While many of us are stuck at home and locked in our homes, a few lucky bums have been able to get out and photograph places, animals, and life in general.
Rather than get jealous, we thought we’d be more constructive and bring you some stunning galleries of winners to lift our spirits.
So, for your visual enjoyment, here are some of our favorites from this year’s Travel Photographer of the Year awards.
Why not check out some of our other great galleries?
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Winner – Travel Photographer of the Year – Vladimir Alekseev
Arctic fox photographed in Svalbard.Photographer Vladimir Alekseev says “Once I was on an expedition to Spitsbergen, there was a snowstorm. Everything around was the same white. Suddenly I spotted this arctic fox. He almost blended into the environment. Only his eyes and nose gave it away he…” Vladimir Alekseev/TPOTY.com
2
Winner – Travel Photographer of the Year – Vladimir Alekseev
Tolbachik Volcanic Plain, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia “The eruption is best photographed at dusk. Then it’s not too dark around, the sky has beautiful colors and the lava looks beautiful and glowing. Yes, it can be very dangerous…” Vladimir Alekseev/TPOTY.com
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Winner – Travel Photographer of the Year – Vladimir Alekseev
Snails by the water, taken in Myanmar. “Travel photography doesn’t always capture landscapes or reportage. It often captures a macro world. These are the elements around you. The little joys of life that we don’t notice at home. Vladimir Alekseev/TPOTY.com
4
Highly Commended – Landscape and Earth Element Portfolio – Paddy Scott
Charakusa Valley, Karakoram Mountains, Himalayas, Pakistan. At 7,282 meters high, K6 is smaller than most of its other ‘K’ cousins; however, it juts almost 3,000 meters from the valley floor, meaning it occupies the head 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. PhotographerPavlos EvangelidisDon’t worry, the fish is fine! They are pilot fish—or, more accurately in this case, Golden Trevallies. They help the sharks navigate and keep them clean in exchange for scraps and protection. Pavlos Evangelidis/TPOTY 2020
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Runner Up – Landscape and Earth Combination – Scott Portelli
Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, South Australia. Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is Australia’s largest salt lake, but it is only covered by water every eight years on average. Vast salt plains dominate the landscape in patterns left by receding water. Natural springs gushes from the plains, creating giant patterns of pale blue, yellow and red as the water is pushed through the salt crust, creating a visual anomaly. Scott Portley/TPOTY 2020
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Recommended – Combination of Landscape and Earth Elements – Sergey Pesterev
Uzury, 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 voices that emerge in this case could be used to dub “Star Wars,” and the lake seems to be living a life of its own. Sergey Pesterev/TPOTY.com
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Winner – Nature, Sea Life and Wildlife Portfolio – Marco Steiner
Kuramathi, Rasdhoo Atoll, Maldives. ‘A juvenile flying catfish photographed during a blackwater dive; I used a very slow shutter to capture the movement of this bird-like fish. We spotted three of them that day and many more over the next few days, which was really fun for us as we had never seen one in the Maldives before! Marco Steiner/TPOTY.com
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Runner Up – Nature, Sea Life and Wildlife Combination – Wenming Tang
Poyang Lake, Jiangxi, China. Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve is located in the north of Jiangxi Province. Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, is a seasonal habitat for more than 100 species of migratory birds, including 11 endangered species. Wenming Tang/TPOTY.com
10
Highly Commended – Travel Portfolio – Nicolas Raspiengeas
Diamond Beach, Iceland. Diamond Beach is located on the Breiðamerkursandur glacier plain next to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, famous for its icebergs on its black sand. I wanted to highlight these dark blue and transparent blocks – a sign of their advanced age. Nicolas Raspiengeas/TPOTY.com
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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% of all tornadoes. It landed in open farmland and narrowly missed a home near Shimla, Colorado, as it tore through the ground, collecting soil and turning it brown. James Smart/TPOTY.com
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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 Combination-Li Zekai
Bence Mate’s studio, Pusztaszer, Hungary. “I was in a hideout waiting for birds to fly to a pond to drink when I found this snail and was amazed by its perfect reflection.” Li Zekai/TPOTY.com
14
Commendation – Travel Portfolio – Alessio Mesiano
Vestmanna, Streymoy, Faroe Islands. ‘It’s not easy to see the Northern Lights in the Faroe Islands. In winter, severe weather is very 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 photo around midnight, but I stayed until 4am. Alessio Messiano / TPOTY.com
15
Commendation – Life Strike Color – Enrico Pescantini
Peruvian Andes. Nature always shows us that it is the greatest painter of all time. In the Peruvian Andes, the unique mineral composition and millions of years of wind and rain have created the Rainbow Mountains, a true natural wonder. This is indeed a “sad” discovery that was made only recently, as the snow and ice that once covered them melted. Enrico Pescantini / TPOTY.com
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Runner Up – One Shot Islands – Dana Allen
Tahaa Island, Tahiti. A school of Pacific double-saddled butterflyfish (Cblack tooth grass) and many other aquatic species scurry by in a flurry of activity in Le Taha’a’s stunning lagoon. Dana Allen/TPOTY.com
For more great images from this year’s awards, click here.
