of elephants at twilight, with a full moon suspended in a luminous pink sky. The image is my homage to the primeval qualities of southern Africa’s wilderness, the grandeur of elephants, and the precious nature of water in a land of thirst.”
Frans Lanting, The Netherlands
Alejandro Prieto, Mexico
Alejandro Prieto chronicled the reality of the jaguars in Mexico in a series of photos that won him a top prize in photojournalism. This image was taken in the jungle located in the mountain of Sierra de Vallejo, Mexico. The jaguars scratch the bark of a tree in order to leave a warning mark for other creatures not to trespass on their territory.
Alejandro Prieto, Mexico
Javier Aznar González De Rueda, Spain
Javier Aznar González De Rueda was able to capture this incredible moment while he was actually in the kitchen of the lodge he was staying at. In the photo, he was able to capture and commemorate a moment in which a mother is protecting her child, set against the backdrop of the blue sky.
Javier Aznar González De Rueda, Spain
Cristobal Serrano, Spain
Cristobal Serrano of Spain captured this absolutely stunning photo of the Errera Channel in the Antarctic Peninsula with a drone. The image shows an ice floe spilling outwards along with some crabeater seals swimming nearby, feeding on their favorite thing to eat, krill.
Cristobal Serrano, Spain
Jan Van Der Greef, The Netherlands
Jan Van Der Greef immortalized this fleeting moment of a hummingbird flying by a spiked plant out in the garden of his hotel. As the bird opened its wings, he was able to capture the second in which it seemed to form a cross with the plant. He said: “their fast movements to me symbolize the freedom of our imagination.”
Jan Van Der Greef, The Netherlands
Orlando Fernandez Miranda, Spain
Orlando Fernandez Miranda took this photo at the top of a sand dune in the Skeleton Coast, where three different elements of weather collided: the warm sunshine of an afternoon, an intensely dense ocean fog, and a strong wind from the northeast. The effect of capturing all three in one frame leaves the viewer in intrigue.
Orlando Fernandez Miranda, Spain
Marco Colombo, Italy
As Italian photographer Marco Colombo was driving through a village late at night, he spotted something completely out of the ordinary: a bear roaming around! He quickly turned off his car and lights and watched the bear make its way around. He managed to quickly snap this photo before she disappeared into the darkness.
Marco Colombo, Italy
Michael Patrick O’Neill, USA
Michael Patrick O’Neill said that while capturing this photo, he wanted to “create a sense of movement.” The flying fish pictured typically swims extremely quickly during the day, but its movement significantly slows down at nighttime. O’Neill said that he used multiple types of flash and shutter settings before capturing the perfect shot.
Michael Patrick O’Neill, USA
Jen Guyton, Germany / USA
Jen Guyton was in the Namib Desert when she spotted this unusual plant called the welwitschia plant. She described it as “like something out of a Dr. Seuss book,” and was able to take this shot as the sun was setting. This amazing plant is able to live up to 1000 years!
Jen Guyton, Germany / USA
Núñez Montero, Spain
This image by Núñez Montero shows a heartbreakingly real moment in the life of a mountain gorilla named Kuhirwa. Here she holds her baby that passed away, refusing to let go of it and cuddling and grooming it weeks after it had passed. This photo exemplifies the very relatable pain of a mother who has lost a child.
Núñez Montero, Spain
Georgina Steytler, Australia
As Georgia Steytler was out with the intention of photographing some birds, her attention was immediately drawn towards these wasps, busy at work by the edge of the water. They rolled up the wet mud into balls and carried them to their nests to create chambers in which they can lay their eggs.
Georgina Steytler, Australia
David Herasimtschuk, USA
David Herasimtschuk captured the incredible battle between a hellbender salamander and a northern water snake. He said: “I’ve seen hellbenders display an array of behaviors, but this was by far the most remarkable.” Just as it seemed like the salamander would win, as it readjusted its bite, the snake narrowly escaped.
David Herasimtschuk, USA
Cristobal Serrano, Spain
In yet another stunning photo taken via drone, Cristobal Serrano captured a moment in which crabeater seals were beached on an ice floe. The ice is their home, and they are truly dependent on it. As ice continues to melt, this threatens their lives as well as their supply of food’s availability.
Cristobal Serrano, Spain
Arshdeep Singh, India
Arshdeep Singh managed to spot these birds flying into these old waste pipes and decided to stop and wait for this photo until they came out. Not long after, he saw these owls peep out and eventually they stared directly at him and his camera.
Arshdeep Singh, India
Perez Naval, Spain
Perez Naval was able to capture this moment of a duck dozing off as the morning light reflected off the water of the Barents Sea. The long-tailed duck can be found alongside many other species of birds in the Barents Sea, which is home to one of the biggest populations of seabirds in the world.
