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A stunning close-up shot of a humpback whale calf's tail has been
revealed as the grand prize winner of the 2018 National Geographic
Travel Photographer of the Year contest. Reiko Takahashi from Japan, who
quit her office job to pursue her passion for underwater photography,
took the striking image, titled 'Mermaid', off the coast of Japan's
Kumejima Island.
Describing the moment she captured the scene, she said: 'It was a
special scene for me, to be able to take a photo of the calf, completely
relaxed in gentle waters.'
Along with choosing an overall winner, judges of the 2018 National
Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year contest went about selecting
winning photos in three categories including 'nature', 'people' and
'cities'.
Reiko's grand-prize winning photo also came first in the 'nature'
category, with an image by Hao j of flamingos by taking off on colourful
Lake Natron in Tanzania coming in second place.
Meanwhile, Hiro Kurashina of Japan took top honors in the 'cities'
category for his black and white photo of a rainy day in Nagasaki, while
Alessandra Meniconzi of Switzerland won the 'people' category with a
candid shot of a woman in western Mongolia drinking tea to keep warm.
Scroll down to see the full selection of winners.
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This shot by MD Tanveer Hassan Rohan won third place in the 'people'
category. The photographer said of the image: 'This photograph was taken
from Dhaka's airport rail station during the Eid vacation. People were
returning to their village homes to spend Eid with families, and the
rush at the last hour was immense. One man caught my attention: he was
dangling on a train's handle with his family, trying to get inside the
train. At that time, rain started and the train began to slowly move.
The family had tickets to board the train, but couldn’t get to their
seats. There are many people like him, who come to Dhaka for work -
leaving their families and home villages - so when they get vacation,
they don't want to miss the opportunity to spend time with dear ones, no
matter what'Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
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TATI ITAT took this shot in Estrela, Rio
Grande do Sul State, Brazil, and won second place in the 'people'
category. The photographer said of the image: 'Since 2016, I've been
involved with Haitian immigrants and refugees living in my city, Estrela.
I have become friends with some families, and especially with twin
sisters, Leïda and Laëlle. They say living in Brazil is like living in
paradise - very different from the reality of their country of origin.
They dream of becoming models and teachers, as a way to earn money to
bring their other relatives from Haiti to Brazil, to live all near one
another. On this day, they were playing in front of their home,
improvising exercises to develop their imagination and creativity, as if
they were actresses, and playing an imitation game with poses. Laëlle
reached for Leida's face and lifted her head up, showing her where she
should look. At this brief moment, I took the photo'
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This shot of a humpback whale was the grand prize winner in National
Geographic Travel's Photographer of the Year Contest. It also came first
in the 'nature' category. Japanese photographer Reiko Takahashi said of
her winning shot: 'I was fortunate to have encountered a humpback whale
with her calf on my first day snorkeling near Japan’s Kumejima Island.
Most of the time, the calf stayed close to her mom. At one point, the
calf began jumping and tapping its tail on the water near us - it was
very friendly and curious. Finally, the mother, who was watching nearby,
came to pick up the calf and swim away. I fell in love completely with
the calf and it’s very energetic, large and beautiful tail'
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Gaanesh Prasad came third place in the 'cities' category with this shot.
The photographer said: 'On an early morning, I wanted to photograph the
fog, which is epic in Dubai every year from December to January - and
almost every photographer’s dream in this part of the world. Sadly, I
could not get access to the rooftop and so I peeped through the glazed
window on a lower floor. I was overwhelmed and excited to see how
beautiful the city looks, and my excitement was quadrupled as soon as I
saw the reflection of the road and building on the building that I was
in. I immediately opened the window to the maximum permissible amount
and clicked a single shot with stretched hands'
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Enrico Pescantini took this shot in Teotihuacan, Mexico, and scored
second place in the 'cities' category. He said of the image: 'Teotihuacan
means 'the place where the gods were created', and that's the exact
feeling visitors have when they walk along the Avenue of the Dead at
this Mexican archeological site. This pyramid was dedicated to the god
of Sun, and I found it mesmerizing how the rising sun in the picture
conquered just half the image, while the other half is in the shadows. I
have always loved archeology and ancient civilizations, so I couldn't
wait to visit Mexico and explore the remains of the pre-Columbian
civilization. I planned my visit to Teotihuacan at sunrise, to get a
combination of golden sunlight, play of shadows, and few crowds around.
I flew my drone to see if the image I had in my mind was really out
there: luckily for me, this frame was just waiting for my camera!'
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This candid shot by Alessandra Meniconzi won first place in the 'people'
category. The photographer said: 'For a long time, I have been
fascinated by the ancient Mongolian method of hunting with Golden
Eagles. In early 2018, I followed one family of eagle hunters during
their migration from winter camp to spring camp. Mongolia is sparsely
populated, but the inhabitants have a very hospitable and welcoming
culture. Tea for Kazakh culture is one of the attributes of hospitality.
Tea isn't just a drink, but a mix of tradition, culture, relaxation,
ceremony, and pleasure. Damel, seen here wrapped in heavy fur clothes,
drinks a cup of tea to keep warm from the chilly temperatures in Western
Mongolia'
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This image won third place in the 'nature' category. It was taken by
Marco Grassi. Describing the image he said:These natural sand towers,
capped with large stones, are known as the Earth Pyramids of Platten.
They are situated in Northern Italy’s South Tyrol region. Formed
centuries ago after several storms and landslides, these land formations
look like a landscape from outer space and continuously change over the
years and, more accurately, over seasons. This natural phenomenon is the
result of a continuous alternation between periods of torrential rain
and drought, which have caused the erosion of the terrain and the
formation of these pinnacles. As the seasons change, the temperatures
move between extremes and storms affect the area, pyramids disappear
over time, while new pinnacles form as well'
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This shot of flamingos taking off at Lake Natron in Tanzania came second
in the 'nature' category. Photographer Hao j took the stunning image
from a helicopter
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This striking black and white image won first place in the 'cities'
category. Japanese photographer Hiro Kurashina said of his shot: 'This
is a view of the main street from a tram in Nagasaki on a rainy day. The
tram is vintage, but retrofitted with modern ticketing equipment. A
conductor is no longer on board - only the lone driver. The quiet
streetscape seen through the front windshield of the tram somehow caught
my attention. This view presents quite a contrast to busy urban centers
in Japan, such as Tokyo and Osaka. The ride on a vintage tram through
the relatively quiet main street was a memorable experience during our
week-long visit to the historic city of Nagasaki'
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