While many of us are stuck at home and locked in our homes, some lucky ones have been able to get out and photograph places, animals and life.
Rather than being jealous, we thought we’d be more constructive and bring you some stunning galleries of winners to lift all our spirits.
For your visual enjoyment, here are some of our favorite photos from this year’s Travel Photographer of the Year awards.
Why not check out some of our other great galleries?
1
Winner – Travel Photographer of the Year – Vladimir Alekseev
Arctic fox photographed in Svalbard. Photographer Vladimir Alekseev said: “Once while I was on an expedition to Spitsbergen, there was a snowstorm. Everything around me was the same white. Suddenly I found this arctic fox. He has almost become one with the environment. Only his eyes and nose betray him…” – Vladimir Alekseev/TPOTY.com
2
Winner – Travel Photographer of the Year – Vladimir Alekseev
The best time to shoot the eruption of Ploski Tolbachik volcano in Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia is at dusk. Then it’s not too dark around, the color of the sky is beautiful, and the magma looks beautiful and sparkling. Indeed , which can be very dangerous…” – Vladimir Alekseev/TPOTY.com
3
Winner – Travel Photographer of the Year – Vladimir Alekseev
Snails by the water, photographed in Myanmar. “Travel photography doesn’t always capture landscapes or reportage. A lot of times it captures the macro world. These are elements of things around you. It’s the little joys in life that we don’t notice at home.” – Vladimir Alexeyev/TPOTY.com
4
Highly Commended – Landscape and Earth Element Combination – Paddy Scott
Charakusa Valley, Karakoram Mountains, Himalayas, Pakistan. At 7,282m above sea level, K6 is smaller than most of its other ‘K’ cousins; however, its prominence nearly 3,000m from the valley floor means it occupies the top of the Charakusa Valley. – Paddy Scott/TPOTY.com
5
Winner – Best Single Image in the Nature, Sea Life and Wildlife category – Pavlos Evangelidis
Tavern, Beqa Strait, Fiji. Photographer Pavlos Evangelidis says: “Don’t worry, the fish are fine! They are pilot fish, or more accurately, golden trevally. They help the shark navigate and keep them clean in exchange for debris and protection.” – Pavlos Evangelidis/TPOTY 2020
6
Runner Up – Landscape and Earth Combination – Scott Portelli
Katitanda – Lake Eyre, South Australia. Katitanda-Lake Eyre is the largest salt lake in Australia, but it is only covered by water every eight years on average. Vast salt plains dominate the landscape, patterns left by receding water. Natural springs spring up across the plain, creating a visual anomaly in huge patterns of pale blue, yellow and red as the water flows through the salt crust. – Scott Portley/TPOTY 2020
7
Recommended – Landscape and Earth Combination – Sergey Pesterev
Uzuri, Olkhon Island, Lake Baikal, Russia. Lake Baikal is famous not only for its huge reserves of pure fresh water, but also for its completely transparent ice, which can sometimes be more than a meter thick. Due to temperature changes, new cracks are constantly forming. The sounds produced by the situation could be used to voice Star Wars, and the lake seems to have a life of its own. – Sergey Pestlev / TPOTY.com
8
Winner – Nature, Sea Life and Wildlife Portfolio – Marco Steiner
Kuramathi, Rasdhoo Atoll, Maldives. “Juvenile dory fish, filmed on a black water dive; I used a very slow shutter to capture the movement of this bird-like fish. We spotted three of them that day, and more over the next few days, It was very interesting for us as we had never seen them in the Maldives before!” – Marco Steiner/TPOTY.com
9
Runner Up – Nature, Sea Life and Wildlife Portfolio – Wenming Tang
Poyang Lake, Jiangxi Province, China. Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve is located in the north of Jiangxi Province. Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, provides a seasonal habitat for more than 100 species of migratory birds, including 11 endangered species. – Tang Wenming/TPOTY.com
10
Highly Commended – Travel Portfolio – Nicolas Raspiengeas
Diamond Beach, Iceland. Diamond Beach is located on the Breiñ°amerkursandur glacier plain, next to the Jökulsàrlón glacier lagoon, famous for its icebergs washing on its black sand. I wanted to highlight these dark blue and transparent blocks – a sign of their age. ” – Nicholas Laspingues/TPOTY.com
11
Winner – Landscape and Earth Elements Single Image – James Smart
Shimla, Colorado, USA. This “bit” type of tornado is a rare type of anticyclonic tornado, occurring in about 2 percent of all tornadoes. It landed on open farmland and narrowly missed hitting a house near Shimla, Colorado, as it tore through the ground and collected soil, turning it brown. – James Smart/TPOTY.com
12
Special Mention – Landscape and Earth Elements Single Image – David Swindler
Mount Rainier, Washington, USA. “During our visit to Mount Rainier, we discovered this snow cave carved by fast-moving water. Entering a snow cave can be dangerous and you should be equipped with proper safety equipment.” – David Swindler/TPOTY .com
13
Runner Up – Travel Portfolio – Richard Li
Bence Mate’s photography hideout, Pusztaszer, Hungary. “I was hiding in a hiding place waiting for the birds to fly to the pond to drink when I found this snail and was amazed by its perfect reflection.” – Richard Li/TPOTY.com
14
Commendation – Travel Portfolio – Alessio Mesiano
Vestmanna, Streymoy Island, Faroe Islands. “It is difficult to see the Northern Lights in the Faroe Islands. Severe winter weather is common and the skies are often cloudy. I parked the car, turned on the radio, put down the seat, put on a blanket and waited for hours. I took this around midnight photo, but I stayed there until 4am.” – Alessio Messiano / TPOTY.com
15
Commendation – One Shot Colors of Life – Enrico Pescantini
Peruvian Andes. Nature always shows us that it is the greatest painter who ever lived. In the Peruvian Andes, the unique mineral composition and millions of years of wind and rain have created Rainbow Mountain, a true natural wonder. This is indeed a “sad” discovery that was only recently made, as the snow and ice that once covered them melted away. – Enrico Pescantini/TPOTY.com
16
Runner Up – One Strike Islands – Dana Allen
Tahaa, Tahiti. A school of Pacific double-saddled butterflyfish (Chaetodon ulietensis) and many other aquatic species scurry through the stunning lagoon of Le Tahaa Island. – Dana Allen/TPOTY.com
For more exciting images from this year’s awards, click here.
