10 amazing photos of the winners of the National Geographic Travel Photographer 2018 contest

This year, the Grand Prix of the competition for the best travel photo of the year from National Geographic won a picture with the tail of a humpback whale. The author of the photo called "Mermaid" Japanese Reiko Takahashi received an award of 10 thousand dollars. And in total, more than 13 thousand photos were sent to the editorial office of the magazine this year from all over the world. Let's take a look at the impressive works of the winners of the competition in three main categories: "Nature", "People" and "Cities". Each picture is published with an explanation by the author.

Source: Design You Trust

"Alone among the crowd." By Gary Cummins. Honorable mention, category "Cities".

With this photo, I tried to convey the difficult living conditions in the metropolis that Hong Kong is famous for. So many people in this city live in tiny rooms, so it's so strange to see all these paths and sports fields empty. I usually travel alone and am often alone among the crowd, which is why this picture resonates with me so much.

"The Mermaid". Author: Reiko Takahashi. The Grand Prix of the competition and the first place in the category "Nature".

This baby humpback whale was with his mother, but sometimes curiosity forced him to get closer to us. I was lucky enough to meet him when I was snorkeling near the Japanese island of Kumejima. Most of the time the baby whale stayed close to his mother, but at some point he started jumping and beating his tail right next to us, but at the same time behaved curiously and friendly. In the end, his mother, who was watching her offspring from afar, swam up and took him with her. I just fell in love with this cute baby and his mobile, big and beautiful tail.

"Leida and Laelle—I'll lift you up." Author: Tatiana Itat. Second place, category "People".

Since 2016, I have been communicating with Haitian refugees who live in my city, Estrela. I have already made friends with emigrant families, and especially with my twin sisters, Leida and Laelle. They say that living in Brazil is like living in paradise — our country is so different from their homeland. They dream of becoming models and teachers, earning money and moving all their relatives from Haiti to Brazil to live as one big family. That day they played in front of the house and practiced posing as models or actresses. I took a picture at the moment when Laila lifted her sister's chin, showing her the correct pose.

"Mars." Author: Marco Grassi. Third place, category "Nature".

These natural sand towers, covered with large stones, are called the Earthen Pillars of Renon. They are located in the north of South Tyrol in Italy. Formed centuries ago as a result of storms and landslides, these formations resemble the cosmic landscape in their appearance. From season to season, their outlines change due to the continuous alternation of periods of heavy rain and drought, erosion and soil erosion. Some pyramids disappear, new ones appear.

"Another rainy day in Nagasaki." Author: Hiro Kurashina. First place, category "Cities".

View from the tram window on the main street of Nagasaki on a rainy day. This old tram is equipped with modern equipment for ticket sales, so the conductor is no longer needed here. For some reason, the view from the window caught my attention. Such a contrast compared to busy megacities like Tokyo and Osaka. We stayed in Nagasaki for a whole week, but this trip on an old tram along a quiet street especially stuck in my memory.

"Geometry of the sun". Author: Enrico Pescantini. Second place, category "Cities".

"Teotihuacan" translates as "the place where the gods were created", and this is exactly what you feel when walking along the Alley of the Dead of an ancient Mexican city. This pyramid was built in honor of the sun god, and I found that the rising sun at some point illuminates exactly half of the structure, while the other half remains in shadow.

I've always loved archaeology and ancient civilizations, so I couldn't wait to go to Mexico to explore the ruins of a pre-Columbian civilization. I planned my visit to Teotihuacan at dawn in order to survive as much as possible from the cherished combination of sunlight, shadow play and the absence of people. Having launched the drone, I really hoped that I would be lucky and get exactly the shot I was waiting for. And I was lucky!

"A difficult journey." Author: Dr. Tanvir Hassan Rohan. Third place, category "People".

I took this shot at the railway station of Dhaka Airport (Bangladesh) during the celebration of Eid al-Fitr. People were returning home to their villages to spend the holiday with their family, so the crush was terrible.

One man caught my attention — he was hanging out on the rail of the train with his family, trying to get inside. Suddenly it started to rain and the train started moving slowly. The family had train tickets, but they couldn't squeeze into the carriage. There are a lot of people like him, they go to Dhaka to work, leaving their families and native villages, and then, when the holidays begin, they do everything to get to their relatives, no matter what.

"Flying flamingos". Author: Hao Jay. Second place, category "Nature".

Thousands of flamingos take off from the bright surface of the Natron Salt Lake in Tanzania. Before taking off, the birds need to run a little through the water to gain speed. At this moment, their long red legs create ripples on the surface of the lake. When you look down from a helicopter, these rows of ripples look like giant aquatic plants flowing through the water.

"Reflection". Author: Ganesh Prasad. Third place, category "Cities".

It was early in the morning, and I wanted to photograph the fog (in Dubai from December to January, everything is drowned in thick fog, and this is the dream of any photographer). Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to get on the roof, so I looked at the city through the window. I was stunned and excited to see this beauty, but my excitement became even stronger when I noticed the reflection in the glass. Then I opened the window as wide as possible and took this picture.

"Tea culture". Author: Alessandra Menikonzi. First place, category "People".

I have always really liked the old Mongolian hunting with golden eagles. At the beginning of 2018, I went on a trip with a Mongolian family of hunters who changed their winter camp for spring.

Mongolia is a sparsely populated country, but its inhabitants are very hospitable and friendly. Tea in their culture is one of the symbols of hospitality. This is not just a drink, but a combination of traditions, culture, recreation, ceremony and pleasure. The girl in the photo, wrapped in heavy fur clothes, drinks tea to keep warm in the cold steppes of Western Mongolia.