Source: 2015 Traveler Photo Contest

It’s an awesome time of year in the photo industry when the National Geographic Traveler announces the winners of their annual photo contest. It’s a great way to see gorgeous images from prominent photographers and to see emerging and creative new visions in the field. And because we love photography and videography at Wispeo, we wanted to highlight some of the winners.

According to the contest website, “The 2015 Traveler Photo Contest judges reviewed nearly 18,000 photographs, and ten pictures won top prizes. Photographers entered pictures into four categories: Travel Portraits, Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place, and Spontaneous Moments.”

This year’s grand-prize winner is a gorgeous photo of a humpback whale, her calf, and several divers in the background taken by photographer Anuar Patjane in Mexico entitled “Whale Whisperers”. The caption says, “Diving with a humpback whale and her newborn calf while they cruise around Roca Partida … in the Revillagigedo [Islands], Mexico. This is an outstanding and unique place full of pelagic life, so we need to accelerate the incorporation of the islands into UNESCO as [a] natural heritage site in order to increase the protection of the islands against the prevailing illegal fishing corporations and big-game fishing.”

The second-place image is called “Gravel Workmen” by Faisal Azim. The caption for that photo says “[This] gravel-crush working place remains full of dust and sand. Three gravel workmen are looking through the window glass at their working place. Chittagong, Bangladesh.”

The third-place image (and my personal favorite) is a low-angle action shot of riders on camels by photographer Ahmed Al Toqi called “Camel Ardah”. The caption reads, “Camel Ardah, as it [is] called in Oman, is one of the traditional styles of camel racing … between two camels controlled by expert men. The faster camel is the loser … so they must be running [at] the same speed level in the same track. The main purpose of Ardah is to show the beauty and strength of the Arabian camels and the riders’ skills. Ardah [is] considered one of the most risky situations, since always the camels reactions are unpredictable [and] it may get wild and jump [toward the] audience.”

There were 10 total winners and you can see all of them on the Traveler website. Check them out if you want to feel inspired and awed by the beauty photographers can capture in the world.

Wispeo is a fantastic tool for photographers of all kinds, providing an easy way to send large files that don’t fit on email. Check it out and wisp your favorite images to someone today!

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