Perez Naval, Spain
Skye Meaker, South Africa
The leopards living in the Mashatu Game Reserve are known to be very elusive and quite shy. This makes them hard to photograph, but Skye Meaker was lucky enough to capture this leopard after a few hours of tracking. Skye managed to snap this mesmerizing shot of a sleepy leopard just before drifting off to sleep.
Skye Meaker, South Africa
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
This vibrant photo won Stefano Pensotti of Italy the Travel Photographer of the Year, Overall Winner Award in 2018. In this photo he was able to capture movement and piety alongside intricately detailed patterns and designs of the architecture and decor of the Great Mosque of Touba in Senegal.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Pensotti has the incredible ability to capture beautiful moments of everyday life. Here we see a man sharpening a sickle against a backdrop of rolling hills. The sharp contrast between the manmade creation against the natural world shows Pensotti’s incredible skills.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Stefano Pensotti began dabbling in photography since he was a child, and studied darkroom techniques at age 14. He combined this passion with his second passion of traveling, and uses photography to chronicle his findings as he travels the world.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Nicola Young, United Kingdom
In this photo, Nicola Young captured a fish market in Port Louis, Mauritius. During this trip, Young experienced Cyclone Berguitta, which affected the overall mood of the trip. She escaped the storm of the beaches and explored Port Louis, where she captured this realistic photo.
Nicola Young, United Kingdom
Oscar Tarneberg, United Kingdom
Oscar Tarneberg of the UK captured an incredible fleeting moment in time, as cars zoom by in the blink of an eye in an intersection in a Shanghai highway. This intersection is known for connecting the core arteries of the city, and Tarneberg has perfectly captured the essence of the non-stop buzz of the city.
Oscar Tarneberg, United Kingdom
Magdaléna Straková, Czech Republic
Czech photographer Magdalena Strakova has perfectly captured a moment in which two different species intersect, even momentarily. In this emotional black and white photo, dogs hang out in the shadow of migrating birds, and in the fleeting moment the land creatures cross paths with the winged. The cars in the background remind us that humans are still omnipresent in nature.
Magdaléna Straková, Czech Republic
Antwan Janssen, Netherlands
Antwan Janssen, originally from Uden, the Netherlands, prides himself in capturing the beauty in every photo he takes, regardless of subject. He enjoys traveling both within and outside of the Netherlands to capture wildlife, birds, and landscapes. As we can see below, he is truly gifted in bringing out the beauty and uniqueness of natural landscapes.
Antwan Janssen, Netherlands
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Di Bettio beautifully captured the difficult conditions found in the slum Char Kaliganj in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Here, one of the largest shipyards in Asia can be found, where 15,000 people work tirelessly to break down the huge old ships in order to create new ones. The workers’ ages range from 8 to 80, all of which endure the tough, crude, and dangerous conditions the shipyard offers. However, they do so in order to earn wages for food to feed their families.
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Krivic’s work is known for portraying the impoverished areas of the world in order to highlight the locals’ traditions, religions, and social unrest. He elegantly captures the voice of the marginalized, who often do not have the ability to have a voice at all. His observational photography captures the soul of the people as well as their stories.
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Sue O’Connell, United Kingdom
Sue O’Connell, a photographer from the United Kingdom, has managed to capture this stunning photo of a man entering the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. The mosque is located in the capital city Muscat in Oman. The extravagant mosque was built in 1993 in the contemporary Islamic style, and is truly a sight to behold. If you can imagine, its interior is even more ornate than its exterior.
Sue O’Connell, United Kingdom
Josien Van Geffen, Netherlands
Josien Van Geffen of the Netherlands accomplishes an amazing feat of photography in this photo. We can truly feel the strength of the windy day as captured by Van Geffen. He took this photo of a boy whose father threw a towel in his direction in order to see how strong the wind was blowing. This must have been a seriously stormy day!
Josien Van Geffen, Netherlands
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Sometimes, photography is not about a majestic landscape, but is about the subtly of human expression. In this understated but powerful photo, Mauro Di Bettio masterfully captured this young man’s emotions and expressiveness, particularly in his face and eyes. It truly speaks to Di Bettio’s talent that the boy’s facial expressions immediately draw the eye in, and not the bizarre costume that he is wearing.
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Jose Antonio Rosas, Peru
Jose Antonio Rosas, of Lima, Peru, began his photography career in 2007 after he travelled to Antarctica and was inspired by its landscapes and wildlife. He combined his love of photography with his career in finance until 2015, when he decided to take a year off of his finance career in order to focus on photography full time. After the year was up, he decided to spend even more time on his photography. His talent is quite clear, as can be seen in the photo below.
Jose Antonio Rosas, Peru
